3 days ago
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- Otago Daily Times
‘Person and poet' to be celebrated
Poet and environmentalist Brian Turner at the Nevis River in February this year. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
The late Brian Turner will be celebrated "as a person and a poet" at an event on National Poetry Day next Friday.
American poet and writer Michael Harlow, who has called Central Otago home since 1968, had much to say about the feats of Brian Turner.
"When I first came to New Zealand the first two poets I met were Lauris Edmond and Brian Turner and I thought 'this is great stuff'."
Turner was the winner of the Montana New Zealand Book Award for Poetry in 1993, and was named New Zealand Poet Laureate 2003-2005, but Harlow said people in the North Island thought of Turner as a landscape poet.
Harlow said while it was true Turner was a founding member of the Central Otago Environment Society, after a time "we thought it was time he was specifically recognised for his work — we called him the Poet Laureate of Nature."
Sure enough, in November 2024, he was awarded the honorary title of Poet Laureate of Nature — a symbolic accolade, bestowed by the Central Otago Environmental Society to honour Turner's unwavering dedication to celebrating and protecting the natural world through his writing and his advocacy.
Harlow has been given the task of gathering 12 poets together in one spot, for the event at the Central Stories Museum and Art Gallery, but it is the current leader of the Poetry Party Club, Ray Wright, who has done all the leg-work to organise the event.
Harlow said as well as the poets, Turner's younger brother and cricketing great, Glenn, "has written a song that he is going to sing at the event".
"On August 22 we will celebrate Brian as a person and a poet."
Turner's partner Jillian Sullivan said she would read some of Brian's work and artist Sir Grahame Sydney will also be speaking.
A short film of Brian by Declan Wong will be shown.
"It has Brian at home and then reading some poems in the landscape.
"It's very moving to see Brian on the screen and hear him again. I'll be in tears."
Sullivan said she was grateful for people putting energy into celebrating Brian and his work.
"His passion for the land and his meticulous, accessible and layered poems burn as strongly as ever and still speak to us and encourage us."
Twelve poets from a group that knew Brian from the days when he was leader of the Poetry Party Club will also read poems to remember him by, to celebrate New Zealand's National Poetry Day.
Harlow said he expected about 60 people to attend the 6.30pm event in Alexandra.
