local loser

local loser goes online to record an episode with poet, librarian and Āporo Press author of Overseas Experience, Nicola Andrews (Ngāti Paoa, Pākehā).

Thanks to the internet, Damien (in Tāmaki Makaurau) chats to Nicola (in San Francisco) about her new book, being a librarian in the USA and the 'Oasis Summer'.

Links you may wanna check out from this episode include Nicola's Instagram, Unity Books (where you can get a copy of Overseas Experience in NZ or abroad), and more on APALA Literature Awards.

Damien can also be found on Instagram.

The local loser theme song is composed by Karen Hu.

Reporting live* from Tāmaki Makaurau, Damien chats with Gabi Lardies at her house and together they come up with a really great idea for dead CD stock and discuss book design!

They also touch on the Objectspace Book Fair, why everything in publishing is called the same thing, coptic stitching, and a beautiful ring by Cindy Tan.

Some helpful links you might like after the episode include the online archive of The National Grid, the Dead Bird Books offerings and Cindy Tan's Instagram.

*This episode is not, in fact, live.

Find Damien on Instagram.

The local loser theme song is composed by Karen Hu.

It's a meeting of indie presses! Damien Levi is joined by the Tender Press team, Ash Davida Jane and Stacey Teague while the duo is on a visit to Tāmaki Makaurau.

They really get into the world of independent publishing and chat about upcoming work from both writers.

You can get Stacey's 2024 collection, Plastic, as well as Ash's 2021 collection, How to Live With Mammals, from Te Herenga Waka University Press. Follow Tender Press on ⁠Instagram⁠ for updates and check out their books on the website.

Find Damien on ⁠Instagram⁠ or ⁠Substack⁠.

After a little break for the Auckland Writers Festival, Damien Levi is back to being a loser, and he's invited painter Tony Guo to chat.

Using Tony's artistic practice as a jumping off point, this kōrero darts around the cultural realms, from Jorges Luis Borges and Lady Gaga, to Hanya Yanagihara, Brokeback Mountain, Michelle Rahurahu and Xin Ji's Body Story.

As podcasting is an audio medium, you may want to check out Tony's website or Instagram to see some of his paintings. If you're rich and interested in buying, contact Season Aotearoa.

Find Damien on Instagram or Substack.

local loser's theme song is by Karen Hu.

Damien Levi is in Naarm for the Melbourne Writers Festival and seizes the rare chance to sit down and chat with essayist and sewist Maddie Ballard (because he's staying at her house).

Their conversation touches on topics such as the festival itself, unpopular literary opinions, reading—or not reading—Australian literature, moving to Melbourne, and a small disagreement about novellas.

You can read Maddie's book as Bound in the United Kingdom and New Zealand from The Emma Press right now, and as Patchwork in the United States from Tin House on 21 October 2025. Follow Maddie on Instagram for updates and on Substack for more writing.

Find Damien on Instagram or Substack.

local loser's theme song is by Karen Hu.

Cheers! This is local loser's first nighttime episode, and so Damien has cracked open a drink to sit down and chat with illustrator and comic artist Sloane Hong.

Together, they talk about what Sloane's been up to, her comic Marrow & Other Stories and trying to get back into reading when you have ADHD. Damien pulls an ASMR segment and reads a meme from his phone.

Find some of Sloane's work on her website plaest2k.xyz, follow her on Instagram and catch her at Auckland Writers Festival's STREETSIDE in 'Fresh Fruit' on Friday 9 May.

Follow Damien on Instagram or Substack.

local loser's theme song is by Karen Hu.

local loser is a work in progress and we promise the audio will get better as we go!

In this episode of local loser, Damien is joined by the hottest, gayest candlemaker in Aotearoa, Cam Yates aka sybs.

Their conversation jumps from Ocean Vuong to gay rugby, doing a Master's thesis on The Great Gatsby, and to Damien spiralling from learning a new skill (podcasting) and being bad at it.

Visit sybs for your own hot gay handmade candles and follow Cam on Instagram.

Follow Damien on Instagram or Substack.

local loser's theme song is by Karen Hu.

For the first episode of local loser, Damien Levi is joined by Sherry Zhang to record under a sheet in his apartment. They chat about local and international reading, arts practice and writing, recent gigs in Tāmaki Makaurau and Damien almost dies choking on water.

*This episode was reuploaded with remastered audio on 25 April 2025*