Stars align for Fijian Tongan writer

The widely resonant themes of motherhood, romance, friendship, grief, anger, healing and love are tackled by Fijian Tongan storyteller Arieta Tegeilolo Talanoa Tora Rika in her new book Kalokalo.

Born and living in Dharug Ngurra Western Sydney, the 35-year-old wife, mother and wordsmith has spent her lifetime writing poetry.

However, Kalokalo, which means stars in Vosa Vakaviti, is her first published collection of poems.

Published by Rarama Ink, edited by Emele Ugavule and Losalini Tuwere (Vosa Vakaviti), and designed by Elsie Andrewes, Kalokalo takes readers on a journey through the galaxies of human emotion with her work in Kalokalo.

“Dedicated to my children, and an ode to my paternal island home of Fiji, Kalokalo is an intimate insight into the whispers of a mother to her child, a daughter to her father, reflections between sisters, lovers, enemies, and friends,” Arieta shares.

Stemming from a large family, with four sisters and two brothers, surrounded by uncles and aunties, Arieta attended school around the Pacific, including Fiji, Tonga, Aotearoa and Australia, before commencing university online and at Western Sydney University.

Her lived experiences provide fuel for her writing, but the birth of her two daughters Faith and Elenoa, has been particularly powerful.

“I’m deeply inspired by my children, my daughters and after the birth of my eldest child I began to write poetry more seriously, it was a cathartic form of release and expression.

“Human emotion and our relationships with one another, and ourselves, fascinate me and that also inspires my writing.”

Arieta says the poems selected for Kalokalo were written during a very challenging time in her life.

“I was recovering from a complicated birth experience, grieving the sudden loss of my father, the world had gone into lockdown, and my mental health was in tatters.

“Initially I wrote the poems as a form of therapy and was encouraged by my editor and confidante Emele Ugavule to share them.

“Reflecting on the poems I came to realise that sharing them may help someone feel less alone, someone who reads them and can connect with the emotions and experiences I try to express.

“It’s my hope that my poems find readers that are looking for them too.”

As a storyteller, Arieta has collected, supported, shared and published Pacific stories, particularly for digital channels and in 2015, Arieta founded

Talanoa, an independent digital storytelling platform for Oceanic people.

Since then, Arieta has written for projects across the Pacific, particularly in Fiji, including the virtual reality climate change film, Our Home, Our People, and Beyond the Stars, a world-first education programme.

In 2020, Arieta created, produced, and hosted the Pacific storytelling Vosa podcast, and in November 2023, Arieta graduated with a Bachelor of

Communication from Western Sydney University with distinction.

Pre-sales for Kalokalo can be purchased here soon.