Jennifer Mary Bornholdt (born 1 November 1960) is a New Zealand poet and anthologist. She was New Zealand's Poet Laureate in 2005–07.

Early life

Born in

Lower Hutt Lower Hutt () is a list of cities in New Zealand, city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. Administered by the Hutt City Council, it is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington#Wellington metropolitan area, Wellington metropoli ...

, Bornholdt received a bachelor's degree in English Literature and a Diploma in Journalism. She studied poetry with

Bill Manhire William Manhire (born 27 December 1946) is a New Zealand poet, short story writer, emeritus professor, and New Zealand's inaugural Poet Laureate (1997–1998). He founded New Zealand's first creative writing course at Victoria University of We ...

Victoria University of Wellington Victoria University of Wellington (), also known by its shorter names "VUW" or "Vic", is a public university, public research university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of New Zealand Parliament, Parliament, and w ...

in 1984.

Career

She is co-editor of ''My Heart Goes Swimming: New Zealand Love Poems'' and the Oxford ''Anthology of New Zealand Poetry in English'', which won the

Montana New Zealand Book Award for Poetry The Mary and Peter Biggs Award for Poetry is an award at the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards, presented annually to the winner of the poetry category. The winner receives a 10,000 prize. History The New Zealand Book Awards were set up by the New Z ...

in 1997. In addition, Bornholdt won the 2002 Meridian Energy Katherine Mansfield Memorial Fellowship, was a recipient of one of the 2003 Arts Foundation of New Zealand Laureate Awards, and was named the fifth Te Mata Estate

New Zealand Poet Laureate The New Zealand poet laureate is a poet appointed by the National Library of New Zealand to represent New Zealand's community of poets, to promote and advocate for poetry, and to produce a number of published works during their three-year tenure ...

in 2005. Her poems were selected for the

Best New Zealand Poems series ''Ōrongohau , Best New Zealand Poems'' is an annual online anthology of poems chosen by guest editors. The anthology began in 2001 and is published by the International Institute of Modern Letters at Victoria University of Wellington in New ...

in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2005. In the

2014 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2014 were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebrati ...

, Bornholdt was appointed a

Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit () is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have ...

, for services as a poet. In 2023

Te Herenga Waka University Press Te Herenga Waka University Press or THWUP (formerly Victoria University Press) is the book publishing arm of Victoria University of Wellington, located in Wellington, New Zealand. As of 2022, the press had published around 800 books. History V ...

published ''A Garden is a Long Time'' by Bornholdt and Annemarie Hope-Cross.

Personal life

She lives in

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

, and is married to poet

Gregory O'Brien Gregory Leo O’Brien (born 1961) is a New Zealand poet, painter, author and editor. He is also an art curator and writes art history and criticism for both adults and children. Life Born in Matamata in 1961, O'Brien trained as a journalist in ...

Books

Poetry

Bornholdt's poetry has been published in a number of volumes: * 1988: ''This Big Face'' * 1989: ''Moving House'' * 1991: ''Waiting Shelter'' * 1995: ''How We Met'' * 1997: ''Miss New Zealand: Selected Poems'' * 2000: ''These Days'' * 2003: ''Summer''

Children's books

*2013: ''A Book is A Book'' *2017: ''The Longest Breakfast''

Editor

* Co-editor, with

, ''My Heart Goes Swimming: New Zealand Love Poems'', Random House New Zealand (2000) , * Co-editor ''Oxford Anthology of New Zealand Poetry in English''

References

External links

New Zealand Electronic Poetry Centre

Author profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bornholdt, Jenny 1960 births Living people New Zealand poets New Zealand women poets New Zealand poets laureate People from Lower Hutt Victoria University of Wellington alumni Women anthologists Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit