Getting Lit with Linda - The Canadian Literature Podcast

In this episode, Linda remembers how she met actor and writer Lorena Gale in Vancouver, British Columbia - and how acts of remembering define who you are, as Gale's play, Je Me Souviens (Talon Press), renders clear; she connects the history and significance of license plates in Quebec to Gale's journey of self-discovery to show how Gale navigates carefully the challenges of identity in the province -- both when Gale lived there and then in retrospect. In the take-away section, Linda considers the collection, Chronicling the Days: Dispatches from a Pandemic, a project conceived by the Quebec Writers' Federation and produced in conjunction with Guernica Press, as an early provincial-based response to the pandemic. (With apologies for the recording's lack of clarity this episode!) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Linda chats with her co-producer (yes, that's right - her co-producer) and long-standing friend, Marco Timpano, about his career as a podcaster, and his recent publication, 25 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started My Podcast. He reads from the book and, drawing upon his own experiences as a podcaster, explains some of the things he really wished he did know. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Linda begins with the sound of her father's old espresso machine, to explain how she sees -- or hears -- sound working in Magnetic Equator (published by McClelland & Stewart) by international poet, novelist, and sound performer Kaie Kellough. You can hear a sample of his sound poetry here. This episode includes a small excerpt read by Kellough himself (with permission by Kellough).In the "take-away" section, Linda talks about a biography she recently read by Sherrill Grace, about Canadian author Timothy Findley (published by Wilfrid Laurier University Press).If you'd like to know more about sound poetry, and about Kaie Kellough as a sound poet, check out Adam Sol's blog post about Kellough on "How a Poem Moves." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Linda chats with author, Michael Nest, about Cold Case North, a finalist for the Crime Writers of Canada for its 2021 Best True Crime Award. We chat about the challenges involved in researching the disappearance of Jim Brady (Metis) and Absolom Halkett (Cree), the fundamental nature of collaboration in this kind of endeavour, and what it might look like this in this kind of moment and context. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bonus Episode: Linda chats with Dr. Deanna Reder about the history related to James Brady (Métis) and Abby Halkett, the community that experienced this traumatic loss, and the making of this book. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Linda discusses the narrative of Cold Case North (published by the University of Regina Press) -- an investigation that was poorly conducted and re-opened by ... a Cree-Métis scholar, Dr. Deanna Reder, Eric Bell, and Michael Nest. Shortlisted by the Crime Writers of Canada for the 2021 Best True Crime Award, Cold Case North is a powerful, moving account of how and why the Métis leader James Brady and Cree Band Councillor Absolom Halkett disappeared and their case remains unresolved. Dr. Deanna Reder reads from sections of the book as part of the episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Linda considers the two central meanings of apocalypse in view of recent global events, environmental crises, and political upheavals. She uses these two meanings to approach Saleema Nawaz's Songs for the End of the World (published by McClelland & Stewart). In the "Takeaway" section of the podcast, she continues to pursue the idea of revelation in relation to Klara DuPlessis's Hell Light Flesh (published by Palimpsest Press). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are so grateful for the really enthusiastic response we have had to the podcast! We're coming right back - but, in response to some of our listeners's requests, we have provided you with a list of some of the writers (and a little time to read their books!) that Linda will be discussing in future episodes. Have some other suggestions for us? Drop us a line at [email protected] or follow us on Twitter (@LLitWith) and Instagram! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our bodies hold memory: they contain narratives that exceed the present moment and extend back generations. This episode calls upon writer and host Linda's personal experience to understand and explore Madeleine Thien's remarkable novel, Do Not Say We Have Nothing, published by Knopf (a division of Penguin Random House). The Take-Away for this episode involves two collections by the Italian-Canadian poet, Gianna Patriarca -- Italian Women and Other Tragedies and Daughters for Sale, both published by Guernica Press.Episode Credits:Writer and host: Linda MorraAssociate Producers: Linda Morra and Marco TimpanoMusic: Rafael Krux Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Linda begins by focusing on one of her personal favourites: DeNiro's Game by the award-winning, Quebec-based author, Rawi Have (with reference to two of his other novels). The "Take-away" section briefly recommends Megan Gail Coles's Small Game Hunting at the Local Coward's Gun Club published by the House of Anansi, while promising to look at other East-Coast writers in Canada in the future, including Alistair MacLeod, Michael Crummey, Lisa Moore, Donna Morrissey, and Michael Winter.Episode Credits: Linda Morra: Host, Writer, Associate Producer Marco Timpano: Associate Producer Raphael Krux: Music  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does it mean to "Get Lit with Linda"? This episode introduces listeners to Linda and what she will be chatting about in future episodes--Canadian and other literary forms. Sometimes, she will also chat with literary writers and icons, to develop a broad sense of what "getting literature" really means.Episode Credits:Linda Morra: Host & Writer, Associate ProducerMarco Timpano:  Associate ProducerRaphael Krux: Music Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Using her expertise as a seasoned literature professor, Linda M. Morra develops provocative, timely insights about books from Canada and elsewhere to show why stories are relevant for all of us. Hosted and written by Linda Morra, produced by Linda Morra and Marco Timpano. Our podcast launches on August 19, 2020! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.