#Always Italicise: How to Write While Colonised

[words-and-coffee]

Alice Te Punga Somerville, Always Italicise: How to Write While Colonised - Kupu rere kē

[ID: A poem titled: Kupu rere kē. [in italics] My friend was advised to italicise all the foreign words in her poems. This advice came from a well-meaning woman with NZ poetry on her business card and an English accent in her mouth. I have been thinking about this advice. The convention of italicising words from other languages clarifies that some words are imported: it ensures readers can tell the difference between a foreign language and the language of home. I have been thinking about this advice. Marking the foreign words is also a kindness: every potential reader is reassured that although you're expected to understand the rest of the text, it's fine to consult a dictionary or native speaker for help with the italics. I have been thinking about this advice. Because I am a contrary person, at first I was outraged — but after a while I could see she had a point: when the foreign words are camouflaged in plain type you can forget how they came to be there, out of place, in the first place. I have been thinking about this advice and I have decided to follow it. Now all of my readers will be able to remember which words truly belong in -[end italics]- Aotearoa -[italics]- and which do not.

Next image is the futurama meme: to shreds you say...]

(Image ID by @bisexualshakespeare)

[wordswithloveee]

[thejourneyblog]

It is said that they worked From dawn until dusk Not for world peace But pieces of the world Pieces of dirt Ripped out the roots All of our energy Wasted on  The earth was split Taxed and owned Who needs to share When you can have shares You could each have your own That’s what they said No need for each other Sharing is sparing Look over there They want it too You better go hide And don’t look outside We stayed in our corners Clutching it tight Worried for the day We’d have to fight Whatever was left Broken and shattered  Not from devils But angels that scattered To each their own Not for each other Only against what Nature was left You wouldn’t believe it If you saw for yourself We trades sky and sea creatures For metal and screens. We watched them there What wasn’t alive. We reminisced  While there was still time We don’t know who Made things this way But we know Who watched and stayed 

[chaithetics]

Non-scheduled post! Monday afternoons are for rereading indigenous literature! This is an amazing powerful collection by Māori poet Alice Te Punga Somerville that I recommend as required reading for everyone! Especially with the issues indigenous communities are facing not just in Aotearoa but globally.

[lohstandfound]

1 4 11?

1. favourite place in your country?

I haven't been to a lot of places in my country. But I love the beaches!!

Paraparaumu and Waikanae are pretty nice, probably because of the beaches. I've got to Paraparaumu beach a few times and a couple of years ago I went to this camp at Waikanae- it happened twice and both times on that camp we took a late night walk down to the beach. Sure, maybe we had to climb over some fences by torchlight but it was fun.

Manakau is nostalgic (not to be confused with Manukau), I used to visit a lot as a kid.

4. favourite dish specific for your country?

I love a good pavlova

11. favourite native writer/poet?

Oh oh oh oh oh I have so many writers and poets I love from Aotearoa I would gladly give recommendations. I've made a post on it before and, understandably, it didn't get any attention. (I'm going to find and reblog it)

I love Chris Tse (current poet laureate, I believe), Tayi Tibble, and essa may ranapiri

I haven't read a lot of fiction by kiwi authors. I. S. Belle is on my radar (Zombabe was I think her first novel? And I recently bought Honeyblood which is sapphic vampires so).

Then there's Thorn Boy/Ship of Horrors/Playful Anarchy/The Cure for Gravity/Scathing/Starborough which are anthologies written by my friends plus Spores is published in Ship of Horrors but that is completely biased for me to say

I'm still going slightly off topic but Out Here: an anthology of Takatāpui and LGBTQIA+ writers from Aotearoa is one of my favourite anthologies, and Overcom/Overcommunicate and Bad Apple are my favourite magazines.

Also, me /j

[alarmalade]

"Kupu rere kē" by Alice Te Punga Somerville

from Always Italicise: How to Write While Colonised

[kiwiana-writes]

Happy sleepover Friday! 🥳 I guess this falls under advice…what are five books you wish everyone would read?

Oooooooh what a THINKER of a question!

In no particular order, and a very small selection of a much longer list...

Bisexual Men Exist by Vaneet Mehta is an absolutely vital read for everyone, and I do mean everyone.

Queer: A Collection of LGBTQ Writing from Ancient Times to Yesterday edited by Frank Wynne is a stunning collection of queer writing. We're here, we've always been here, and this is such a wonderful collation.

Always Italicise: How to Write While Colonised by Alice Te Punga Somerville is hands down my favourite poetry collection; it's incredibly thought-provoking as well as being beautiful writing.

The Pairing by Casey McQuiston -- I was lucky enough to get my hands on an ARC and y'all. Y'ALL. Casey has outdone themself for SURE. Tattoo some of the lines from this book on my heart, honestly.

Sins of the Father: The Long Shadow of a Religious Cult by Fleur Beale. A lot of kiwi have read Fleur Beale's YA novel about a religious cult I Am Not Esther and its sequels (which I also recommend!), but this is a non-fiction account of the children of the leader of Gloriavale here in Aotearoa. It's incredibly eye-opening and I've recommended it to a few people whose position on Gloriavale had previously been 'oh well if that's how they want to live, let them'.

[highkingpetermagnificent]

24 in 2024

I meant to do this in January, but life keeps marching on despite my efforts. I stole this from @aliteraryprincess because it just looks fun!! This is 24 books I want to read in 2024 (not including ones I've already read or am currently reading.) These are in no particular order.

Bronze Drum, Phong Nguyen (fiction) (already own, just unread)

Lady Chatterley's Lover, D.H. Lawrence (classic)

Edward IV: A Source Book, Keith Dockray (nonfiction) (already own, just unread)

Lavinia, Ursula K. Le Guin (fiction) (already own, just unread)

Under the Skin: The Hidden Toll of Racism on American Lives and on the Health of Our Nation, Linda Villarosa (nonfiction)

Modern Paganism in World Cultures: Comparative Perspectives, Michael Strmiska (nonfiction) (already own, just unread)

She Would Be King, Wayétu Moore (fiction) (already own, just unread)

The Peacekeeper, B.L. Blanchard (fiction) (already own, just unread)

Tress of the Emerald Sea, Brandon Sanderson (fiction)

Medieval York, D.M. Palliser (nonfiction)

She Had Some Horses, Joy Harjo (poetry) (already own, just unread)

The Mysteries of Udolpho, Ann Radcliffe (classic) (already own, just unread)

Object Lessons: The Life of the Woman and the Poet in Our Time, Eavan Boland (essays?) (already own, just unread)

Noblewomen, Aristocracy and Power in the Twelfth-Century Anglo-Norman Realm, Susan M. Johns (nonfiction) (already own, just unread)

Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot, Mikki Kendall (nonfiction)

Katherine Parr: Complete Works and Correspondence, Katherine Parr (essays/letters) (already own, just unread)

Daughter of the Moon Goddess, Sue Lynn Tan (fiction) (already own, just unread)

Blood and Roses: One Family's Struggle and Triumph During the Tumultous Wars of the Roses, Helen Castor (nonfiction) (already own, just unread)

If I Were Another: Poems, Mahmoud Darwish (poetry)

Always Italicise: How to Write While Colonised, Alice Te Punga Somerville (poetry)

Black Swim, Nicholas Goodly (poetry)

Sight Lines, Arthur Sze (poetry)

Real Queer America: LGBT Stories From Red States, Samantha Allen (nonfiction) (already own, just unread)

Within the Fairy Castle: Colleen Moore's Doll House, Terry Ann R. Neff (idk how to label this, this is my last pick just for fun) (already own, just unread)

If you want to do this, steal it from me and tag me!

[tiercel42]

Kupu rere kē

My friend was advised to italicise all the foreign words in her poems. This advice came from a well-meaning woman with NZ poetry on her business card and an English accent in her mouth.

I have been thinking about this advice.

The publishing convention of italicising words from other languages clarifies that some words are imported: it ensures readers can tell the difference between a foreign language and the language of home.

I have been thinking about this advice.

Marking the foreign words is also a kindness: Every potential reader is reassured that although obviously you’re expected to understand the rest of the text, it’s fine to consult a dictionary or native speaker for help with the italics.

I have been thinking about this advice.

Because I am a contrary person, at first I was outraged – but after a while I could see she had a point: When the foreign words are camouflaged in plain type you can forget how they came to be there, out of place, in the first place.

I have been thinking about this advice and I have decided to follow it.

Now all of my readers will be able to remember which words truly belong in Aotearoa and which do not.

Alice Te Punga Somerville, Always Italicise: how to write while colonised

I saw this posted as an image with a reaction gif. (Credit: @words-and-coffee, without whom I would never have heard of this poem.)

But: it needs to be accessible.

It doesn't need a reaction gif.

It's powerful enough on its own.

[forty40love]

Alice Te Punga Somerville, Always Italicise: How to Write While Colonised - Kupu rere kē

original post

[thelivebookproject]

TBR | January 2024

2024 is here, Happy New Year!

To celebrate, let's set some goals: I want to read 50 books in 2024, and get to at least 60% of my current TBR (this means 43 books). These are both suuuuuuper lowkey goals that I think will be easily accomplishable, but I think it's about time I don't stress myself out with plans. 2024 is shaping up to be a very full year in terms of professional and personal matters, so I want my reading to be relaxing.

However, in the spirit of tackling my TBR, I'm going to try and set a list of books I want to get to this month in the hopes of actually sticking to it...

The Lost Pianos of Siberia - Sophy Roberts

El Zorro: comienza la leyenda - Isabel Allende

Always Italicise: How to Write While Colonised - Alice Te Punga Somerville

Nagori: La nostalgie de la saison qui vient de nous quitter - Ryoko Sekiguchi

Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube: Chasing Fear and Finding Home in the Great White - Blair Braverman

Marx in the Anthropocene - Kōhei Saitō

Poets and Dreamers: Studies and Translations from the Irish - Lady Gregory

I think this is a good mix of non-fiction, fiction, and poetry, with radically different topics, genres, and even languages, so I don't get bored. There's something for every mood and I'm really looking forward to all of them.

What are you reading this year?

[words-and-coffee]

Kupu rere kē My friend was advised to italicise all the foreign words in her poems. This advice came from a well-meaning woman with NZ poetry on her business card and an English accent in her mouth. I have been thinking about this advice. The convention of italicising words from other languages clarifies that some words are imported: it ensures readers can tell the difference between a foreign language and the language of home. I have been thinking about this advice. Marking the foreign words is also a kindness: every potential reader is reassured that although you’re expected to understand the rest of the text, it’s fine to consult a dictionary or native speaker for help with the italics. I have been thinking about this advice. Because I am a contrary person, at first I was outraged — but after a while I could see she had a point: when the foreign words are camouflaged in plain type you can forget how they came to be there, out of place, in the first place. I have been thinking about this advice and I have decided to follow it. Now all of my readers will be able to remember which words truly belong in Aotearoa and which do not.

Alice Te Punga Somerville, Always Italicise: How to Write While Colonised - Kupu rere kē

[wordswithloveee]

[tsnbrainrot]

i was tagged by @nologiconlystyles to list my favourite reads of the year so far. honestly, this has been kind of a horrible reading year for me, i was in a slump for the longest time and then i spent weeks and weeks after my eye surgery not being able to read for more than 10-15 min. at a time. but here are a few i really enjoyed, in no particular order:

dark heir (cs pacat) -> cs pacat can do no wrong in my humble opinion and i cannot WAIT for the next book in this series. conceptually, it fucks.

the vampire lestat (anne rice) -> lowkey the most fun i had reading all year.

a power unbound (freya marske) -> the whole trilogy is perfect. im gonna need to reread that one cos i wasn't in the best mindset to properly enjoy it, but even so i gave it 5 stars on goodreads.

the gentle art of fortune hunting (kj charles) -> kj never misses. period. (well, almost haha)

the gentleman's gambit (evie dunmore) -> het romance??? in my reading list??? ik right, i dnf 85% of het romances i start (its fucking dire out there) but this series focusing on a group of suffragettes pals all finding love was really fun and i particularly enjoyed this last instalment.

the vampire armand (anne rice) -> ok, technically i'm only 45% into this one but im REALLY enjoying it and unless it takes a massive dive in quality, it's gonna be one of my fav of the series and of the year. so.

always italicise: how to write while colonised (alice te punga somerville) -> first poetry collection from a maori writer that i really really enjoyed.

the half life of valery k (natasha pulley) -> i just love everything natasha writes. period.

i'm also reading a collection of essays about languages and the first world war atm and it's fascinating. so that's probably gonna be on my fav of the year list too.

tagging @wimbledon2008 and @madam-mina-harker cos i know they're book girlies too.

[down-the-rabbith0le]

Alice Te Punga Somerville, Always Italicise: How to Write While Colonised - Kupu rere kē

[libraryogre]

The 'hyperspecific situations' polls are really once again highlighting that native English speakers tend to forget that 'foreign' doesn't mean 'non-English' or 'non-American'

"Did you watch a foreign language movie in the past three days?" Yeah I watched the foreign movie "The Martian" with foreign actor Matt Damon