Peter Bland

Born in Yorkshire in 1934, poet, actor, playwright and critic, Peter Bland is known for his conversational, approachable style. ‘No New Zealand poet,’ wrote Kevin Ireland in the NZ Listener, ‘has greater graphic energy or a more creative visual sense. He writes in a carefully crafted vernacular of deceptive skill and power’. Peter has an extensive list of poetry collections, also plays, children’s books and a memoir, published in New Zealand and the UK. Amongst his accolades he has received a Cholmondeley Award, Melbourne Festival Award, the MacMillan Brown Prize for Creative Writing, and the Observer/Arvon Foundation International Poetry Prize. In 2011, Peter was awarded the New Zealand Prime Minister’s Award for services to literature. Nowhere is too far off (Cuba Press, 2020) is Peter’s 25th collection and packed with curiosity, humour and warmth, and is a signal to the world that words haven’t failed him yet. Retired from acting, Peter currently lives in Auckland. (Source)