{"product_id":"no-good-debut-book-of-poetry","title":"No Good, Poetry by Sophie van Waardenberg","description":"\u003cp class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchorContainer\" data-end=\"175\" data-start=\"0\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-end=\"11\" data-start=\"0\"\u003eNo Good\u003c\/strong\u003e is the award-winning debut poetry collection by \u003cstrong data-end=\"86\" data-start=\"60\"\u003eSophie van Waardenberg\u003c\/strong\u003e, winner of the \u003cstrong data-end=\"127\" data-start=\"102\"\u003eBest First Book Award\u003c\/strong\u003e at the \u003cstrong data-is-only-node=\"\" data-end=\"174\" data-start=\"135\"\u003e2026 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003cspan class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchor\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\" data-end=\"436\" data-start=\"177\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eIn summer when I picked dandelions\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003efor the geriatric guinea pig I changed the world.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eI killed a weed. I filled a mouth with gold.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"436\" data-start=\"177\"\u003eRaw, tender and deeply human, \u003cem data-end=\"216\" data-start=\"207\"\u003eNo Good\u003c\/em\u003e explores girlhood, grief, love, loss, distance and the pull of returning home. At its heart is the powerful \u003cem data-end=\"344\" data-start=\"325\"\u003eCremation Sonnets\u003c\/em\u003e sequence, where van Waardenberg writes with remarkable emotional honesty and vulnerability.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"436\" data-start=\"177\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eI cannot accept this ending. I have fallen\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003efrom the highest ledge. I will never land.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eSo what if I am safe? I am not.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"436\" data-start=\"177\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"703\" data-start=\"438\"\u003eWith lyrical precision and vivid imagery, these poems navigate heartbreak, memory and hope, asking what it means to remain open-hearted in the face of loss. \u003cem data-end=\"604\" data-start=\"595\"\u003eNo Good\u003c\/em\u003e is a striking and unforgettable debut from one of New Zealand's most compelling new poetic voices.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-is-only-node=\"\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-end=\"1087\" data-start=\"705\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-end=\"725\" data-start=\"705\"\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-end=\"728\" data-start=\"725\"\u003eSophie van Waardenberg is a writer from Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland. She holds an MFA from Syracuse University, where she was editor-in-chief of \u003cem data-end=\"890\" data-start=\"871\"\u003eSalt Hill Journal\u003c\/em\u003e. Her first chapbook, \u003cem data-is-only-node=\"\" data-end=\"941\" data-start=\"912\"\u003edoes a potato have a heart?\u003c\/em\u003e, was published in \u003cem data-end=\"977\" data-start=\"960\"\u003eAUP New Poets 5\u003c\/em\u003e (2019). Her poetry has appeared in \u003cem data-end=\"1022\" data-start=\"1013\"\u003eCordite\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem data-end=\"1041\" data-start=\"1024\"\u003eSweet Mammalian\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem data-end=\"1056\" data-start=\"1043\"\u003eThe Spinoff\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem data-end=\"1086\" data-start=\"1062\"\u003eBest New Zealand Poems\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-is-only-node=\"\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-end=\"1087\" data-start=\"705\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchorContainer\" data-end=\"172\" data-start=\"0\"\u003eFormat: Paperback\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchorContainer\" data-end=\"172\" data-start=\"0\"\u003ePages: 80\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchorContainer\" data-end=\"172\" data-start=\"0\"\u003ePublished: 14 August 2025\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchorContainer\" data-end=\"172\" data-start=\"0\"\u003eSpecs: 210 x 160mm\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Auckland University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40837769527425,"sku":null,"price":25.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0559\/8799\/4753\/files\/AUP-Van_Waardenberg_No_Good_2048x2048-2.jpg?v=1785200759","url":"https:\/\/looknz.art\/products\/no-good-debut-book-of-poetry","provider":"Look NZ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}