On this week’s episode of the CJSR Edition, stories about the blurring of realities, clarity in the face of deception, smoke and mirrors.

We’ll hear a presentation that magician Ian Pidgeon delivered this summer at Edmonton’s Nerd Night about the power that sleight of hand can have on our society.

Then, later we’ll hear from students at the University of Alberta talking about their first weeks on campus. They’ll talk about their hopes and expectations for the next four years of school. Expectations that might not align with reality — at least according to one jaded man who spent 15 years pursuing a bachelor’s degree in the labyrinth that is the U of A.

And to start it all off, an interview with Canadian fantasy writer Kelley Armstrong about the process of penning imaginary worlds.