Meat Lovers

“The poetic craft captivates, yet it is the glint and gleam of life, as young girl and as young woman, at times macabre, at times lust, at times vulnerable, always astonishing, that transports and impales.”

Paula Green for Kete Books

“The poetic craft captivates, yet it is the glint and gleam of life, as young girl and as young woman, at times macabre, at times lust, at times vulnerable, always astonishing, that transports and impales.' — Paula Green for Kete Books

'There are reflections on growing up on a Canterbury farm, from tail docking to the realities of meat processing to paddock-side questions about sexuality, plus a losing battle against the allure of animal products . . . You’ll never look at the word “pastoral” the same again.”

Laura Williamson for 1964

“Overall, a really thought provoking selection of finely crafted and lyrical poetry that captures so much of the psyche of the farming community in new and inventive ways, as well as providing an insight into the deep emotional and observational qualities of Hawkes herself.”

Chris Reed for NZ Booklovers

“Rebecca Hawkes is the unmatched empress of viscera. Thrillingly perverse, utterly compelling – you eat these poems like overripe peaches, or like your own tongue.”

Freya Daly Sadgrove

“Clearly, rubber gloves are one of the images Hawkes owns by right of obsession, but they will do nothing to protect you from the clinging smell of these poems, an irreverent blend of cow shit and red meat and mangroves and pomegranate and raw talent.”

Joan Fleming on Rebecca Hawkes in AUP New Poets 5