Rives and I began our chat by sharing earthquake experiences. He’s had his fair share whilst living in Los Angeles.
If you haven’t heard of Rives, seek him out – he is a master-craftsman with a huge ability to deliver knock-out lines which “break your frickin’ heart”.
We went on to talk about paper engineering (he made a pop-up brochure for my daughter); life and love and libraries, and sometimes love in libraries; about poetry on stage and page; the importance of quietness; and his desire to respond to circumstances more than the demands of his diary.
He also likes to encourage others to have a go – last night he invited people to meet him outside if they had any questions or would like to talk – I began by asking him how it went:
[34 min, 31.9Mb .mp3]
Christchurch City Libraries Blog 
I love Rives! Is he going to be spending any time in New Zealand or is he heading home after the festival? Any chance he will make an appearance in Christchurch or anywhere on the South Island?
I asked if he was coming to Christchurch for the TED sessions, but no such luck. I think he’s heading to Sydney, after a day off. No doubt there’ll be more coverage of him there.
I heard this guy on National radio yesterday and wondered who would have the pleasure of interviewing him. Nice one Richard.