For years, Casey Johnston thought fitness was all about shrinking down. She was terrified of weightlifting and what it would do to her body. Now, she’s a writer and fitness advocate with a massive following of fellow lifters. Her latest book, A Physical Education, tells the story of how stepping into the weight room changed her life — body, mind and heart. Speaking with Mattea Roach, she shares how training for strength helped her take a closer look at her upbringing, body image and the way she approaches every day.

If you enjoyed this conversation, check out these episodes:

• Kate Gies: Reclaiming her body after years of medical trauma
• Why growing up is so hard — and why Canadians are so funny

During the pandemic, journalist Carley Fortune turned to romance writing as an outlet … and her debut novel, Every Summer After, was a life-changing success. The nostalgic summer love story was a massive hit, launching her into the world of book lists, devoted fans and screen rights. This spring Carley is back with One Golden Summer, the much-anticipated sequel to her debut novel. Carley joins Mattea to talk about revisiting old characters, her love of the lake and sharing the beauty of rural Ontario with the world. 

If you enjoyed this conversation, check out these episodes:

• Casey McQuiston: Celebrating queer love and joy and navigating the future of romance
• Emma Knight: 'Bad' mothers make good stories — and are more true-to-life

It's not you — the internet really does suck. Novelist, blogger and noted internet commentator Cory Doctorow explains what happened to the internet and why you're tormented by ads, bots, algorithms, AI slop and so many pop-ups. Spoiler alert: it wasn't an accident.

In Understood: Who Broke the Internet, Doctorow gets into the decisions made by powerful people that got us here, and most importantly, how we fix it. More episodes of Who Broke the Internet are available at: https://link.mgln.ai/4HbHJ8

Long before he became a bestselling writer, Ocean Vuong sold rotisserie chickens at Boston Market. In his latest novel, The Emperor of Gladness, he explores the meaning that can be found in the daily grind of a fast food restaurant. The book follows a young addict named Hai as he unexpectedly becomes caretaker to an elderly woman and makes unlikely connections at the fast-food restaurant where he works. Ocean tells Mattea Roach about challenging the American Dream, how being raised by women shaped him and why this novel is his most self indulgent yet. 

If you enjoyed this conversation, check out these episodes:

• Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s triumphant return to fiction
• Teresa Wong: Illustrating her family's past — in all its ordinary and epic moments

As a child, Madeleine Thien loved to sit on her father’s lap as he flipped through the newspaper. Later on, she became fascinated by the newspaper archives at the Vancouver Public Library. Her exploration of history and storytelling continues with novels such as Do Not Say We Have Nothing. Now she's back with her long-awaited new novel, The Book of Records. The book questions the very nature of time, asking how great thinkers like Hannah Arendt lived through catastrophes of the past — and what they can tell us about surviving today. 

Want to know why Madeleine loved our interview with Cory Doctorow? Take a listen here:

• We can still avoid a tech dystopia — here’s how

Iryn Tushabe says she loves Uganda “like a problem.” Her debut novel, Everything Is Fine Here, dives into what exactly those words mean. Aine is coming of age at a boarding school in Uganda … and her world is turned upside down when she learns that her beloved older sister is gay. She’s happy to see her sister in love, but disapproving parents and a hostile culture complicate her ideas of love and faith. Iryn joins Mattea Roach to talk about queer culture in Uganda, her complex relationship with religion and the folklore that inspired the story.

If you enjoyed this conversation, check out these episodes:

• In the Caribbean, secret lives come at a cost
• Emily Austin: Would life be easier as a rat? And other ways to escape adulthood

Inspired by her own experience as a skincare influencer, Liann Zhang’s debut novel, Julie Chan is Dead, is a wild ride into the world of social media. Julie Chan’s estranged twin sister Chloe is a famous mega-influencer … while Julie leads a less glamorous life. When Chloe mysteriously dies, Julie makes a split-second decision to take over her life. She’s suddenly thrust into the world of luxury skincare and toxic influencer cliques — all while trying to stay undetected as the nobody that she actually is. 

If you enjoyed this conversation, check out these episodes:

• Pitbull, Scarface and a whale walk into a book
• Curtis Sittenfeld is fascinated by fame

In The Dream Hotel, Laila Lalami imagines a world where the government has access to data about people's dreams … and uses it to decide if someone is likely to commit a crime. When Laila's protagonist, Sara, is flagged as high risk, she’s sent to a retention centre and subjected to constant surveillance. Laila talks to Mattea Roach about her interest in dreams, the dangers of invisible data collection and her multilingual journey to writing. 

If you enjoyed this conversation, check out these episodes:

• We can still avoid a tech dystopia — here’s how
• Nnedi Okorafor: Bringing a writer to life in Death of the Author

You may not be familiar with Dorian McNamara yet … but his story, You (Streetcar at Night), is the winner of the 2025 CBC Short Story Prize. If you’ve spent time in Toronto, you’ll know its trademark red streetcars. Dorian grew up on those streetcars, which is why he chose one as the backdrop for his story of a young transgender person reflecting on their first relationship. Dorian and Mattea Roach talk about reflecting on transition, what he loves about Halifax and what winning this prize means for him. 

You can read Dorian’s winning story here. 

That all-consuming, dizzying feeling is what acclaimed poet Seán Hewitt captures in his debut novel, Open, Heaven. The book follows a teenager named James, whose first love is made complicated by his own sexuality and the realities of the rural English village where he lives. Seán joins Mattea to talk about the difference between love and desire, the role of nature in his work and why Ireland is such fertile ground for poets. 

If you enjoyed this conversation, check out these episodes:

• Alan Hollinghurst: Coming of age in Britain and writing through the gay gaze
• Emma Knight: 'Bad' mothers make good stories — and are more true-to-life