Author Interview
From stolen childhood to remarkable Australian leader
Yorta Yorta woman Dianne O'Brien was raised in the era of the White Australia policy, a child of the stolen generation. Her memoir Daughter of the River Country - is a story of survival and triumph… Audio
Untold Kiwi war stories brought to life
Author Renée Hollis admits she was a bit overwhelmed by the response she received when she put out a call on RNZ National for listeners to send her untold stories, letters, diaries and photographs… Audio, Gallery
Katy Soljak - words, pictures and kissing!
12 short stories accompanied by 12 original paintings... Katy Soljak combines two of her passions - she's also a musician by the way - in her new book My First Real Pash and Other Stories. Katy's… Audio
Ken Follett: 'I think about my characters when I go to sleep'
Master storyteller Ken Follett is one of the best-selling authors of the past 50 years, with over 178 million sales of his 32 books in print. The Welsh writer's latest book, Never, marks a return to… Audio
Ann Patchett: a much loved writer asks what matters most
She's a bestselling, prizewinning author with her own bookshop in native Nashville, Tennessee, but in her new collection of essays This Precious Life Ann Patchett reveals that below the surface of any… Audio
Earth Detox: The chemical tsunami and how to deal with it
Chemicals are in our food, our water, the air we breathe and everything we touch. Last year an international team estimated there were 350,000 chemicals registered for production and use, but it's… Audio
Off the tracks: New Zealand's lost railway network
Dr André Brett is a historian, researcher and writer who specialises in Australian and New Zealand history, in particular histories of politics, railways, the environment, and the economy. The… Audio
'This is deeper into The Beatles than we've been before'
Beatles fans have been awaiting Sir Peter Jackson's new three-part documentary 'The Beatles - Get Back' with keen anticipation ever since the project was first announced. Using 60 hours of footage and… Audio, Gallery
Why we need to can the phoney generation wars
We've heard it all before. 'Boomers' - arguably the most disliked generation - only think about themselves, while millennials (aka 'snowflakes') wouldn't know a hard day's work if it slapped them… Audio
Gone Bush: Walking New Zealand's backcountry
Paul Kilgour has probably visited more huts than anyone else in New Zealand. He's a wanderer, a long-distance tramper and one of New Zealand's most famous hutbaggers, although he shies away from the… Audio, Gallery
Quirky New Zealand
The Big Carrot in Ohakune, the Hundertwasser Toilets in Kawakawa, a Toothbrush Fence in Te Pahu and the Bluff Paua Shell House all make up New Zealand's many weird and wonderful landmarks that dot the… Audio, Gallery
Pulp Erotica for a New Generation
We talk to Sam Te Kani, a sexpert, a public face of the Ending HIV campaign, pop culture authority, well-known resident of Karangahape Road and author of Please, Call Me Jesus, his first collection of… Audio
Lana Lopesi: Bloody Woman
Dr Lana Lopesi is an author, art critic and Editor in Chief of the Pacific Arts Legacy Project. She is also Interim Director of The Pantograph Punch, and a Lecturer in the School of Art and Design at… Audio
Shipwreck tales: mishap, misery and mystery
Wellington writer John McCrystal has been interested in shipwrecks since he was a child, when at the age of six he first heard the tale of the General Grant, which struck the Auckland Islands in 1866… Audio, Gallery
Max Rashbrooke's latest book on wealth disparity in Aotearoa
Max introduces his book Too Much Money: How Wealth Disparities Are Unbalancing Aotearoa New Zealand. Audio
Stephen Fry: The day I stalked Andy Warhol
The inimitable Stephen Fry is an actor, comedian, director, and writer whose newest book about neckwear, Fry's Ties, is an ode to the 64-year-old's decades-long obsession with man's most trusted and… Audio
Taking a walk on the Wild Twins' side
Not many people can say they have survived naked in the African wilderness for three weeks, but Waiuku twin sisters Amber and Serena Shine (The Wild Twins) can. Their new book, The Wild Twins: Tales… Audio
Four seasons of fabulous eating
Award-winning food writer Lucy Corry joins us this morning to talk about her new book and share a sumptuous roast chicken salad recipe from her new cookbook, Homecooked. Audio
A treasured collection of Maori language and tikanga.
We talk to Dame Anne Salmond about a new book, Hei Taonga Ma Nga Uri Whakatipu: Treasures for the Rising Generation. Audio, Gallery
Documenting 50 Years of Greenpeace
In 1990, Michael Szabo wrote a book called Making Waves, telling the story of the first 20 years of Greenpeace. He's just brought this project up to date with Making Waves II. He joins us to tell us… Audio, Gallery