Author Interview
The King's Medal
Ahead of ANZAC Weekend, we talk to Maria Gill about her children's book The King's Medal' which tells a little-known story of a group of brave Kiwi soldiers who rescued the Greek King, Prime Minister… Audio
Keith Kahn-Harris: the surprising journey spurred by Kinder eggs
London-based sociologist Dr Keith Kahn Harris has written about some weighty issues, including the heavy metal music scene and antisemitism, but his latest book sprang out of a fascination with the… Audio
The Art of Getting Older
Multiple award-winninng author, Juliet Batten joins us to chat about her new book, The Pomegranate Journal. for anyone, irrespective of age, who is curious about growing old and what may lie ahead… Audio
Leadership means learning when to take your coat off, even though it’s freezing – Mark Solomon
Mark Solomon, the former kaiwhakahaere (Chair) of Ngāi Tahu's governing council, speaks with Nic Lowe about leadership in this highlight of WORD Christchurch 2021. Audio
Novelist India Holton
With characters who include a pirate of low morals but high cheekbones and a witch who's also an excellent pick pocket and a keen bibliophile, you can tell you're in for a wild ride. India Holton's… Audio, Gallery
David Groves takes us on a journey from Xanadu to Venice
Author David Groves invites us to travel the Silk Road from fabled Asian capital Xanadu to Venice, with adventurer Marco Polo and the Emperor Kublai Khan as our guides, in his novel 7 Intelligible… Audio
Jenny Pattrick: bringing New Zealand history to life through storytelling
Known for her historical fiction, Jenny Pattrick is one of New Zealand's best-selling novelists. She has had 10 novels published since her acclaimed 2003 debut The Denniston Rose, yet Pattrick came to… Audio
How to be a good partner
We get no training for intimate relationships and often don't look at our own behaviour within them until things go wrong. Psychologist Karen Nimmo has written a do-it-yourself guide for anyone who… Audio
How to write a killer plot - two crime writers tell all
Two crime writers - Jacqueline Bublitz and Paul Cleave - discuss how they create memorable stories in this highlight of 2021's Word Christchurch festival. Audio
Optimism? Pessimism? What should we feel about the climate crisis?
At the time of the COP26 summit held in Glasgow, Kim Hill speaks with journalist Tom Doig and veteran scientist Dave Lowe about the climate crisis. A highlight of 2021 Word Christchurch. Audio
Bookmarks with Lisa Wool-Rim Sjöblom
Our Bookmarks guest today is illustrator and comic book artist Lisa Wool-Rim Sjöblom. Born in South Korea, she was removed from her mother and listed as an orphan before being adopted by a Swedish… Audio
Anil Seth: Being yourself
Our guest today is trying to work out why we think, and why we exist as cognitive beings. It turns out we're not very good at assessing ourselves and how we think. Which makes the whole thing… Audio
An adventurous life can mean different things for women, from running in the New York marathon to soothing a wakeful child at night
Dr Hinemoa Elder, Kyle Mewburn, Anjum Rahman, Julie Zarifeh and Emily Writes explore very different aspects of courage and adventure in their lives. They talk with Jo Malcolm. Audio
Lost in the Museum
A boy's father goes missing while at Te Papa - but he's not missing in the building, he's lost in one of the museum's taonga. That's the premise for a new book called Lost in the Museum, a… Audio, Gallery
John Darnielle: the 'Satanic Panic' in words and song
John Darnielle's latest novel Devil House looks back to the 'Satanic Panic' of the 1980s, a period of moral hysteria in the US that he has often touched on musically with his indie rock group The… Audio
Adam Nicolson: The hidden world of rockpools
Adam Nicolson has been obsessed with the landscape we live in his entire life. Recently Adam has been staring into rockpools, trying to work out what might stare back. The journalist, broadcaster and… Audio
Frank Bruni on losing his vision and unexpected insights
When New York Times opinion writer Frank Bruni woke up with blurred vision one morning several years ago, he had no idea how temporarily losing his sight would turn into unexpected insights into… Audio
The importance of a wandering mind
Neuroscientist and the former Director of the Cognitive Neuroscience Lab at Harvard Medical School Moshe Bar is the author of Mindwandering - How it can improve your mood and boost your creativity and… Audio
The science behind a broken heart
It's called heartbreak, but when science writer Florence Williams' marriage of 25 years ended, her sadness and grief had an impact way beyond her heart. Audio
Narcissism with Dr Ramani Durvasula
Today's expert is clinical psychologist Dr Ramani Durvasula, who has built a career out of demystifying and dismantling the toxic influence of narcissism. Audio