Dear Neil Roberts - you are invited to the launch

It is 18 November, 1982. Neil Ian Roberts is 22 years old. He walks up to the Police Computer Centre in Whanganui, at 12.35am.

Victoria University Press warmly invite you to the launch of Dear Neil Roberts by Airini Beautrais on Thursday 20 November 6pm–7.30pm at The Guest Room, Southern Cross Garden Bar 39 Abel Smith St Books will be available for purchase courtesy of Unity Books, p/b, $25 Airini will be available to sign The Guest Room will operate a cash bar About Dear Neil Roberts Who was Neil Roberts? This is the search for the story of a quiet young man, an anarchist, a figure who moves differently, or vanishes altogether, in different versions of history. How are such people remembered; how are they forgotten? As much a work of documentary as poetry, this extraordinary book considers the uncomfortable event of Neil Roberts’s death, its significance in the context of 1980s New Zealand, and how this action has reverberated through others’ lives, including the poet’s own. About the author Airini Beautrais was born in 1982 and grew up in Auckland and Whanganui. She studied ecological science and creative writing at Victoria University, and worked for several years as a science teacher. Dear Neil Roberts is her third book of poetry. Her first book Secret Heart was published by VUP in 2006, followed by Western Line (2011). Secret Heart was named as the Best First Book of Poetry in the Montana New Zealand Book Awards 2007. Airini lives in Whanganui with her partner and two children.