Lloyd Jones was born in 1955. He is the author of The Book of Fame, Biografi, Mister Pip, The Cage, and a memoir, A History of Silence. His most recent novel was The Fish. 'Look at the dotterels' appeared in his first book of poems, The Empty Grandstand, in 2024.
Jones comments: 'When I moved to Waiheke Island a few years ago, I was struck by the abundant nikau on a track down to a tidal beach ten minutes' walk from my house. The glamour beaches are on the other, gulf-facing side of the island. Whakanewha (a regional park) is relatively unvisited. The tidal area is patrolled by the seabirds and shorebirds. The nesting dotterels are very territorial. Their protests and decoy runs are a warning to anyone who has strayed into their nesting area. But in the poem "Look at the dotterels" I am not describing the dotterels alone. I had in mind Trump's MAGA mob.'