One of the most discussed poetry collections to emerge from Aotearoa New Zealand in recent years. 

The Samoan poet, performer and playwright writes from the intersections of race, gender, religion, colonial history and family, refusing the expectation that marginalised writers explain themselves politely. These are poems that speak back—to empire, to white liberalism, to Christianity, to misogyny, and to the literary establishment itself—with equal measures of rage, satire and startling tenderness.

Avia's background in performance poetry is unmistakable. The poems are built to be heard aloud: conversational one moment, devastating the next, shifting effortlessly between humour, accusation, autobiography and theatrical monologue. Yet beneath their immediacy is a careful examination of inherited violence—how colonialism continues to shape bodies, language, beauty, desire and public discourse. Published in 2023 after controversy surrounding one of its poems generated international debate about free speech and artistic expression, the collection became a landmark work in contemporary Pacific literature, demonstrating poetry's capacity to unsettle public conversation rather than simply reflect it. Essential reading for those interested in Indigenous writing, decolonial thought, contemporary political poetry and work that insists literature remains a live cultural force.

2023 first edition paperback published by Te Herenga Waka University Press. Very good condition with light shelf wear and a clean, unmarked interior.