Lynn Freeman

A Mild Case of Murder, The Wife Who Knew and Happy Honeymoon - A Near Tragedy - three titles of, we're told, early New Zealand films by enthusiastic amateur director Robert Steele are at the centre of… Audio, Gallery

Props are often the unsung heroes of set-design on stage or screen. They may be brandished by the actors, or just sitting quietly on a shelf waiting to be produced, but they're always crucial in a… Audio, Gallery

Literary Festivals are back - but not as we knew them. The pandemic hasn't put a stop to traditionally popular writers festivals with three happening in the next few weeks. But a big line up of… Audio

The Murdoch Mysteries has just started filming its 14th series. And this time Yannick Bisson not only plays Detective William Murdoch, but also occasionally takes on the role of director. The show's… Audio

In her novel The Swimmers, Chloe Lane imagines a daughter's dilemma when her chronically ill mother wants to end her life. In it, Erin as an adult is looking back to when she was 26, the year her… Audio

Being a Kiwi police detective - and a lesbian - in the Australian force is tough enough for Detective Inspector Robbie Gray in Chris Stuart's crime novel, For Reasons of Their Own. But Robbie is now… Audio

Reclaiming and decorating discarded wooden furniture is one of the skills of artist, graphic designer and teacher Katy Cottrell. In her latest exhibition Furniture Memoirs, Katy's given a battered… Audio, Gallery

The discovery of the growing hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica provided plenty of worrying headlines in the 1980s. But in a rare example of international co-operation, action was successfully… Audio, Gallery

Cartoonist Shaun Yeo caught the nation's attention when his drawing of a crying kiwi in the aftermath of the Christchurch mosque attacks went viral. He's now producing daily cartoons for the Otago… Audio, Gallery

E. Nesbit's original novel Five Children and It is the story of an Edwardian family that comes across an ancient magical creature called Psammead with the ability to grant wishes that last for a day… Video, Audio, Gallery

For more than 15 years, photographer Mickey Smith has prowled through libraries around the world in search of bound periodicals - like popular contemporary magazines - to snap the book spines. Audio, Gallery

Whanganui-based poet Airini Beautrais has channelled her ability to say a lot in a few words into her first collection of short stories called Bug Week. Airini's four poetry collections include Flow… Audio

Poems about poetry and cycling are two of the themes James Brown has often reflected on during his quarter of a century of writing. Audio

The Alexander Turnbull Library's 100th birthday celebrations may have been scuttled by Covid-19, but the treasure trove of New Zealand archives still gets to mark this milestone. An exhibition of… Audio, Gallery

Composing for a large choir and a maximum of three instruments - that's the challenge Choirs Aotearoa NZ is issuing to some adventurous Kiwi composers. It's a perfect time for composers to try… Audio, Gallery

Facing precarious times thanks to Covid-19, contemporary art galleries in Christchurch and Auckland have joined forces to work together on exhibitions they can share. Audio, Gallery

Three in-demand Kiwi composers who've worked on three very different movies- a drama, a horror and a comedy - have made it to the shortlist for this year's APRA Best Original Music In A Film Award. Audio, Gallery

Many museums and art galleries around the country are struggling with funding and visitor numbers. But Gore is pressing ahead with several ambitious projects with the full support of its community… Audio, Gallery

A poet who writes about agriculture from different perspectives will be working on her first full-length collection after being selected as Dunedin's next Young Writer in Residence. Audio

Alan Titchall taps into his childhood memories for the setting of his first novel. He grew up in a small hydro village in the early 1960s, on the eve of the Cuban Missile Crisis. In While The Fantail… Audio, Gallery