Catalyst: Celebrating 20 years of indie publishing.

Spewing literary lava since 2003.

The forthcoming NZ launch of Catalyst volume 20 marks twenty years of independent publishing for the literary arts journal based in Waitaha - Canterbury.

Founded in the extinct volcano of Lyttelton Harbour, Whakaraupo by editor Doc Drumheller with collaborator Ciaran Fox, the then new kid on the block of NZ literary journals started a poetry open mic and print journal in 2003. The project developed out of creative writing workshops facilitated by Doc Drumheller at underground arts venue, gallery and workspace, Creation. Participants dreamed up the name Catalyst as a signal that the new journal was aimed at shaking up the poetry publishing scene and opening space for young and emerging poets unable to access more established, literary or academic creative writing journals and publications and present them alongside renowned poets from Aotearoa and beyond. 

Catalyst  has always shown an interest in poetry fusions, experimental writing and forms, and particularly, other languages. The first ten years of Catalyst saw poetry presented in translation from half a dozen different languages and cultures. Since then, Doc has travelled to numerous countries presenting Catalyst and building an international friendship and reputation while bring home to Aotearoa feature sections of poetry from around the world. Volume 20 features poetry from China and Israel. 

The visual elements of Catalyst have also reflected an interest in design and art from the fringe. With a strong focus on Aotearoa artists both locally based and international, the journal always features a strong visual aesthetic and has occasionally included pageworks of poetic/design fusion on the front and back covers as well as internally.

In keeping with this experimental aesthetic, Catalyst also began publishing recordings of spoken word in collaboration with composers, sound artists and songwriters, produced by Jody Lloyd aka Trillion. Three volumes of spoken word/sonic collabs were released on CD. 

 

The interest in spoken word and performance was baked into the DNA of Catalyst as the open mic grew up alongside the journal. The first poetry slams in Christchurch were organised by the Catalyst crew at the Wunderbar in Lyttelton, eventually morphing into a slam show known as Poetry Idol. With the advent of the NZ Poetry Slam national competition, Catalyst continues to host the Ōtautahi Poetry Slam. Not content with introducing Christchurch to the entertainment potential of slam, Catalyst developed a new show for the Christchurch Writers Festival based on a mash-up of slam, improv and reality TV, known as Survivor: Poetry. 'Survivor' was staged in three successive WORD Christchurch festivals. Rumour has it, it may be down, but not out.

 

The first ten years saw Catalyst published under the imprint of Neoismist Press. With volume 10, Neoismist was retired and The Republic of Oma Rāpeti Press was born. The Press has its own flag and continues to establish a sovereign nation for poets and poetry. In 2014, it launched the first volume of an emerging poets series called Republic of Poets. The format presents longer selections from three feature poets. Volume 2 is a twinkle in the eye.

Scroll forward and Catalyst volume 20: Oma, oma, oma! was officially welcomed in the Mediterranean at the World Congress of Poets 2023. Doc Drumheller is now a member of the executive board of WCP and founding editor of official WCP international journal Fuego.

 Catalyst remains a proudly print-based journal and continues to showcase local and international writers to a global audience. The Republic of Oma Rāpeti Press continues to publish chapbooks (Catalyst Christmas Cracker) and in its own 10th anniversary, also released the first collection by co-founder Ciaran Fox titled They Crackle in the Rain which was shortlisted as an unpublished manuscript for the inaugural John O'Connor First Book Award in 2022.

The Republic of Road Shows - featuring The Eastern

Not content with revolutionary poetry/music shows in the form of the Catalyst Road Show, we're combining it with the Republic of Poets featuring musical accompaniment from The Stray Empire and taking the whole thing on the road with local legends The Eastern.  This will be the most epic Catalyst Road Show ever - and there's two of 'em...

Yep, this time we're sharing the love with North Canterbury - a show in Oxford and a show in Rangiora.  Two classic old-time venues recently restored and perfectly suited to a night of mesmerising spoken word combined with music and a good old fashioned knees-up and throw down courtesy of the band described as 'one of the best modern roots bands' and 'toughest-minded songwriters'.

Catalyst Road Show
- tickets available on undertheradar and on the door.

Oxford Town Hall, Sat 9th May, 8pm

Rangiora Town Hall, Thurs 14th May, 8pm

These shows have been made possible by support from Waimakariri District Creative Communities

Republic of Oma Rāpeti Press presents: Republic of Poets - a live show

Republic of Oma Rāpeti Press

Presents:

Republic of Poets
with live music by The Stray Empire
Wunderbar, Lyttelton
Thursday, April 16th, 8pm
Entry $10

Oma Rāpeti, Oma Rāpeti, Oma, Oma, Oma!


In 2014 Catalyst and The Republic of Oma Rāpeti Press launched a new republic, complete with a flag, constitution, and national anthem. To celebrate this event, we have devised a new initiative to publish an annual poetry collection by three poets, inspired by the Penguin Modern Poets series of the past. The aim of this project is to produce a high quality literary anthology focused on just three poets, allowing a broader body of work to be showcased than a regular journal appearance allows.


Volume One is subtitled 'Pioneers', reflecting both the emergence of the anthology and the vanguard poets featured, all with a history of pushing new frontiers in performance poetry in Aotearoa New Zealand.  From collaborations with musicians both recorded and live, improvised storytelling, poetry slams, cabaret, multimedia poetry theatre, poetry road shows, touring with bands, and even live vinyl recordings, these three poets have pioneered a renaissance in performance poetry in Canterbury and across Aotearoa.

Ben Brown has electrified audiences with his spoken word performances and smoky, malt whisky drawl. The excerpt from 'The Coffee Shop Philosopher', transfers his mana from the stage onto the page. Doc Drumheller’s excerpts from 'Hotel Theresa', and 'Lullabies for Insomniacs' reflect his travels as a troubadour presenting poems and songs composed in NZ, USA, and Eastern Europe. Andy Coyle’s deep velvet voice has been described as captivating and mesmerising, and his excerpt from 'Ode to the Cyclist' and other poems was recently published as a full manuscript by The Republic of Oma Rāpeti Press.

Republic of Poets Vol. One was launched at live music and poetry shows throughout Aotearoa New Zealand, as the poets took this roving republic on the road. With performances at The Wunderbar, Lyttelton, The Dharma Bums Club, Wairau Valley, The Mussel Inn , Golden Bay, and The Free House, Nelson. The success of the tour led to performances in the Word Christchurch Writers and Readers Festival August 2014, and performances at LitCrawl in Wellington, November 2014.

Their next show will feature performance poetry and live music with the Stray Empire at the Wunderbar, Lyttelton, Thursday, April 16th, 8pm.  $10 on the door.

Tickets, books, and other merchandise will be available for sale at the venue.

“Ben Brown is a distinctive original voice”
– Apirana Taylor.

“Doc Drumheller… a marvelous poet and an extraordinary creative artist”
-- Dr. Santosh Kumar, editor of Taj Mahal Review.

"Andy Coyle: We fell in love with him at the poetry reading."
-- Laura Williamson

Performer Bios

Ben Brown (Ngati Paoa, Ngati Mahuta) was born in Motueka in 1962. He is a writer, poet and performer. Since 1992 he has published numerous children's books, short stories for children and adults, poetry and non-fiction, and is an occasional contributor to Mana Magazine who have also featured him. He tours and performs regularly around the country. In 2006 he won best picture book with the artist/illustrator Helen Taylor in the New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. In 2011 he was the Maori Writer in Residence at the Michael King Writer's Centre. He was also writer in residence at Hagley College, Christchurch, in 2009. He has read and performed at the Auckland Writers Festival (2010), the APRA Music Awards (2011) the Christchurch Writers Festival (2006, 2012), the Kaikoura Roots Festival (2012) the Christchurch Arts Festival (2009, 2013) and the Nelson Arts Festival (2011). He lives and works in Lyttelton.

Andy Coyle is a performance poet based in Canterbury, NZ. In 2011 he represented Christchurch in the NZ Poetry Slam finals. He is a regular contributor to the Catalyst Open Mic Night, The Catalyst Literary Journal, and the Catalyst Road Show. Career highlights include, a ten date tour of New Zealand in 2010; writing and performing an epic poem set in Chch accompanied by a 7 piece progressive jazz/rock ensemble for the Dunedin Fringe and the Wellington Jazz Festival in 2006; a short story filmed; a play performed; a poem painted as a mural in the seaside suburb of New Brighton and festival appearances in the Wanaka ‘Outspoken Festival’, the Lyttelton Summer Festival, and the Newtown Street Festival.   

Doc Drumheller: was born in Charleston, South Carolina and has lived in New Zealand for more than half his life. He has worked in award winning groups for theatre and music and has published ten collections of poetry. His poems have been translated into more than twenty languages and he has performed in Cuba, Lithuania, Italy, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Japan, India, Nicaragua, USA, and widely throughout NZ. He lives in Oxford, where he edits and publishes the literary journal Catalyst and teaches creative writing at the School for Young Writers.

Aaron Boot: is a local musician who has toured extensively throughout New Zealand, Australia, Europe, The UK, and Ireland. He co-wrote songs with the artist Speech Debelle on the Mercury award winning album Speech Therapy. He has worked as technician on festivals like the Big Day Out, Future Music, and has worked as a stage tech for Alice Cooper, Faith No More, The Chemical Brothers, Kenny Rogers, Rage Against the Machine, and many more of the world’s leading musical acts.

The Stray Empire is a two piece country/folk/rock ensemble playing covers and original music. Their original songs are composed on the ukulele, banjo, mandolin and guitar, combining poetic lyrics with folk and pop sensibilities. They cover songs by Townes Van Zandt, Old Crow Medicine Show, Bob Dylan, Little Feat, and many more.

Ode to the Cyclist & Other Poems by Andy Coyle - a book launch

 “the cyclist is a free spirit, a moment of faith, an endangered species, a breath of fresh air…”

Sneak preview! - Check this cover out.   We at Republic of Oma Rapeti Press are so proud to announce the release of our latest publication: the first major collection by poet, author, story-teller and performer of poetry Andy Coyle.  Along with Ben Brown and Doc Drumheller, Andy was one our featured poets in the inaugural Republic of Poets anthology.  The above image is the original cover artwork by Anita Clark (none other than Devilish Mary herself!)

Andy has been a stalwart of performance poetry and spoken word in Christchurch for the better part of two decades now, honing his craft while also writing a series of novels, touring with bands, raising a family, surviving earthquakes and running restaurants.  You know, all the easy stuff.  He's featured on Catalyst CDs, the touring 'Road Show', is a member of the Lyttelton 'band' of poets and was runner-up in the Christchurch Poetry Slam 2014.


Ode to the Cyclist and other poems is Andy Coyle’s first published volume of poetry.   The title poem celebrates the cyclist as a boundary crosser, a trickster, and the collection is full of those colourful characters who occupy the margins, the wandering poet, the lizard skinned junky, the urban shaman, the Christmas loner, the idealistic artist, the madman on the bus, the forgotten seaside destination, the voices on the wind, the long gone goddess, and the ghostly memories of an invisible city.

We're going to be holding a launch event for Ode to the Cyclist and other poems at the next Catalyst Open Mic night so if you're in the shaky city, head on down to the Twisted Hop on Ferry Rd, Woolston to get your advance copy, hear the words from the poets mouth and generally celebrate in the good old fashioned way with us. 

To whet your appetite, here's what we've got to say, as printed on the back cover:

Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race.  H. G. Wells (1866-1946)

‘The cyclist is a boundary crosser, a trickster…’ Andy Coyle - Ode to the Cyclist

Ode to the Cyclist and other poems is Andy Coyle’s first collection of poetry. It highlights the best of Andy’s poetry over the last ten years, much of which has featured in the Catalyst literary journal.

The collection includes regional poetry from Bank’s Peninsula and Christchurch. It includes poems which explore the role of the poet in modern society. And through the image of the cyclist, tempts the reader into considering the role of the boundary crossers, the ones who can interpret the simple information hidden within the daily cycles of life, -sun, earth, moon, personality, -and through those equally simple and complex information sources, and through the simple joys of cycling and observing, to take pleasure in our world.

   

Also included in this selection is the poem Invisible City, Andy’s response to the loss of his city through earthquake. Andy was included in a group of artists who were invited to access the central city red zone (which was guarded by the army and only open to demolition teams) after the earthquake, to document an artistic response. Those responses, along with Andy’s tendency to cycle around the perimeter of the red zone in the bizarre darkness that was created by this red zone, formed the starting point for the poem.

About the Author:

Andy Coyle is a writer of poetry, fiction, theatre, songs, and menus. In both 2011 and 2014 he represented Christchurch in the NZ Poetry Slam finals. He is a regular contributor to the Catalyst Open Mic Night, The Catalyst Literary Journal, and the Catalyst Road Show. He has toured poetry around New Zealand and has appeared in a number of literary festivals, street festivals, performance festivals and Jazz festivals. He has had a short story filmed, a play performed, and a poem painted as a mural in the seaside suburb of New Brighton.