Te Moana o Reo | Ocean of Languages

‘Revel in the many foam-tossed stories within, dive deep, follow their taniwha sounds, play in this ocean of languages.’ Witi Ihimaera

‘A key, a needle, a watch-cog, a splinter, a flea with a wicked bite, a bead of ink that stains paper, a seed that contains the code for the full tree: our world is composed of, supported by and altered by tiny things. Micros, too, have this potency: tiny, but intoxicating; little, but transformative; small, but crammed with life. This polyphonic, polyglot collection reminds us that we underestimate the small at a cost: the cost of joy and wisdom.’ Emma Neale

‘The best part of learning a new language is having how you see the world challenged, adding new layers of appreciation to ‘universal’ experiences. This unique collection replicates that feeling by giving us a multi-faceted glimpse at the many ways we read and speak the world into being in Aotearoa. Although language is the common thread that binds these pieces together, the range of stories contained is as broad as the languages represented, each a surprising burst of colour and sound.’ Chris Tse, New Zealand Poet Laureate

Michelle Elvy is a short story writer, poet and editor working across many genres. She is founding editor of Flash Frontier: An Adventure in Short Fiction, and her anthology work includes, most recently, Ko Aotearoa Tātou | We Are New Zealand and A Kind of Shelter Whakaruru-taha.

Vaughan Rapatahana (Te Ātiawa, Ngāti Te Whiti) is a poet, novelist, writer and anthologist widely published across several genres in both his main languages, te reo Māori and English. His most recent collection as co-editor is Te Awa o Kupu, a collection of poetry and fiction.