It's probably a perfect first review for a debut collection: glowing and perceptive. Paula Green has reviewed The Rope Walk on her new NZ Poetry Shelf site, and you can read it here: http://nzpoetryshelf.com/2013/08/21/the-rope-walk-hand-stitched-with-perfect-seasoning/.

As well as all the positive things she says about Maria's poetry, there's also a lovely shoutout for Seraph Press: "The reason I sent my manuscript of The Baker’s Thumbprint to Seraph Press is because I have loved the way Helen Rickerby produces gorgeous poetry books from Vivienne Plumb’s The Cheese and Onion Sandwich and Other New Zealand Icons to Vana Manasiadis’s Ithaca Island Bay Leaves: A Mythistorima to Helen Lehndorf’s The Comforter." Thanks Paula!

Maria McMillan is going to be the guest poet at the next Poetry at Meow, which is on Sunday 18 August (next Sunday!), from 4 pm until 6 pm, at Meow, 9 Edward Street, Wellington. And I'll be there with a wee table of freshly bound copies of The Rope Walk, so if you haven't got your very own copy yet, now's your chance.

Paula Green has started NZ Poetry Shelf, an exciting new blog all about New Zealand poetry, which will include, as the masthead says 'reviews, interviews and other things'.

Paula says in her first post:
"In his speech for the New Zealand Post Book Awards’ shortlist, chief judge John Campbell said: “It is a reflection of the extraordinary strength of the new and young writers we read, particularly in poetry, where New Zealand is blessed by so many fine writers (at all ages and stages) that we respectfully suggest poetry could stand beside rugby as our national sport.” I have heard some stadiums overseas get packed to the brim to hear a poet.

"Having read so many of the poetry books published in the past 17 months and with much admiration, John’s declaration prompted me to put a floating idea into concrete action." She also gives a lovely shout-out to Maria McMillan's The Rope Walk. Read the rest of the post here...

She's already started with mini reviews of some of the poetry books she's enjoyed over the past year. I can tell this blog is going to become an important part of the New Zealand poetry scene.