07 Jul 2026
In just a few weeks, Amber Esau will leave Aotearoa for Iowa in the United States, where she'll spend three months alongside writers from around the world as part of the prestigious International Writing Program.
Supported by Creative New Zealand, the residency will give Amber the opportunity to immerse herself in new ideas, share her work with international audiences and spend dedicated time writing.
But for Amber, travelling overseas is about more than simply changing countries.
Distance has always helped her see things differently. Whether she's travelling or reflecting on where she comes from, stepping outside familiar places gives her a fresh perspective.
"I never feel located," she says. "I'm always kind of fluid and shifting."
Growing up in a Samoan-speaking household with Māori, Pākehā and Irish whakapapa, Amber says the identity that feels most true to her is "SaMāoRish,” a reflection of the cultures, languages and worldviews that have shaped her.
"I don't want to feel like I'm privileging one tikanga or culture over another," she says. "That feels like the truest to me in terms of a cultural identity."
That way of seeing the world has shaped her writing.
That curiosity began early. Amber has always been drawn to stories. As a child, she wrote about futuristic versions of Auckland, made up spells with her cousins, and found herself fascinated by language.
"I grew up in a Samoan-speaking household, so I know Samoan through the ears," she says. "If I read it, I have to say it out loud to know what's being said."
She's intrigued by what she calls the "slippage" between languages, where meanings shift, overlap and create something new. It's a curiosity that continues to shape the way she writes today.
For Amber, poetry isn't about having all the answers. It’s a way of making sense of life. "I write poetry to understand my thinking, and as a way of healing."
That approach sits at the heart of Hungus, her debut poetry collection, recognised this year through New Voices of Aotearoa.
The collection explores identity, family, addiction and belonging, inviting readers to find their own meaning rather than having everything explained for them. Amber hopes people approach the work with curiosity and good faith, allowing it to spark something personal.
One of the responses that meant the most came from someone she knows well. Her brother isn't someone who usually reads poetry. After finishing Hungus, he told her he could see himself in it.
"He was cracking up. He really loved it." For Amber, that was exactly the kind of connection she had hoped the book would create.
Being recognised as one of this year's New Voices of Aotearoa has been another milestone.
"It feels awesome to be recognised for the work," she says. "I've been writing for a long time... and this is a work that I'm really proud of."
Soon, she'll take that work to the other side of the world, joining writers from across the globe at the International Writing Program. There she'll write, perform her poetry and be part of conversations that will help shape her next project, a speculative mixed-media novel set in a reimagined Pacific.
“I’m really, really grateful," she says of the opportunity.
"I feel so lucky to be one of many writers from Aotearoa to bring a little bit of the Moana to Iowa."