Since 1990 has written seven books of poetry published, a graphic novel illustrated by Chris Slane called Maui: Legends of the Outcast, and a children’s book Weaving Earth and Sky: Myths and Legends of Aotearoa (Random House) – which won both Book of the Year and the Non-fiction Category in the 2003 New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards. His first book, Jazz Waiata, won the PEN (NZ) Best First Book of Potry award. He has most recently co-edited with Professor Albert and Reina Whaitiri an anthology of Polynesian poetry in English, Whetu Moana (AUP and UHP, 2003) which won the anthology category of the 2004 Montana Book Awards. In 1998 he was the Literary Fellow at the University of Auckland, and in 2001 the Distinguished Visiting Writer at the University of Hawai’i.
He has twice been a finalist in the national New Zealand Book Awards for poetry for Star Waka in 2000, and Captain Cook in the Underworld in 2003.
Robert has performed his poetry at many festivals and literary events within New Zealand, Canada, Hawai’I and Germany.
He served a term on the UNESCO (New Zealand) Culture Subcommission, and a term on Creative New Zealand’s Literature Advisory Committee.
He was a fiction category judge of the 2005 Kiriyama Pacific Rim Book Prize, based in San Francisco. He was Assistant Professor English at the University of Hawai’I in Honolulu, where he taught creative writing and Mori literature. And now is head of the School of Creative Writing at the Manukau Institute of Technology.
He also co-edits the online journal Trout: http://www2.auckland,ac,nz/index.html and is a featured author at the New Zealand electronic poetry centre: http://www.nzepc.auckland.ac.nz/authors/sullivan/1967-. Robert Sullivan was born in Auckland and was educated at Auckland Grammar. He graduated with a B.A. in English from Auckland University and has a Diploma in Library and Information Studies from Victoria University. He began writing poetry during his first year at university, inspired by a Stage One New Zealand Literature paper. In 1989 he participated in Albert Wendt’s creative writing course. He is a founder member of Auckland Poetry Workshop and has participated in many national and regional literary festivals. In 1987 he was awarded PEN Young Writer of the Year for Poetry and Prose and in 1990 won the PEN Best First Book award for poetry.
Since 1990 Sullivan has written four books of poetry published by Auckland University Press (most recently, Captain Cook in the Underworld, which is also a libretto for a composition by John Psathas), a graphic novel illustrated by Christ Slane Called Maui: legends of the outcast, and a children’s book Weaving Earth and Sky: Myths and Legends of Aotearoa (Random House) – which won both Book of the Year and the Non-Fiction Category in the 2003 New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards. His first book, Jazz Waiata, won the PEN (NZ) Best First Book of Poetry award. He has co-edited with Professor Albert Wendt and Reina Whaitiri and anthology of Polynesian poetry in English, Whetu Moana (AUP and UHP, 2003) which won the anthology category of the 2004 Montana New Zealand Book Awards. In 1998 he was the Literary Fellow at the University of Auckland, and in 2001 the Distinguished Visiting Writer at the University of Hawai’i.
He has twice been a finalist in the national New Zealand Book Awards for poetry – for Star Waka in 2000, and Captain Cook in the Underworld in 2003. Sullivan has performed his poetry at many festivals and literary events within New Zealand, Canada, Hawai’i and Germany. He served a term on the UNESCO (New Zealand) Culture Subcommission, and a term on Creative New Zealand’s Literature Advisory Committee. In 2011 Mauri Ola: Contemporary Polynesian Poems in English – Whetu Moana which was edited by Sullivan, Albert Wendt, and Reina Whaitiri Robert Sullivan, Albert Wendt, and Reina Whaitiri, was a finalist in the Poetry category of the 2011 New Zealand Post Book Awards. He was a fiction category judge of the 2005 Kiriyama Pacific Rim Book Prize, based in San Francisco. Sullivan has been Assistant Professor of English at the University of Hawaii in Honolulu where he taught creative writing and Māori literature. He co-edits the online journal Trout: http://www2.auckland.ac.nz/lbr/trout/index.html and is a featured author at the New Zealand electronic poetry centre: http://www.nzepc.auckland.ac.nz/authors/sullivan
Sullivan’s writing has been published in many literary journals and publications including Kunapipi: Journal of Postcolonial Writing, Ka Mate Ka Ora: a New Zealand Journal of Poetry and Poetics, Figuring the Pacific, and The New Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics.
"Robert Sullivan was for a time Director of Creative Writing at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa, and Associate Professor of English. He is now head of the Creative Writing School at Manukau Institute of Technology."
"Sullivan has performed his work at festivals and universities in Germany, Spain, India, England, United States, Turkey, Hong Kong, and Canada."
Biographical sources
- Interview with Sullivan on 29 Aug. 1992.
- Email correspondence from Sullivan dated 1 July 1998 and 10 Sept. 2004.
- "Robert Sullivan." MAI Review, 2010, 2.
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http://www.bookcouncil.org.nz/writers/sullivanrobert.html 11 September 2016