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Saturday Morning for Saturday 21 May 2011

  • Susan Freinkel: plastics

    8:05 AM.American science, health and environment writer whose latest book is Plastic: a Toxic Love Story. Audio

  • Tarell Alvin McCraney: brothers, sisters

    8:40 AM.Leading young voice of the African American theatre, and international writer-in-residence to the Royal Shakespeare Company. Audio

  • Michael Morpurgo: horses and war

    9:05 AM.English author of over 120 children's books, whose 1982 novel War Horse has been made into a stage play and film. Audio

  • Tasmin Little: naked violin

    9:45 AM.Acclaimed British violinist who's bringing her Naked Violin project to New Zealand. Audio

  • Listener Feedback

    10:05 AM.Kim Hill reads emails and text messages from listeners to the Saturday Morning programme. Audio

  • Playing Favourites with Clive Neeson

    10:10 AM.Adventurer, scientist, environmentalist, film-maker. Audio

  • Listener Feedback

    11:05 AM.Kim Hill reads emails and text messages from listeners to the Saturday Monring show. Audio

  • Cameron Sinclair: optimistic architecture

    11:10 AM.In New Zealand briefly for a TED conference in Christchurch approaching the re-imagining of the city. Audio

  • AC Grayling: good words

    11:35 AM.Professor of Philosophy at the University of London, and prolific writer and broadcaster, whose latest work is The Good Book: a Secular Bible. Audio

Guest details for Saturday Morning 21 May 2011

8:15 Susan Freinkel

Science, health and environment writer Susan Freinkel is the author of the 2009 book American Chestnut: the Life, Death, and Rebirth of a Perfect Tree (University of California Press, ISBN: 978-0520259942), and has just published Plastic: a Toxic Love Story (Text Publishing, ISBN: 978-1-921758-48-5).

8:40 Tarell Alvin McCraney

Tarell Alvin McCraney's debut play The Brothers Size premiered simultaneously in New York and London in 2007. It is the first play in a trilogy - The Brother/Sister Plays - which saw him being lauded as the leading young voice of the African American theatre. Tarell was 2009/2010 international writer-in-residence to the Royal Shakespeare Company. The SILO Theatre production of The Brothers Size opens at Auckland's Herald Theatre on 27 May (to 18 June).

9:05 Michael Morpurgo

English author, playwright and poet Michael Morpurgo has written over 120 children's books. His 1982 book, War Horse (Scholastic, ISBN: 978-0-439-79663-7), about a farm horse and his owner during the First World War, was made into a stage play at London's National Theatre in 2007, using life-size puppets of horses, and transferred in 2010 to New York. A film adaptation, directed by Steven Spielberg, is due for release later this year.

9:45 Tasmin Little

British violinist Tasmin Little's 2008 project, The Naked Violin, offered a free downloadable recital of works for solo violin, and led to a series of workshops and concerts around the UK. She has played with many of the world's greatest orchestras, has made 25 recordings, and is visiting New Zealand for a series of events, including the Sibelius Violin Concerto with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra (19 May), a free concert in Christchurch (20 May), Naked Violin performances in Wellington (22 May), Hamilton (24 May) and Auckland (10 June), and the adjudication of the Michael Hill International Violin Competition.

10:05 Playing Favourites with Clive Neeson

Taranaki filmmaker, physicist and extreme sports pioneer Clive Neeson grew up the son of wildlife cinematographers in east Africa, and had an idea for a movie at age 17. Four decades of filming later (from improvised hand-wound cameras, through 16mm to digital HD), after living a double life between extreme sports enthusiasts and the scientific community, he has produced the adventure documentary Last Paradise, about extreme sports innovation, a wilderness lost, and the science that may save it. Last Paradise was the most-seen New Zealand film at the 2010 New Zealand Film Festival, and is on release now in Wellington, with other centres following from 26 May.

11:05 Cameron Sinclair

Cameron Sinclair is Chief Eternal Optimist and co-founder of Architecture for Humanity, a nonprofit design services firm that provides time and expertise through a network of 40,000 professionals. He is one of the speakers at TEDxEQChCh, a one-day event on 21 May that brings together global experts, national leaders, local business owners and residents to coalesce around a shared vision for Christchurch.

11:30 A. C. Grayling

Dr Anthony Grayling is Professor of Philosophy at the University of London, and writes a column for the Times, is a frequent contributor to the Literary Review, Observer, Independent on Sunday, Times Literary Supplement, Index on Censorship and New Statesman, and is a broadcaster on the BBC. He has written and edited over twenty books on philosophy and other subjects, including Liberty in the Age of Terror (Bloomsbury, ISBN: 978-1-4088-0307-3) and Thinking of Answers (Bloomsbury, 978-1-4088-0953-2), and has just published The Good Book: a Secular Bible (Bloomsbury, ISBN: 978-0-7475-9960-9).

Music played during the programme

Tasmin Little with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, conducted by Sir Andrew Davis: Interlude from 'The Crown of India', Op. 66
From the 2011 album: Elgar: Violin Concerto Etc.
(Chandos)
Played at around 9:45

The Mountain Goats: High Hawk Season
From the 2011 album: All Eternals Deck
(Merge Records)
Played at around 11:30

Playing Favourites with Clive Neeson

Safro Manzangi, featuring King Kester Emeneya: Ata Mpiaka
From the 1997 album: Wiseman
(El'Man)
Played at around 10:20

Cat Stevens: Peace Train
From the 1971 album: Teaser and the Firecat
(Island)
Played at around 10:30

Bryce Wastney and Aly Cook: Surf the Sky
From the soundtrack to the 2011 film: Last Paradise
Played at around 10:40

Phoenix Foundation: Buffalo
From the 2010 album: Buffalo
(EMI)
Played at around 10:55

Studio operators

Wellington engineer: Dominic Godfrey
Christchurch engineer: Joseph Veale