Expecting Miracles

by Peter Bland

Poems of love, loss, comic insight and sensory delight. At 81, Peter Bland's new work continues to dazzle and amuse. PN Review praises his 'gentle but powerful assurance' and Poetry London the 'intoxicating feeling' his poetry evokes. Peter lives in Mt Eden, Auckland.

64 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2015

About the author

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'.

Reviews

[Jonathan Natusch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this after adoring Peter Bland's latest collection, Voodoo (picked up on a whim while in Wellington, after opening it at a random page and falling immediately in love). I adored this collection too.

Both Expecting Miracles and Voodoo were full of poems that really made me feel something. I'd find myself flicking back a few pages, re-reading a particularly poignant or joyful piece, wishing there was someone else in my lounge, so I could recite it to them.

Bland's Collected Poems now await me, which I'm very much looking forward to.