Priscilla Muriel McQueen (born 22 January 1949 in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

, England) is a

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

and three-time winner of the ''New Zealand Book Award'' for

Poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...

Early years and education

McQueen's family moved to

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

when she was four. She was educated at

Columba College Columba College ( Irish: Coláiste Choilm) is an integrated Presbyterian school in Roslyn, Dunedin, New Zealand. The roll is made up of pupils of all ages. The majority of pupils are in the girls' secondary, day and boarding school, but ther ...

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

and

University of Otago , image_name = University of Otago Registry Building2.jpg , image_size = , caption = University clock tower , motto = la, Sapere aude , mottoeng = Dare to be wise , established = 1869; 152 years ago , type = Public research collegiate ...

(

Master's A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

with first-class Honours in 1971). Awarded honorary Doctorate in Literature by University of Otago in 2008.

Career

A poet and artist, she has published many collections, including two sound recordings and two selected works, of her

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...

. In 2009 she was named

New Zealand Poet Laureate The New Zealand Poet Laureate is a poet appointed by the National Library of New Zealand to represent New Zealand's community of poets, to promote and advocate for poetry, and to produce a number of published works during their two-year tenure as ...

. She also received the

Prime Minister's Awards for Literary Achievement Prime Minister's Awards for Literary Achievement is a New Zealand literary award established in 2003 by the Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa (Creative New Zealand), the national arts development agency of the New Zealand government. Each ...

(Poetry) in 2010. Other awards include: NZ Book Award for Poetry 1983, 1989 and 1991;

Robert Burns Fellowship The Robert Burns Fellowship is a New Zealand literary residency. Established in 1958 to coincide with bicentennial celebrations of the birth of Robert Burns, it is often claimed to be New Zealand's premier literary residency. The list of past ...

at Otago University 1985 & 1986; Fulbright Visiting Writer's Fellowship 1985; Inaugural Australia-New Zealand Writer's Exchange Fellowship 1987; Goethe Institute Scholarship to Berlin 1988; NZ Queen Elizabeth Arts Council Scholarship in Letters 1992. Her most recent works are ''In a Slant Light'', a poet's memoir (2016, Otago University Press), ''Poeta: Selected and New Poems'' (2018, Otago University Press), and a chapbook ''Qualia'' that is bundled with five other chapbooks by New Zealand poets in ''Bundle 1'' (Maungatua Press 2020). In 1999 McQueen was awarded the Southland Art Foundation Artist in Residence award, which allowed her to develop both poetry and painting simultaneously. Recent exhibitions of her art work include "Picture Poem", works by Cilla McQueen and

Joanna Paul Joanna Margaret Paul (14 December 1945 – 29 May 2003) was a New Zealand visual artist, poet and film-maker. Early life and education Paul was one of four daughters of pioneering New Zealand publisher Blackwood Paul and artist and writer Ja ...

, at the Hocken Library, Dunedin, 2015 and an exhibition of intuitive musical scores, "What Happens", at the Brett McDowell Gallery, Dunedin, 2015. Cilla McQueen's poems include themes of homeland and loss, indigeneity, colonisation and displacement. She writes as a descendant of the colonised on St Kilda in the Hebrides. Her writing also reflects her engagement with the history and present reality of the Maori people of Murihiku. In the 2020 Queen's Birthday Honours, McQueen was appointed a

Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have ren ...

, for services as a poet.

Personal life

McQueen was married to New Zealand artist

Ralph Hotere Hone Papita Raukura "Ralph" Hotere (11 August 1931 – 24 February 2013) was a New Zealand artist. He was born in Mitimiti, Northland and is widely regarded as one of New Zealand's most important artists. In 1994 he was awarded an honorary d ...

from 1973 until the 1990s, and together they set up a studio and living space at Careys Bay, near

Port Chalmers Port Chalmers is a town serving as the main port of the city of Dunedin, New Zealand. Port Chalmers lies ten kilometres inside Otago Harbour, some 15 kilometres northeast of Dunedin's city centre. History Early Māori settlement The origi ...

. She currently lives in

Bluff Bluff or The Bluff may refer to: Places Australia * Bluff, Queensland, Australia, a town * The Bluff, Queensland (Ipswich), a rural locality in the city of Ipswich * The Bluff, Queensland (Toowoomba Region), a rural locality * Bluff River (New ...

, at the southern tip of New Zealand's South Island.

Works

McQueen's work includes a variety of poetry books and poems over the past twenty-five years, including these volumes:Cilla McQueen – NZ Literature File – LEARN – The University Of Auckland Library
Cilla McQueen memorial plaque in Dunedin

Cilla McQueen memorial plaque in Dunedin

* 1982: ''Homing In'', John McIndoe * 1984: ''Anti Gravity'', McIndoe * 1985: ''Buick Electra'' * 1986: ''Wild Sweets'', McIndoe * 1988: ''Benzina'', John McIndoe * 1989: ''Otherwise'', recording on cassette, featuring music by Alistair MacDougall * 1990: ''Berlin Diary'', John McIndoe * 1993: ''Crik'ey: New and Selected Poems, 1978-1994'', McIndoe Publishers * 2000: ''Markings: Poems and Drawings'', Otago University Press * 2001: ''Axis: Poems and Drawings'', Otago University Press * 2002: ''Soundings: Poems and Drawings'', Otago University Press * 2005: ''Fire-penny'', Otago University Press * 2006: ''A Wind Harp'' (compact disc) * 2010: ''The Radio Room'', Otago University Press * 2014: ''Edwin's Egg and Other Poetic Novellas'', Otago University Press * 2014: ''An Island'', letterpress edition, Mirrorcity Press * 2016: ''In a Slant Light: A Poet's Memoir'', Otago University Press * 2018: ''Poeta: Selected and New Poems'', Otago University Press * 2020: ''Qualia'', one of six chapbooks in ''Bundle 1'', Maungatua Press

References

External links

Interview with Cilla McQueen

McQueen on video reading poems
{{DEFAULTSORT:McQueen, Cilla 1949 births Living people New Zealand women poets New Zealand Poets Laureate People from Birmingham, West Midlands English emigrants to New Zealand University of Otago alumni People from Bluff, New Zealand People educated at Columba College Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit 20th-century New Zealand women writers 21st-century New Zealand women writers