Essa May Ranapiri (Ngāti Wehi Wehi, Ngāti Raukawa-ki-te-Tonga, Te Arawa, Waikato-Tainui, Ngāti Pukeko, Ngāti Takatāpui, Clan Gunn, Highgate) is a poet from Kirikiriroa.

Their first book of poetry ransack (VUP) was long-listed for the Ockham Awards in 2020. They are the featured writer in Poetry New Zealand Yearbook 2020 (MUP) with their work ‘HAUNT|HUNT’.

They self-published a chapbook of political poetry called POLEMIC. They are currently working on their second book of poems tentatively titled Echidna. They will write until they’re dead.

Photo: Loren Thomas

Verb Festival 2020 appearances:
7.15pm. Nov 7, Sweet Mammalian (LitCrawl)