RNZ Creators & Guests

Phoebe Hoban is an independent journalist and author, best known for her biographies of the artists Jean Michel Basquiat and Alice Neel.Hoban's articles on culture and the arts have appeared in Vogue, Vanity Fair, GQ, Harper's Bazaar, New York magazine, and The New York Times. Her first book, "Basquiat: A Quick Killing in Art," was published in 1998. Her second book, "Alice Neel: The Art of not Sitting Pretty," was published in 2010. Her third book, "Lucian Freud: Eyes Wide Open," was published in 2014. She has also published two children's books.Hoban started her career as a technology journalist at Newsweek. She then wrote a technology column for New York Magazine before becoming a feature writer on culture. From there she became a staff writer at The New York Observer, then a staff writer for US Weekly.

Karen Pinchin is an award-winning journalist specializing in investigative and longform reporting.

Richard Lloyd Parry is a foreign correspondent and writer. Currently, he is the Asia Editor of The Times of London, based in Tokyo. He writes the "Asia Exile" blog for The Times website.Parry has written for Granta, the New York Times, and the London Review of Books. His first book, "In the Time of Madness," was published in 2005. His second book, "People Who Eat Darkness: The Fate of Lucie Blackman," was published in 2011, and his third book, "Ghosts of the Tsunami: Death and Life in Japan's Disaster Zone," was published in 2017.

Lee Murray is an author and editor of science fiction, fantasy fiction, and horror fiction. She is most noted for her Taine McKenna military thrillers, and supernatural crime-noir series The Path of Ra.Before becoming a full-time writer, Murray was a scientist. She co-founded Young New Zealand Writers, an organization which provides development and publishing opportunities for children.

Simon Fenwick is an architectural designer.

Dr. Wijnand Tilburg is a social psychologist and Senior Lecturer in the Department of Psychology at the University of Essex.

Tim Bale is a professor of politics at Queen Mary, University of London.

Linda Kinstler is a writer, journalist, and editor. Currently, she is the Deputy Editor at The Dial Magazine and a contributing writer for The Economist’s 1843 Magazine.Previously, Kinstler covered British politics for The Atlantic. She has been a contributing writer at Politico Europe, which she helped launch. Before that, she was the managing editor of The New Republic, where she covered the war in Ukraine.Kinstler's writing has appeared in The New York Times, Washington Post, The Atlantic, and Wired. Her first book, "Come to This Court and Cry: How the Holocaust Ends," was published in 2022.

Julian Oliver is an artist, activist, and critical engineer.

Dr. Alastair Richards is a Scrabble champ.

Erica Newman is a coordinator of the Indigenous Development Program at Otago University.

Meg Tirrell is a health journalist, currently working as CNBC’s Senior Health and Science Reporter.Tirrell has covered the development of new medicines for Alzheimer’s, cancer and rare diseases, and tracked public health emergencies from Ebola to Zika to the COVID-19 pandemic. Her reporting has also chronicled the massive set of trials seeking to hold the drug industry accountable for the opioid epidemic, market failures that have led to life-threatening drug shortages, and the ongoing fight over the cost of medicines.Prior to joining CNBC, Tirrell covered the biotechnology industry for Bloomberg News, where she also contributed to Bloomberg Television and Bloomberg Businessweek.Tirrell received her B.A. in English from Wellesley College and her M.A. in Journalism from Northwestern University.

Harmon Leon is a journalist, filmmaker, comedian, producer, and author. He has appeared in and produced episodes for "99 Percent Invisible" and "This American Life." He hosts the podcast "Comedy History 101."Leon's documentary films have appeared at The Sundance Film Festival, DOC NYC, and Tribeca Film Festival, as well as on Vanity Fair, The Atlantic, Daily Mail, and The New Yorker. His stories have appeared in BBC, VICE, SuperRare, Observer, The Nation, Mel Magazine, Esquire, National Geographic, Salon, and Wired. He has published eight books. Leon has also performed solo comedy shows, and has appeared at The Kennedy Center, Just for Laughs in Montreal, The Edinburgh Festival, Melbourne Comedy Festival, UCB, and SF Sketchfest.

Idelber Avelar is a Professor of Literature at Tulane University.

Todd Antony is a photographer.

Dr. Gary McLean is a scientist who specializes in immunology and virology. Currently, he is both a researcher and a Professor of Molecular Immunology at London Metropolitan University. His work focuses on respiratory medicine, rhinovirus infections, virology, pathology, epidemiology, vaccinology, mRNA techniques, antibodies, and SARS-CoV-2 variants.In addition to his academic papers and book chapters, McLean frequently appears on radio and television and in print and online to share his knowledge, especially about COVID-19 in the 2020s.McLean received his B.S. in Biochemistry and his Ph.D. in Pathology from the University of Otago.

Fiona Jack is an artist.

Phoebe Judge is an award-winning journalist whose work has been featured on a numerous national radio programs. She is a co-founder of the podcast Criminal, and is the host of the podcasts, This is Love and Phoebe Reads a MysteryShe regularly conducts interviews and anchors WUNC's broadcast of Here & Now. Previously, Phoebe served as producer, reporter and guest host for the nationally distributed public radio program The Story. Earlier in her career, Phoebe reported from the gulf coast of Mississippi. She covered the BP oil spill and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina for Mississippi Public Broadcasting and NPR.Her work has won multiple Edward R. Murrow and Associated Press awards.