Momoe Malietoa Von Reiche is a Samoan poet, artist, sculptor, photographer.

Biography

She was born in

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); ...

and was educated in Samoa and

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 ...

. Her published books of poetry are ''Solaua, a Secret Embryo'' (1974), ''Pao Alimago on Wet Days'' (1979), ''Alaoa, above the Gully of Your Childhood'' (1986) and ''Tai, the Heart of a Tree'' (1989). Von Reiche writes in English. She belongs to the "later phase" of South Pacific poetry, whereby her perception of reality is through an individual rather than communal viewpoint. Her poems have been described as "lyrical". A prominent theme in her poetry is the sexist abuse of power. Literary critic Tiffin has noted the use of "words deliberate, carefully chosen, hard hitting" in such poems of hers. Personal relationships are another recurrent theme in her works, and a quest for love and belonging features. Critics have noted some "autobiographical" elements in her poetry, with several of her poems being described as "vignettes which capture transitory moments of tenderness, compassion, jealousy and anger". She runs an art gallery named M.A.D.D. in Moto'otua. Here, she organises dance and drama programmes, as well as creative writing programmes for children. She also illustrates children's books. She has organised creative writing workshops in

Tokelau Tokelau (; ; known previously as the Union Islands, and, until 1976, known officially as the Tokelau Islands) is a dependent territory of New Zealand in the southern Pacific Ocean. It consists of three tropical coral atolls: Atafu, Nukunonu, a ...

under the

University of South Pacific The University of the South Pacific (USP) is a public research university with locations spread throughout a dozen countries in Oceania. Established in 1968, the university is organised as an intergovernmental organisation and is owned by the gov ...

, inspiring young Tokelauan writers, most of them women. These workshops led to the publication of a collection of works from nine Tokelauans in 1992, titled ''Nuanua in Tokelau''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Von Reiche, Momoe Malietoa 20th-century Samoan poets Samoan women poets Samoan artists 20th-century women writers Living people Year of birth missing (living people)