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This is Mark's blog.

50 Poems by 50 Poets edited by Mark Pirie now available as a free eBook

In 2004, I edited a selection of recent New Zealand poetry 50 Poems by 50 Poets for papertiger new world poetry on CD-ROM in Australia.

The CD-ROM version included flash poems, visual poems, music and hip hop tracks and audio poems.

The anthology has been lost to New Zealand records, but I have now been able to make a PDF archival edition of the poems as texts for researchers and readers for future use.

The 2026 archival edition is published by Earl of Seacliff Art Workshop and is available for free download from my website.

 

 

 

 

Mark Pirie releases new book Black Gold with Earl of Seacliff Art Workshop

In September, I released a new book of poems with Earl of Seacliff Art Workshop called Black Gold after a break of four years. The book is important to my body of work as it is mostly written in the local New Zealand tradition of poets and poetry and dedicated to James K Baxter who died early at age 46.

Previously my early poetry had been innovating away from this local tradition. 

Poets Hone Tuwhare, Kevin Ireland, Clive James, John O'Connor, Michael Duffett (USA), Alistair Te Ariki Campbell, Meg Campbell and songwriter Mahinarangi Tocker receive elegies. 

Poet and editor Tony Beyer says of the book: "[Pirie's] poems have real depth and maturity, and I applaud their consistent respect for and celebration of the life of poetry. Respect and compassion for people, too. Pirie’s work always seems to have been headed this way, with an accurate ability to make the personal universal.”

 

Mark Pirie edits Basim Furat's Visions New Arabic poems in translation

In July 2021, I edited a new collection of translations from the Arabic by Iraqi poet/travel writer Basim Furat, Visions.

The book contains new poems written on Furat's travels in Japan, South America and the Sudan.

The title is included in the ESAW Mini Series (being No. 43). Furat was also the first title in the ESAW Mini Series back in 2005.

It is an honour to be able to collect more of Furat's poetry in translation for readers in English. Furat is a highly regarded and award winning writer in the modern Arab world of travel writing and literature.

ESAW publishes Mark Pirie’s Bono Mato Poeia rock poems and drawings

In July 2021, my new collection of rock and roll poems and drawings, Bono Mato Poeia, was published by Earl of Seacliff Art Workshop.

It presents new poems on rock written since my previous music collection Electrimotive in 2018.

Artists included: Lauryn Hill, Leonard Cohen, Ryan Adams, songwriter Jimmy Webb, Van Halen, Jim Morrison, Mark Knopfler, Billy Joel, Ronnie Van Zant, John Lennon, Yoko Ono, David Bowie and more.

It also includes some B&W line drawings of Sammy Hagar, Leonard Cohen, Bono (cover), Bob Dylan, and Anthony Kiedis previously featured in my artbook Folk Punk.

This will be my final mini book in the ESAW Mini Series (being No. 42) which ESAW publisher Michael O'Leary intends to end at No. 50.