I’m a New Zealand writer with over thirty years hands-on professional experience as a published author and in publishing. My main interests are in the sciences – physics, particularly, though I’m deeply curious about a lot of stuff, especially the human condition. I have qualifications in writing, music and anthropology among other fields, and hold multiple post-graduate degrees in history. I’m also a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society at University College, London. I write a lot. My published writing, sold on merit, includes over 550 articles, academic papers, reviews, novellas and short stories, and over 50 books on topics ranging from travel guides to biography, engineering, military and social history. I’ve been published principally by Penguin Random House.
I haven’t posted here for the past couple of weeks. Time to run my blog has been a bit sparse. Why? You’ll find out soon. Meanwhile have a guess as to what’s been going on. Have I been… Kidnapped by aliens from the planet Zorg. Founded a death metal band and got busy recording a … More Missing in action – a bit
This week’s obscure English word is bursicle. It means a pouched receptable, like a purse. Your challenge: write a sentence or two in the comments using this word. Copyright © Matthew Wright 2021
Dear Jacinda, It’s nearly six months since your government came to power with the first clear majority any party has had since MMP began, on the public expectation that you would lead the country out of the neo-liberal framework that has driven so many social problems. Instead, all that’s happened is – nothing. And then, … More Kindness is not enough – an open letter to the Prime Minister of New Zealand
This week’s obscure English word is handelian. It means something relating to, or similar to, the music of the great composer George Frideric Handel (1685-1759). Do you have ‘Zadok the Priest’ going through your head now? No? You will in a moment. Your challenge: write a sentence or two in the comments using this word. … More The obscure word of the week is handelian
Humans are an odd species. A few weeks back I was enjoying a cup of coffee at a footpath table, outside a café in a small shopping centre. A vehicle pulled up nearby, sound system absolutely thundering. The car stopped, doors and windows open, and somebody ran into a shop. They obviously weren’t going to … More Human nature and car boom-boxes
This week’s obscure English word is peniaphobia. And as you’ve probably already guessed, it’s the irrational fear of poverty. It’s derived from the ancient Greek word ‘penia’ (poor). Your challenge: write a sentence or two in the comments using this word. Copyright © Matthew Wright 2021
I suppose I should consider myself a beneficiary of the Myers Briggs test: according to its judgement I am the ‘Mastermind’. But I already knew that – I mean, hardly a day passes before I emit an Evil Laugh at the thought of my latest plan to conquer the universe. More to the point is … More How I failed my Myers Briggs test, and other adventures
I’ve been running this obscure word of the week column for a while – and there is no danger of it running out. I am fully armed with the entire 11-volume 1933 edition of the Oxford English Dictionary – in its 1970 ‘small print’ edition, and the entire Webster’s Third New International. Be afraid. Be … More The obscure word of the week isn’t always in the dictionary
In the early hours of Friday morning a lot of people in New Zealand’s North Island, including me, were shaken awake by a significant quake about 100 km off Te Araroa, a township on the East Cape – magnitude 7.1, and a depth of 90 km, which is why it was so widely felt. Quakes … More Will New Zealand’s offshore quakes of 5 March 2021 trigger more?
This week’s obscure English word is gravid. It’s a somewhat archaic term meaning pregnant, sometimes used in the sense of ‘portentous’. Your challenge: write a sentence or two in the comments using this word. Copyright © Matthew Wright 2021
