John Summers

Guest writer

John Summers is a Wellington-based writer and the author of The Mermaid Boy, a collection of non-fiction stories published in 2015 by Hue & Cry Press. His essay collection, The Commercial Hotel, will be published by VUP in 2021.

Illustration: Toby Morris

The agapanthus city

Agapanthus are considered pests by the council, but it wasn’t always so.

By John Summers | 21st February, 2021

Illustration: Toby Morris

A short history of the New Zealand jersey

From the highs (Ralph Hotere's black turtleneck), to the lows (Bain), the jersey is as much a part of this place as the jandal or the Swanndri

By John Summers | 7th January, 2021

Illustration: Toby Morris

A short history of the New Zealand jersey

From the highs (Ralph Hotere's black turtleneck), to the lows (Bain), the jersey is as much a part of this place as the jandal or the Swanndri

By John Summers | 31st May, 2020

What childhood dreams are made of

Days of sugar and ice: Remembering the sweet treats of the 90s

From foul combat snacks to forbidden cones and fruit-based sophistication, the most sought-after sugary snacks of his childhood still hold a special place in John Summers' heart.

By John Summers | 4th February, 2020

Illustration: Toby Morris

The people’s cup: How the Arcoroc mug took over New Zealand

Summer reissue: You know this mug, even if you think you don't. Hard to break, cheap as chips, filled with instant coffee or weak tea, it's the mug of the marae, the staff room, the factory canteen, the church hall.

By John Summers | 28th December, 2019

Illustration: Toby Morris

The people’s cup: How the Arcoroc mug took over New Zealand

You know this mug, even if you think you don't. Hard to break, cheap as chips, filled with instant coffee or weak tea, it's the mug of the marae, the staff room, the factory canteen, the church hall.

By John Summers | 8th May, 2019

Image: YouTube

A white man’s fantasy – and sad reality – of living alone on a Cook Islands atoll

John Summers is inspired by a dreamer who ended up living as a kind of Robinson Crusoe on a Cook Islands atoll 'where there truly was no sound beyond the waves, the birds and whatever noise you made yourself'.

By John Summers | 21st February, 2019

Summer Reissue: The subtle and tremendously self-serving art of not giving a fuck

Summer Reissue: The subtle and tremendously self-serving art of not giving a fuck

John Summers gets to grips with one of the year's most popular books, a self-help guide to feeling good, deciding what's really important in your life, and "banging blondes": The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck.

By John Summers | 26th December, 2018

Book of the Week: The subtle and tremendously self-serving art of not giving a fuck

Book of the Week: The subtle and tremendously self-serving art of not giving a fuck

John Summers gets to grips with one of the year's most popular books, a self-help guide to feeling good, deciding what's really important in your life, and "banging blondes": The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck.

By John Summers | 21st June, 2018

We have very much ran out of ways to illustrate the Surrey Hotel

Inside the Surrey Hotel: a writers-residency award winner reports (Plus: YA fiction writers now allowed to enter!)

John Summers, 2017 winner of the Surrey Hotel Steve Braunias Memorial Writers Residency In Association With The Spinoff Award, presents his diary of his prize experience.

By John Summers | 12th June, 2018