Manuali'i - Bird of the Gods - is an anchor to ancestors and to self.
These poems are reminders of who you come from and who you are; compasses to constant new becomings. Questions for timekeepers and connections to universal powers. Being guided by messengers of the sky. Dancing on the delicate tightrope of here, the past, and an imagined future, Manuali’i dives into the heart of grief and loss and love; wraps a tongue around the soft grooves of Samoan words; and rides off into the distance on a Triumph Bonneville.
In this dreamy debut, Rex Paget will have you reminiscing on past loves; dancing in the rain; and appreciating the depth and range of human emotion and connection.
Rex Letoa Paget (Samoan/Danish) is a fa‘afatama crafter of words born in Aotearoa, now living on the unceded lands of the Wurundjeri people. His poetry and storytelling are his compass through space and time. His works are giftings from his ancestors and have been published in Tupuranga, Te Tangi A Te Ruru, AUNTIES, Overcom, No Other Place to Stand: An Anthology of Climate Change Poetry from Aotearoa New Zealand, Rapture: An Anthology of Performance Poetry from Aotearoa New Zealand, Spoiled Fruit: Queer Poetry from Aotearoa, and Australian Poetry Anthology Vol 10. His offerings are lessons, learnings, and acknowledgments for the timelines and traditions of yesterday, today and tomorrow.
Published by Saufo’i Press, May 2024
Soft cover, 94 pages
148×210mm, upright
The publisher:
Saufo`i Press est. 2021 is a publishing house that publishes Moana Pacific poetry books in Aotearoa. We share stories that are beautiful, joyful, sacred, not-to-be-f***ed with. We believe in vibes, the divine, in synchronicity, in peace, and love. We gas up our writers for real. We rejoice in the uniqueness of each culture from our sea of islands. We take heed from our ancestors. We do this for them. We do this for the generations before us. For the ones after us. We do it for us. We do it for the love of it. Saufo`i Press is dedicated to the formidable, wild, and fiercely loving matriarchs who guide us. It was founded by writer and editor Faith Catherine Saufo`i Wilson.
