Bookends with Mattea Roach
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Bookends with Mattea Roach
When the book ends, the conversation begins. Mattea Roach speaks with writers who have something to say about their work, the world and our place in it. You’ll always walk away with big questions to ponder and new books to read.
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113 epizod
Video games are radical. Not in the way you think
Video games make you violent. Video games corrupt the youth. Video games rot your brain! You’ve probably heard that narrative before … but Kawika Guil...
Three writers on the monsters that made them
What’s more horrifying than slashers, monsters … and Vancouver real estate? This week, Bookends brings you on-stage at the Vancouver Writers Fest. Bac...
A priest and an artist walk into a bar
… and they can’t keep their hands off each other. That’s the premise at the centre of Brandon Taylor’s latest novel, Minor Black Figures. It’s about a...
Anarchists have bigger hearts than you think
What’s more romantic than planning an assassination together? You’d have to ask the radical activist Emma Goldman, who did just that with her revoluti...
John Irving’s new novel returns to a familiar orphanage
John Irving’s books are on many readers’ list of favourites. He’s written novels like The World According to Garp and The Cider House Rules, which you...
This poem took 16 straight hours to write
It’s a bit of an understatement to say that Canisia Lubrin has a way with words. Last year, she took home the Carol Shields Prize for her debut novel,...
Here’s what you have wrong about teen moms
Leila Mottley was only 17 years-old when she wrote her debut novel, Nightcrawling … and she was 20 when she became the youngest author ever to make th...
Chris Hadfield — from astronaut to author
You might know Chris Hadfield, decorated astronaut and former Commander of the International Space Station. But do you know Chris Hadfield, the pilot,...
A fictional ad agency — and its very real ghosts
In Aurora Stewart de Peña's debut novel, Julius Julius, ads are inescapable … which isn’t far off from real life. If you ever feel unsettled by the wa...
Kiran Desai’s novel is worth the 20-year wait
Not many people can say that a Booker prize nomination feels like deja vu … but Kiran Desai is one of those rare people. Twenty years after her first...
What is a stag dance?
Torrey Peters was in the woods building her own sauna when she came up with the titular story in her new collection, called Stag Dance. The story is a...
Zadie Smith never thought she’d tell this story
It’s hard to believe that Zadie Smith was just 24 years old when she wrote White Teeth, the book that made her a literary star. 25 years later, Zadie...
Can your nail tech throw a mean right hook?
In the new novel Pick a Colour, the answer to that question is a resounding yes. The debut novel from Souvankham Thammavongsa centres on Ning, the own...
Ian McEwan has hope for humanity — here’s why
A century from now, how will historians look back on your life? In his latest novel, What We Can Know, Ian McEwan imagines the future in 100 years. In...
Why Mona Awad gave the Bunnies a say
The bunnies are back … and they’re bloodier than ever. In We Love You, Bunny, Mona Awad returns to the surreal world of her best selling novel Bunny....
Where do North Korean spies go for dinner?
Soju, kimchi, gun fights, car chases … and profound reflections on the Korean diaspora. Whether you’re hungry for food or for action, Jinwoo Park’s de...
Think Stonehenge rocks? So does Ken Follett
Ken Follett is one of the most successful authors alive today. He’s sold almost 200 million books, and readers have devoured his stories about the Bla...
What is extreme caretaking?
The winner of the 2025 CBC Nonfiction Prize is The Invisible Woman by Laura MacGregor. It's a deeply personal and heartfelt story Laura wrote about he...
R.F. Kuang raises a little hell
After massive hits like The Poppy War, Babel and Yellowface, R.F. Kuang’s new novel takes readers to hell — quite literally. Katabasis follows two gra...
What would it take to become the first Cherokee astronaut?
Statistically, your odds of becoming an astronaut are close to zero. You have to make some pretty extreme sacrifices to reach the stars, and that’s th...
What happens to fiction in times of war?
A snail scientist takes part in a kidnapping scheme to protest the Ukrainian romance industry. That's the story Maria Reva was writing in her debut no...
Why this comics legend is just getting started
Growing up in rural Ontario, Jeff Lemire bought superhero comics at the local minimart. Years later, he’s one of the biggest comic book creators in Ca...
Who was the woman Kafka loved?
Milena Jesenská was a courageous journalist, translator and resister of the Nazi regime. So why do most people only know her as Franz Kafka’s lover? M...
Reliving the soundtrack of the 2000s
Feeling nostalgic for the music of the aughts? You’re not the only one. Holly Brickley’s debut novel, Deep Cuts, follows a music-obsessed writer named...
Why this Pulitzer Prize winner is done with writing books
Tessa Hulls won a Pulitzer Prize for her first book. So why is it also her last? Tessa’s graphic memoir, Feeding Ghosts, unravels the stories of three...
Bookends Bonus: Death, sex, money … and podcasting?
Here at Bookends, we never shy away from difficult conversations … and neither does Anna Sale, the host of the popular Slate podcast Death, Sex and Mo...
Bookends Highlights: Why we never shut up about our literary prizes
The CBC Literary Prizes are where Canadian writing stars are made… and this week, we’ll prove it to you. In the first season of Bookends, Mattea Roach...
Bookends Bonus: What do you see in the mirror?
This week, Bookends is revisiting the Mirrors series. It’s a CBC Books special featuring winners of the 2024 Governor General’s Literary Awards.
...
Bookends Bonus: Redefining what counts as a Canadian literary classic from Commotion
Commotion is where you go for thoughtful and vibrant conversations about all things pop culture. Host Elamin Abdelmahmoud calls on journalists, critic...
Bernardine Evaristo: In conversation with Eleanor Wachtel
This week on Bookends, we revisit Eleanor Wachtel’s conversation with Bernardine Evaristo.
Bernardine is the recipient of the Out...
Bookends Highlights: The language of comics with 5 masters of the craft
Whether it’s battling your girlfriend’s “seven evil exes," reinterpreting childhood memories or celebrating the beauty of becoming a parent, comics an...
Bookends Bonus: Cartoonist and writer Gabrielle Drolet on Q with Tom Power
Five days a week acclaimed interviewer Tom Power sits down with the artists, writers, actors and musicians who define pop culture.
3 writers on finding their voices — and the power of personal stories
To wrap up our first season, Bookends is bringing you to the Festival of Literary Diversity in Brampton. Tanya Talaga, Morgan Campell and Amal Elsana...
What makes Montreal a transgender city?
For Montreal writer Chris Bergeron, the power of transgender storytelling is revolutionary. Her novel Valid is about a 70-year-old trans woman who is...
Weaving a story of family trauma and celebrating the beauty in survival
For Chyana Marie Sage, being “soft as bones” means accepting that humans are both strong and fragile — and have immense capacity for healing. Her new...
For Indigenous players, ice hockey is a ceremony of its own
Before becoming a writer, Kyle Edwards had dreams of playing hockey … and as an Indigenous player, he grapples with complex feelings about the game an...
Taylor Jenkins Reid is among the stars — on and off the page
Taylor Jenkins Reid is a literary superstar. She’s known for writing epic settings, complex women and love stories that stretch across time and place...
Alison Bechdel on making money and seeing Fun Home in a new light
Nearly 20 years after her breakout memoir, Fun Home, cartoonist Alison Bechdel is still unearthing new truths about her life in that time. The memoir...
David A. Robertson puts stories at the heart of reconciliation
Through his books and public speaking, David A. Robertson has dedicated his career to sharing stories about Indigenous people. His latest book, 52 Way...
An opera singer gives voice to the Grenadian revolution
The 1983 revolution in Grenada was a major moment of the Cold War era ... and writer Zilla Jones grew up hearing stories about its connection to her o...