Better off Read

Feb 13 2025 100 ep. 47 mins 103
Better off Read Podcast artwork

A podcast about reading and writing. Pip Adam speaks with writers about a book as a starting point to discussions about the craft of writing and the act of reading and how these two feed each other.

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Ep 148: Erin Harrington and Pip chat

Feb 13 2025 69 mins  
I've been a fan of Erin Harrington's work for a long time. I love her writing and research. Over the past six months I got to work on the same floor as Erin while I was one of the Ursula Bethell Fellow at Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha where Erin is a Senior Lecturer. It was so great to talk to Erin about this article: 'As we shovel in distractions, the inner life grows dim' by Ch

Ep 147: Isabelle McNeur and Pip chat

Jan 15 2025 63 mins  
It was so great to catch up with Isabelle before Christmas and talk about her work. Isabelle writes writes LGBT Romance, Paranormal and Horror Young Adult books. The best place to find out about Isabelle's work is on her website A Horse Walks into a Bar - Free Workshop Thanks so much to everyone who attended and has watched the video of this workshop. If you haven't watch

Ep 146: Olive Nuttall and Pip chat at Verb 2024 LitCrawl

Nov 26 2024 53 mins  
Very grateful to Damien Levi for programming this live recording of Better off Read with the amazing Olive Nuttall at Verb Wellington 2024 Thanks also to Alistair from Alistair’s Music who hosted this event. Olive and I talked about swords and Olive's book kitten published by Te Herenga Waka University Press Content Note: This conversation includes mentions of CSA. Action

Ep 145: Una Cruickshank and Pip chat

Nov 12 2024 56 mins  
Una and I spoke on the day her amazing book The Chthonic Cycle (Te Herenga Waka University Press, 2024) was released into book shops. I have been incredibly moved by Una's book. It has shifted my mind and my world. It offers such an exciting opportunity to explore a new perspective of our current moment. Action: Hikoi mō Te Tiriti As I type this the Hīkoi mō Te Tiriti is

Ep 144: Claudia Jardine and Pip chat

Oct 29 2024 52 mins  
It was so great to talk with Claudia. I am a huge fan of Claudia's book Biter published by Auckland University Press. It is an amazing, amazing poetry collection that I can't recommend enough. Claudia and I chatted about Biter but also her other work including her music and new band Goodbye Starlet. You'll hear us talk about Claudia's amazing Ōtautahi Christchurch Lit Scene

Ep 144: I'm Working on a Building by Pip Adam

Sep 29 2024 13 mins  
My novel I'm Working on a Building has been out of print for a long time. In November it is being reissued in a really stuning B-Format edition by Te Herenga Waka University Press For this episode I've recorded a short reading from the first chapter. It feels quite emotional being in Ōtautahi for the re-release of this book. The book centres around a structural engineer and in

Ep 143: Kerry Donovan Brown and Pip chat

Aug 31 2024 47 mins  
It was so great to chat with Kerry Donovan Brown. Kerry and I have been friends for a long time and I always love talking to them. In this conversation we talk quite a bit about work - the work of writing and the other work Kerry has been doing. Kerry's first novel Lamplighter is an amazing read. You can get a copy at the Te Herenga Waka University Press website You may notice

Ep 142: Shilo Kino and Pip chat

Jul 30 2024 56 mins  
I have been a fan of Shilo Kino's writing since reading her award winning book The Pōrangi Boy (Huia, 2020) a few years ago. What I love about The Pōrangi Boy is the way it really successfully finds a fictional form to explore the troubling things that are happening around and to us. I’m never sure if fiction can do anything. I still think we need to take direct political actio

Ep 141: Rose Lu chats with Pip

Jun 28 2024 61 mins  
I always find talking to Rose really inspiring. Rose's writing is so good and I love hearing about Rose's practice. In this episode Rose uses Miranda July's new book All Fours as a starting point for this conversation about writing, the novel and how our day jobs can help us. Rose's magnificent first book is All Who Live on Islands (Te Herenga Waka University Press, 2019) T

Ep 140: Budget Day Back from the Read Encore: Ep 126: Beyond a Joke 14: James Nokise talks with Pip Adam about Verb After Hours

May 29 2024 70 mins  
Today is Budget Day in Aotearoa. I wanted to replay this episode because James talks so well about money and art. Specifically getting paid for art. In this podcast James talks about his performance at the Verb After Hours event, imperialism and paying artists. The first thing you'll hear is his performance the Verb After-Hours event: Beyond a Joke which took place on Thursday,