Simone Kaho | |
---|---|
Born | 1978 (age 45–46) Auckland, New Zealand |
Education | Victoria University of Wellington |
Genre | Performance poetry |
Simone Kaho (born 1978) is a New Zealand poet of Tongan descent.[1]
She was born in Auckland and received an MA in creative writing from the International Institute of Modern Letters at Victoria University of Wellington.[2]
Her poetry has appeared in various journals including JAAM (Just Another Art Movement), Turbine and The Dominion Post. A performance poet, she has appeared in shows such as The Kerouac Effect and Poetry Live.[2] In 2016, she published a collection of poetry Lucky Punch.[1] The New Zealand Book Council included Lucky Punch on their list of "21 new Kiwi books we can’t wait to read".[3] Her second collection, Heal!, explores the PTSD she developed after an assault and was published in 2022.[4]
Kaho was included in the 20/20 Collection published by the New Zealand Book Awards Trust, her work having been selected by poet Paula Green.[5] In 2022, she was chosen by Creative New Zealand as the 2022 Emerging Pasifika Writer in Residence at Victoria University of Wellington, which she used to write non-fiction about identity, the colonisation of New Zealand, and the Pacific diaspora.[6][4]