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NZ's first sci-fi WorldCon goes virtual this week
It reads like a classic sci-fi scenario - a deadly pandemic strikes just as an massive international convention is about to open in New Zealand, throwing everything into chaos. Audio
In an era of Google Maps, an atlas provides a different way of understanding the world
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
A new novel about the early settlers of the Far North
Life was extremely tough for isolated settlers trying to survive in the kauri forests of the Far North. This is where Joanna Orwin has set her latest novel, Shifting Currents, bringing together two… Audio
The extraordinary story of Nazi evil sewn into family armchair
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
Samantha Power: top US diplomat's life and career
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
Reimagining the American West: How Much of These Hills is Gold by C Pam Zhang
C Pam Zhang has produced a brilliant debut novel which imagines the American West through the story of a Chinese gold mining family.
Coming up
Book review - The Dominant Animal by Kathryn Scanlan
Hera Lindsay Bird of Unity Books reviews The Dominant Animal: Stories by Kathryn Scanlan. Published by Faber Factory. Forty surgically concise short, short stories fold neatly into this gorgeous new… Audio
Book review - A Room Made of Leaves by Kate Grenville
Anne Else reviews A Room Made of Leaves by Kate Grenville, published by Text. Audio
Afternoons Book Quiz with Robert Kelly for 22 July 2020
Afternoons Book Quiz with Robert Kelly. Audio
Book review - The Quick and the Dead by Cynric Temple-Camp
Harry Broad reviews The Quick and the Dead: True stories of life and death from a New Zealand pathologist by Cynric Temple-Camp. Published by Harper Collins. Audio
Stefan Buijsman on why maths matters
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
Chemical ingredients: what we do and don't know
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
Claire Mabey on books
Claire Mabey reviews Sprigs by Brannavan Gnanalingam and Handiwork by Sara Baume. Audio
Book review - The Constant Rabbit by Jasper Fforde
Louise O'Brien reviews The Constant Rabbit by Jasper Fforde. Published by Hachette NZ. Audio
Author Max Brooks on zombies, Yeti and disaster preparedness
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
Book Review - Remain Silent: (Manon Bradshaw, Book 3)
Remain Silent: (Manon Bradshaw, Book 3) by Susie Steiner Published by: HarperCollins RRP: $35.00 Reviewed by Laura Caygill. Audio
'Dances with Death' - recounting a lifetime of reporting in the Middle East
After decades spent reporting on Israel-Palestine conflict, Tuma Hazou, the former BBC and ABC journalist has lived in Auckland since the late 1990s. This month, Tuma, 85, finally published his… Audio
Colonial Mastermind: the story of Edward Gibbon Wakefield (part 1)
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
Science fiction and fantasy fosters our future - researcher
Sci-fi and fantasy may help young people cope, especially with the stress and anxiety of living through Covid-19, a US researcher says. Audio
‘Racism has been found throughout NZ history, and it must be confronted for change to occur’
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.
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