OPERATION TROJAN HORSE: STEPHEN DAVIS (2022)

OPERATION TROJAN HORSE: STEPHEN DAVIS (2022)

Author: Auckland Writers Festival October 3, 2022 Duration: 1:01:16
“A gripping study of the collateral damage caused by government decision making in war... an expertly researched study of government duplicity,” said The Australian of Stephen Davis’ book Operation Trojan Horse. In 1990 British Airways Flight 149 departed Heathrow airport, destined for Kuala Lumpur. Instead it stopped to refuel in Kuwait as Iraqi troops amassed on the border – despite intelligence of an imminent invasion – delivering the 400 passengers and crew into the hands of Saddam Hussein to be used as ‘human shields’. How this came to pass is allegedly a tale of ‘deniable’ intelligence operations, with dramatic consequences for the civilians caught up in it, and no one held accountable. Crafted with the cooperation of survivors and input from a senior intelligence source, Davis, an award-winning journalist or editor for outlets including The Independent on Sunday, The Sunday Times and The New Statesman brings the story to light. In conversation with Moana Maniapoto. FRIDAY 26 AUGUST 2022 – 11.00AM-12.00PM HEARTLAND BANK ROOM, AOTEA CENTRE

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
HIAKAI: MONIQUE FISO (2021) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:29
In 2019, Time magazine named Monique Fiso’s (Ngā Rauru, Ngāti Ruanui) Wellington restaurant Hiakai as one of the ‘100 Greatest Places’ in the world – a long way from an after-school job in Porirua as a sandwich hand. Fis…
THERE WILL BE NO INTERMISSION: AMANDA PALMER (2021) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:15
Writer, singer, musician and lyricist Amanda Palmer has garnered a vibrant cult following for her creative outputs which include New York Times best-selling memoir and manifesto 'The Art of Asking'. She is supported by a…
NOT IN NARROW SEAS: BRIAN EASTON (2021) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:32
AUCKLAND WRITERS FESTIVAL WAITUHI O TĀMAKI 2021 “In your atlas two islands not in narrow seas, like a child’s kite anchored in the indifferent blue” are the opening lines to Allen Curnow’s 1939 poem 'Not in Narrow Seas'.…
FROM A DISTANCE: ANNA FIFIELD (2021) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:23
Former Washington Post Beijing bureau chief and 2018 winner of Stanford University’s Shorenstein Journalism Award for outstanding reporting on Asia issues, Anna Fifield, returned home in 2020 to become the editor of Well…
TINO RANGATIRA IN PUBLISHING (2021) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:16
As a rising tide of indigenous literary voices sweep across Aotearoa and the wider world, the literary barriers of mainstream publishing are becoming ever more apparent. Writers and editors Patricia Grace, Anahera Gildea…
FROM THE CENTRE: PATRICIA GRACE (2021) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:44
From her ancestral lands, in Hongoeka Bay, Patricia Grace (Ngāti Toa, Ngāti Raukawa, Te Ati Awa) brings us her new memoir. She reveals the experiences that have shaped her life, books and distinctive voice: “I decided to…
HONOURED NEW ZEALAND WRITER: BRIAN TURNER (2021) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:22
To read Brian Turner “is to enter a world where natural things stand starkly, and emotions are felt as directly as the rock and streams and mountains to which he constantly returns,” says fellow poet and 2016 Festival Ho…
A LONG ROAD: KEDGLEY & TE AWEKOTUKU (2021) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:48
In 1971, only 11 women in New Zealand had taken seats as Members of Parliament, women were not entitled to matrimonial property, there was no state help for women leaving a violent partner, and no childcare available for…
A TREATY CONVERSATION: CLAUDIA ORANGE (2021) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:46
Distinguished historian Dame Claudia Orange has dedicated a lifetime to the study of Aotearoa’s founding documents, ensuring that current and future generations can have a wider understanding of our bicultural history. H…
GANGLAND: JARED SAVAGE (2021) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:11
According to police figures, 900 New Zealanders joined a gang in 2020, with a growing number of gang leaders and affiliates deported from Australia also bolstering those numbers. It comes as no surprise, then, that New Z…