It was so great to catch up and chat with Joseph Trinidad about his new book Lucky Creatures (Te Herenga Waka University Press, 2026)
Reading Joseph’s work makes me so excited about reading and speaking with Joe about his practice has made me excited about writing. Thank you Joseph.
Joseph’s book of essays is one of the best reading experiences i’ve had this year. It’s an incredibly beautifully crafted work which demonstrates Joseph’s immense narrative talent. The book as a whole is so satisfying in its journey – one of those the whole being greater than the sum of its parts works. And then, as well, on a sentence-level the essays in Lucky Creatures evoke strong emotions through perfectly rendered sensory details. Lucky Creatures is also a work that stretches the genre of non-fiction and maybe even helps us question the dominance of realism as a form in non-fiction and the essay. i just can’t recommend it strongly enough.
In our conversation i make particular mention of Joseph’s essay ‘No eggs in the Nest’ which is about having children. i mentioned (with the help of Joseph) Ocean Vuong’s book Time is a Mother. What i love about Vuong’s book and maybe also Joe’s essay is the way both ungender the activity or role of ‘mother’. It prompted me to re-read this amazing conversation: On Death, Music and Motherhood: Björk & Ocean Vuong in Conversation that you can read in AnOther magazine.
In this conversation Vuong says to Björk:
‘What I realised with your music – and this album [Fossora] especially – is that we all have a mother, but we also have people, friends, family who mother us. Mothering is also an act without gender as well as a biological reality – it’s both.’
i’ve put together a sample of some of the writers and writing Joe talks about in this conversation:
* Maxine Hong Kingston * Chris Tse * Lana Lopesi * Rose Lu * Ashleigh Young * Wellington Film Society *
Carly Rae Jepsen * Chris Price * SZA * Chris Schultz * Kieran McLean * Jess McAllen * Flora Feltham *
The Color of Water: A Black Man’s Tribute to His White Mother by James McBride
Secondhand Time: The Last of the Soviets by Svetlana Alexandrovna Alexievich
‘Grist for the mill: the slow death of New Zealand’s industry towns’ by Anna Rankin
i also just want to say thanks so much to Te Matapihi Ki Te Ao Nui | Central Library. i can’t say loudly enough how great it is to have you back and how wonderful it is to be able to record in one of your awesome meeting room spaces!
Action: songs of solidarity (sos)
Joseph recommended we highlight the work of songs of solidarity (sos)
It’s a great idea to stay in touch with songs of solidarity through their website or Instagram account. Last week songs of solidarity hosted a kōrero with Joseph and, friend and fellow writer, Shariff Burke about Lucky Creatures, writing, friendship, and everything in between.
songs of solidarity say:
“we imagine songs of solidarity (SOS) as the space for resistance, resilience, imagination, and coalition building. it is the collaborative space for dreamers – poets, writers, artists, activists, community healers, organisers, and children – who believe in learning/unlearning and collective transformation toward an alternative world – for all.”
songs of solidarity (sos) began in 2025 as a three-day book festival dedicated to celebrating, acknowledging, and sharing stories of resistance, resilience, and song. centered on intersectional critical voices across aotearoa and the third world, the festival created a space for dialogue, connection, and collective reflection.
the theme of our pilot festival, intersectional solidarity, was rooted in the idea of emancipation and liberation for all. It brought together writers, artists, organisers, and communities to engage in critical conversations and imagine new possibilities for justice.
now evolving beyond a single event, sos is becoming an ongoing space for dialogue, organising, and imagination—building alliances with local and transnational working-class communities and cultural workers to resist, challenge dominant narratives, and imagine new possibilities for liberation.
it is a space to imagine, to challenge, to learn/unlearn, and to radicalise ideas—grounded in intersectional solidarity.
You can support Better off Read financially at Buy Better off Read a Coffee
Music in Better off Read was made by Brent McIntyre.
How to listen to Better off Read
Better off Read is also available on PodBean
An RSS code is available here so you can listen on the podcasting app you like most.
Or listen here:
Better off Read 