Auckland Writers Festival
Auckland Writers Festival lineup unveiled
A rock star of Norwegian literature Karl Ove Knausgaard and New York Times number one bestselling author Karen Joy Fowler will be among the big names taking part in May's Auckland Writers Festival… Audio
NZ Book Awards 2018 shortlist announced
The diversity, depth and skill of New Zealand writers are being showcased in the annual New Zealand Book Awards. The shortlist has been made public this morning and features both established writers… Audio
Shakespeare’s parallels with US politics
The author of Contested Will: Who Wrote Shakespeare? James Shapiro draws parallels between characters like Lear and Othello with today’s politicians. Shapiro is here for the Auckland Writers Festival… Audio
Teju Cole
Writer and photographer Teju Cole has been described by Salman Rushdie as one of the most gifted writers of his generation. Teju, who is also photography critic for the NY Times, is at the Auckland… Audio
David Schmid: serial killers in popular culture
Professor David Schmid has studied the place of serial killers - both real and fictional - in popular culture. He's the author of "Natural Born Celebrities: Serial Killers in American Culture' and… Audio
Nikki Gemmell: After the death of Elayn
After is Australian writer Nikki Gemmell's moving account of her complicated relationship with her mother Elayn and the effects of her mother's 'death by choice'. Audio
A.N Wilson - The myth of the objective biography
Andrew Norman Wilson is a biographer, novelist, journalist and essayist. Initially drawn to the teaching profession and priesthood, Wilson published his first novel, The Sweets of Pimlico, in 1977… Audio
Mpho Tutu van Furth: Desmond Tutu's daughter talks forgiveness
Mpho Tutu van Furth has co-authored The Book of Forgiving with her father, Nobel Peace Prize recipient Archbishop Desmond Tutu. She will speak about the subject of forgiveness at the Auckland Writers… Audio
Lauren Child - Through the Eyes of Children
Lauren Child has won many awards for her children's books, which include the extremely popular series Charlie and Lola. Audio
Susan Faludi on gender and identity
The Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist and author talks with Kim Hill about her most recent book In the Darkroom - a memoir of her transgender father and a meditation on identity. Audio
Opening the book for Writers Festival
Big literary names have been announced for the Auckland Writers Festival, which is being touted as the most expansive in its 18 year history. Detective novelist Scot Ian Rankin, Booker prize winner… Audio
Auckland Writers Festival has record of international guests
A record number of international writers will be at May's Auckland Writers Festival. Audio
Finalists for Ockham New Zealand Book Awards revealed
Nicola Legat, the chair of the New Zealand Book Awards Trust, takes us through some of the finalists for the New Zealand Book Awards. Audio
Sir David Hare: the desire to rebel
Sir David Hare has had many highlights in 45 years of writing for the stage. Here as a guest of the Auckland Writers Festival this weekend, he talks about how culture has changed since his… Audio
Making despicable characters likeable
Successful Dutch novelist, journalist and actor Herman Koch has the ability to create characters that do vile things, but still make them likeable. His best-selling novels include The Dinner and… Audio
Xu Zhiyuan - The New China
Artist Ai Wei Wei calls Xu Zhiyuan the most important Chinese intellectual of his generation. In Xu's book, Paper Tiger - Inside the Real China, he writes about the strangeness and complexity of… Audio
Vivian Gornick: re-reading, love, and living alone
Kim Hill talks to the New York journalist, essayist, critic and author about her memoirs Fierce Attachments (1987) and The Odd Woman & the City (2015). Audio
Jeanette Winterson: the disguised written self
Kim Hill talks to the British novelist who has published over a dozen works of fiction since her 1985 debut novel, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit; her latest is The Gap of Time, a "cover version" of… Audio