On Thursday 23 May, we launched Meantime, the new collection by Ōtepoti poet Majella Cullinane. We had a wonderful evening celebrating at the University Book Shop here in Dunedin, joined by family and friends. Thank you to all who came along! And thank you to Kathryn van Beek for taking photos!
The book was launched for us by Dr Margaret Ryan, who had this to say on the night:
Tena koto, tena koto, tena koto katoa.
Cead mile failte roimh go leir a dhaoine uaisle.
Welcome everyone, I have the great privilege of launching Majella’s wonderful new poetry collection this evening. As Sue mentioned, I’m here with a few different hats on, firstly, as dementia researcher, in particular, Alzheimer’s disease, which is the most common form of dementia. Majella’s poetry reflects 
many effects of this devastating disease on her own mum’s memory and personality.
We are also fellow Irish women, indeed Majella and I both hail from same place in Ireland, Limerick, so have walked the same streets and know this area of Ireland intimately. Importantly, like Majella, I am an Irish mammy’s daughter. These Irish Mammy’s are pretty special, and their like will never be seen again. Similar to Majella, I too have lost my own dear Mam in the past year. These women were at the forefront of the massive changes in Irish society, which have occurred over the past 20 to 30 years. They were deeply devout and brave women, championing the cause for individual freedom for their own daughters, through education and independent thinking. This book is a homage to Majella’s lovely mam and to all our mother’s and our deep love for them. It is also a reflection on many differing types of grief, the grief of losing a mother to dementia, the grief of her passing and the grief of not being present for the final goodbye at her funeral, as covid raged across the world. Sadly, a common theme for many who lived abroad during this time. The intense love for her mum forms the soul of the book and I hear echos of some the great Irish poets within some of 
Majella’s verses. I encourage you all to read her book as she takes us on this journey with her mum and this devasting illness.
As an Alzheimer’s Disease researcher, we are doing our best to understand this complex illness and develop treatments to halt or slow its progression but it’s a major challenge and currently there is no cure. Majella’s poetry reflects with great insight and tenderness, the devastation that this memory loss and confusion has on her mum and family. I’d like to read one poem called the Long Goodbye.
Poetry reading of 'Long Goodbye' from Meantime.
Dementia slowly robs a person of their memory and their personality and so this poem truly reflects that it was a very long good bye for Majella and her mum. It also reminded me of a very Irish trait, where we just can’t say one goodbye on the phone and be done with it. As Majella has said, it’s bye, bye, bye and then another chat before the real goodbye. (My family are very well used to it, when I call my family in Ireland). It seems to me we want to fill every precious moment with connection to our loved ones and we really don’t want to say goodbye. It’s beautiful how Majella has incorporated this very Irish trait into this poem.
If you will indulge me a little longer, I have chosen another poem which brings back very similar memories of home for me.
Poetry reading of 'Winter Recipe' from Meantime.
Majella’s poetry is comforting, cathartic and deeply personal and I hope I’ve whetted your appetite to read more of her collection. So now all that’s left for me is to please join me in congratulating Majella on 
this wonderful poetry collection. I hope you all enjoy it. Majella, your mam would very proud of you.
Tena koto, tena koto, tena koto katoa.
Go raibh mile maith agaibh,
Thank you everyone.