Author Interview

60 years on from the assassination of US President John F Kennedy, and there are still so many questions about that shocking day. Mary Haverstick never set out to look at the killing, but came across… Audio

Booker Prize-winning Tasmanian writer Richard Flanagan's new novel looks at the choices we make and the chain reaction that follows. By way of a literary love affair through nuclear physics to… Audio

British comedian, actor and writer Adrian Edmondson found fame in the 1980s, playing anarchic medical student Vyvyan alongside Rik Mayall in The Young Ones. They also starred together in Bottom and in… Audio

"Passionate linguist, gifted humanist, national treasure and ambassador of gibberish" is a judge's description of this year's PEN Pinter prize winner, Michael Rosen. The British poet, author and… Audio

Ray Salisbury is an author and photographer with a lifelong love for the New Zealand backcountry. In the 1990's he completed a solo 80-day traverse of the North Island mountain ranges, and wrote a… Audio

Jesse David Fox says comedy is now a cultural force and an art form. More than entertainment, comedy it connects people and influences politics. Audio

Linguist, lexicographer, and Oxford professor Sarah Ogilvie discovered the names of the contributors of the very first Oxford Dictionary in a small black book tied with a cream ribbon in the basement… Audio

Miriam Margolyes "can't resist naughtiness". The actor famed for her character roles and her outrageous chat show appearances is described as someone for whom currency is laughter - by any means… Audio

Our Bookmarks guest today has brought the gift of storytelling, reading and writing to thousands of tamariki in Aotearoa over the past four decades. Audio

Dr. Rajiv J. Shah doesn't just talk about solving some of the world's biggest problems, he does something about it.  He offers his philosophy in his new book, Big Bets: How Large-Scale Change Really… Audio

New Zealand has a meth problem.  Benedict Collins is a New Zealand political reporter and has covered the P problem for years. He says well-thought-out harm reduction plans in New Zealand have been… Audio

As a television and radio presenter, prolific and best selling author, classicist Dame Mary Beard has acquired celebrity status. The author of more than 20 books including Pompeii, SPQR and Women &amp… Audio

By Susan Strongman: Retired and living alone in Hamilton, Mum ticks a lot of the boxes that put her at risk of loneliness. Audio

Dropping perfectionism and focusing on connection can help take the pressure off verbal communication, says Stanford lecturer Matt Abrahams. Audio

For 30 years, the closest Justine and Geoff Ross had come to cows was two cowhide chairs in their Auckland living room. Audio

Loneliness is a health issue that must be addressed urgently say the former director and deputy director of The Helen Clark Foundation, Kathy Errington and Dr Holly Walker. They speak to Jesse about… Audio

New Zealand writer Anna Smaill's first novel The Chimes made the Man Booker Prize long list in 2015. She's just released Bird Life, an exploration of madness and what it's like to experience the world… Audio

Dr John Gillies has had a life long love of Skippers Canyon, and his new book showcases his paintings of the iconic gorge in Otago. He was born in 1945, and discovered his love of art at St Andrew's… Audio