Tapestry

By CBC

What's Tapestry about?

Tapestry is your guide through the messy business of being human. You’ll hear surprising conversations and rediscover your connection to something larger than yourself. Tapestry: your time to pause and go deep.

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Tapestry episodes:

12.29.2023
Tapestry: Thanks for listening
In this finale episode of Tapestry, Mary Hynes and co-host Chris Howden send off the show in style with some of our favourite interview moments, well wishes from past guests, and emotional calls from listeners — all in front...
12.22.2023
Saying goodbye
For Tapestry's penultimate episode, we peek behind the curtain. Tapestry producers Rosie Fernandez, Arman Aghbali, and McKenna Hadley-Burke take the hosting reins to share what the show has meant to them, alongside three stories on unexpected gifts and goodbyes.
12.15.2023
Our most requested interview: John O'Donohue
The Irish poet John O'Donohue is in a league of his own here at Tapestry — he stars in the single most requested episode we’ve ever broadcast. O’Donohue, an ex-priest, was also a beautiful writer, and a wildly eloquent partner...
12.08.2023
The science of sweetness
When he reached the peak of Snowmass Mountain, Fred Bryant made sure the moment lived with him forever. Bryant is a social psychologist and a leading expert on the science of savouring. Later, Shane Sinclair is the founder and director of...
11.24.2023
Asking the big questions
Writer, artist and priest Malcolm Doney has been tackling life's biggest questions about love, loss, meaning and purpose. Together with co-author Martin Wroe, Doney wrote a guide to living in harmony with the unknown called Hold On, Let Go: How...
11.19.2023
On home and healing
Three stories on writing, music, and paying it forward. Plus, we have a big announcement.
11.10.2023
What can ancient myths teach us about AI?
What wisdom can ancient mythology bring to the debate over artificial intelligence? How Pandora’s tale and the Golem of Prague tell us about the fear of the unknown, hubris, and the inanimate made animate.
11.03.2023
The interplanetary hospital chaplain
Joon Park is a chaplain who doesn’t fit the stereotype. Not only is he the religion guy on call after many years as an atheist, there's also the fact he uses Star Trek: The Next Generation, as a guide for...
10.27.2023
After life: Finding meaning at the end
There are two topics that tend to send some people recoiling from a conversation: aging and death. We hear from people who are confronting both — and changing the way people think about the end of our lives.
10.13.2023
Superstars and superfans: From Jesus to Taylor Swift
Two musical experiences separated by half a century — each with a kind of power and a hold on fans that verges on the spiritual.
10.06.2023
Monk for a month
Would you sign up for 'The Monk Class?' Students take a vow of silence, abstain from drinking, and put away their phones. You’ll meet a few students who did it — and the professor behind the course called “Living Deliberately:...
09.22.2023
What it means to belong
Learning to ride a bike at age 68 and learning Punjabi — some of the ways people are trying to connect with each other and to a new place. Later, anthropologist Girish Daswani explores the notion that there may be benefits...
09.15.2023
Religion — the remix
Where do people turn to when they turn away from religion? Everything from skin care routines to dance parties with theologian Tara Isabella Burton and DJ Bryce G. A look at how people are remixing their connections to religion –...
09.08.2023
The restorative art of kintsugi
Two artists, Makoto Fujimura and Naoko Fukumaru, share about how repairing broken items with gold-dusted lacquer can help mend broken spirits.
06.23.2023
Let yourself cry, baby
Can you remember the last time you had a good cry? Pastor and author Benjamin Perry says it's probably been a while since many of us have let ourselves feel our feelings deeply enough to have a good sob. Perry...
06.16.2023
Living the bittersweet life
Writer Susan Cain explores the idea that longing and sorrow can make you more human and more whole. Cain is the author of Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole and Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World...
06.09.2023
How noise-cancelling tech is turning us into sound 'consumers'
Noise canceling headphones are only becoming more sophisticated, but media studies professor Mack Hagood is concerned about the consequences of picking and choosing which sounds we get to hear. Hagood is the author of Hush: Media and Sonic Self-Control. Even though...
06.02.2023
Beauty close to home
Before Deanne Fitzpatrick discovered the art of rug-hooking, she had planned to become a therapist. These days her therapy comes from making things with her own two hands. Mark Farmer says we should drop the idea of a bucket list....
05.26.2023
The spectacular, popular and controversial charity of MrBeast
MrBeast is the most popular YouTuber on the planet, who is making his reputation on viral acts of charity. But are his charitable acts really about giving, or are they about boosting his reputation while exploiting those in need? Tapestry...
05.19.2023
Moving beyond sophistication
Ron Rolheiser grew up in Cactus Lake, Saskatchewan, on the family farm. Ordained in 1972, he’s spent many years since then teaching philosophy and theology and has become known as one of the most important voices in spirituality today. Ron...
05.16.2023
Virtual therapy made real
John Francis Leader is a psychologist and cognitive scientist at University College Dublin. He’s the director of the Mixed Reality Therapy research project where they use virtual reality as a therapeutic tool with their patients. Leader describes the approach as...
05.05.2023
Finding poetry in the real world
Anis Mojgani is the poet laureate of Oregon and the creator of the Tele-poem Hotline, a phone line that through April, delivered a new poem each day through the phone lines. Anis and several Canadian poet laureates discuss that feeling...
04.28.2023
Gender-fluid dressing could bring about a renaissance in fashion
Until now, a lot of forays into genderless fashion have been subdued and shapeless, featuring neutral colours and boxy silhouettes. The author and activist behind the #DeGenderFashion movement says a truly gender-fluid approach to dressing could allow room for a...
04.21.2023
Quest for the Holy Grail
It’s one of the most beguiling and mysterious objects in all of human storytelling, and it has been inspiring people for centuries. But if you come across the words "Holy Grail" today, chances are someone's been shopping. But it can...
04.14.2023
Ramadan
As we near the end of Ramadan, Tapestry gets a glimpse into an important experience during one of Islam's holiest months: watching television. Ahmad Hayat, an assistant professor of Journalism and Electronic Media at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, says watching...
04.06.2023
Restlessness
Whenever that feeling of uncertainty about the life we've created creeps in, it can be easy to try to solve it with quick fixes like getting a new haircut, ending a relationship, finding a new job, or moving to a...
03.31.2023
Naps and skateboards
Tricia Hersey thinks grind culture is an assault on your basic humanity. Hersey, also known as The Nap Bishop, is the author of the book Rest is Resistance: A Manifesto. She says resting is a deeply spiritual act. You might find...
03.24.2023
Planners and spiritual calligraphy
Why are people still drawn to paper planners in such a digital age? Rowena Sunga owns a stationery store in Toronto’s west end and meets a lot of people who are looking for ways to tame the chaos of life...
03.10.2023
Midlife
Andrew Jamieson had so much going for him: a loving family and a successful business. But when Andrew hit midlife, midlife hit back! He did get through it with the help of a lot of therapy. Now a therapist himself...
03.03.2023
Parenting
Wherever the word ‘parenting’ is found, judgment and guilt and stress won’t be far behind. Dorsa Amir is a development scientist and postdoctoral researcher at the UC Berkeley department of psychology. And as a parent herself, she’s been offering what...
02.24.2023
St. Brigit and King Julez
This year was the first time Ireland celebrated a national holiday dedicated to St. Brigit. Theologian Mary Condren says there is rich feminist symbolism in St. Brigit, whether you consider her a Celtic goddess or a Catholic Saint. Julian Munro...
02.17.2023
The Lord of the Rings and its far right fans
Why is Lord of the Rings and fantasy novels so intriguing to conservatives and the far right? Journalist John Last has been researching the links between The Lord of the Rings and Italian fascist movements. He talks about how the...
02.10.2023
Psychedelic healing and friendships
The psychologist Monnica Williams co-created a series of graduate courses in Psychedelics and Spirituality Studies at the University of Ottawa. She has a special interest in the use of psychedelics to heal racial trauma. As an only child, Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff...
01.27.2023
Words and rituals
Psychology professor and Denmark native Marie Helweg-Larsen shares how Danish words can encourage better living by helping us settle, set boundaries, create community, and tune into shared moments. Sometimes we need more than words during really difficult periods of life. Katie...
01.20.2023
Jesuits in space
Astrophysicist and Jesuit priest Adam Hincks shares the value he's found in studying both the Bible and the Big Bang.
01.13.2023
Putting the soul back into psychology
The word ‘psyche’ comes from the Greek and Latin, meaning soul or spirit — so why is any talk of ‘the soul' so absent from modern-day psychology and psychiatry? Psychologist David Rosmarin shares how and why he's trying to bring spirituality...
01.08.2023
The value of wonder in a despairing world
The scholar of religion Karen Armstrong says rational thinking has brought all kinds of wondrous things to the world. But when the scientific worldview began to take over in philosophy and spirituality, something vital was lost — the sense of...
12.16.2022
Just friends
Maybe you’ve used the phrase yourself: "It’s purely platonic." Plato would not be impressed. The word he lent his name to was supposed to mean a love so powerful it transcends the physical. Marisa G. Franco is a psychologist, and...
12.09.2022
Searching for connection? Third places may be the solution
In the last few decades, cities across North America have lost many of their beloved third places — spaces outside the home or work where people can go to find community. But this isn't happening because people don't want to...
12.02.2022
Hope and despair 10,000 kilometres from home
Footage from Iran shows girls and women removing their hijabs in protest. But when the videos end up on Tiktok some of the complexity around the veil is going to get lost. Tapestry spoke with Homa Hoodfar, on the meanings...
11.25.2022
Mindfulness meditation with Jon Kabat-Zinn
Author and meditation teacher Jon Kabat-Zinn shares the value of staying in the here and now and making peace with paying attention.
11.18.2022
A passion for history
A German town’s Passion Play is back on to fulfill a holy promise. Max Miller, host and creator of the YouTube channel Tasting History, brings the past into the present by recreating historic dishes.
11.10.2022
Becoming Kin with Indigenous author Patty Krawec
Author Patty Krawec shares how going back and acknowledging harmful histories helps pave the way for a more hopeful future.
11.04.2022
Facing our nightmares
Author Brandon Grafius says there are spiritual lessons to be found in scary texts and something hopeful hidden in the horrifying. Kevin Ball reflects on if there's another way to talk about a person's passing.
10.31.2022
#Catholic
Chris Stedman studies the way people are re-imagining religion online. He says that while current fashions like the Holy Trinity Bikini with the words Father and Son on the top and Holy Spirit on the bottom seem to be mocking...
10.14.2022
The Gospel according to Dungeons and Dragons
Religion scholar Joseph Laycock has been playing Dungeons and Dragons for a long time. He says that even though D&D was once a source of a moral panic, there is nothing satanic about it. Instead, Laycock sees the game as...
10.07.2022
Where the heart lives
Tapestry features two documentaries this week: Strange Heart tells the story of a woman who, since receiving a heart transplant six years ago, reports that she hasn’t felt emotion and hasn’t experienced love in quite the same way. And...
09.30.2022
Disney adults and questions for dad
You may have heard about the bride and groom who spent their catering budget on a special appearance by Mickey and Minnie Mouse. We suspected there might be something profound at the heart of all this, in both the fervent...
09.23.2022
What would the world look like if paganism had defeated Christianity?
Julian Barnes’ latest novel, Elizabeth Finch, asks the question, what if civilization took a wrong turn in the 4th Century, by choosing Christianity over Hellenistic and Roman paganism?
09.16.2022
The importance of seeking beauty
Daniela Gesundheit splits her time between California and Toronto as part of the indie band Snowblink. She also is a cantor, the person who leads people in singing and prayer in a synagogue. There were conversations about what it...

What's Tapestry about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Tapestry episodes:

Tapestry: Thanks for listening

Saying goodbye

Our most requested interview: John O'Donohue

The science of sweetness

Asking the big questions

On home and healing

What can ancient myths teach us about AI?

The interplanetary hospital chaplain

After life: Finding meaning at the end

Superstars and superfans: From Jesus to Taylor Swift

Monk for a month

What it means to belong

Religion — the remix

The restorative art of kintsugi

Let yourself cry, baby

Living the bittersweet life

How noise-cancelling tech is turning us into sound 'consumers'

Beauty close to home

The spectacular, popular and controversial charity of MrBeast

Moving beyond sophistication

Virtual therapy made real

Finding poetry in the real world

Gender-fluid dressing could bring about a renaissance in fashion

Quest for the Holy Grail

Ramadan

Restlessness

Naps and skateboards

Planners and spiritual calligraphy

Midlife

Parenting

St. Brigit and King Julez

The Lord of the Rings and its far right fans

Psychedelic healing and friendships

Words and rituals

Jesuits in space

Putting the soul back into psychology

The value of wonder in a despairing world

Just friends

Searching for connection? Third places may be the solution

Hope and despair 10,000 kilometres from home

Mindfulness meditation with Jon Kabat-Zinn

A passion for history

Becoming Kin with Indigenous author Patty Krawec

Facing our nightmares

#Catholic

The Gospel according to Dungeons and Dragons

Where the heart lives

Disney adults and questions for dad

What would the world look like if paganism had defeated Christianity?

The importance of seeking beauty