About Me
I am a medical student, poet, and blogger based in Aotearoa New Zealand. I write to capture moments and memories, and I believe that poetry is a “snapshot of the soul.” Many of my poems are inspired by the beautiful nature of New Zealand, and my medical studies. When I’m not writing or talking about poetry, I am campaigning for endangered native birds.
Poetry
Locally, I have had poems in student publications such as the Auckland University Student Association (AUSA)’s Kate Magazine in 2020, 2021, and 2022, and the medical students’ ND Magazine in 2019-2022. My poems have appeared on blogs such as the New Zealand Medical Students’ Association (NZMSA) Wellbeing Blog on Facebook and Instagram, and the New Zealand Medical Student Journal blog.
I have MC’d a UoA Poetry Club Open Mic, and performed in the UoA Poetry Club Zoom Poetry Showcase, alongside many accomplished staff and student poets. In 2021, I was one of the winners of the NZMSJ Creative Arts Competition for medical students. Most recently, my poem Pandora’s Box won the University of Auckland Population Health Award for 2022. I performed in the 2022 National Poetry Day Rangatahi Poetry Showcase, held at New Lynn Library.
Nationally, my poems have been published in the New Zealand Poetry Society’s a fine line magazine Spotlight on Student Poetry in 2021, in A Vocabulary of Rangatahi Poets, produced by Auckland Council, and on a Youth Arts New Zealand art installation for Young At Art 2021. I also appeared on S1E04 of the Emerging Aotearoa Podcast.
Internationally, I was a semifinalist in the 2020 Jack Grapes Poetry Prize held by Cultural Daily with my poem Ode To Old Books. My poem To An Asteroid was printed overseas in ‘How I Survived 2020’ by City Limits Publishing, and my poem Lawnflower was printed in The Sacred Feminine by Open Skies Press.
Books
I have self-published two poetry books, Reflections (2018) and What Are You Made Of? (2022). Both are printed in New Zealand and available from my website.
Public Speaking
I was a guest speaker at the Sunrise Startups Festival Aotearoa held by the Blackbird Foundation in September 2022, and TEDxUoA Conference in September 2022 in Auckland, New Zealand, with a talk on “How Children’s Poetry Will Change Your Life”.