Hawke's Bay Poetry Live with Jeremy Roberts

Jeremy Roberts lives in Napier with his wife and young daughter, and is a familiar face in the local poetry scene. He MCs Napier Live Poets, contributes to Hawke’s Bay Live Poets, and helps organise National Poetry Day events. He’s performed around the country—including as an MC at Auckland’s Poetry Live—and currently interviews poets on Radio Hawkes Bay. His creative life has taken many forms: he’s made neon lights and children’s puzzles, worked as a primary school teacher, and exhibited as a visual artist. Jeremys' love of poetry began in his late teens at the University of Auckland, where he discovered Ferlinghetti and the Beats, along with Blake, Keats, Coleridge and Sylvia Plath. Early live performances by Kendrick Smithyman and Gary McCormick left a mark, and the first New Zealand collection he owned was by Sam Hunt. His writing has appeared widely, including in NZ Listener, Landfall, Takāhe, JAAM, Poetry NZ, and Phantom Billstickers.