Author Interview
Tusiata Avia's Big Fat Brown Bitch: 'I was bloody rarked up'
Earlier this year, Samoan-NZ writer Tusiata Avia became the target of harassment and death threats after her poem 250th anniversary of James Cook's arrival in New Zealand was labelled 'racist' by the… Audio
Ranulph Fiennes: Lawrence of Arabia
Sir Ranulph Fiennes pays tribute to a fellow legend in his new biography Lawrence of Arabia. A former SAS officer, Fiennes says he feels a lot of affinity for archaeologist and adventurer Thomas… Audio
Around the World in 80 Games, the secrets of a great board game
Professor du Sautoy searches the globe for the best games going and reveals what he considers to be the perfect in his new book, Around the World in 80 Games: A Mathematician Unlocks the Secrets of… Audio
Sir John Kirwan's book updated
When rugby legend Sir John Kirwan first released his memoir in 2010 detailing his struggle with mental illness, it was groundbreaking. Now 13 years later, he's updated the book. It's called All Blacks… Audio
Sebastian Faulks: On being Homo sapiens
Sebastian Faulks, worldwide bestselling author of Birdsong, is back with a new thriller, inspired, he tells us by a tweet from Richard Dawkins. Audio
Linda Bryder: the best country to give birth?
In The Best Country to Give Birth? medical historian Linda Bryder explores how New Zealand came to develop its unique approach to the role of midwives in childbirth. The 1990 Nurses Amendment Act… Audio
Book on helping people process the emotional coaster of life
Dr Carrie Hayward is a Melbourne based clinical psychologist who specialises in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. She speaks to Jesse. Audio
Tom O'Connor on his new book series The Irish Convict
Tom O'Connor is a former Maori affairs journalist turned author of historical fiction. His latest series the "Irish Convict" was released earlier today. The five books explore the history of… Audio
David Brooks: how to know another person
Sociologist David Brooks used to think wisdom was the ability to utter life-changing maxims like Dumbledore or Yoda. Now he believes it's about deeply seeing someone else's experience. "I think wisdom… Video, Audio
A new theory in the JFK Assassination, Mary Haverstick's book
60 years on from the assassination of US President John F Kennedy, and there are still so many questions about that shocking day. Mary Haverstick never set out to look at the killing, but came across… Audio
Richard Flanagan: chain reactions
Booker Prize-winning Tasmanian writer Richard Flanagan's new novel looks at the choices we make and the chain reaction that follows. By way of a literary love affair through nuclear physics to… Audio
Adrian Edmondson: 'The more you hurt yourself, the more people laugh'
British comedian, actor and writer Adrian Edmondson found fame in the 1980s, playing anarchic medical student Vyvyan alongside Rik Mayall in The Young Ones. They also starred together in Bottom and in… Audio
Michael Rosen: Getting over it, and getting through it
"Passionate linguist, gifted humanist, national treasure and ambassador of gibberish" is a judge's description of this year's PEN Pinter prize winner, Michael Rosen. The British poet, author and… Audio
Epic: Adventures across Aotearoa
Ray Salisbury is an author and photographer with a lifelong love for the New Zealand backcountry. In the 1990's he completed a solo 80-day traverse of the North Island mountain ranges, and wrote a… Audio
How comedy connects communities, Jesse David Fox's view
Jesse David Fox says comedy is now a cultural force and an art form. More than entertainment, comedy it connects people and influences politics. Audio
Meeting the contributors of the Oxford English Dictionary
Linguist, lexicographer, and Oxford professor Sarah Ogilvie discovered the names of the contributors of the very first Oxford Dictionary in a small black book tied with a cream ribbon in the basement… Audio
How 'the quiet Beatle' left such a large legacy
Novelist and playwright Phillip Norman has written a new biography about George Harrison's life, and how the Fab Four's quietest member ended up being the number one Beatle. Audio
Miriam Margolyes: 'I know my days are numbered'
Miriam Margolyes "can't resist naughtiness". The actor famed for her character roles and her outrageous chat show appearances is described as someone for whom currency is laughter - by any means… Audio
Bookmarks with Mona Williams
Our Bookmarks guest today has brought the gift of storytelling, reading and writing to thousands of tamariki in Aotearoa over the past four decades. Audio
Making large scale changes, what really happens
Dr. Rajiv J. Shah doesn't just talk about solving some of the world's biggest problems, he does something about it. He offers his philosophy in his new book, Big Bets: How Large-Scale Change Really… Audio