Getting Lit with Linda - The Canadian Literature Podcast

While sitting over supper with Karen Molson, the Executive Director of the Greenwood Centre and with the award-winning author, Gail Anderson-Dargatz, Linda debates whether she should order fries or salad. What she wants is a few fries and a whole salad, to feel, as Anderson-Dargatz wryly observes, more righteous. It is these sinful sides that also really make characters interesting—not just our meals—a dash of naughtiness and a whole lot of regret. That becomes one of several sources of discussion with Anderson-Dargatz about her engaging and delightful new novel,The Atlas Keeper (HarperCollins), in this live episode of Getting Lit with Linda, hosted as part of StoryFest in Hudson, at the Greenwood Centre.If you haven’t made it to this festival, by the way, you are missing out – it’s a charming venue in a lovely, semi-rural community to the north and west of Montreal—and StoryFest has already boasted some very good Canadian writers, including Anita Rau Badami, Michael Crummey, Michelle Good, with others to come.Producer: Linda Morra; Associate Producer: Maia Harris; Music: Raphael Krux; Sound Production: Seiji Gutierrez (on-site) and Jason C. And a HUGE shout-out to Julie Gedeon who organized this whole event! You are a rock-star! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kasia Van Schaik speaks about the monstrous women for whom she would like to see monuments built, even building them herself in the very book she has written, Women Among Monuments (Dundurn). Women have been characterised as monstrous when they deviate from scripted roles based on gender; when they decide to defy convention; whey they eschew serving as muses to artists. In view of Women’s History Month (1:12), this episode is so relevant, so timely: Van Schaik and Linda discuss Virgina Woolf, Gertrude Stein, Georgia O’Keefe—and Anne Carson, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature just a few days after the episode was recorded. Special guest appearance by Fifi, Van Schaik’s cat.Some other subjects/figures of discussion:Women writers and critics like Virginia Woolf (1.18; 4:02), Gertrude Stein (1:19; 4:04; 13:15), Georgia O’Keefe (1:21; 20:49); Laura Mulvey (6:47); Simone de Beauvoir (7:39); Kate Chopin (8:29); Josephine Nivison Hopper (10:34); Helen Martin (21:22); Sara Ahmed (23:34); Lauren Berlant (23:36); Lee Lai (25:42), Madeleine Thien and Rawi Hage (12:13)Ann Carson (1.27); and The Gender of Sound (13:38)Trad wives (23:01)Internalized male (artist's) gaze (5:13)Muses or monsters (8:55)Producer: Linda Morra; Associate Producer: Maia Harris; Music: Raphael Krux; Sound Production: Jason C. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you carry around the cultural baggage Linda does, when you hear the name Mister Rogers, you’ll immediately conjure up the image of that nice, congenial television personality, who developed a children’s program that lasted for over thirty years. If you’re thinking of that Mr. Rogers as part of this episode, you’re somewhat off the mark: This episode features playwright, Michael Healey, and his play about the Telecom titan Ted Rogers, and his son, Edward who struggled to claim control over the family business (insert: shades of the hit television series, Succession). Rogers vs. Rogers (Playwrights Canada Press) is his new political comedy adapted from the bestselling exposé Rogers v. Rogers: The Battle for Control of Canada's Telecom Empire by Alexandra Posadzki. The play is currently being staged at Great Canadian Theatre Company in Ottawa.Producer: Linda Morra; Associate Producer: Maia Harris; Music: Raphael Krux; Sound Production: Jason C. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Linda speaks about Shani Mootoo's Starry Starry Night (Book*hug Press), an auto-fictional work that confirms her exceptional talent, in its sophisticated narration and vivid delineation of scenes from a childhood in Trinidad. Mootoo traces the early life of Anju, roughly based on Mootoo’s own childhood, the heartrending contours of that life – but, as she ruminated in their interview together, she approached those painful experiences with a sense of dispassionate observation and compassion, for herself and for others, documenting upon what is unfurling at every moment. And then she concludes, “It was all a gift.”Linda takes a moment in her introduction to reflect on the loss of her beloved cat, Pinky, and confirms - it was indeed all a gift, including this very special interview with Shani Mootoo.Other references:Oeno Gallery (where Shani Mootoo's visual art may be found, 2:28)Vincent Van Gogh (30 minutes)Cat Stevens (33.03)Shani's advice for aspiring writers (33.41)Producer: Linda Morra; Associate Producer: Maia Harris; Music: Raphael Krux; Sound Production: Jason C. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this discussion between Linda and the magnificent Eastern Townships of Quebec writer, Louise Penny, they are initially joined by her dogs, Muggins and Charlie (see our social media feed!). And, of course, the conversation was greatly enriched by her dogs’ vocal contributions. After a short and lively exchange with them, Louise and Linda turn to her most recent novels The Grey Wolf and The Black Wolf, which just came out in paperback in August, and The Last Mandarin (Macmillan; her second collaboration, this time with journalist Melissa Fung), which just came out in hardcover.Penny really needs almost no introduction - but she is the author of the best-selling mystery series that features Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec and has published over 20 novels, which have been translated into over 23 languages, sold millions of copies worldwide, and repeatedly reached number 1 on the New York Times Best Seller list. In this episode, she and Linda discuss questions of democracy, rights, daily acts of kindness, decency, and love, and who really is the villain. Questions posed by Ceri Morgan and Julie Rak through social media are also included toward the end of this episode (26:09).Some other points of discussion:Democracy’s Second Act by Peter MacLeod and Richard JohnsonRole of insight (23:39)Discussions of the character of the villain (24:00)AI (25:00)The Takeaway with Louise Penny's advice (29:19)Producer: Linda Morra; Associate Producer: Maia Harris; Music: Raphael Krux; Sound Production: Jason C. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special bonus episode, Linda collaborates with the Association of English-Language Publishers of Quebec (AELAQ) and the Quebec Writers' Federation (QWF) to draw attention to and celebrate Quebec Book Day (August 12th) by interviewing five authors about their four books (she says "four" authors in the episode, but Linda never claimed she could count well). The writers and books featured in this episode include:Raymond Biesinger and Nine Times my Work Has Been Ripped Off (Drawn & Quarterly, 1:20; 4:10)Kaie Kellough and Interposition (Random House, 2:00; 17.55)Derek Aronhie:nens Montour and Elin Sandberg Miller and Everyday Reconciliation (HarperCollins, 2:35; 30:53)Anita Rau Badami and Asha in her Garden (Knopf, 3:41; 45:47)Together, Linda and her guests discussed favourite book stores, and the best places to read or give readings in and around Montreal. Some of their responses featured the following:Drawn & Quarterly (15:10; 26:48)Paragraph Bookstore (17:07; 43:06; 43:42)L’Eugélionne Librairie (26:46)Gallimard (26:52)The Word Bookstore (26:56)Joie de Livre (43:25)Librairie L’Échange (44:09)Westmount Library (45:68)Library on Parc (45:40, Parc Ex)Ethnic Origins Bookstore (27:04)Casa del Popolo and La Salla Rossa (28:47)Montreal Botanical Garden (55:10)And other authors highlighted:Mordecai Richler (and Duddy Kravitz, 29.22)Dany LaFerrière (55:58)Kim Thúy (55:23)Gaétan Soucy (58:18)Heather O’Neill (56:40)Gabrielle Roy (57:20)Don't forget to go and get your book for Quebec Book Day!Producer: Linda Morra; Associate Producer: Maia Harris; Music: Raphael Krux; Sound Production: Jason C. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is Getting Lit with Linda’s 100th episode – a real milestone! To mark this specific achievement, three scholars join Linda to speak about an historic author rather than a contemporary one: the magnificent Jane Rule. Born in 1936, she authored several short story collections, essays, and novels, including The Desert of the Heart (Talon), a landmark novel published in 1964 and made into a movie in 1985. The movie was titled Desert Hearts (2.10) directed by Donna Deitch. The three scholars are Marilyn Schuster, “the godmother of Jane Rule Studies” (3.00; author of Passionate Communities and A Queer Love Story, 14.15 ), Amber Dean (working on a second volume of Jane Rule’s letters exchanged with Rick Bébout, 14:18 ), and Cate Sandilands (completing a collection of stories, titled Dear Jane Rule). Linda has also completed her biography about Rule (forthcoming with McGill-Queen's UP). Why are they so enamored of her? You’ll have to listen to this episode to find out!They talk about some of Rule’s novels, short stories, and essays, including The Desert of the Heart (1.55; 6:00; 6:55), The Young in One Another’s Arms (7:45), Inland Passage, (9:38), Lesbian Images (9:00), This is Not for You (12.54), and Contract with the World (12.04). They also speak about the following:· Some of Jane Rule’s awards (Order of British Columbia and Order of Canada, 1.20)· David Anderson (11:12), a scholar who completed his doctorate in the Faculty of Environmental Studies at York University· James Baldwin (17:55) and the citation, “If I am not what you say I am, then you are not who you think you are.”· Jane’s letters and prolific letter writing (17.40; 22:45; 28:25)· Public lesbianism (16.32); being critical of insular heteronormativity (17.10)· Galiano Island (22:45; 28:15), their swimming pool (25:54), and the Bank of Jane (26:19)Stick around for the takeaway and their advice to aspiring writers and researchers! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this interview, award-winning poet, Farah Ghafoor talks to Linda about Shadow Price (House of Anansi), shortlisted for the Trillium Prizes this year (check out our social media for pics from the event!). Since Ghafoor invites her readers to pay closer attention to our immediate biospheres, Linda does just that – opening with observations about the natural microcosm of which she is a part (yep, squirrels are mentioned).This is a very smart collection, that traverses subjects as far ranging as economics to the history of trees. Ghafoor invites her readers on that journey to remind them that they are not passive consumers but making decisions every day that highlight we have more power than we think -- and it all begins with where we focus our attention. Other highlights:Trillium Prize Book Awards (2:46)Jenny Odell's How to do Nothing (6:00)Passivity, passive voice, perspectives that imply passivity (8:00)The importance of the past to our future(s) (15:30)Guy Debord’s The Society of Spectacle (22:50)The Labubus (22.35)Producer: Linda Morra; Associate Producer; Maia Harris; Music by Raphael Krux Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anyone who knows Linda also knows that she has a very passionate love-hate relationship with the city of Montreal. While on some days, she is bursting with pride for all that is wonderful about the city, on other days, she is less keen. But she’s not alone in her ardour, as the litany of authors who have been featuring Montreal in their work highlights—from Louise Penny's Grey Wolf (Minotaur Books) to Lee Lai's award-winning Cannon (Drawn & Quarterly), Montreal is a city that people love to write about. In this episode, Linda chats with another such author – Arjun Basu – about his novel The Reeds (ECW Press) – and how Montreal is featured, somewhat unobtrusively as part of the plot but also as another character in this novel. The four main characters, each perspective advancing the plot, are what Basu refers as “Four Equals One”—but Linda adds Montreal to that list.Want to know more about this novel? Check out this review in Montreal Review of Books. Producer: Linda Morra; Associate Producer; Maia Harris; Music by Raphael Krux Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Linda interviews Lee Lai about Cannon, the graphic novel for which Lai was shortlisted for the Carol Shields Prize (the only author on the shortlist with a Canadian connection).The friendship between the protagonist of the same name (Cannon) and Trish puts the very definition of their relationship to the test, complicated in part because Cannon is trying to be responsible to everyone around her—and the net result is that Cannon fails to advocate for herself.Lai refers to Love in a F** Up World by the activist and educator Dean Spade, which Linda picked up after the interview. She was fascinated by Spade's question: How do we build lasting and effective resistance movements, if we are not even examining the ethics of foundational relationships like friendship? That’s the question that Lee Lai takes up. Lai isn’t dismissive or casual about friendship—it isn’t “just friendship” in that sense, but rather friendship that is fair, ethical, democratic.Other points of discussion- loving conflict (as Lee Lai says, “as the only thing that genuinely changes unsustainably bad dynamics”)- types of conflict: inner, between people, between art production and the way we see the world- Sarah Schulman, Conflict is Not Abuse (see also Ties that Bind and Let the Record Show)- chosen families and queer friendships- betrayal in friendship and unchecked expectations- Tuck Woodstock (podcaster) and the Gender Reveal podcast- Randa Abdel-Fattah's interview for the podcast, Between the Covers (David Naimon; see also Mariam Kaba's interview for this podcast)- Sheila Watson’s The Double Hook- R.F. Kuang, Yellowface- James McEvoy, Love and Friendship in the Western Tradition : From Plato to Postmodernity (2023)Producer: Linda Morra; Associate Producer; Maia Harris; Music by Raphael Krux Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.