Peter Bland is a poet and actor, whose writing commits to an everyday sub-urban sense of reality, often exploiting the framework of the dramatic monologue. He has a distinguished place in New Zealand theatre history as co-founder of Downstage and its artistic director 1964-68. He has worked as a stage and television actor and several of his own plays have been produced. Bland has published a large selection of poetry volumes in New Zealand and the UK. 'Coming Ashore' (Steele Roberts, ISBN: 978-1877577499) is his most recent collection. The Times Literary Supplement describes his poetry as 'vivid, witty, and original'.