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 and its place in Canadian culture. He explores this in his debut novel, Small Ceremonies. The story follows the Tigers, a hockey team made up of Indigenous teens from Winnipeg. The teens are coming of age in the rink — and the dynamics on the ice often mirror the tensions off of it. Kyle tells Mattea Roach about how sports reflect society, how hockey serves as its own kind of ceremony and why Winnipeg is so special to him.If you enjoyed this conversation, check out these episodes:Ocean Vuong finds beauty in a fast food shift David A. Robertson puts stories at the heart of reconciliation
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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 — you might know her from novels such as The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo or Daisy Jones and the Six. Her new novel, Atmosphere, is a space thriller that captures all of her signatures. It’s about outer space, falling in love and being a woman at NASA … and that’s just the half of it. Taylor tells Mattea Roach about why writing about astronauts is so difficult, approaching life in the public eye and why the book is dedicated to her daughter.If you enjoyed this conversation, check out these episodes:Casey McQuiston: Celebrating queer love and joy and navigating the future of romance Emma Donoghue boards a train destined for disaster
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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 and its Broadway adaptation changed Alison’s life and brought a degree of success she was unaccustomed to. She explores these themes in her latest work, a comic novel called Spent. It’s about a cartoonist's complicated relationship with money and capitalism, and the struggle to stay true to her values. Alison tells Mattea about creating a fictionalized version of herself ... and shares surprising revelations about her parents, which have given her new insight into her own life story.If you enjoyed this conversation, check out these episodes:Adrian Tomine: Answering his readers' burning questionsRumaan Alam: How would you spend a billion dollars?
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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 Ways to Reconcile, is a guide for all of us to take action when it comes to reconciliation — and shows how small acts can have a big impact. Like all of David's work, the book tackles hard truths with a gentle touch and a profound sense of hope. David joins Mattea Roach to talk about educating children on Indigenous histories, how his father influenced his life and work and why "reconciliation" is a journey ... not a destination.If you enjoyed this conversation, check out these episodes:Tanya Talaga: Searching for her great-great grandmother — a story of family, truth and survival Imani Perry: Tracing blue through Black American life
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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 own family. She transports readers back to that time in her debut novel, The World So Wide. It follows a Canadian opera singer named Felicity who is caught up in the military coup and placed under house arrest. What unfolds next is a saga that spans decades and reflects on race, love, belonging and revolution. Zilla joins Mattea Roach to talk about why opera is at the centre of the story, her work as a lawyer and the power of art as protest.If you enjoyed this conversation, check out these episodes:Nnedi Okorafor: Bringing a writer to life in Death of the Author Jack Wang: Reimagining the lost stories of Chinese Canadians during WWII
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.
South Africa