Book Launch: chrysalis (d[i]s)section by o(l[i]ve)(*) (bly(th))

We're thrilled to be launching o(l[i]ve)(*) (bly(th))'s first full length collection of poetry, "chrysalis (d[i]s)section at Unity Books Wellington, with 5ever Books.

chrysalis (d[i]s)section takes a scalpel to poetic form(s), making a collage of neo-[n]ietzschean rhyme, jazz-inspired intonation, & second-wave feminist calls for male castration / in three sections, the 'caterpillar to butterfly' cliché of personal metamorphosis is rewritten, while exoskeletal references are both irreverently & deferentially effaced / silly, serious, & {self-}referential: rhythmically-punctuated wordplay toys with the notion of authorship, across time

To launch the book, o(l[i]ve)(*) will be joined in performance with Mallory Elmo (violin), in addition to readings from Anneke Westra and Kieran Trainor. More information about the author, book and the performers below:

Author bio:
o(l[i]ve)(*) (bly(th)) is an outer-disciplinary artist / she has recently been playing the piano, writing poetry, painting, & poking ink into skin / (her) poetry has been published by various local literary journals & this is (her) first full-length collection of poetry

Launch performances by:

Mallory Elmo (she) (Pākehā) ... born and living in Te Whanganui-a-Tara ... writes noisy lyrical scores for classical performers ... co-convenor with Sophia Frudd of the flexible noise improv group Frogmeat (Frogmeet) .......

Poetry readings by:
Kieran Trainor (they/them) is an English-born Pākehā artist and writer who works into the light-filled, gooey spaces of the world. Their joint practices are centred on Queer joy and ecological exploration.

Anneke Westra (she/her) is an emerging visual artist and writer. Born and raised in Rotorua, she is currently in her final year at Te Herenga Waka University of Wellington, completing her undergraduate degree in English Literatures & Art History. Although currently working as a studio artist out of Meanwhile, you can also often find her looking for seashells to put in her pocket.

Buy the book: chrysalis (d[i]s)section by o(l[i]ve)(*) (bly(th))