“Such opportunities are integral to the development needed for any writer or artist at any phase of their life or career” – Actor/writer Kasi Valu
Tongan actor/writer Kasi Valu is Victoria University of Wellington’s International Institute of Modern Letters Emerging Pasifika Writer in Residence for 2026.
He will use the residency to develop a collection of poems, spoken-word pieces, and short stories with the working title Frangipani Thorns. He also plans to make audio recordings of the pieces.
“I imagine Frangipani Thorns as a digital constellation of portals. Like a web browser with multiple tabs open at once, each piece offers a different entry point into the world,” he says.
Kasi trained as an actor at Te kura Toi Whakaari o Aotearoa, gaining a Bachelor of Arts in Performing Arts (2022). His theatre career has involved working in a variety of roles including acting, writing, stage managing, and producing.
He has performed at slam poetry events and at the Auckland Writers Festival. He won the E Tū Whānau Spoken Word Competition in 2021 and received a Fale-ship Residency from the Tautai Contemporary Pacific Arts Trust.
Kasi says of the residency, “I’m deeply grateful and humbled to follow the writers before me. I also feel privileged, especially now, when residencies for artists across Aotearoa are becoming scarcer.”
“Such opportunities are integral to the development needed for any writer or artist at any phase of their life or career.”
Damien Wilkins, Director of the IIML, says, “We’re excited to see Kasi’s work develop. The selection panel was impressed by the fearlessness and energy of his writing.
