Saturday Morning for Saturday 2 July 2022

8:10 Gloria Allred: the overturning of Roe v Wade and the sentencing of Ghislaine Maxwell

Long-time US women's rights lawyer Gloria Allred is probably the most famous attorney in the United States.

Having represented Jane Roe (Norma McCorvey) in the 1980s, last week she watched the overturning of Roe V Wade, only to then see this week the sentencing of Jeffrey Epstein's partner-in-crime Ghislaine Maxwell, some of whose victims she also represented.

Over the course of her four decade plus legal career, Allred has won countless honours for her pioneering legal work, often with high profile but controversial cases, focusing particularly on the rights of women and of minorities.

8.40: Belinda Kitchin: writers provide second thoughts on first editions

The authors behind some of the literary masterpieces of recent decades have supplied first edition copies of their books, complete with their unique hand-written annotations, for auction. The auction is raising funds to support human rights organisation English Pen’s work to defend free expression and campaign for writers who are at risk.

 First Editions, Second Thoughts (FEST) comprises over 80 annotated first editions by writers including Margaret Atwood, Hilary Mantel, Salman Rushdie, John le Carré, Sebastian Barry and New Zealand authors Witi Ihimaera and Eleanor Catton. The auction runs online until 12 July through Christie’s. New Zealander Belinda Kitchin has dedicated herself to the project for the last couple of years, working between the Hawkes Bay and the UK.

9:05 Dr Lindsey Fitzharris: an intimate study of pioneering plastic surgeon Harold Gillies

Plastic surgery as a medical speciality began 100 years ago during the first world war, pioneered by Dunedin-born surgeon Harold Gillies. Gillies treated thousands of men who needed reconstructive surgery due to dreadful war injuries, the likes of which had rarely been seen before.

Dr Lindsey Fitzharris is a medical historian whose book The Facemaker: A Visionary Surgeon's Battle to Mend the Disfigured Soldiers of World War I is an intimate account of the struggles Gillies and his team faced at the Queen’s Hospital, Sidcup and of the men who suffered the double trauma of injury in the battlefield and the painful process of recovery.

10.05 Jody Rosen: how the bicycle has changed the world  

The bicycle has been at the centre of the culture wars for more than 200 years, says author and bike enthusiast Jody Rosen. 

 Since its unveiling in 1817 by German inventor Karl von Drais, the bicycle has become one of the most popular forms of transport around the world - second only to walking. It has been an emblem of freedom to countless people, from feminist rebels in the 1890s to Tiananmen Square protestors in 1989. These days it is an symbol of sustainability in a world afflicted by climate change.

10.40  Daniel Roher: following jailed Russian leader Navalny’s trail of poison 

Russian opposition leader and former presidential candidate Alexei Navalny was on a flight from Siberia to Moscow in 2020 when he started to feel ill. Navalny managed to get to Germany where he discovered he had been poisoned with a military-grade nerve agent. There also was Daniel Roher, a Canadian documentary filmmaker who followed Navalny as he conducted his investigation.

Navalny has been in prison in Russia since early 2021, convicted of charges generally suspected to be politically motivated. 

Daniel Roher’s resulting film Navalny premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, winning several awards and is screening as part of the Whānau Mārama New Zealand International Film Festival in August.

11.05  Dame Lynley Dodd: illuminating the creative process behind Hairy MacLary

Dame Lynley Dodd, internationally celebrated children’s writer and creator of the canine rogue-hero Hairy MacLary, reveals the inner workings of her creative process in a new documentary, Lynley Dodd: Writing the Pictures, Painting the Words, premiering July 5 on The Spinoff

This is the first time a film crew have spent significant time with Dame Lynley in her home, chronicling how the lively characters, the fantastic stories and the memorable illustrations are brought to life. The release of the film coincides with the publication in paperback of Finlay Macdonald’s biography The Life and Art of Lynley Dodd.

 

11.40 Kath Irvine: winter planting and chickens in the garden

Organic gardener Kath Irvine returns to share some winter gardening tips and to answer your questions. As we move through Matariki and the shortest days, Kath’s main advice to gardeners? Keep planting!  

Irvine provides advice from her permaculture home garden in Ōhau, in the Horowhenua. Her practical guide to growing organic fruit and vegetables, The Edible Backyard was published last year. Send your gardening questions through to saturday@rnz.co.nz or text 2101.

 

Books mentioned in this show

The Facemaker: A Visionary Surgeon's Battle to Mend the Disfigured Soldiers of World War I
By Dr Lindsey Fitzharris
ISBN: 0374282307
Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Two Wheels Good: The History and Mystery of the Bicycle
By Jody Rosen
ISBN: 0804141495
Published by Crown

The Life and Art of Lynley Dodd
By Finlay McDonald
ISBN: 9780143779483
Published by Penguin
 

Songs featured on this show

Writer
Paolo Nutini
Played at 8.40am

The Acoustic Motorbike
Luka Bloom
Played at 10.05am

Fade into You
Valerie June
Played at 11.40am