Out Here: An Anthology of Takatapui and LGBTQIA+ Writers from Aotearoa

by Emma Barnes (Editor), Chris Tse (Editor)

A remarkable anthology of queer New Zealand voices. We became teenagers in the nineties when New Zealand felt a lot less cool about queerness and gender felt much more rigid. We knew instinctively that hiding was the safest strategy. But how to find your community if you’re hidden? Aotearoa is a land of extraordinary queer writers, many of whom have contributed to our rich literary history. But you wouldn’t know it. Decades of erasure and homophobia have rendered some of our most powerful writing invisible. Out Here will change that. This landmark book brings together and celebrates queer New Zealand writers from across the gender and LGBTQIA+ spectrum with a generous selection of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and much, much more. From established names to electrifying newcomers, the cacophony of voices brought together in Out Here sing out loud and proud, ensuring that future generations of queers are afforded the space to tell their stories and be themselves without fear of retribution or harm.

Genres: Poetry, Nonfiction, Queer, LGBT

368 pages, Hardcover

Published April 14, 2022

Reviews

[Josiah Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am of course biased but this really is an incredible accomplishment by Chris and Emma, revealing a breadth of identities, subjectivities that is impossible to merely categorise. The great accomplishment of the anthology is that the incidental alphabetical ordering actually reveals a snowballing understanding of the term Takatāpui as the text goes on, so that Witi Ihimaera's piece feels inevitable, so that Pelenakeke Brown's piece seems like a direct relative of Stacey Teague's Beat. An exercise in editorial control if ever there was one.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

INteresting but ultimately my adhd boredom won out against some of the more poetic stories. yeah it took me half a year to complete what of it.

[Bathsheba Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I find myself too literal to really understand some of the poetic forms, but I read every word and sometimes invoked the vision I was being told, or I imagined it being read aloud to me.

Not something to binge read, something to pick up and delve into from time to time allowing moments, often days to reflect on the stories within. Some I will never understand and that's probably because it's not for me and that's ok.

It was overall hugely inspiring to me and I wrote some of my own literal poetry between the turning of the sheets.

[Charlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

before this book i was convinced that to find community i would have traverse the globe and specifically flee to england to find any trace or evidence of queer people living vicariously and not hidden > now whenever i get the urge to become a sheep farmer on a farming exchange in a misty cottage in england to meet the sure-to-be-there colony of queer farmers living with the land I remember this book and that we have built beautiful lives here since the dawn of time practically. also this book did gods work and introduced me to Hera Lindsay Bird’s work🙏🙏

[Rosie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is the nature of anthologies that some you love and some you could have comfortably passed on so I want to draw your attention to my absolute favourites who deserve the world. Rose Lu - Notes from Mandarin Class, Rebecca Hawkes - Fairy Floss, Joy Holly - Never Underestimate the Power of Girls Who Want to Keep a Seceret, Janis Freegard - Mikey, and Isabelle McNeur - Dancers. I would die for all of you.

[Marina · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the loveliest, most out-of-the-blue gifts I have ever received. And that obviously helps my rating, but the collection is a riveting, splendid set of poetry and prose. I don't yet have a favourite but no doubt I'll be reading it again very soon. Made me exceedingly happy (and also tear up a little).

Queer joy is beautiful.

[ELS JOLLIFFE · Rating 4 out of 5]

i really enjoyed it, but as a wellingtonian all I could think was 'how many of these writers have i met personally/walked past in the street/have taught the children of'

because nz is tiny, and queer nz is tinier

[Charlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn’t think of a reason to not give 5 stars.