Bold & Creative: Exploring Stories

Writer, editor, columnist, and professor in Indigenous Studies at the University of Manitoba, Niigaan Sinclair joined Bold & Creative: The Talks to contribute his voice to this gathering of changemakers. Recorded at the 2025 Blue Metropolis Festival, the series amplifies bold perspectives from across Canada.

This podcast was recorded live as part of the 2025 Blue Metropolis International Literary Festival, during the Bold & Creative: The Talks event. Narration by Isabel Cout. Sound mixing by Alaric Boyle Poirier.

This series was made possible thanks to the support of Canadian Heritage and the Secrétariat aux relations avec les Québécois d'expression anglaise.

Visit bluemetropolis.org to discover more podcasts from the series.

Miranda Castravelli, Executive Director of the English-Language Arts Network (ELAN), is one of seven dynamic speakers featured in Bold & Creative: The Talks. Presented at the 2025 Blue Metropolis International Literary Festival, the series celebrates voices that lead, inspire, and connect communities.

This podcast was recorded live as part of the 2025 Blue Metropolis International Literary Festival, during the Bold & Creative: The Talks event. Narration by Isabel Cout. Sound mixing by Alaric Boyle Poirier.

This series was made possible thanks to the support of Canadian Heritage and the Secrétariat aux relations avec les Québécois d'expression anglaise.

Visit bluemetropolis.org to discover more podcasts from the series.

Welcome to the Bold & Creative series from Blue Metropolis!

Explore the English-language literary life of Quebec in 2025 through six unique perspectives. Discover the challenges and passions that drive these players on the literary scene. Their hard work and creativity are at the service of promoting writers and preserving literary culture. Immerse yourself in this dynamic world and be inspired by these bold, creative voices.

Today, join Tara McGowan-Ross for a captivating conversation hosted by Rachel McCrum.

Thank you to our partners Canadian Heritage and the Secrétariat aux relations avec les québécois d'expression anglaise.

An exclusive podcast presented by Metropolis bleu | Blue Metropolis

Welcome to the Bold & Creative series from Blue Metropolis!

Explore the English-language literary life of Quebec in 2025 through six unique perspectives. Discover the challenges and passions that drive these players on the literary scene. Their hard work and creativity are at the service of promoting writers and preserving literary culture. Immerse yourself in this dynamic world and be inspired by these bold, creative voices.

Today, join Linda Leith for a captivating conversation hosted by Rachel McCrum.

Thank you to our partners Canadian Heritage and the Secrétariat aux relations avec les québécois d'expression anglaise.

An exclusive podcast presented by Metropolis bleu | Blue Metropolis

Welcome to the Bold & Creative series from Blue Metropolis!

Explore the English-language literary life of Quebec in 2025 through six unique perspectives. Discover the challenges and passions that drive these players on the literary scene. Their hard work and creativity are at the service of promoting writers and preserving literary culture. Immerse yourself in this dynamic world and be inspired by these bold, creative voices.

Today, join Kaie Kellough for a captivating conversation hosted by Rachel McCrum.

Thank you to our partners Canadian Heritage and the Secrétariat aux relations avec les québécois d'expression anglaise.

An exclusive podcast presented by Metropolis bleu | Blue Metropolis

Welcome to the Bold & Creative series from Blue Metropolis!

Explore the English-language literary life of Quebec in 2025 through six unique perspectives. Discover the challenges and passions that drive these players on the literary scene. Their hard work and creativity are at the service of promoting writers and preserving literary culture. Immerse yourself in this dynamic world and be inspired by these bold, creative voices.

Today, join Eli Tareq El Bechelany-Lynch for a captivating conversation hosted by Rachel McCrum.

Thank you to our partners Canadian Heritage and the Secrétariat aux relations avec les québécois d'expression anglaise.

An exclusive podcast presented by Metropolis bleu | Blue Metropolis

Welcome to the Bold & Creative series from Blue Metropolis!

Explore the English-language literary life of Quebec in 2025 through six unique perspectives. Discover the challenges and passions that drive these players on the literary scene. Their hard work and creativity are at the service of promoting writers and preserving literary culture. Immerse yourself in this dynamic world and be inspired by these bold, creative voices.

Today, join Andreas Kessaris for a captivating conversation hosted by Rachel McCrum.

Thank you to our partners Canadian Heritage and the Secrétariat aux relations avec les québécois d'expression anglaise.

An exclusive podcast presented by Metropolis bleu | Blue Metropolis

Welcome to the Bold & Creative series from Blue Metropolis!

Explore the English-language literary life of Quebec in 2024 through six unique perspectives. Discover the challenges and passions that drive these players on the literary scene. Their hard work and creativity are at the service of promoting writers and preserving literary culture. Immerse yourself in this dynamic world and be inspired by these bold, creative voices.

Today, join award-winning poet Liz Howard for a captivating twenty-minute conversation hosted by Rachel McCrum.

Thank you to our partner the Secrétariat aux relations avec les québécois d'expression anglaise.

What does it take to sustain a literary life?

The brand new Bold & Creative podcasts from Blue Metropolis offers up six refreshing perspectives from the English-language literary world in Quebec in 2024. We wanted to explore writing practices and career paths, changing experiences and new contexts. What does our literary world look like right now? How does one get started? How does one keep going? To answer these questions, we invited Liz Howard (the Poet), Daniel Allen Cox (the Prose-Writer), Tawhida Tanya Evanson (the Performer), Dimitri Nasrallah (the Publisher*), Linda Morra (the Podcaster) and Curtis McRae (the Promoter) to go deep, in a series of twenty-minute conversations with host Rachel McCrum. What emerged were rich, wide-ranging – and occasionally deliciously weird – discussions about literary life and practice. That it takes a community to bring a book into the world. That after the writing is done, there is editing, publication, conversation, promotion, collaboration, education. That they all work tirelessly and creatively to find new ways to support and promote writers. That they are passionate about building new relationships, supporting authenticity, talent, and access. That there are constant challenges in the form of burn out, mental health, endless volunteering, and limited financial support. That every one of them wears multiple hats, to allow them to not only continue their own work, but to open doors for others. That they are not just in this for their own creative advancement, but to ensure that literary culture survives and thrives. That it was a pleasure and a joy to speak with each of these bold and creative voices. We hope that you enjoy.

*technically, Editor rather than Publisher, but that doesn't begin with a P.

Welcome to the Bold & Creative series from Blue Metropolis!

Explore the English-language literary life of Quebec in 2024 through six unique perspectives. Discover the challenges and passions that drive these players on the literary scene. Their hard work and creativity are at the service of promoting writers and preserving literary culture. Immerse yourself in this dynamic world and be inspired by these bold, creative voices.

Today, immerse yourself in a captivating twenty-minute conversation with Daniel Allen Cox, hosted by Rachel McCrum.

Thank you to our partner the Secrétariat aux relations avec les québécois d'expression anglaise.