Author Interview

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

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

For her second book, Zookeeper Danni Rae's gone very small, in fact tiny! Danni talks to Jesse about Harry the Hermit Crab. Audio

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

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

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

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

This week's guest for bookmarks is Akiko Kurematsu, a culture writer and journalist who uses her multicultural and mutlilingual background to work. Audio

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

Failure happens. It's not a glitch, but an inevitable part of life. But most of us fail to learn from failure, letting fear and shame get in the way, says Harvard Business School professor Amy… Audio

To be resilient in the face of change, we need to hold on to our core values while cultivating adaptability, says writer and human performance expert Brad Stulberg. He speaks to Jesse Mulligan about… Audio

Since winning Masterchef in 2022, Sam Low has been figuring out what's important to him as a chef in the New Zealand media. In the new recipe book Modern Chinese, he honours both his cultural heritage… Audio

It took Mexican scholar, novelist, and poet Cristina Rivera Garza 30 years to be able to write about what happened to her younger sister. Liliana Rivera Garza was murdered by her abusive boyfriend in… Audio

Modern kids are getting caught up in the "grind culture" of the adult world and not developing a sense of inherent self-worth, says American journalist Jennifer Berhenti Wallace. Audio

Actor, comedian, broadcaster and author, Michael Palin, has documented the extraordinary life and tragic death of a First World War soldier - his great-uncle Harry in latest book Great-Uncle Harry: A… Audio

Andrew Scott is a political journalist who goes by the pen name of Otto English. His latest book, 'Fake Heroes: Ten False Icons and How they Altered the Course of History' dives into the hidden lives… Audio

How you talk to yourself can mean the difference between a good day or a day spent wallowing with your head under the covers. Award-winning Professor of Psychology and Management at the University of… Audio

Sometimes, real stories about bravery, betrayal and ultimately love are more dramatic than that can be conjured in the imagination. Doug Gold, the co-founder of the More FM radio network, has a knack… Audio

In 2021 Harry Boorman attempted to break the record for the most New Zealand bird species seen in one calendar year. Jesse spoke to Harry at the time, stating his intention to publish a book about the… Audio