There’s to be a launch next week for Gothic NZ, a new book out from Otago University Press edited by Misha Kavka, Jennifer Lawn and Mary Paul. The book covers ‘the darker side of Kiwi culture’ and includes offerings from creative writers, intellectuals, photographers, painters and other artists. (The gorgeous cover, right, features a photograph by Rachel Ahmad-Hall).

There was apparently an Antipodean Gothic Conference back in 2002 at Massey University in that famously gothic suburb north of Auckland: Albany. The three editors (Jennifer and Mary teach literature at Massey, and Misha teaches film, tv and media studies at Auckland Uni) have run with what they learned and applied it to Kiwi culture in a broader sense. Thus we have everything ‘from Martin Edmond's abandoned houses to Otis Frizzell's tattoos, from Peter Jackson's movie-making to ghost paintings’.

The editors reckon gothic is ‘endemic to New Zealand's self-representation’. I think that means we identify with it, and we don’t have to be wearing black nailpolish and listening to old Joy Division to do so. Come to think of it, we’ve had a few forum members bemoaning NZers’ general miserableness in writing styles… maybe this is why! Ding! Maybe we’re all Goth-suppressed! And maybe if we like, embraced our inherent Goth-ness we’d get happy! Jeez, I think I might be on to something here ...

Anyway, the launch is next Wednesday 29 November in Auckland at the Roger Williams Contemporary Gallery, 61 Randolph St Newton at 6pm. There’s an exhibiton of work by Christopher Braddock, Gavin Hipkins, Ann Shelton and Yvonne Todd – too fab, I’m so there – but if you can’t make it (and all are welcome, I checked) the exhibition will be up until December 2nd. The book will be on sale at the launch too, thanks to Parsons Books, for $39.95.