Radio with pictures... and arts, theatre, film, comedy, books, dance, entertainment and music.

This week's stories Ragnar Jonasson - profiting from Iceland crime Iceland is very proud of its reputation, first, as a country leading the way to secure pay equity for women, and second, it's tiny number of murders. But Icelandic crime novelist Ragnar Jonasson has started a trilogy of books about a senior woman detective who's only known discrimination and bullying during her many years in the police force, and who's being pushed to retire early. Apr 15, 2018 02:35 pm A hugely ambitious look at the rock we call home Filmed in nearly 50 countries on six continents, kilometres underground and from outer space, an ambitious new 10- part TV series explores the history and fragility of our planet. One Strange Rock is hosted by actor Will Smith and shot for National Geographic. Apr 15, 2018 02:26 pm Mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke on Berlioz and Steve Jobs Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke has played Apple co-founder Steve Job's wife Lauren, and mountaineer Rob Hall's wife Jan Arnold in contemporary, world premiere operas. She says she relishes the challenge of being the first singer to tackle a role. The (Re)volution of Steve Jobs earned her adoring reviews. But Sasha's next appointment is with the classical repertoire and one of her great loves, the work of French composers, for a three-centre tour with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. Apr 15, 2018 01:50 pm A new look at the oldest profession When George Bernard Shaw first tried to show his play Mrs Warren's Profession in the late 1890s, the Lord Chamberlain banned it because of its content - prostitution. The first production was in 1902 in a London members only club....there was no public performance in England until 1925! Mrs Warren's Profession's notoriety has faded, but the themes Shaw explored - women being underpaid and under-valued - certainly haven't. Apr 15, 2018 01:35 pm First steps on the creative industries ladder With CNZ funding, the Tautai Contemporary Pacific Arts Trust has picked three Pasifika internships for young creatives with big dreams. One of this year's group is museums and cultural heritage professional Talei Si'ilata who's started her internship at Te Papa before heading to Auckland Museum. We brought Talei together with the first male intern to go through the programme Paul Fagamalo who's now the Talent Development Manager at the NZ Film Commission Lynn Freeman spoke to both Talei and Paul, and first asked why Paul wanted to work behind the scenes rather than in the spotlight: Apr 15, 2018 12:49 pm Public Service Broadcasting live and on stage There's been a lot of discussion recently on the thorny subject of public service broadcasting - what is it, and why do we need it? But maybe the answer is in the work of the English group of that name. Public Service Broadcasting albums mix live music with historic clips from the early days of film, radio and television in England. They've got titles like The Race for Space, Inform Educate and Entertain and last year, Every Valley. Public Service Broadcasting is about to play at Auckland's Powerstation on May the 3rd. Before that, the band's Number One fan, Phil O'Brien, gets to talk to the lead Broadcaster, the wonderfully named J Willgoose Esquire. Apr 15, 2018 12:30 pm Recovering New Zealand's wartime fallen The story of New Zealand's fallen soldiers who remain buried in foreign fields, often unprotected, and the whanau who want to bring their remains home, is told in a new Maori TV documentary. In Foreign Fields is hosted by Witi Ihimaera who shares his own story - the pressure to return the body of one of his relations to Aotearoa New Zealand. In Foreign Fields is directed by John Keir. John had his own story of a lost soldier in his wife's family, and they'd visited Gallipoli so they could find his grave. But John tells Lynn Freeman that's not what started him down the path of suggesting the documentary to Maori TV. In Foreign Fields premieres on ANZAC Day on Maori TV. Apr 15, 2018 12:15 pm     Older stories Ruby Griffen and the age of CDs The indefinable Charlotte Grimshaw Janice Marriott's contribution to NZ children's literature Millen goes to Hollywood Bill Riley's art from waste The Auckland Art Gallery's in suspense It's time to meet the Muppets Not all audio is available due to copyright restrictions   Visit the full archive of stories from Standing Room Only

IIML Creative Writing graduates showcased

Creative Writing Master of Arts (MA) graduates from Victoria University of Wellington’s International Institute of Modern Letters (IIML) are having their work broadcast on Radio New Zealand (RNZ)’s ‘Nine to Noon’ programme, hosted by Kathryn Ryan.

This is the second year of the reading series, Page Numbers, and this time it has been extended to a fortnight to showcase more of the new writing, described by Kathryn Ryan as “remarkable for the diversity and quality”.

Page Numbers runs from April 9 – 20 and features fiction and memoir by Clare Moleta, Sudha Rao, Linda Collins, Kirsten Griffiths, Lynne Robertson, Sharon Lam, Mia Gaudin, Anthony Lapwood and Maria Samuela—all 2017 IIML Master of Arts graduates.

 “We’re delighted to continue this collaboration with RNZ, and that listeners have a chance to connect with this brand new work from a range of voices,” says IIML Senior Lecturer Emily Perkins.

“Listeners will hear tales of intense loss and suppressed love, as well as hot and humorous dating instructions, and hope in unexpected places,” says Ms Perkins. “They’ll find townspeople struggling through climate catastrophe; a clone negotiating personal relationships on a mission to Mars; sex workers dealing with the streets of Wellington; and a family arriving in Dunedin from Pondicherry in 1968, among other pieces. There are stories everywhere, and these new writers have much to tell.”

 

Page Numbers airs on ‘Nine to Noon’ on RNZ at 10:45am weekdays.

 

Mon 9^th April           Safer by Clare Moleta                                  

Tue 10th April         Margam: And So (Pt 1) by Sudha Rao        

Wed 11^th April         Margam: And So (Pt 2) by Sudha Rao        

Thur 12^th April         Not Ash by Linda Collins                              

Fri 13^th April            Nostalgia by Kirsten Griffiths                       

Mon 16^th April          I Love You Darling Loretta by Lynne Robertson   

Tues 17^th April         Potluck by Sharon Lam                              

Wed 18^th April         Volcano by Mia Gaudin                                                             

Thur 19^th April         Jack by Anthony Lapwood                          

Fri 20^th April             Love Rules for Island Boys by Maria Samuela   

Following the initial broadcast, listeners can go online to listen to the series again:

http://www.radionz.co.nz/collections/short-stories/page-numbers-2018-new-writing-from-iiml-at-vuw

Off the Shelf

10 Recommendations Straight Off Library Bookshelves April 13, 2018 By Off the Shelf Staff

 

It’s National Library Week, and we’re celebrating with recommendations from some of our favorite libraries and librarians. We asked our librarian followers on Twitter to tell us the books they can’t stop talking about, and they did not disappoint. From gripping psychological thrillers to powerful young adult novels to chilling horror stories, this list proves that there’s no better place to go for book recommendations than your local library. READ MORE

 

Children's Books in the Media - PW

From Entertainment Weekly: Ramona Quimby's greatest mishaps, in honor of Beverly Cleary's 102nd birthday. Click here From Bookish: In Search of Missing Children: Why Representation in Kid Lit Is So Important. Click here From Literary Hub: How a Beloved Book for Children Was Born of Despair. Click here From the L.A. Review of Books: Pedagogic, Not Didactic: Former YALSA President Michael Cart on Young Adult Fiction. Click here From Entertainment Weekly: David Yoon's Frankly in Love is acquired by Penguin Young Readers. Click here

From Book Riot: One former childhood fan says: Beverly Cleary writes the books about everyday, regular kids. Click here From Deadline: TV series in the works based on Anna Day's dystopian YA novel The Fandom. Click here From Bookish: Amy Spalding on Writing a Fat Character Who's Not the "Before." Click here From School Library Journal: Joy McCullough on Reclaiming the Female Body and Blood Water Paint. Click here From Entertainment Weekly: Impostors: Westerfeld's return to the Uglies universe. Click here

The Roundup with PW

Amazon Plans New Berkeley Bookstore: The retail giant is ramping up its Bay Area presence with a third brick-and-mortar bookstore, according to a new report.

British Publishers Fear U.S. Amid Brexit: Britain's imminent departure from the E.U. has U.K. publishers concerned about U.S. publishers moving into the European market.

Springer Nature Announces IPO: The academic book publisher plans to raise $1.5 billion through new shares in an initial public offering.

Go Behind the Big Business of Comics: Ahead of the New York Comic Con, the show’s founder explains how the comic books industry "outperforms the stock market."

Books to Read For Inspiration at Work: Check out eight books including Amy Poehler’s ‘Yes Please’ that can help generate ideas, improve brain function, and more.

VIEW ALL »

Publishers Lunch

 Today's Meal

Swedish Academy Secretary Sara Danius Resigns Over Harassment Scandal

Permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy Sara Danius stepped down on Thursday after a three hour emergency meeting of academy members, reportedly forced out. The Academy has been embroiled in scandal since Jean-Claude Arnault was accused of multiple incidents of sexual assault and harassment last December, as well as leaking the winners of the Nobel Prize in Literature in advance on multiple occasions. As we reported on Monday, three members of the Academy resigned recently after losing a vote to remove Katarina Frostenson, the Academy member married to Arnault.

Danius is said to have been pushed out by critics who blamed her for weak leadership during the crisis, including two former permanent secretaries, Sture Allen and Horace Engdahl. Danius told reporters Thursday that divisions on the committee have "already affected the Nobel Prize quite severely, and that is a big problem."

With two other members inactive on top of the recent departures, the 18-member committee is now down to only 11 active members. Committee members are appointed for life, with no structure in place to handle resignations. King Carl XVI Gustaf has indicated he might solve the problem by modifying the academy's rules so that members can resigned and be replaced.

Prime minister Stefan Lofven commented: "It's up to the academy to restore faith and respect. It's a very important issue for Sweden, and therefore it is important that this institution works."

People, Etc.

Steven Tran has been promoted to sales associate at Soho Press.

Jessica Tribble has been promoted to senior editor at Thomas & Mercer.

Rachel Cass, head buyer for trade books at Harvard Book Store, will expand her role to also become buying & inventory manager, taking on responsibility for all merchandise buying for the company.

Awards
The Man Booker International Prize announced its shortlist, with the winner to be named on May 22:

Vernon Subutex 1, by Virginie Despentes, translated by Frank Wynne (MacLehose Press)
The White Book, by Han Kang, translated by Deborah Smith (Portobello Books)
The World Goes On, by Laszlo Krasznahorkai, translated by John Batki, Ottilie Mulzet, & George Szirtes (Tuskar Rock Press)
Like a Fading Shadow, by Antonio Munoz Molina, translated by Camilo A. Ramirez (Tuskar Rock Press)
Frankenstein in Baghdad, by Ahmed Saadawi, translated by Jonathan Wright (Oneworld)
Flights, by Olga Tokarczuk, translated by Jennifer Croft (Fitzcarraldo Editions)

The New York Public Library has announced the five finalists for the 2018 Young Lions Fiction Award:

What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky, by Lesley Nneka Arimah,
Black Jesus and Other Superheroes, by Venita Blackburn
Stephen Florida, by Gabe Habash
Idaho, by Emily Ruskovich
Sour Heart, by Jenny Zhang

Bologna Children's Book Fair

 

 

 

New York Rights Fair and BookExpo: announcing a joint marketing agreement Just a few days after the 55th Bologna Children's Book Fair - a particularly successful edition, confirming its leading role among international children's publishing events - BolognaFiere is once more in the limelight with a new important partnership in the United States. The new NEW YORK RIGHTS FAIR (NYRF), created by BolognaFiere in partnership with Publishers Weekly and The Combined Book Exhibit, signed an agreement with BOOKEXPO, the American book fair organized by Reed Exhibition, allowing the two events to work together to better serve the publishing industry. As of 2018, NYRF will thus become the "Official Rights Fair" of BOOKEXPO, i.e. the professional section for trading of copyright. This joint marketing agreement will allow BookExpo and NYRF to work together and offer the entire publishing industry the perfect gateway to the US publishing market, including increased access to resurgent US bookstores, and more opportunities for rights professionals to embrace the explosion in new media and rights opportunities. The new relationship will help to bring together all aspects of the publishing industry, providing the strongest foundation for those looking to pursue publishing rights in the US and internationally. Find out more

 

Publishers Lunch

 

Today's Meal

People, Etc.

Michelle Howry will join Putnam as executive editor on May 7, reporting to Sally Kim. Previously she was executive editor at Hachette Books.

Juliana Horbachevsky has joined Little, Brown as publicity manager. Most recently she was with Crown Publishing Group.

Nicole Angeloro, editor at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, will take on the additional role of editorial manager of Mariner Books. Angeloro will continue to oversee The Best American publishing program.

Allison Sundstrom has been promoted to senior designer at Sourcebooks.

Following her promotion to ceo of Penguin Random House US, Madeline McIntosh will now also join Bertelsmann's group management committee, which "advises and supports" the Bertelsmann Executive Board.

As part of their revamped, and slimmed down, board structure, the Book Industry Study Group (BISG) nominated nine candidates to fill board seats allocated to represent six supply-chain segments:

Publishing: Kathleen Reid, Elsevier; Malati Chalavi, Macmillan
Distribution: Sam Dempsey, Baker & Taylor; Kelly Gallagher, Ingram Content Group
Retailing: Dennis Abboud, Readerlink; Dave Anderson, Kobo
Service Partners: Beat Barblan, Bowker
Manufacturing: Michael Shea, LSC Communications
Libraries: Kelvin Watson, Broward County Libraries

In the UK, co-owner of Mr B's bookshop Nic Bottomley was elected president of the Booksellers Association, taking over from Rosamund de la Hay. Separately, Schools publishing director at Oxford University Press Lee Walker has taken over as president of the Australian Publishers Association.

Poet and literary critic J.D. "Sandy" McClatchy, 72, died at home Tuesday night following a long battle with cancer.

Radio with pictures... and arts, theatre, film, comedy, books, dance, entertainment and music.

This week's stories Ruby Griffen and the age of CDs What's your favourite memory or story about buying or listening to CDs when they first came out? Elam Art School student Ruby Griffin, who's in her 20s, can just about remember the tail end of the Compact Disc era before digital took over. Now she's creating an encyclopedia of CD memories as one of her big projects of the year, and she'd love your help. Ruby is the daughter of top scriptwriters, James Griffin of 800 words fame who's been helping to gather stories about CDs. His own - predictably - is a humdinger... but first Lynn Freeman talks to Ruby about her first CD memories. Apr 08, 2018 02:51 pm The indefinable Charlotte Grimshaw It's always tricky to come up with a specific category for the novels of Charlotte Grimshaw. Mazarine, her latest, has elements of a thriller, a mystery and a love story. In it, writer Frances Sinclair heads to Europe to track down her missing daughter, Maya. On the trip she's accompanied by Mazarine - the mother of Maya's boyfriend. Meanwhile two of Charlotte's earlier novels are being filmed for TVNZ under the title of The Bad Seed. Sarah Kate-Lynch is writing the screenplay of the psychological thriller in which a murder suspect has to take on a powerful politician to clear his name and keep his daughter. Lynn Freeman talks with Charlotte Grimshaw about the TV series, but first she wonders what fiction category she'd put Mazarine under in her local bookstore. Mazarine is published by Vintage. Apr 08, 2018 02:40 pm Janice Marriott's contribution to NZ children's literature When it comes to telling children's stories on the page, on screen and in song, few can rival Janice Marriott. Over a three decade long career, she's been a novelist and screenwriter, audio producer, editor and teacher. She's written fiction and non-fiction for children's and young adults, radio plays and documentaries, and scripts for the TV series The Wot Wots, The Prime Minister Jacinda Adern has just presented Janice with the 2018 Storylines Margaret Mahy Award for lifetime achievement, and a distinguished contribution to New Zealand's children's literature. Lynn Freeman talks to Janice about what it was like when she started writing children's literature in the late 1980s. Apr 08, 2018 02:25 pm Millen goes to Hollywood Among the funding announcements by New Zealand On Air is a second helping of a web-series called Darryl - produced by the stellar trio of producer Kerry Warkia, director Kiel McNaughton and star Millen Baird. And here at Standing Room Only we've been a fan of the team for ages. When a TV series called Auckland Daze appeared on our screens a few years ago, the critics raved - many saying it was not only the funniest show on television, but one of the best New Zealand TV series ever. It told the story of a bunch of feckless, D-List celebrities attempting to become B List ones. Since then creator Millen Baird has switched media, from mainstream TV to web-series, as well as countries. He and his wife Siobhan Marshall currently live in Hollywood California, and he talks to Simon Morris about his experiences there. Apr 08, 2018 01:45 pm Bill Riley's art from waste Christchurch abstract artist Bill Riley collects rubbish from the beaches where he goes surfing - so much rubbish, that he's weaving it into his latest art exhibition to make a point about ocean pollution. In his upcoming show Turbulence, Bill's used plastic and other materials instead of brushes to apply paint, much of it old discarded paint he's foraged for, to his trademark mirrored aluminium panels. Bill Riley talks to Lynn Freeman about what he's exploring in his new Turbulence paintings. The exhibition opens at Antoinette Godkin Gallery in Auckland on Tuesday. Apr 08, 2018 01:35 pm The Auckland Art Gallery's in suspense It's an anxious waiting game now for the Auckland Art Gallery while the City Council decides its budget and how much money it's prepared to invest in it. This follows months of heated debate, impassioned submissions, news stories and fundraising ventures by the Gallery, which at one stage faced having to close for a day a week. It's seven years since the Gallery completed a massive renovation and extension project but Council funding for it has declined since then. Everything hinges on the Auckland City Council's decision - at a time when the council is also juggling the huge amounts of money needed for infrastructure. Gallery Director Rhana Devenport tells Lynn Freeman that right now the Auckland Art Gallery is in limbo. Apr 08, 2018 12:45 pm It's time to meet the Muppets On the eve of the three week long Jim Henson Retrospectacle Lynn Freeman talks to two people very closely associated with The Muppets and their original creators. Bonnie Erickson was a member of the original design team for The Muppet Show. Bonnie first joined Jim Henson's team as a costume designer for 1971's The Frog Prince, became head of the workshop and continued to work with the Muppets team for many years both in London and the United States. She's credited as the designer and builder of Miss Piggy. Craig Shemin is President of the Jim Henson Legacy. He began his career with a 14-year stint as a staff writer for the Jim Henson Company. Craig produced the documentary that accompanied the Smithsonian Institution touring museum exhibition, Jim Henson's Fantastic World, and he's guest curator for the ongoing World of Jim Henson screening series at The Museum of the Moving Image. Apr 08, 2018 12:30 pm The Adam New Zealand Play Award winner Shane Bosher Playmarket presents this award annually for the best new New Zealand play. The Adam New Zealand Play Award, formerly the Playmarket New Play Award, has been offered since 2008. It's aim is to reward new writing and encourage writers to banish all self censoring, all worries about what theatres want, what is affordable and what they think audiences want to see. Lynn Freeman talks to this year's winner. Shane Bosher is a director, actor, dramaturg and Artistic Director - and can now add award-winning playwright to his CV. Ever After last night took out the 2018 Adam NZ Play Award. It tells the story of Nick, a one time ardent activist for Homosexual Law Reform and for AIDS awareness. But 25 years on, Nick disapproves of gay marriage and parenting. He didn't fight for assimilation, AIDS is hardly on the radar any more and he finds solace in methamphetamine and casual sex. Apr 08, 2018 12:16 pm Older stories How can We Change the World: Max Harris and Shen Narayanasamy New Zealand Botanical Art Shayne P Carter and An Iliad High Stakes for Children's Publishing Speculative Fiction NZ anthology Tess Redgrave's new novel about the fight for the right to vote Ahuahu - hundreds of years of human habitation Not all audio is available due to copyright restrictions