The Word, The Reckoning and The Rose

The Word, The Reckoning and The Rose brings together three Top of the South poets with diverse styles, genuine voices and a love for the written and spoken word.

Henry Ludbrook "is a new colloquial writer," writes Angela Trolove. "Borrowing the vocal range of Hone Tuwhare, Ludbrook writes as easily in a vulgar or a reverential tone - conversational, rhyming at will." Henry Ludbrook published his first collection of poems, River Deliver Me, last year and you can read Henry on his blog http://hello-hcludbrook.tumblr.com/

Rose Michel von Dreger won the Canadian Robert Burns Award for Poetry and was once asked to open for Sam Hunt. She has exhibited in several multimedia exhibitions and performed live at the Mussel Inn with The Mad Hallelujah Tribe. For New Zealand's Bernadette Hall, Rose's writing has "the qualities of lightness and fluidity and that sense of meaning gradually emerging from a kind of interior music."

In another lifetime Nelson Mail reviewer Matt Bowler wrote of Mark Raffills, “The live poet is obvious; the words have both a lyrical and rhythmic quality. There is a depth to the poetry but at the same time, its heart is on its sleeve.”

“It's what I do pretty much,” nods Raffills in agreement, “Wear my heart on my sleeve, hang my poems and stories out for all to see; tell them raw, so to speak!” Raffills has toured and performed throughout NZ including Waitaki and Nelson Arts Festivals, NZ and Nelson Fringe Festivals and Poetry Live. He has been a finalist in NZ Poetry Slams, self-published three books of poems, while his weekly video poems on Facebook have attracted over 120,000 views in the last five years.
(https://www.facebook.com/). https://www.markraffills.com/