Seraph Press is delighted to announce that it will be publishing two new poetry books this year, all going to plan.

New Zealand Icons: Prose Poems, by Vivienne Plumb

In this new collection by Vivienne Plumb she celebrates and skewers New Zealand's national identity in prose poems about such Kiwi icons as cheese and onion sandwiches, motels in Taupo, and New Zealand's changeable weather. A sampler of these poems appeared in Vivienne's most recent collection, Crumple.

Vivienne Plumb writes poetry, fiction, and drama. She has published a novel, a novella, a collection of short fiction, several play scripts, five collections of poetry and two poetry chapbooks.  She presently lives between Auckland and Sydney, while she is working on a doctorate of creative arts through an Australian university. Her play The Cape has recently been translated into Polish and will be published in Warsaw. She will read in September for the Australian Poetry Centre in Sydney.

The Comforter, by Helen Lehndorf
In this much anticipated debut poetry collection Helen Lehndorf explores the joys, pains, beauty and ugliness of life. These poems don't shy away from the dirt, don't give trite answers and show love, not as sentimental, but as fierce.

Helen Lehndorf is a writer and writing teacher. Her work has been published in the journals Landfall, Takahe, Sport, JAAM and others, and in anthologies including Kaupapa: Global Issues, New Zealand Poets and Swings and Roundabouts: Poems about Parenthood among others. She has also had feature articles published in the Dominion Post and fiction produced on Radio New Zealand National.

Both collections are due to be published towards the end of 2011.

Seraph Press has got itself a page on Facebook, where we'll be sharing news and, um, stuff. If you'd like to like us, you'll find us here: http://www.facebook.com/SeraphNZ

Helen Cubed – Seraph Press managing editor Helen Rickerby, Helen Heath and Helen Lehndorf – are the guest poets at the Ballroom Cafe in March.

Helen Heath's debut chapbook, Watching for Smoke, was published by Seraph Press in 2009, and Helen Lehndorf's debut chapbook, The Comforter, is forthcoming from Seraph Press in 2011.

The Helens plan to interweave their voices, which should make for an interesting reading. You can also enjoy an open mic and music from Blue Vein (Dan Bar-Even, Liz & Kate Kennedy).

4 pm to 6 pm, Sunday 20 March, The Ballroom Cafe, Newtown (corner of Riddiford Street and Adelaide Road).

On Thursday 17 February Vivienne Plumb will be reading as part of Rhythm and Verse at Lopdell House in Titirangi. She's performing with poets Sarah Cotter, Michael Morrissey and  Greg Brimblecombe, and musicians Chillele - Angela, Pedro and Mark. It's at 7.30, costs $5, and you'll find more details here: http://www.lopdell.org.nz/events/details/rhythm_verse2.html

Yesterday Lynn Freeman talked to Vivienne Plumb on the Arts on Sunday show. They talk about Crumple, travel, Kiwi icons, reading the weather, Rotovegas and more. It begins with Vivienne reading 'severe weather warning'.
You can listen to it as an MP3, or as an Ogg Vorbis.

Vivienne Plumb will be interviewed this Sunday at 2.30 pm by Lynn Freeman on her Arts on Sunday show on Radio New Zealand National. They'll be talking about her latest poetry collection, Crumple, published by Seraph Press at the end of last year.

If you miss it when it's broadcast, have no fear – it will be available on the web not long after. I'll post a link when it's available.

There are a wealth of interviews with New Zealand authors available on the Radio New Zealand site, now that they are keeping them on the site indefinitely. Seraph Press-related interviews already on the site include one with Vana Manasiadis about Ithaca Island Bay Leaves: A Mythistorima, and one with Helen Rickerby, manager editor of Seraph Press, about her poetry collection My Iron Spine.

And as the first bit of real news on Seraph Press's new site, Helen Heath, author of Watching for Smoke, puts herself in the interviewee's chair. Following on from her interviews with other creative types, she videoed herself answering questions about her creative process, how she manages to write as the mother of two children, how she arranges her books, and more. Watch it here on her blog: http://www.helenheath.com/2-jan-2011/quick-ten-helen-heath.

There are only a few copies of Watching for Smoke left, so if you'd like one, flick us an email.

Finally Seraph Press has a proper website, with a proper URL. This will be easier to manage than the old site, and has a built-in blog, so it will be easier for us to tell you what Seraph Press and Seraph Press authors are up to. You can even subscribe via RSS feed. We're finally joining the 21st century.

If you're interested in old Seraph Press news, you can find it here in the News archive section.