3 questions with Dominic Hoey
by Charli Cox
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Being fan girls of Dominic’s work, we finally asked him if he would write a poem for us that we could print on tissue paper for our online orders—a reminder of what we do and why to anyone spending money with us. Dom’s writings often deal with the working class challenges of poverty, angry poems that embody how we feel about the situation currently. Dom's second novel Poor People with Money, was published by Penguin in 2022 and was widely acclaimed. Described as "the year's most exciting novel” and "a sharp jab from the heart of life on the poverty line in Aotearoa. Soon, your orders will be delivered in Dom’s words, a reminder of what exists, who has access and who does not.
How would you describe the broader work you do?
I guess primarily I'm a writer which takes many different shapes; novels, poems, songs, plays. I also perform/show off. And I do youth work and teach writing to people. I'm looking for a hobby though. Something that gets me out into the world. Suggestions welcome.
How do you connect with the subject matter?
The subject matter of the poems? I guess I just tried to think about my relationship with clothing having been someone who grew up wearing the same clothes every day for years, now I have a bit of money and probably have too many clothes. I think about fast fashion a lot. Because it wasn't a thing really in New Zealand when I was young. so if you were poor you had to dress like shit. And now you don't, but of course it's destroying the planet. Capitalism makes everything a poisoned chalice I guess.
Why did you agree to write this piece for Common?
I love the mahi yous do. I also really like projects where you get to do something a bit different. I've been writing heaps of dark political nonsense so it's nice to direct that in a slightly different direction.
Thank you Dominic for your words, not just these ones but all of your words generally. We need to support our artists. Here's Dom's links below.