When Nussaibah Younis decided to write a book about ISIS brides, everyone expected it to be an academic tome. Instead, she wrote a raunchy satire about a woman who takes a job in a warzone to get over a recent heartbreak. Nussaibah's debut novel, Fundamentally, sees protagonist Nadia in over her head working for the UN in Baghdad. But her sense of purpose renews when she connects deeply with Sara, a young ISIS bride who Nadia becomes intent on saving. Drawing on her own professional experience, Nussaibah tells Mattea Roach why the UN's work culture is ripe for satire, why the conversation about ISIS brides needs nuance and what it really takes to deradicalize someone. 

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• Exploring the shady side of charity organizations
• Need cash fast? Become a corpse bride today 

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Fran Lebowitz is a legendary writer and critic. She’s made a career of sharing hot takes without apology, and she didn’t hold back when she joined Mattea Roach for a special on-stage event in Toronto. You might know Fran from her books Metropolitan Life and Social Studies or her appearances in two Martin Scorsese documentaries. Fran is perhaps most famous for sharp social commentary — from airplane fashion, to the silly questions asked by educated youth, to the return of smoking ... Fran had plenty to share with the Toronto crowd. 

Photo credits to Brigitte Lacombe.

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• Scaachi Koul calls herself a professional ex-wife
• For Louise Penny, stories come from hurt 

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It’s easy to glamorize small town life … but Kevin Hardcastle’s new novel, County Road Six, is all about the darkness lurking in rural Canada. When Arthur O’Hare dies, his three daughters return to the family farm to sort through what he left behind. But what they inherit is more than land — it’s a shadowy history they never knew existed. County Road Six is a dramatic thriller about economic decline, family secrets and the lengths people will go to survive. It’s a compelling and unsettling story that pulls from Kevin’s own background growing up as a working class kid in rural Ontario. This week, Kevin tells Mattea Roach about exploring the rural Canadian experience, adding elements of horror to his stories and why towns can be more dangerous than cities. 

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• The beauty and despair of Appalachia
• Buffoon or genius? What makes a cult leader?  

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A glamorous life and career in New York’s fashion industry was everything Douglas Stuart worked for. So why did he walk away from it all? And how did he go from fashion designer to Booker Prize winning author? Douglas’s first two novels, Shuggie Bain and Young Mungo, were critically acclaimed hits. He continues the streak with John of John, a moving novel about a young man returning home to a remote Scottish island steeped in religion and tradition. It’s one of the hottest books of spring and an Oprah’s Book Club pick. This week, Douglas joins Mattea Roach to talk about his major career change, diving into Hebridean culture and drawing on his own upbringing for the novel. 

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• For Jeanette Winterson, stories are essential to survival  
• Why you can’t forget your first love  

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Anne Kim has it all. She’s a high-powered tax lawyer, lives in a beautiful apartment in New York and has the perfect boyfriend to boot. She’s the pride of her parents, Korean immigrants in small-town Alberta who worked day and night to keep the family afloat. But Jane Park’s debut novel, Inheritance, is all about the hidden costs of Anne’s immigrant success story — the hurt, trauma and stifling expectations that tore her family apart. When her father’s death sends her back to Alberta, Anne is forced to confront the reality of her upbringing and the truths behind a violent act that changed her family forever. This week, Jane tells Mattea Roach about the nuances of Korean resilience, how her own experiences factor into the book and what it’s like to be an Asian woman today. 

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• Where do North Korean spies go for dinner?  
• Emma Knight: 'Bad' mothers make good stories — and are more true-to-life  

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A famous crime writer who gets her inspiration from years of working on real cases at the medical examiner’s office. That’s the story of Patricia Cornwell, the bestselling author of the Kay Scarpetta series. Her new memoir, True Crime, is all about the person behind the thrillers … and it proves that sometimes, life is stranger than fiction. From getting dropped off at the doorstep of one of America’s most famous evangelicals to her real forensics experience, Patricia’s memoir is an autopsy of her life and the obstacles she overcame to become a world-renowned author. This week, Patricia tells Mattea Roach about her tumultuous childhood, her path to writing and why she injects hope into her crime novels. 

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• Meth and murder in rural America

• Getting to know Canada’s king of suspense

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The winner of the 2026 CBC Short Story Prize is the Vancouver-based writer Larah Luna. Larah’s story, A Season of Crows, is about a small town learning to live with a huge murder of crows that passes through the town. Born in the Philippines and raised in Manitoba, Larah grew up surrounded by prairie landscapes that shaped the emotional setting of her story. A Season of Crows explores the wonder of the natural world and accepting the unknown … but it’s also based on Larah’s own experiences with grief and loss, and how the environment can hold the emotions that we struggle to convey. 

You can read Larah’s story here.

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• Meet the winner of the 2025 CBC Short Story Prize  
• What does dystopia look like in the suburbs?  

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Books can be revolutionary. That’s the message of Azar Nafisi’s celebrated memoir Reading Lolita in Tehran, which is about her experience teaching forbidden literature to young women in Iran. Although it was published nearly 23 years ago, Azar’s memoir continues to speak to issues around censorship, authoritarianism and resilience in Iran and across the world. Her 2022 book Read Dangerously follows that thread, exploring how books are a tool for resistance and change in a time when people have forgotten how to speak to one another. Azar joined Mattea Roach for a special on-stage event at the Blue Metropolis International Literary Festival in Montreal, where they discussed Azar’s incredible family history, the uniting power of literature and what freedom means to her.

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• Rage and love at the end of apartheid  
• This poem took 16 straight hours to write

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Charity organizations are all about doing good. What could possibly go wrong? Sharon Bala’s new novel, Good Guys, is all about how philanthropy operates in a world that runs on money. The book stars a fictional charity called Children of the World. It’s an international aid organization founded by a former rock star with some questionable motives. Moving between its headquarters in Toronto and its compound in Central America, the story follows the rise and fall of the charity and the characters’ complicated attempts at redemption. This week, Sharon tells Mattea about the dark side of NGOs, the connection between charity and faith and the complex desire to be a good person. 

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• A fictional ad agency — and its very real ghosts 
• Yes, tuberculosis is still a thing — John Green tells us why 

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If it feels like the years are going by faster and faster … you’re not the only one. Grant Ginder’s new novel, So Old, So Young, follows a group of college friends across 20 years. The story is told through five major parties that bring the group together as their lives change and criss-cross in unexpected ways. From housewarmings to weddings to birthdays, this book explores how our connections evolve and break … and it’s a profound look at how friendships grow with us. This week, Grant joins Mattea Roach to talk about writing a “coming of middle-age” novel, having grace for old friends and why friendships can be trickier than romance.

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• Reliving the soundtrack of the 2000s
• 1 marriage, 2 mid-life crises … and a guy named Gluten  

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