About Graham Reid

Graham Reid was born in Scotland and educated in New Zealand. He is a graduate of Auckland University with a catch-all degree of papers in Chinese Philosophy, Italian, Art History, English and American literature, and the sciences.

In the early 80s he founded and edited his own magazine ("Passages ... a magazine of jazz and elsewhere"), has frequently presented radio programmes, and was for five years the New Zealand correspondent for America's Billboard magazine.

As a freelancer -- while teaching English and Art History to scholarship level -- he had feature articles and short stories published in Metro, and wrote on the arts for the Listener. Most notably he was a senior journalist at the New Zealand Herald for 17 years from the late 80s.

   Because of his wide personal interests and his ability to file stories on everything from international politics to the arts and pop culture (as well as writing restaurant, film, book and music reviews) Graham was described by the Herald's editor-in-chief as a "true renaissance man".

   Graham has also written on architecture and design, has designed book and album covers, and worked extensively in presenting radio programmes.

   In 2003 he won the prestigious Media Peace Award for his articles on the volatile politics of the Solomon Islands where he spent two weeks. He has travelled extensively through Europe, Asia and the United States for both work and pleasure.

   In 2005 Graham wrote a book of travel stories published by Random House, Postcards from Elsewhere which won the Whitcoulls Travel Book of the Year award in 2006.

   In addition to freelance writing, lecturing in journalism and music, and speaking engagements, he also contributes to the highly regarded and award-winning website www.publicaddress.net as well as a number of other international travel websites.

His arts, music and travel writing appears in The Listener, the Herald, Art News, Idealog, Life and Leisure, Weekend magazine, the Herald on Sunday, Real Groove, Let's Travel and elsewhere. His recent work has also appeared in The Australian.

   In mid 2009 Graham published a second travel book, The Idiot Boy Who Flew through Public Address Books which won the Reader's Choice prize at the 2010 Cathay Pacific travel writing awards.

   Graham is an experienced public speaker who is frequently interviewed on radio, television and in print about media, music, travel and the arts. He has a weekly radio programme Sidestreets on Kiwi FM as well as regular interview slots on Radio Live and Radio New Zealand's Concert programme.

  He is also commissioning and editing academic essays for a book on New Zealand culture and the arts during the 20th century, and currently lectures part-time in contemporary music at the University of Auckland.

JOURNALISM AND WRITING AWARDS

1995

Finalist, Qantas Media Awards (all round creative endeavour, newspaper)

1997

Finalist, Qantas Media Awards (all round excellence in arts writing, newspaper)

1998

Asia 2000 Media Travel Award (for travel in Japan)

1999

Finalist, Qantas Media Awards (best arts feature, newspaper)

2000

Finalist, New Zealand Travel Writer of the Year (best article about the travel industry)

2001

Asia 2000 Media Travel Award (for travel in Taiwan)

2002

Winner, Qantas Media Awards (best tourism and travel story, newspaper)

Finalist, Qantas Media Awards (best govt, diplomacy and foreign affairs story, newspaper)

Finalist, Qantas Media Awards (best arts story, newspaper)

2003

Premier Award, Media Peace Awards (print medium)

Winner, Qantas Media Awards (best arts column, newspaper)

Finalist, Qantas Media Awards (best arts feature, newspaper)

Winner, Cathay Pacific Travel Media Awards (newspaper)

Finalist, Cathay Pacific Travel Media Awards (newspaper)

2004

Winner, Cathay Pacific Travel Media Awards (newspaper)

Finalist, Cathay Pacific Travel Media Awards (magazine)

Runner-Up Cathay Pacific Travel Media Awards (travel writer of the year)

2005

Finalist, Cathay Pacific Travel Media Awards (best article about a journey)

2006

Winner, Whitcoulls TravCom travel book of the year (Postcards From Elsewhere)

2008

Recipient of international journalist's grant by Seoul Metropolitan Government for travel to Korea.

2009

Winner, Cathay Pacific Travel Media Awards (newspaper)

2010

Winner, Whitcoulls Readers Choice award for The Idiot Boy Who Flew at Cathay Pacific Travel Media awards

Winner, best story about Britain or Ireland, Cathay Pacific Travel Media Awards