Airini Beautrais

Guest writer

Airini Beautrais is the author of Secret Heart (VUP, 2006), which was named Best First Book of Poetry in the Montana NZ Book Awards 2007; Western Line (VUP, 2011) Dear Neil Roberts (VUP, 2014), Flow: Whanganui River Poems (VUP, 2017) and short story collection Bug Week (VUP, 2020). She lives in Whanganui.

‘The sea-witch is an older woman of dubious morality, or in Ursula’s case, genuine evil.’ (Design: Tina Tiller)

The octopus on my side-butt

'I was drawn to the sea hag as an emblem of female power.' An excerpt from Airini Beautrais' forthcoming essay collection.

By Airini Beautrais | 11th February, 2024

(Photo: Per Grunditz/EyeEm via Getty)

The anger of Airini Beautrais

The Whanganui writer releases Bug Week, a collection of white-hot short stories, today. Here she writes about rage, and rape, and male entitlement.

By Airini Beautrais | 10th September, 2020

Getty Images

The Friday Poem: Swingball by Airini Beautrais

A new poem by Whanganui poet Airini Beautrais.

By Airini Beautrais | 20th December, 2019