HELEN KELLY: REBECCA MACFIE (2021)

HELEN KELLY: REBECCA MACFIE (2021)

Author: Auckland Writers Festival June 15, 2021 Duration: 57:20
Helen Kelly lived and died a fighter. The daughter of prominent unionist Pat Kelly and Vietnam activist Catherine Eichelbaum, Kelly was destined for a life of political engagement. She held senior positions in a labour movement that was dominated by men, including serving as the president of the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions for many years. Diagnosed with lung cancer, she campaigned for both the right to use medicinal cannabis and the right to die with dignity, before her untimely death at the age of 52. Award-winning journalist Rebecca Macfie, whose previous work includes 'Tragedy at Pike River Mine: How and Why 29 Men Died' now delivers 'Helen Kelly: Her Life', a biography of one of New Zealand’s political legends, whom she describes as “a fireball of charm, grit, humour and piercing analysis”. Macfie speaks with Toby Manhire. AUCKLAND WRITERS FESTIVAL WAITUHI O TĀMAKI 2021

The Auckland Writers Festival podcast is a direct line to the stages and conversations of one of the Southern Hemisphere's most vibrant literary events. This audio archive captures the live, unscripted energy of festival sessions, bringing the voices of the world's most compelling authors, thinkers, and poets directly to you. Each episode is a deep dive into the ideas shaping our world, from intimate interviews on the craft of writing to expansive panel discussions on history, politics, science, and culture. You'll hear novelists dissect their characters, historians trace forgotten narratives, and poets articulate the ineffable, all within the unique atmosphere of a live audience. This isn't a produced studio show; it's the sound of intellectual discovery and passionate debate happening in real time. The collection serves as a lasting resource, preserving the festival's dynamic spirit long after the final applause. For anyone who believes in the power of stories to challenge and connect us, this podcast offers a front-row seat to a celebration of words and the people who wield them with extraordinary skill. Tune in to be reminded of why literature matters.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Auckland Writers Festival
Podcast Episodes
THE POWER OF FILM: JANE CAMPION (2022) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:04
In the gladiatorial arena of film direction, where women have often been treated as invisible, New Zealand auteur Jane Campion has blazed a pioneering trail. The first woman to win the Palme d’Or for The Piano, and the s…
PAST & PRESENT: KIDMAN & O’MALLEY (2022) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:47
Sociologist Joanna Kidman (Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Raukawa) and historian Vincent O’Malley make a formidable team, as partners in life and scholarship. They both contributed to the recently published 'Fragments from a Con…
FROM THE FRONT: HAROLD HILLMAN (2022) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:02
Raised in the projects of Washington DC by a father born 35 years after the abolition of slavery and who was barred from school, Harold Hillman is an author and international business and leadership coach whose family le…
APPLES WILL FALL: LIANE MORIARTY (2022) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:19:32
She’s a global sensation – the bestselling Australian author of ten engaging novels including 'Big Little Lies' and 'Nine Perfect Strangers', both of which attracted Nicole Kidman’s interest and have been made into smash…
FESTIVAL GALA NIGHT: TRUE STORIES TOLD LIVE (2022) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:27:52
Expect the unexpected from a sparkling showcase of talented writers in our much-loved Festival Gala storytelling event, now into its 12th iteration and still serving up surprise and delight. Eight writers each take to th…
BLOODY WOMEN: LOPESI & SOLID (2022) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:23
Wāhine toa Lana Lopesi and Coco Solid aka Jessica Hansell (Ngāpuhi) join forces for a proudly strident hour of conversation on their latest books and preoccupations. 'How to Loiter in a Turf War' is a genre-bending work…
AFTER THE TAMPA: ABBAS NAZARI (2022) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:49
Abbas Nazari was just seven when his family, fearing Taliban persecution, fled Afghanistan, embarking on a desperate and dangerous journey that ultimately lead him to New Zealand. Crammed with more than 400 other asylum…
HOLDING THE TOKOTOKO: EGGLETON & MARSH (2021) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:54
What is the job of a Poet Laureate, and is it more complicated for those that “walk in and out of several worlds each day” as the United States’ Laureate of Native American descent Joy Harjo so eloquently puts it? Aotear…
NO FRIEND BUT THE MOUNTAINS: BEHROUZ BOOCHANI (2021) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:05
After fleeing from Iran in 2013, Kurdish-Iranian journalist Behrouz Boochani became a political prisoner, detained indefinitely in legal limbo in the Australian-run Manus Regional Processing Centre, Papua New Guinea. On…
RALPH, A PORTRAIT: VINCENT O’SULLIVAN (2021) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:20
Every biographical portrait is a singular take on its subject, and Ockham NZ Book Award shortlisted 'Ralph Hotere: The Dark Is Light Enough' is writer Vincent O’Sullivan’s unique homage to his friend and fellow cultural…