Title: Unspoken Words
Author: Leiah Whittaker
Pocket Book No 10

Have you ever wondered why thunderstorms
are relatable?

Maybe it’s the dark cover swallowing anything in its path or maybe it’s the screaming while tears fall?

Praise for Leiah’s book

“I don’t like the word genius or prodigy, because it implies that the gift is God-given and that the poet has nothing to do with it. In the case of 15-year-old Leiah Whittaker, though, one feels that one is in the presence of an elemental force that is tearing through nature, ruffling trees, shooting beams of light in hidden corners, questioning the cold of the snow, of winters, of embraces, and simultaneously uplifting and inspiring the reader with her insight into the questions that plague us: what is love? Why do we identify with storms? What’s in a name? And, more pressingly, what is life? What is evil? What does it mean to “reach for the stars”? Whittaker punctures this collection with a sly humour that sees reality clearly and hopefully, with an eye on the future, but a careful awareness of the scars that linger
from the past.”

Johanna Aitchison

About the Author

Leiah Whittaker is a 15-year-old student at FAHS Feilding High School. She loves to sing and act and has performed in a number of school drama productions. She is also a graduate of multiple years of the CACTUS programme, which combines early morning starts with leadership training, hard physical exercise and teamwork. She lives in Feilding, Manawatū, with her mother and older brother.