vαnα mαnαsιάdι[s]
I lingered on each page to absorb the deliciously fresh lines and the nimble sound effects, then I gravitated to the chorus of voices. The poems build a maternal line from daughter through mother to grandmother in a tone of utter tenderness. Read more
- NEW ZEALAND HERALD
This is clever stuff that takes the reader in unexpected directions....Manasiadis knows how to craft a poem.
- OTAGO DAILY TIMES
Vana Manasiadis, of Greek New Zealand origin, neatly reverses the overseas quest and brings the Other Place to New Zealand. In her wittily entitled Ithaca Island Bay Leaves, figures and events from Greek history and mythology have taken up residence here and move at ease....Vana Manasiadis has used lithograph by Marian Maguire, Athena Observes a Fracas, as an utterly appropriate entrance to a collection that boldly interplays Greek mythology with everyday life in Wellington. The exquisite craftsmanship of the printmaker clearly matched by the detailed finesse of the poet.
- 99 WAYS INTO NEW ZEALAND POETRY
Her poetry has a deftly woven texture, merging her sharp intellect and curiosity for etymology and classical mythology, her poetic finesse for delicate and lyrical observations, and a softening of the binary between fact and fiction.
- Lynley Edmeades, Jacket2
Ithaca Island Bay Leaves is alive with the re-telling of legends that shape and sustain cultural relocation; with acute observation and insight, and the warmth of Vana Manasiadis's alluring, original poetic voice.
- Stephanie de Montalk
The book hits notes of human resistance and resourcefulness again and again. But it has not a touch of piety in it, has in fact a really pungent wit and a sharp tongue .... Vana dismisses no one and everyone has the best lines. Read launch speech here
- Damien Wilkins
Ithaca Island Bay Leaves is a significant work and breaks new ground.
Dame Fiona Kidman
Interview on RADIO NEW ZEALAND with Lynn Freeman
Listen here
