Atlantic Voice

"Being part of the cancer club sucks." But Samantha Keays is also a member of a pretty awesome club - a choir in Saint John, made up of people who have been touched by cancer. Listen in as they practice for their first concert, and share their stories of both darkness and joy. A moving documentary - with great music - produced by Hannah Rudderham, called Healing Through Harmonies. Featuring the voices of the Healing Voices Choir.

Thousands of people wrote to Joey Smallwood with questions, needs (and even insults) around the time Newfoundland and Labrador joined Canada in 1949. 76 years later the letters live on, and actually have a lot to say to our world in 2026. Tour the archives and hear these letters come to life in this episode, that features the book Dear Mr. Smallwood: Confederation in the Words of Those Who Lived it.

The Titan submersible implosion grabbed the world's attention in 2023. Away from the headlines, the family of two of its victims found solace with the St. John's Muslim community, and ended up making a generous, and much needed, gift. That's all in The Best of Planners, a documentary from Caroline Hillier. This story first aired in June 2025.

"My biggest fear is not protest, it's not anger, it's not division - it's apathy." So starts Randy Boyagoda's thoughts on finding common ground to talk to each other in deeply partisan times. Hint: it involves putting aside the smartphone and getting curious about others lives. A talk for everyone wondering where we go from here, and how.

Randy is a writer, thinker and advisor for civil discourse at the University of Toronto. This talk was recorded live at the Halifax Central Library, with the CBC's Adam Walsh, as part of the Hear Me Out conversation series, and first aired on Atlantic Voice in March 2024.

When Jazmyne McLaughlin was placed in a youth group home, she says she felt like a game piece, being moved around by adults, without a say in her own life. Now, as a law student, she's telling her story, and working to change the child welfare system for the kids and teens coming after her. This documentary was produced by CBC Fredericton's Jennifer Sweet. As a heads up, it does contain brief mentions of suicidal thoughts, so please take care while listening.

You know about purebred dogs. But what about purebred...ducks? Or chickens? Meet the Maritimers dedicated to beautiful poultry, and tag along on their roadtrip to show them off on Canada's biggest stage. Plus, hot tips for how to give a chicken a bath. That's all in Phlis McGregor's documentary. Standard of Perfection.

Everyone knows about purebred dogs, but what about purebred... ducks? Or chickens? Meet the Maritimers breeding beautiful poultry, and tag along on their roadtrip to show them off on Canada's biggest stage. Plus, hot tips on how to give a chicken a bath. That's all in Phlis McGregor's documentary, Standard of Perfection.

It's a calorie-burning pilgrimage: the 700 kilometre long Island Walk, looping all the way around PEI. The people you'll meet today all have personal reasons for tackling the trek, and producer Laura Meader breaks a (tiny) sweat as she catches up with a few of them in her documentary, 700 Kilometres.

This story first aired on Atlantic Voice in December 2023.

Step into Christine Wu's kitchen as she takes us through making a classic Chinese dish. Mapo tofu is what the writer calls "poem food," and learning to cook it and other recipes led to her first poetry collection, Familial Hungers. As she chops up garlic and slices silken tofu, Christine guides us from plate to poem in her Halifax-area kitchen. This episode first aired in April 2025.

Renford Farrier was past his parole date by decades, when he met a Halifax lawyer who changed everything. Ren's journey in and out of prison, and the friendship he found, is chronicled in this documentary by Jane Sponagle, called Ren & Emma. Please note this story does contain some strong language.