Manhire poem makes it into the New Yorker

He's our inaugural poet laureate, winner of numerous awards, a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, and the man who teaches our writers.

Now Bill Manhire has added another feather to his cap.

He has had a poem published in The New Yorker, one of the world's most prestigious magazines, with subscribers numbering over a million.

It is the first time Manhire has been published in the magazine and, with characteristic humility, he said it was "very nice".

The director of Victoria University's International Institute of Modern Letters said he had sent poems in about 10 years ago while living in America, but never heard anything.

This time, he sent in a poem, to be published in a collection due to be released in March, entitled My Childhood in Ireland. "I knew the poetry editor was an Irishman so I sent a rude poem about Ireland," Manhire joked.

He had so far seen his work only online. He subscribes to the magazine, but the Christmas issue had not yet been delivered.

Arts Foundation director Simon Bowden said that, as far as he knew, Janet Frame and CK Stead were the only other Kiwis published in the journal. "I can't imagine how many people submit work. It's fantastic for Bill and fantastic for New Zealand."

- © Fairfax NZ News