Sick Power Trip

I stored my plan for world peace
safely in my coat pocket,
and then I washed the coat.

Sick Power Trip is Erik Kennedy’s most personal and vulnerable book yet. These are poems that tell us: the world is unwell, and sometimes writers are, too.

Kennedy scrutinises the broken social contract and the dangerous actors who seem determined to dominate us, and writes with open eyes about long COVID and living wages, self-medication and sea temperatures. If it feels like we’re stuck in a post-truth moment, Kennedy reminds us that some things remain true and vital: self-care, empathy, and solidarity.

'I love Erik's work so much and this new collection is incredible. Can not recommend it enough.' —Pip Adam, Better Off Read

'These poems have a very big heart. It's a very clever mix of seriousness, humour, and I would say tenderness as well.' —Airini Beautrais, RNZ

'I adore Kennedy’s sharp wit and erudite humour, and his ability to walk the line between optimism and pessimism. This collection is a masterful example of taking back power one poem at a time.' —Chris Tse

‘Erik Kennedy's manic narratives and twisted comedies square up to power. By turns angry, exasperated, chuckling, despairing, he gives voice to "the clammy, suffering, sweltry, cynical, burned-out, / downhearted, vulnerable people".' —James Brown

‘Sick Power Trip takes a scalpel to the systems of power, capital, and warfare that we live with. Kennedy has an impressive knack for finding the line between didactic and forgiving, striking a note of urgency that is desperately needed in this time of crises. With wry humour and a distinct playfulness, this new collection offers not a balm for the world but the courage to dismantle it.’ —Ash Davida Jane

Erik Kennedy is the author of two previous books of poems, both with Te Herenga Waka University Press: the Ockham-shortlisted There’s No Place Like the Internet in Springtime (2018) and Another Beautiful Day Indoors (2022). Originally from New Jersey, he lives in Ōtautahi Christchurch.

Cover design: Todd Atticus