Wild Dogs Under My Skirt

By Tusiata Avia

In Wild Dogs Under My Skirt, Avia draws on two different cultures and charts the sometimes painful points of their intersection. These poems are confrontational and entertaining, raw and lyrical. They occupy a world of legend and history-‘we are direct descendants of flesh eaters’- and break into an urban landscape that is just as arresting and richly patterned. Avia’s poetry is alive with energy and rythm of performance and of an oral tradition. It stakes outa unique physical life on the page, reshaping our language and our understanding of New Zealand culture.