Wit of the Staircase

Steele Roberts, 2009

My debut poetry collection, published by Steele Roberts in July 2009. It is largely comprised of work from my MA thesis Impasto which I completed in 2007 at Victoria University, Wellington.

I am very grateful to everyone involved in the process of turning thoughts into poems into a beautifully produced book.

Reviews:

“This young poet has learnt her craft and brings an awareness to the subject which provides insight at the same time as engaging our emotions.” Peter Dornauf, Waikato Times

“A constant theme seems to be journeys – journeys of time, journeys of place, snapshots of lives.” Liz Breslin NZ Poetry Society

“There must be a word for it: writing which is somehow childish yet acutely aware of the wider world, which has a startlingly precise internal logic yet retains that nonsensical lilt particular to the language of endearments, jibes and well-worn familial jokes. Perhaps the word is just “alive”; more than likely poet Saradha Koirala has a better word for it.” Abby Cunnane Capital Times, Wellington

“This young woman will be going places in our literary scene.” Hamesh Wyatt Otago Daily Times

“I enjoyed this first collection a lot. Saradha Koirala’s poems are short (mostly), elegantly constructed, and pull in a range of words you don’t often find in New Zealand poetry.There isn’t a bad poem in the book.”  Tim Jones for Library Thing

Radio New Zealand, Arts on Sunday interview

Poems from Wit of the Staircase:

“I once lived by myself in a treehouse” and “Zoo” in Sport 36

“The season” in Lumiere Reader

“Framed” and “An old wolf of a day” in Turbine 07

“Flowering Room” at Janis Freegard’s blog