Titus Strikes Again

[Will Joy Christie at the Titus Launch]

Titus Books appears to have a thing for trilogies (following in the footsteps of their illustrious namesake, Mervyn Peake's Titus Groan, perhaps?). This is the second launch [in the Alleluya Cafe, Karangahape Rd, this time -- Thursday 12th April] at which they've presented three books of poetry simultaneously: Will Christie's Luce Cannon, Scott Hamilton's To the Moon, in Seven Easy Steps, and Richard Taylor's Conversation with a Stone.

[Cover illustration by Ellen Portch]

Both Richard and Will have published chapbooks at various times before, but this is the first full-length book of poems for all three of them. And long overdue, I think we'd all agree.

I'd like to say more about all of the books, and I will, but for the moment I just want to direct you to the accounts here and here of the launch on Scott's blog. (Unfortunately I was otherwise detained, enjoying a blissful mid-semester break down in Wellington, but that sure won't stop me trying to publicise these fascinating collections).

All three of the authors are, again, old brief contributors, so it's extra gratifying to see them busting out into the staid New Zealand poetry mainstream.

[Richard Taylor at the Titus Launch]

Oh, and for the curious:
In early 2005 Titus launched a triad of novellas: Bill Direen's Coma, Jack Ross's Trouble in Mind & Olwyn Stewart's Curriculum Vitae.
In late 2005 they launched their first hat-trick of poetry books: Bill Direen's New Sea Land, Olivia Macassey's exquisite Love in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction & Stephen Oliver's Either Side the Horizon.
In early 2006 they launched a duo of novels (soon to be expanded to three with the addition of David Lyndon Brown's Marked Men): Bill Direen's Song of the Brakeman & Jack Ross's The Imaginary Museum of Atlantis.