Wellington underground poets
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The Wellington underground poets were part of an influential poetry movement based in Wellington, New Zealand.
Wellington underground poets not only considered the poetry of the established literary hierarchy ("literati") to be nepotistic and mediocre, but many considered that such work was not poetry at all but instead was "academic masturbation".
The Wellington underground poets saw themselves as the true carriers of the torch and recognised that the most vital role of the artist was to be a visionary who challenged both the state and society. They understood that whether a poet was published or not published in mainstream literary media in New Zealand did not depend upon one's talent or ability, but was a matter of whom one knew or did not know amongst the literati; a matter of whom one had offended and not offended; and a matter of with whom amongst the literati one had slept.
The movement was fluid, but the most influential members included Alex Staines, Darryl Ward, Andrew Allan, Frank Edwards and David Douglas.
Members gave regular performances in various Wellington venues, including Victoria University of Wellington, Brunswick Arms, Kings Cross, Antipodes and Bar Bodega. Performances often included music and multimedia. Members contributed to a variety of touring ensembles such as Poetrycorp and various collections and anthologies were published. Wellington underground poets' work appeared in anthologies including Kings Cross Pub Poets I (1985), Kings Cross Pub Poets II (1988), Kiwi Stuff Kia Kaha (1991) and the Bards Bodega magazine (1996-1997).
The name "Wellington underground poets" was not used during the peak of the movement, but came into use later, however the movement was still clearly recognisable in its heyday. It is difficult to precisely date the movement, but its genesis can be traced to the arrival in Wellington of Alex Staines and Darryl Ward in the early 1980s. It reached its creative peak some time around the early to mid 1990s and its influence continues to this day.
