Author(s): Various Authors

Short Stories | Maori Fiction

Authors published in the anthology are finalists from the 2015 Pikihuia Awards for Maori writers, with short stories written in both Te Reo Maori and English, and also novel extracts. The topics, themes and writing styles are diverse, as you might expect with 19 pieces written by 15 authors.
Some of the stories are light of heart: `Kingdom of Maisey' by Aaron Ure had me laughing at loud as the narrator slowly succumbed to the will of a household invader. Others are pretty heavy; the judgement that is ignorantly heaped upon the narrator of `Tired Eyes' by Anya Ngawhare made me cringe; the despair felt by the job seeker in `The Job' by Lauren Keenan will resonate with many people who've had to negotiate their way through an unforgiving job market.