Get Lit

Here’s the second half of the Sean Michaels show, recorded in conversation at the Hamilton Public Library. Not only do we talk about The Wagers but there’s a Q&A at the end and an amazing story about luck that involves an infamous software developer. Trust me.

Once again, apologizes for the sound quality; there was no way to monitor as we recorded and any time one of us speaks too loudly there is distortion. The conversation was so good and Sean is so entertaining and insightful that we decided to air it anyway. Dig!

I was given the opportunity to host Sean Michaels in conversation at the Hamilton Public Library. I’ve known Sean since 2013, before his Giller-winning Us Conductors was released; we met on the grand jury for the Polaris Music Prize.

It was fantastic to get to talk to Sean, at length, about his newest novel. The Wagers is a very different book than Us Conductors, but I loved it immensely just the same.

This episode is separated into two parts (the second comes next week). I must apologize for the sound quality; there was no way to monitor as we recorded and any time one of us speaks too loudly there is distortion. I weighed the pros and cons and decided to air it anyhow, as the conversation was so good and Sean is so entertaining and insightful. Enjoy!

Today’s show involves very little me! Which is a nice change. Instead, the head of McMaster’s Peace Studies program, Dr. Chandrima Chakraborty, interviews Dr. Ram Guha about his epic work, Gandhi: The Years That Changed the World, 1914-1948. Enjoy!

Today’s guest is Jessica Westhead, and we get to talk about her fab new novel Worry. Make sure you check it out!

Today we chat with author Nairne Holtz about her last novel, Femme Confidential. She's great and it's a fun conversation (sadly my mic is wonky so I apologize for sounding like I'm across the room lol). Enjoy!

More poetry this week! First, we talk to AbleHamilton Poetry Festival participant, poet, and musician Leo Dragtoe (with a cameo appearance by festival organizer Shane Neilson). After that we speak with poet Laura Kooji about her collection No Rainbow.  Both amazing people and amazing talents (who managed to get into the studio in person, which means they both got to read on the show, too!) Hope you dig our conversations.

This week we talk with Geoffrey Taylor. He’s stepping down as director of the Toronto International Festival of Authors, so we had one last conversation on the topic. The festival starts Oct 24 and runs through Nov 3.

We also speak with poet Jaclyn Desforges, who talks about (and reads from) her chapbook Hello Nice Man. Enjoy the show!

Guest host Shane Neilson (physician, editor, poet, writer, sage) interviews Gregory Betts, co-editor of Avant Canada: Poets, Prophets, Revolutionaries. Enjoy!

Steven Price was recently short-listed for this year's Scotiabank Giller Prize. On E150 we talk about his novel Lampedusa, a fictional look at real-life author Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa (whose posthumously published novel The Leopard became a classic of Italian literature).