Night School

Winner of the Kathleen Grattan Poetry Award 2021, poet Michael Steven’s Night School explores the gap between fathers and sons, the effects of toxic masculinity, how power corrupts and corrodes, and whether weed, art and aroha can save us in a godless world. ‘This is the poet as pilgrim, traveller, and astonished survivor. His sonorous verse has an impeccable lapidary quality, each word fitted like a stone in a wall. Phrase by phrase, sentence by sentence, writing with a lucid precision, Michael Steven patiently builds up his world view, always making sure we are with him, always allowing us to share the understanding.’
David Eggleton, Judge’s Report Kathleen Grattan Poetry Award 2021 Michael Steven is an Auckland-based poet. He was awarded a Creative New Zealand Todd New Writers Bursary in 2018, and his collection Walking to Jutland Street (OUP, 2018) was longlisted for the Mary and Peter Biggs Award For Poetry 2019. His collection The Lifers (OUP, 2020) was in the Listener Top 10 Poetry Books of 2020. Night School is Steven’s third collection of poetry.