Summer holiday hits

Chapter 1

How do you run an independent cinema?

Rio is one of the most famous and beloved independent cinemas in London. The unassuming high-street building is beautiful in a historical way, has great listings and better prices – and yet it’s always under “commercial pressures”. Robert Bound meets director Oliver Meeks to find out how he runs Rio.

Chapter 2

All aboard the MSC Preziosa

Franco Pili, cruise director of the ‘MSC Preziosa’, is an old hand with a young heart and matchless energy for running around, talking fluently and constantly in half a dozen languages, and being the very voice of the ship. For up to five months at a time Franco takes charge of everything from aerobics classes to the big nightly shows in the 1,600-seater showpiece theatre.

Chapter 3

How do you write about nature? Melissa Harrison

Melissa Harrison is the author of a new book published by Faber and Faber called ‘Rain: Four Walks in English Weather’. We meet Harrison and her dog Scout in southwest London and hear about her relationship with nature, and why it is so important that writers are once again turning to the natural world in their writing.

Chapter 4

How do you make a playlist? DJ Ernesto Chahoud on building an analogue DJ set

Lebanese DJ Ernesto Chahoud doesn’t like playlists – or in fact anything to do with computers and digitally stored music. When he hits the decks he spins his funk and disco favourites on 45s, which he says give him more control to dream up a live playlist on the spot.

Chapter 5

How do you draw the news? Turning Isis into a comic.

When you think about comics it’s probably fictional characters that come to mind: Superman, Wonder Woman or Tin Tin. Isis couldn’t be further from the world of superheroes but it’s this confrontational topic that artist and journalist Eleri Mai Harris, who works in the world of comic journalism, is tackling for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. James Vyver meets her in Canberra.

Chapter 6

Despatches from the north: The Nunatsiaq News

In Canada the ‘Nunatsiaq News’ is particularly vital to its readers who are located in the rather remote area of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The weekly paper is based in the Nunavut capital, Iqaluit, and also caters for the Nunavik region of Northern Quebec. We meet managing editor Lisa Gregoire to find out more about the publication, the locals and the growing interest of international readers.

Chapter 7

How do you know what to read? Get Booked.

Get Booked was recently founded by literary agent Lisette Verhagen to help people that love reading but need a helping hand through the wild wood of what’s out there. It’s somewhere between a book club, a chat with a well-read new friend and a session on an analyst’s couch. It satisfies a curiosity about books – and about ourselves.