It’s a bit of an understatement to say that Canisia Lubrin has a way with words. Last year, she took home the Carol Shields Prize for her debut novel, Code Noir. Now she’s back with a long-form poem called The World After Rain. The poem is an epic tribute to her mother and the passing of time, and it poured out of Canisia over the span of 16 hours. This week, Canisia joins Mattea Roach to talk about why she never intended to publish the poem … and why she felt she had no choice. 

Check out our interview with 2025 Giller Prize winner Souvankham Thammavongsa:

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