Rebekah Burgess

Opening Kapiti Winterlude 2025

A lifestyle of poetry

Rebekah is a performance poet, who has more recently performed at sellout poetry and music shows under the Winterlude banner in the Wellington region. These shows, seven over three years, incorporated a number of leading New Zealand musicians and poets, including Barry Saunders, Carol Bean, Rob Hack and Charlotte Yates. Rebekah has also performed poetry set to music composed and played by guitarist Alan Galloway. Rebekah is now looking to expand her performance schedule.

Rebekah usually lives in Plimmerton in a falling down old bach she refuses to pull down and rebuild as people have advised her to do. Instead, she’s recreating it. That’s the premise behind everything Rebekah does. She’s a lover of the old school, and is particularly drawn to beauty in nature, fashion, design and words.

Rebekah has independently published and released three poetry collections: Chasing Rainbows (2017), Advocating Madness (2018) and Hope Floats (2025), with a fourth in production. These collections also combine her original photographic work. She has poems published with Blackmail Press, Landing Press and Vines journal.

Rebekah has extensive experience in media and public service communications, and has worked in many roles, including as an editor, photographer, and journalist.

Visit LinkTree for video examples of Rebekah's performance.

Contact Rebekah for performance opportunities by email: [email protected]

Chasing Rainbows

Released, 2017 Sold out

Advocating Madness

Released, 2018
Copies are $25 plus postage - email me for a copy [email protected]

Hope Floats

Released at The Undercurrent in Wellington on June 6th, 2025. Copies are $30, plus postage and handling - email me for a copy at [email protected].

Critical analysis

Some further insight into Rebekah's poetical work.

Advocating Madness

Of what I am certain is the quality of verse of Rebekah Burgess and her stunning second collection,Advocating Madness. The depth of quality of stanza upon stanza, rich with pause-inducing momentone upon another, if only the momentum built would allow for a pause mid-line to drink, to suck inthe completeness, the emptiness simultaneously nurtured. But no, Burgess does not let her readeroff so lightly. With her Bukowski-esk approach in Progress in New Zealand, to the context note included with The Perils of New Zealand Life. I found myself so embraced by the narrative voice that for stretches I was lost in worlds clashed and crossed, of times gone by and those yet to come. Burgess is a remarkable talent – a purveyor of life, and love come full circle. Undertones, at times, of our own kiwi, female, Billy Childish, The Hollow Pond, Predators, The Day After Valentine’s Day. This is powerful stuff – gird the loins and put on your big-boy pants.
Burgess is a force. A poet of significance on the New Zealand landscape of paradise told like it is, warts and fuckin’ all mate.Dr Chris Gallavin, (abridged)

Hope Floats

She is described as being “possessed by a genuine poetic spirit”, and reading Hope Floats, I found myself agreeing. “Genuine” is surely important and in this case signifies the sincerity of undisguised emotion and a welcome lack of intellectualising feelings and experiences. Missing is trendy social commentary and smart clichés about nothing in particular.The first of the three sections is titled The opposite of love is fear.

The initial poem Reduced is one of her most powerful. About her mother “screaming for her own voice”, it embodies not just her mother’s plight but that of others, especially women, at the mercy of circumstances beyond their control.

The suggestion embodied in Burgess’ title is where our writer is coming from. Her cover photo enhances it. Thankfully without anger, aggressiveness, or fancy language, she embroiders her theme with a needle blunted by gentleness and – well – hope.

Margaret Austin, First published Regional News (abridged)

Hope Floats

If you have ever seen Rebekah Burgess read her poetry to a live audience, you will know that she is the real deal – possessed by a genuine poetic spirit.

There is nothing contrived or calculated in her work. It is an honest, well-crafted, response to life and memory. As for jumping on any trendy bandwagons – forget it.

Rebekah's poems certainly affected me. Her writing is revealing, often sensual, sometimes private. You'll likely have the cobwebs shaken out of your head with the startling opening poems ; from Part I 'The opposite of Love is Fear'. And then, why don't you sit back, absorb, and meditate.

Hope Floats is inspiring poetry by a woman in love with life.

Jeremy Roberts, performance poet and radio producer for Radio Hawkes Bay (abridged)

Previous work and interviews

Wellington Access Radio

A studio visit from poet Rebekah Burgess on her latest book – Advocating Madness (2018).

Hutt Zone’s Nico Hendricks talks with Rebekah on her journey to New Zealand, from keeping a diary to writing poetry, and her time as a journalist in Wainuiomata.

Rebekah gives a couple of poetry readings as well.

Radio Hawkes Bay

Jeremy Roberts interviews Rebekah Burgess for the release of her third book, Hope Floats (2025).

Here is it so you can listen.

Reproduced with thanks to @jnrpoet and @RadioHawkesBay

Winterlude song and verse

Winterlude ran over three years in theatres in Plimmerton and Paraparaumu to mostly sellout audiences. The intimate winter concert series showcased poets and singers/songwriters and/or bands. Winterlude is currently on hold.

PHOTO: Tatiana Sogrina