Poetry Reading: Havelock North Public Library (February 12, 2026)

Here is a recording of my portion of a very cool literary event in Havelock North.The Cuba Press drove into town on the big orange metaphorical bus and we had readings, and a chat about our books in front of a wonderful and engaged audience. They stayed! They bought our books. They had great questions for us and comments afterwords. Thanks so much to the brilliant Wardini Books and Mary and Cuba Press.What you’ll hear here is just my portion — I’m in conversation with my publisher, editor, and friend Mary McCallum. (I don’t have the write to record and distribute the other writers, but just so you know we all had the same amount of time to discuss our books, our writing, and how it related to Havelock North/Hawke’s Bay).I chose to read a cover poem of Philip Larkin’s This Be The Verse, my own poem in response to that, The End of the Larkin Line (from my 2020 collection, The Death of Music Journalism). And then two pieces from 2024’s The Richard Poems, including Girls And Boys at the Havelock North Swimming Pools — as featured in Best NZ Poems: It was such a fun event — and really special to be back in the Havelock North Library. A place I first stepped foot in when I was about four years old.Sounds Good! is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Sounds Good! at simonsweetman.substack.com/subscribe