Scorpio Books and Otago University Press warmly welcome you to the launch of A Day Like No Other: Selected poems by James Norcliffe.
James Norcliffe, awarded the Prime Minister’s Award for Literary Achievement in Poetry in 2022, is one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most distinguished and beloved contemporary poets. A Day Like No Other gathers poems from his remarkable career, which includes eleven collections spanning nearly four decades.
Arrive at 5:30pm for a 6pm start
Wednesday 11 March 2026
Scorpio Books
120 Hereford Street, Christchurch Central City, Ōtautahi | Christchurch
All welcome, this is a free event. Refreshments provided.
About the book
Often conversational in tone – talking (it may seem) of you and me – these poems are perceptive and witty. They ring with clarity as they pay witness to the turn of the seasons, environmentally, domestically and politically. Their range of reference is both broad and local, as Norcliffe sweeps his lens through time and space and, with superb control of focus, zooms in and out on the peculiarities of our species and our planet. The ‘here and now’ is vividly present in every poem, and every poem also quietly insists that there is much more to ‘here’ and ‘now’ than is obvious at first glance. To read a Norcliffe poem can be to feel the sun on one’s face and, simultaneously, a shiver down the spine.
A beautifully designed and artfully curated volume, A Day Like No Other is a fine selection of James Norcliffe’s like-no-other poems. It will be read and re-read for generations, and is a must-have for confirmed Norcliffe fans and Norcliffe newbies alike.
About the authorJames Norcliffe is a poet, children’s writer, novelist and editor. He was awarded the 2022 Prime Minister’s Award for Literary Achievement in Poetry and has published 11 poetry collections, most recently Letter to ’Oumuamua (Otago University Press, 2023). He is also the author of 14 novels for young readers, notably the award-winning Loblolly Boy series, and his first adult novel, The Frog Prince (RHNZ Vintage), was published in 2022. Norcliffe has a long association with the Canterbury Poets’ Collective, takahē, the ReDraft anthologies and Flash Frontier.