Better off Read

In the most recent episodes I've been talking to people about where they are up to in their creative projects. I've asked these people to bring along an object they are 'using' for this stage of the project.  This episode was recorded at Randall Cottage while Rachel O'Neill was resident there. You can read more about Rachel at their website: https://rachel-oneill.com/ I have set up a Buy Me a Coff...

Last Thursday, Whiti Hereaka was kind enough to come into Wellington Access Radio and have a chat with me on the occasion of the end of the year. I love talking to Whiti and I always learn heaps from her. Whiti has amazing recommendations. I thought I’d list them below along with the songs Whiti chose, which I can’t play in the podcast for copyright reasons. Whiti has a great Instagram Songs chose...

Over the next couple of weeks, I’m going to be sharing some short chats I’m having with some of my favourite people. These are recorded at Wellington Access Radio and first appear on the Friday Drive show which I host with Amy Delahunty. In this, the first of these chats, I talk to Kerry Donovan Brown.  I asked Kerry about what they have been up to this year, what they have enjoyed and how they ar...

On 28 October 2023, City Gallery Wellington hosted an event to celebrate the opening of Angela Lane’s amazing exhibition Phosphene As part of this event Joan Fleming and Aaron Lister wrote and read responses to these works.  Joan wrote a beautiful description of their work: I read a short, strange essay about awe and the beauty experience with its inevitable fringe of disgust, and about withness a...

I’m incredibly grateful to Jared Davidson and Verb Festival for letting me podcast this amazing event. Jared’s book Blood & Dirt: Prison Labour & the Making of New Zealand (Bridget Williams Books, 2023) is an outstanding work of scholarship and creativity. I am a huge fan of this book and I feel very grateful to Jared who trusted me with this conversation. At the end of this talk, we took...

As I mentioned in my last post, I am at a really strange moment - without a project, unsure if there will be another one - and in this series, I am speaking to people at various stages of a project to talk process. I’m interested in talking to people about what activities they’re doing and what is useful. In this episode I get to talk to one of my best friends and someone who inspires me a lot Whi...

This is a photo of me not writing in my End Greyhound Racing New Zealand T-shirt. You should totally check out this amazing compilation album which raises awareness and support to end greyhound racing - here’s a link I have been not writing for months now. It is the first time in a long time I have felt like I am ‘not writing’. I am totally surrendered to the fact that I may not write again but al...

For this episode I wanted to share a story that I’ve revisited recently after a question that Jane Arthur asked me at a recent event at Good Books. Jane asked: Even before reading Audition, I’d clocked that your inspiration for it was basically ‘prison abolition’ and you’ve talked openly about this in interviews and in the book’s acknowledgements.  I am so freaking interested in this, personally,...

This is a recording of an event that took place on a very rainy and cold Sunday afternoon at one of my favourite places, Book Hound book shop , with one of my favourite people, Annaleese Jochems It was such a wonderful afternoon with excellent people. It was really nice to meet some folk from People Against Prisons Aotearoa who I hadn’t meet before. Thanks again for everyone who came and thanks to...

In this episode I talk to Murdoch Stephens about his writing and in particular about the new Renters United edition of his novel Rat King Land Lord. Murdoch has just returned form a tour around Aotearoa launching this beautiful publication and speaking with Renters United about their plans to improve renters’ rights. We talk a lot about Murdoch’s worth to double the refugee quota. This week, after...

Joy Holley’s collection of short fiction Dream Girl published by Te Herenga Waka University Press is an amazing read. I loved talking to Joy about it. Joy chose as a starting point to talk about laughter and writing the 2022 film Bodies Bodies Bodies. This American black comedy horror film directed by Halina Reijn, in her English-language debut, with a screenplay by Sarah DeLappe from a story by K...

5ever is an underground publishing house based at Rebel Press, Trades Hall in Te Whanganui-a-Tara. We print, splice, bind and chop pesky dank little books. Our scope is nebulous. Form and sense of disciplinarity remains plural. But our target is clear: to publish punchy, intense and interdisciplinary work, woven together by a shared transformational kaupapa. We recognise the collective necessity o...

I’m really grateful that James took the time to talk to me a few weeks ago. James is really busy - in ways that make it very enjoyable to be a fan of his work. His podcast Fair Game: Pacific Rugby Against the World which he made with John Daniell is nothing short of stunning. I can’t recommend it highly enough. James has also been performing in Aotearoa and Australia. You still have time to see hi...

Eamonn Marra was another amazing person who agreed to perform at the Verb After Hours event which was run last year. Eamonn is a person whose work has made me consistently laugh and cry since I first encountered it a few years ago. He’s an incredibly talented write but also a keen observer and documenter. He captures acutely stuff that is going on - and often going wrong. This comes out just after...

I was so grateful when Gabby Anderson agreed to be part of Verb After-Hours Beyond a Joke.  In this episode, Gabby and I talk about her performance at that event. The episode starts with a recording of that night. Gabby and Orine Ruaine-Prattley appear in Truth Be Told at Fringe in February. The best way to keep up-to-date with Gabby’s events is at Gabby’s Instagram   During this chat I noticed I...

This is the final in this holiday series of ‘things I wrote in 2022’. In this episode I’ve recorded a talk I have at the 2022 Brisbane Writers Festival. I’ve made the decision to record it as I presented it on the day (including quite a few stumbles). This means the talk will include some sight-specific and time-specific references. I am sure I got things wrong, and I want to make sure people know...

Hi All, This episode a short one, because I figure most of you will be well on your way to New Year’s plans. I recorded this version of a talk I gave in November for a Brooklyn School fundraiser which is called Appetites.  It was a fun night, Brannavan Gnanalingam, Emmily Writes, Jo Randerson and I shared a lift to the event which was really nice. Brannavan, Emily and Jo’s talks were awesome. Broo...

Hi Everyone, Welcome to this episode of Better off Read. First of all, apologies for no podcasts in November. Things got a bit on top of me and I wasn’t able to record an episode. Beyond a Joke will be back in January, with more conversations with people about things that make us laugh. We’ll be starting the year talking to some of the amazing people who took part in the Verb After-Hours: Beyond a...

Subscribe to Better off Read at https://betteroffread.substack.com Anna and Kelly Pendergrast’s latest work is More Zeros and Ones a book they edited which is published by BWB. This book brings together essays from incredibly interesting thinkers and doers who write about environmental science, law and Te Tiriti o Waitangi and recent developments in technology. I just can’t recommend this book eno...

Marolyn has been on the podcast once before in an episode we recorded about the show From the 4410 to the 4412 which Marolyn made with Helen Lehndorf and Charlie Pearson last year. In this episode we touch briefly on that show. I loved recording this conversation because it made me think a lot about the joy of process. I also loved the web-series Marolyn brought as a subject for our chat. Hudson V...

CW: This podcast contains discussion of Gender-Based violence. Rijula Das’ award-winning novel  Small Deaths  is an amazing book. Set in Shonagachhi and orbiting the violent murder of a sex worker it is one of the most compelling and felt reading experiences I have had this year. It is astounding.   I was so grateful that Rijula took time to talk to me. Rijula was kind enough to bring the followin...

As this arrives in your email Dominic Hoey’s new novel  Poor People With Money  will have just been launched at Soap in Auckland.   A couple of weeks ago, Dominic and I got together over Zoom. Dominic told me a funny story. This story was a great prompt to talk about story structure, self-deprecating humour and even the economics of writing fiction. I’m really interested in money and art and it wa...

  As you will know, in this series I’m asking guests to identify ‘something that has made them laugh’. Sarah offered the TV series The Good Place created by Michael Schur. This is a show that has given both of us a lot of joy over the years and is a really great ‘way in’ to talking about Sarah’s new book Note on Womanhood which you can read more about at  Otago University Press . Sarah also has a...

As you will know, in this series I’m asking guests to identify ‘something that has made them laugh’. Brannavan offered Kira Muratova's film The Asthenic Syndrome which, maybe, is not an immediately obvious choice. Well, it wasn’t to me. It is, of course the perfect starting point for a conversation about Bran’s compelling, disturbing, funny(?), romantic new novel Slow Down, You’re Here. Which you...

In this episode, Rachel O’Neill and I are talking about Pockets and Everything Everywhere All At Once two films made by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert. SPOILER WARNING: If you haven’t seen these films and want to, I wouldn’t listen to this podcast. Like really. Both these films are such a joy to see with no previous information. Rachel and I made a decision to talk about all of the films and the...