Author Interview
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
'Mad on Meth', Benedict Collins' new book
New Zealand has a meth problem. Benedict Collins is a New Zealand political reporter and has covered the P problem for years. He says well-thought-out harm reduction plans in New Zealand have been… Audio
Naomi Klein and the other Naomi: 'We all know people that changed in recent years'
For most of Naomi Klein's career, she has been confused with left-leaning turned conspiracy theorist Naomi Wolf. Klein explored this in her new book. Audio
Mary Beard: ruling the Roman Empire
As a television and radio presenter, prolific and best selling author, classicist Dame Mary Beard has acquired celebrity status. The author of more than 20 books including Pompeii, SPQR and Women &… Audio
Long Read: Loss of Incidental Connections
By Susan Strongman: Retired and living alone in Hamilton, Mum ticks a lot of the boxes that put her at risk of loneliness. Audio
How to speak up without freaking out
Dropping perfectionism and focusing on connection can help take the pressure off verbal communication, says Stanford lecturer Matt Abrahams. Audio
From selling vodka to farming in the high country
For 30 years, the closest Justine and Geoff Ross had come to cows was two cowhide chairs in their Auckland living room. Audio
Combating loneliness and reconnecting in Aotearoa
Loneliness is a health issue that must be addressed urgently say the former director and deputy director of The Helen Clark Foundation, Kathy Errington and Dr Holly Walker. They speak to Jesse about… Audio
Anna Smaill on her new novel Bird Life
New Zealand writer Anna Smaill's first novel The Chimes made the Man Booker Prize long list in 2015. She's just released Bird Life, an exploration of madness and what it's like to experience the world… Audio
Doctor, artist John Gillies' life long love of Skippers Canyon
Dr John Gillies has had a life long love of Skippers Canyon, and his new book showcases his paintings of the iconic gorge in Otago. He was born in 1945, and discovered his love of art at St Andrew's… Audio
New book explores intersection of reality and imagination.
Writers living in Aotearoa New Zealand have come together to celebrate what would have been Italian author Italo Calvino's 100th birthday. Marco Sonzogni collated and edited Visible Cities - Lockdown… Audio
Harry the Hermit Crab, a new book from Wellington zookeeper Danni Rae
For her second book, Zookeeper Danni Rae's gone very small, in fact tiny! Danni talks to Jesse about Harry the Hermit Crab. Audio
New book puts cancel culture in spotlight
If you've ever caught yourself before expressing an opinion about politics, good parenting or even your favourite place to eat, you'll know that censoring is humankind's natural inclination says Greg… Audio
Jesmyn Ward: the hell of American slavery
Two-time US National Book Award winner Jesmyn Ward's latest novel Let Us Descend tackles the hellish reality of life as a chattel slave. Modelled on Dante's Inferno, and based on extensive historical… Audio
Lyttleton Habour history - an incredible story
Author, historian and educator Dr Jane Robertson has written not one, but two fantastic books about the bays of Lyttleton Harbour. Her second one is called Living Between Land & Sea, The Bays of… Audio
Exploring the 'identity trap': Professor Yascha Mounk
What you are is not the whole story about who you are. Values rather than identity have always been the glue that holds democracies together. Before "woke" became a political slogan, professor Yascha… Audio
Bookmarks with Akiko Kurematsu
This week's guest for bookmarks is Akiko Kurematsu, a culture writer and journalist who uses her multicultural and mutlilingual background to work. Audio
What is the secret to human happiness?
Dr Robert Waldinger has been studying human happiness and the secret to it for decades. He is Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, and Director of the the Harvard Study of Adult… Audio