Better off Read

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...

As you may know by now, this year I’m producing a series called Beyond a Joke where I speak with writers and other artists using something that has made them laugh as a jumping off point to discuss their work. Anthony is an incredible fiction writer and you can read more about him and his work on his website  www.anthonylapwood.wordpress.com Anthony brought a painting as a starting point. A painti...

I loved talking to Jordan so much. I’ve been a fan for a while and it was so great to sit down and chat about poetry and humour.     Jordan Hamel (Image by Ebony Lamb) Jordan’s new book Everyone is Everyone Except You is out in May 2022 with Dead Bird Books.  Click here to read more       Cover by Matt Mitchell  https://linktr.ee/mattmitchell   To launch the book Jordan is having two launch events...

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Subscribe to Better off Read on Substack In this, the first episode in this series I speak with Anna Jackson abouta single cell from a Peanuts cartoon where Snoopy is pretending to be a cow. This turns out to be a really great way into talking to Anna about her amazing new book Actions & Travels: How Poetry Works (Auckland University Press)

In the last couple of weeks I’ve been recording and editing the first episodes of the new series Beyond a Joke. In this series, I’m asking guests to bring an object that has made them laugh. Using this object we discuss what makes us laugh, what arts practice can learn about the structures of humor and jokes and so far, quite a lot about where the ‘serious’ and the ‘ridiculous’ overlap and interse...

Due to Covid the session I was chairing with Andy Southall and Bridget van der Zijpp for the 2022 Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts was cancelled. I'm really grateful that Andy and Bridget agreed to record a session where we talk about their books under the session theme of Time, Love, Memory. Andy Southall speaks about his new novel Both Feet in Paradise (The Cuba Press)

Due to Covid the session I was chairing with Andy Southall and Bridget van der Zijpp for the 2022 Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts was cancelled. I'm really grateful that Andy and Bridget agreed to record a session where we talk about their books under the session theme of Time, Love, Memory. Bridget van der Zijpp speaks about her new novel I Laugh Me Broken (Te Herenga Waka University Pr...

In the third episode in the Character season of Elements, I talk to Tatyana Kulida about character and how it relates to her work. We use Henry Miller’s book ‘To Paint is to Love Again’ as a starting point for this discussion. Here is a link to Tatyana’s website

In the second episode in the Character season of Elements, I talk to Tara Black about character and how it relates to her work. We use René Magritte's 'The Treachery of Images' as a starting point for this discussion. Some of the things we talk about are: Here is a link to Tara's website We talk about the books of Scott McCloud Understanding Comics, Making Comics, Reinventing Comics. Here is a lin...

In the first episode in the Person/Character season of Elements, I talk to Rachel O'Neill about character and how it relates to their writing. We use Andrea Arnold's film Milk as a starting point for this discussion. CW: Please be aware that Milk contains the death of a baby and deals with the grief resulting from this. Here's a link where you can watch Andrea Arnold's film Milk Here's a link to R...

In the fourth episode in the Point season of Elements, I talk to Kirsten McDougall about point of view and how it relates to her writing. We use as starting point for this discussion first-person perspective. Some of the things we talk about are: Here’s a link to Kirsten’s new book She’s a Killer Here’s a link to Maggie Shipstead’s book Great Circle Here’s a link to Olga Ravn’s book The Employees...

In the third episode in the Point season of Elements, I talk to Ebony Lamb about point of view and how it relates to her work as a photographer and song-writer. We use as starting point for this discussion Ebony's portrait below. Which you can see here: https://better-read.com/2021/09/08/ep-103-elements-17/  

Some of the things we talk about are: Here's a link to Cassie's website which includes information about all of Cassie's work Exercise: Cassie and I talk about using existing structures. Maybe you could think of a 'type' of story - a romance, a whodunit, a first contact novel. Now spend 30 seconds writing everything about that type of story that you know. Now take another type of story and write i...

In the second episode in the Point season of Elements, I talk to Emma Hislop about point of view and what it is to write it. We use as starting point for this discussion Daisy Johnson's short story 'The Hunt' which is part of 'The Scattering: a story in three parts' and is published in Johnson's amazing collection Fen. Here's a link to more information about Fen Some of the things we talk about ar...

First of all, thank you so much for helping us reach 100 episodes. I am very grateful to everyone who has been on the podcast and everyone who has listened. Thank you. Show notes at: https://better-read.com/2021/07/09/ep-100-elements-14/

https://better-read.com/2021/06/21/ep-99-ash-davida-jane/ Ash reads both poems at the start of this podcast but you can read ‘Kiss of the Sun’ by Mary Ruefle here https://www.ronnowpoetry.com/contents/ruefle/KissoftheSun.html And ‘pool party’ is in Ash’s collection How to Live with Mammal is published by VUP Some of the things we talk about are: Heather Christle’s The Crying Book Intan Paramaditha...

In this bonus 'Place' episode of Elements, I talk to Richard Larsen about the first Glass Vaults album 'Glass' as a way to talk about place and music in place Some of the things we talk about are: We talk a lot about one of Richard's projects Glass Vaults. Glass Vaults are Richard Larsen, Bevan Smith, Rowan Pierce + friends. Bevan makes music as Aspen, Introverted Dancefloor and Signer. Signer has...

Formula 1: Drive to Survive is a Netflix Original series which you can read about here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formula_1:_Drive_to_Survive Doug's film You Could Have Seen The Mona Lisa is showing at the 2021 Doc Edge Festival 4-11 June https://festival.docedge.nz/film/you-could-have-seen-the-mona-lisa/ Doug's podcast which he makes with Steve Skeet and Darren Waugh is Ludicrously Specific ht...

Laura chose two of her poems to talk about, you can read them here: ACTIVITIES by Laura Vincent, The Friday Poem in The Spinoff https://thespinoff.co.nz/books/12-07-2019/the-friday-poem-activities-by-laura-vincent/ Anecdotal happiness by Laura Vincent, The Friday Poem in The Spinoff https://thespinoff.co.nz/books/10-01-2020/the-friday-poem-anecdotal-happiness-by-laura-vincent/ Some of the things w...