John Russell-Hodge

Why write poetry?

I have used writing, mainly poetry, to help me process significant life events:

• A second marriage to Christine that lasted 35 years, less two days...

• A total-loss house fire on the Otago Peninsula, in Dunedin, in August 2004, in the snow. The story occupied the whole front page of the Otago Daily Times and was the lead on both NZ TV news channels.  Everything gone. Gone is one of the strongest words in my poetry.

• As we were rebuilding our life in Wellington after the fire, Christine was afflicted by Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) in 2005, triggered by a minor operation that did not go to plan. Chris fought this disabling chronic disease for 18 years. She never let it define her, even though she spent most of that time using a wheelchair. The disease and the medications occluded her.

• On 23 October 2023, Chris died four days after being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia... two days before our 35th wedding anniversary. I thought she was indestructible.

The backstory before the fire only exists in memory and poems. Some shared remnants from friends and family have arisen. Everything physical vanished into the air; what remained as ashes lies buried in a beautiful spot on the Otago Peninsula.

Writing a poem every day

In February 2024, I decided to write at least one poem every day after a lifetime of toying with my poetry. I have now written over 1,700 poems. My process is outlined here. 

I have been having a [play by thinking about how I can analyse my poetry output here..

I started writing more poetry after Chris's death and especially so after I participated with South Canterbury Live Poets.  This group formed a month after Chris died, and going to the inaugural meeting was the first social event I attended after she died. I am currently creating a book about my experiences of grief and the celebration of love enriched by the trauma of Chris's loss.

In November 2025, I was awarded The Otago University Book Shop Summer Writer in Residence Award, in association with the Robert Lord Writers’ Cottage Trust. I used the UBS residency to work on a poetry collection with my mentor Eliana Gray and to research related topics in the Hocken Collections.

I have been interviewed twice about the residency: Beverly Martens on 10th October 2025; Jeff Harford on Wednesday, 28 January 2026. 

Both interviews include readings of my poems. I am still an active participant in South Canterbury Live Poets, and the monthly open mic meetings and fortnightly critique sessions held in Timaru, Canterbury. 

I was Waimate's 2026 National Poetry Day guest reader.