Tse the moment with poet laureate
New Zealand's Poet Laureate will perform in Queenstown for one night only next month.
Chris Tse's a Kiwi poet, short-story writer and editor, who was named NZ's 13th Poet Laureate in 2022 — his tenure ends this year.
A 2024 fellow of the University of Iowa's International Writing Programme Fall Residency, and a 2025 Dutch Foundation for Literature writer-in-residence, Tse's works explore the questions of identity, including his Chinese heritage and queer identity.
He's authored three poetry collections published by Auckland University Press, including How to be Dead in a Year of Snakes, which won the 2016 Jessie Mackay Award for best first book of poetry, and Super Model Minority, which was a finalist for the 2023 Lamgda Literary Award for gay poetry and long-listed at the 2023 Ockham NZ Book Awards.
Tse's being brought to Queenstown by the Arrowtown Creative Arts Society (ACAS) and Queenstown Writers Festival.
ACAS co-chair Kelly Carmichael's thrilled to instigate the collaboration.
"I genuinely believe a creative community is a collaborative community, and when arts organisations support each other, we make the whole scene stronger.
"Given the spiky times we're living through, it is exciting to have a contemporary poet like Chris Tse in town — someone at the top of their game who is helping to redefine New Zealand poetry."
Queenstown Writers Fest chair Tanya Surrey says they're also delighted to help bring Tse to the Whakatipu.
"One of our objectives as a trust is to provide opportunities for education andlearning, as well as showcasing a range of voices in contemporary NZ literature."
To that end, along with his public performance at Queenstown's Sherwood from 7.30pm on August 8, at which Tse will be joined on stage by local poets, he's also teaching a poetry workshop for local high school students, and a public workshop, at Te Atamira, on August 9, from 10am till noon.
Tickets for the 'Poetry Masterclass with Chris Tse' cost $40 from Eventfinda.
Tickets for 'An Evening with the Poet Laureate', during which Tse will read selections from his previous collections and poems written during his time as Poet Laureate, focused on capturing and expressing joy, particularly during times of crisis and uncertainty, cost $25 ($20 for ACAS members), also via Eventfinda.
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