Author Interview

Dougal Rillstone's new book, Upstream in the Mataura details his 70-year fascination for the Mataura River - a river that almost claimed his life in the 1970s - from his childhood in Gore through… Audio, Gallery

Steven Johnson's new book, Enemy of All Mankind is also a harrowing account of the most dastardly pirate you've probably never heard of, Henry Every, and the brutal lifestyle and appalling existence… Audio

Christopher McDougall is best known for his super-popular book Born to Run about the natural joy of running, the science of sport and super athletes. Audio

In part two of Black Sheep's series on Edward Gibbon Wakefield we see theories of "systematic" and "humanitarian" colonisation run into bitter realities. The result is conflict, death and disaster… Audio

Meng Foon talks with author Chris McDowall, and contributors Nadine Anne Hura and Veronika Meduna about an Atlas of Aotearoa in this highlight from the 2020 New Zealand Festival Writers' programme. Audio, Gallery

World War II historian Daniel Lee's new book, The SS Officer's Armchair, came about by chance after he met a woman whose mother had taken an old armchair for reupholstering in Amsterdam. What happened… Audio, Gallery

Former US President Barack Obama declared Samantha Power to be one of his country's "foremost thinkers on foreign policy". She was human rights adviser to the Obama White House before becoming the… Audio, Gallery

Mathematics underpins modern life, and if students were taught the ideas behind it they'd better understand its relevance and power, says Stefan Buijsman who got his PhD in the philosophy of… Audio

How damaging for our health are processed snacks like Twisties and Doritos? Chemist and science communicator George Zaidan has been crunching the data on crunchy treats for his book Ingredients: The… Audio

Max Brooks has published three zombie-themed books, including the hugely successful World War Z - where a highly infectious virus breaks out in China and sweeps the globe, turning humans into… Audio

Edward Gibbon Wakefield used to be known as “The Father of New Zealand.” But modern historians have pointed to the disastrous impact of his colonial policies on indigenous people, his misleading… Audio

12 months after the Christchurch terror attacks, Guled Mire chairs an NZ Festival discussion with Alison Whittaker and Nyadol Nyuon from Australia, and Anahera Gildea and Jack McDonald from Aotearoa.

An insight into the lives of transgender performers and exotic dancers working in Sydney's notorious Kings Cross in the 1960s is offered in the latest novel by best-selling Hamilton-based writer… Audio

Dr Kate Gregorevic's new book, Staying Alive: the Science of Living Healthier, Happier and Longer, applies the science of longevity to everyday life, offering tips on how the small daily decisions we… Audio

Graham McTavish is known for portraying Dwalin the dwarf in the Hobbit, but his latest project Clanlands has seen him team up with fellow Outlander star Sam Heughan to document the people, places and… Video, Audio

American mountaineer and writer Jon Krakauer was a member of a fateful 1996 Mount Everest expedition that got caught in a blizzard that claimed eight lives, including New Zealanders Rob Hall and… Audio, Gallery

Captain Louis Rudd knows what it's like to truly tough it out. He joined the Royal Marines at age 16, spent 25 years in the SAS and served in Northern Ireland, The Balkans, Iraq and Afghanistan. Audio

Seven years ago Kevin Kwan's first novel Crazy Rich Asians became an instant New York Times number one best seller, translated into thirty languages, and then made into a hugely successful movie. Audio

We talk to South African author, Mark Gevisser about his latest book The Pink Line: The World's Queer Frontiers which documents how LGBTQ+ Rights have become one of the world's new human rights… Audio

Palmerston North pathologist, Dr Cynric Temple-Camp, has seen it all when it comes to dying. His latest book, The Quick and The Dead, looks at some of the unlikely, extraordinary and tragic way humans… Audio