Nafanua Purcell Kersel
Nafanua’s books (1)
Born in Sāmoa and raised in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington, Nafanua Purcell Kersel pursued a Master of Arts in Creative Writing at the International Institute of Modern Letters (IIML), Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington where she is the 2025 Emerging Pasifika Writer in Residence. Her debut collection won the prestigious 2022 Biggs Family Prize in Poetry before its publication. Now based in Te Matau-a-Māui Hawke’s Bay, she continues to write, perform, facilitate workshops and engage deeply with Samoan and Pasifika literary communities.
Kersel’s poems have been widely published including anthologies and notable journals such as Cordite, Landfall, Ōrongohau / Best New Zealand Poems 2022 and Turbine / Kapohau. She is also an engaging live performer, bringing her poetry into concert with rhythm and voice.
Her poetry blends personal and collective memory, exploring the vā (relational space), Sāmoan language, intergenerational wisdom, and the interplay of loss and regeneration. Kersel’s forms shift dynamically, reflecting the fluidity of Moana worldviews. Critics note her careful command of imagery and tone, and praise her range from lyrical warmth to sharp social critique.
