So, in case you missed it, when I caught up with my old friend Andy recently—after years of messages, missed visits, and “one day soon” promises—he signed a copy of his poetry book for me with this line:
“If you read this seventeen times, I will come to New Zealand.”
Now, I don’t know if that was a sincere offer, a poetic dare, or just something funny he came up with in the middle of a chaotic pub lunch while our kids threw chips at each other—but either way, it stuck in my head.
And it’s given me an idea.
No, I’m not going to sit quietly and read both books seventeen times in a row. That would be intense (and possibly a bit worrying). But what I am going to do is read them once—out loud, online—and try to make Andy go just viral enough that he can’t ignore it.
The challenge is this: I’m going to read both of Andy’s poetry books aloud online, and hope the internet falls in love with them—enough that Andy, Mary, and their kids finally come visit us in New Zealand.
That’s it. That’s the plan. Simple, slightly silly, but completely heartfelt.
And here’s why I’m doing it.
Andy is an excellent poet. Not “my friend wrote some poems” good, but actually, properly good. His two collections—“Scarecrow” and “Look, I Made a Hat”—are full of poems that are smart, emotional, sharply observed, and occasionally very funny in that kind of understated, “oh, that’s clever” way. Reading them feels like talking with someone who sees the world a little differently, and actually makes you glad they do.
So yes, part of this is about friendship. But part of it is about sharing something genuinely good with the world.
I want more people to read his work. I want more people to say, “Why didn’t I know about this guy sooner?” And I want to do that in the way the internet sometimes miraculously allows—by reading the books aloud and getting people to notice, share, and talk about them.
If this works, maybe a few dozen people will buy the books. Maybe a few hundred. Maybe someone at a publisher will get interested. Maybe someone on a podcast will want to talk to him. And maybe, just maybe, it’ll be enough to get the wheels in motion for Andy and his family to hop on a plane and come see us.
(Also, let’s be honest—if I can use the power of social media to emotionally blackmail my friend into an international holiday, I will absolutely do that.)
So here’s what’s going to happen:
I’ll be recording readings of both books—one video for each collection.
I’ll post them online (Instagram, YouTube, maybe TikTok if I can figure out how to use it without accidentally ageing myself).
I’ll talk a little about why I love his writing.
And I’ll encourage you to listen, enjoy, and—if you’re into it—share it around.
If you’re feeling generous, you can even buy the books yourself. They’re beautifully written, thoughtfully designed, and would make a great gift for anyone who likes poetry, or words, or just… art that makes you feel something. I’ll post links where you can find them once the videos are up.
I know this is a long shot. People go viral for much stranger things (and much worse poetry, frankly), so who knows?
But if this little challenge brings some joy, gets Andy’s poetry into a few more hands, and nudges him a tiny bit closer to visiting New Zealand—then it will have been 100% worth it.
So stay tuned for the readings. Bring your tea. Bring your tissues (some of these poems hit hard). And help me turn a random pub scribble into a beautiful, chaotic, slightly manipulative international reunion.
Let’s make a poet go viral.
Let’s get Andy to New Zealand.