Better off Read

September is such an exciting month because it sees the launch of The Valley of Unlikely Acquaintances an amazing novel written by Terri Te Tau and published by Spoor Books

The Valley of Unlikely Acquaintances is a wildly good book. It's a stunning work of science fiction that speaks really clearly to our current moment. Spoor Books describe it as, 'A remarkable debut that follows one close-knit Māori community and the Wairarapa forest they are fighting to restore.' i found it so compelling and beautiful. My copy arrived in the post a couple of days ago and as well as this being an amazing work of fiction it is also a really beautiful object - like all the other Spoor Books i have. i can't recommend this book highly enough!

This podcast was recorded at Te Matapihi ki te Ao Nui

Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre



Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre is a not-for-profit charity managing an unfenced breeding sanctuary for native wildlife.



'Our 942-hectare forest is home to wild birds. Inside our aviaries we hatch kiwi, kākā and kākāriki for release across Aotearoa New Zealand.



We are located on the border of the beautiful Tararua and Wairarapa regions, on the north island of Aotearoa New Zealand.'



You can support Pūkaha by becoming a member, donating or volunteering. For more information visit the Pūkaha website



You can support Better off Read financially at Buy Better off Read a Coffee



Music in Better off Read was made by Brent McIntyre.

Better off Read website it here: https://better-read.com/

i loved talking to Molly Crighton over Zoom earlier this month about her new novel The Body and the Blood out with Hachette New Zealand

i first met Molly's work through her poetry and short stories and was thrilled to read this amazing new work. i had the most enjoyable time reading The Body and the Blood. It's an incredible work of crime fiction. The story begins with the murder of the organist at St Paul's Cathedral being explained away by police as an accident, but is there something more sinister at play? Ivo and Halia form an unlikely team to try and get to the bottom of what actually happened at the historic and labyrinthine cathedral which is so well-known in Ōtepoti. This book delivers in so many ways, it' thrilling, compelling, beautifully written and queer as a Ripley novel. i love it and can't wait to read more crime from Molly.

This podcast was recorded over Zoom.

Action: Librarians and Archivists with Palestine (LAP)



Molly identified Librarians and Archivists with Palestine as a group she'd like to highlight. Molly says, 'They do work keeping records of the destruction of libraries, archives, and museums in Palestine, and people can submit any evidence of censorship about Palestinian topics in their own libraries/archives.'



You can read more at Librarians and Archivists with Palestine website: https://librarianswithpalestine.org/



Rachael Gloag & Marcus Fitchett Memorial Medical Education Trust



Molly also mentioned this organisation, saying, 'Tony Fitchett is a friend of mine whom I credit in the acknowledgements, and he was my first real reader for the book. He and his wife Bron are incredible people who are real beacons of wisdom, generosity, and kindness. Their son Marcus Fitchett, and their son's partner Rachael Gloag, were killed in a car crash in 1996 when Marcus was only 26, and in memory of them Tony and Bron established the Rachael Gloag & Marcus Fitchett Memorial Medical Education Trust. Tony also wrote a book of poems, 'As Well as Joy', in memory of Marcus and Rachael. The trust helps "medical students who are experiencing real financial difficulties and also students who are coming to the Medical School after training in other health professions or after a prolonged period of study".'



There is a little more information about it, as well as how to donate, here: https://hail.to/diocese-of-dunedin/article/OykAQWJ



You can support Better off Read financially at Buy Better off Read a Coffee



Music in Better off Read was made by Brent McIntyre.

i'm really grateful to Tīhema Baker for speaking with me about his new novel One Day a Taniwha (Hachette) i was a massive fan of Tīhema's last novel Turncoat and i've enjoyed hearing Tīhema talk over the last few years.

i was lucky enough to read Tīhema's book last year and i loved it. i reread it for this podcast and i still love it. Maybe even more. It's an incredibly compelling story set in several planes of experience - centrally the waking and sleeping lives. It's an incredibly intelligent and beautiful novel. Through this deft craft i think it makes possible new ways of thinking about fatherhood, work, mental health and how these are effected by colonisation and colonialism. In our discussion i touch on how fresh and cutting edge Tīhema's depiction of fatherhood is. i just can't recommend it enough.

This podcast was recorded over Zoom.

Action: Mana Whenua Health Providers



Rather than highlighting a particular organisation, in discussion with Tīhema, we wanted to do a more generic shout-out to Mana Whenua Health Services around the motu who are doing an amazing job of providing services and advocacy for their communities during a time when there is a need to fill the gap left by cuts to public health funding. There was a false narrative that gained legs during the disestablishment of Te Aka Whai Ora that Māori were creating a separate health system. In reality, these Mana Whenua Health Services provide for their entire communities which include services to Māori, Pākeha, Pasifika and all people. So we wanted to say a massive thank you to these organisations and the many people who work and support them.

You can support Better off Read financially at Buy Better off Read a Coffee



Music in Better off Read was made by Brent McIntyre.

My new novel kluge is released in Aotearoa this week. Read about kluge



Thanks to the amazing work of Te Herenga Waka University Press and Todd Atticus it has a beautiful cover which comes in four colours.



To celebrate this, i'm doing four events over the next few weeks. One for each of the four covers.

Info on all events

kluge launch


Friday 14 August, 6.00pm. Aro Community Centre Hall, Te Whanganui-a-Tara



Join us to launch kluge, a new novel from pip adam! The event will include readings from Kerry Donovan Brown, Always Becominging and Brannavan Gnanalingam.



pip adam and Frances Libeau in conversation


Tuesday 25 August, 6.00pm. Time Out, Mt Eden, Tāmaki Makaurau



***rsvp to books@timeout.co.nz***



The work of interdisciplinary artist and writer Frances Libeau is a touchstone and inspiration for pip adam’s new novel kluge - a story about the end days of a tech company and its all-powerful owner, told in the style of a stand-up comedy special.



In this new novel pip ‘kluges’ together the bi-products of our surveillance society. Frances’ work often explores the hauntological potentialities of found materials.



Come and hear Frances and pip in conversation about their work and practice to celebrate the release of kluge. More information and RSVP



i can't write without reading


Thursday 27 August, 5.30pm. Lamplight Books, Parnell, Tāmaki Makaurau



Hear pip adam talk about the books that feed kluge, her new novel. pip will help us build a list of quality reading reckons.



This is your chance to meet one of Aotearoa's most acclaimed writers and talk books! Think of it as a live, human recommendation algorithm: tell pip what you love, and discover what she thinks you should read next. pip will also read from her brand new novel.



kluge me


Sunday 30 August, 3.00pm. The Open Book, Ponsonby, Tāmaki Makaurau



pip adam presents readings from some of her favourite writers in a special event for kluge. Come and hear Laura Vincent, Cello Forrester, Rebecca K Reilly and Elliot McKenzie read at The Open Book.



You can support Better off Read financially at Buy Better off Read a Coffee



Music in Better off Read was made by Brent McIntyre.

i'm really grateful to Asher for taking the time out of a really busy month to chat with me about writing The Valley: Crime and Punishment in a New Zealand City published by Bridget Williams Books (BWB)



There are quite a few places to see Asher talk about the content of The Valley. Most recently Asher appeared on Q & A with Jack Tame



In this conversation i was keen to talk to Asher about how he wrote the book. i was particularly interested in the journalism as a form.

As someone who has spent a bit of time with people who live in prisons, i am always a bit anxious about a work of journalism that investigates justice and specific people in the justice systems. i started The Valley by reading the 'About the Research' section at the back of the book and felt a degree of hope. i think this is why i wanted to talk to Asher about process. Asher has made decisions around narrative, voice, citation and other elements of writing that mean this book is a compelling work of long-form journalism and one that de-centers the author and lets the people of the work speak for themselves. Obviously, as Asher says, the idea of complete objectivity is a myth. However this book does a great job of resisting dominant journalistic and literary solutions in a way that produces something unlike a lot of other 'true crime' i've read. i've found it hard to work out how to talk about this book. At first i thought it was a work that offered the reader an opportunity for compassion. But i think now, what it offers through it's literary choices is something far more profound - information. i think in the absence of editorializing the book gives us a clear picture of the way things are, making it very hard to say every again, 'I didn't know.' We can disagree on the causes and solutions but The Valley makes it very hard to disagree on what is happening in our neighborhoods, on our streets, in our courts and prisons.

i also just want to say thanks so much to Te Matapihi Ki Te Ao Nui | Central Library where i've recorded the last three episodes. i can't say loudly enough how great it is to have you back and how wonderful it is to be able to record in one of your awesome meeting room spaces!

Action: Citizens Advice Bureau | Ngā Pou Whakawhirinaki o Aotearoa and Community Law



i wanted to highlight the work of two organisations that support people in finding information and advice. Asher suggested these two.



Citizens Advice Bureau | Ngā Pou Whakawhirinaki o Aotearoa say:



We are a nationwide, but locally based, community organisation. We help people to know and understand their rights and obligations, and how to use this information to get the best outcomes. We provide people with the confidence and support they need to take action. We use insights from our clients’ experiences to work for positive social change.



Citizens Advice Bureau | Ngā Pou Whakawhirinaki o Aotearoa website



Citizens Advice Bureau Petitions Wellington Council To Restore CAB Funding



Community Law says:



Legal problems can be serious and frightening, and for many people lawyers are completely unaffordable. But everyone has the right to high-quality legal help – that’s where Community Law comes in.



Community Law New Zealand website



Community Law Wellington and Hutt Valley says:



We provide initial legal advice only at our drop-in sessions and community outreach clinics. If you require ongoing legal assistance with your legal issue we will help you find an appropriate lawyer.



Community Law Wellington website



You can support Better off Read financially at Buy Better off Read a Coffee



Music in Better off Read was made by Brent McIntyre.