Podcasts about pen canada

Tech oligarchs have risen to dominate global politics and public discourse, posing grave threats to democracy and governance. Under Donald Trump's presidency, the consolidation of power among Silicon Valley elites has exacerbated critical challenges, including the spread of misinformation, the weaponization of social media, and the unchecked development of artificial intelligence. These forces have not only deepened political polarization but also paved the way for the normalization of extremism, undermining the foundations of truth in the digital era. The intersection of technological exploitation, political radicalization, and the information war presents urgent questions for the future of democratic societies. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, we unpack these critical dynamics with two distinguished guests. Andres Kasekamp, an expert on populist radical right movements and European governance, explores the historical and political parallels of authoritarian trends. Ron Deibert, a global authority on cybersecurity and digital rights, highlights the ways in which tech platforms enable political manipulation and disinformation campaigns. Together, they offer in-depth insights into the complex role of digital platforms in amplifying authoritarianism and discuss potential pathways for mitigating their impact on democracy. Andres Kasekamp is the Elmar Tampõld Chair of Estonian Studies and Professor of History at the University of Toronto's Department of History and the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. He is a leading scholar on Baltic politics, memory politics, and populist radical right movements. Formerly a Professor of Baltic Politics at the University of Tartu and Director of the Estonian Foreign Policy Institute in Tallinn, Kasekamp has held visiting positions at esteemed institutions such as Humboldt University in Berlin and the Norwegian Institute for International Affairs. Among his acclaimed works is A History of the Baltic States, which has been translated into multiple languages and remains a definitive text in the field. His research explores European foreign and security policy and the intricate dynamics of cooperation and conflict in the Baltic Sea region. Currently, he is editing The Oxford Handbook of Modern Baltic History. Ron Deibert is a Professor of Political Science and the Director of the Citizen Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, University of Toronto. A pioneer in cybersecurity and human rights, Deibert has led the Citizen Lab's groundbreaking investigations into cyber espionage, commercial spyware, and digital censorship, producing over 120 influential reports. These include the Tracking Ghostnet investigation into cyber-espionage and the Reckless series, which revealed spyware abuses targeting journalists and activists. Deibert is also the author of RESET: Reclaiming the Internet for Civil Society, a winner of the Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing. His work has earned numerous accolades, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation Pioneer Award and the Order of Ontario. Beyond academia, he serves on advisory boards for organizations like Amnesty International and PEN Canada, making him a critical voice in addressing the intersection of technology, democracy, and civil liberties. Produced by: Julia Brahy

My guest on this episode is Randy Boyagoda. Randy is the author of six books, including the novels Governor of the Northern Province, Beggar's Feast, and Original Prin, and a scholarly biography of Richard John Neuhaus. His work has been nominated for the Giller Prize and for the IMPAC Dublin Literary Prize. He frequently writes for the New York Times, the Atlantic, the Walrus, Financial Times and Guardian, as well as many other places. He is former President of PEN Canada and is currently a member of The Walrus Educational Review Committee and a professor at the University of Toronto, where he is also a Vice-Dean in the Faculty of Arts and Science Randy's most recent novel, Dante's Indiana, was published by Biblioasis in 2021. The Wall Street Journal said that the novel “juxtaposes the ridiculous and the sublime—fitting as both an homage to Dante and a portrayal of America.” Randy and I talk about why he consciously shifted his fiction away from sprawling, multi-generational novels of immigration toward more pointed social satire, why he had to take time off from his day job, during a critical time at work, in order to complete the edits on Dante's Indiana, even though he knew that meant it would be published in the middle of a pandemic, and why he has no real plans – yet - to complete the trilogy that began with Original Prin and Dante's Indiana. We also talk about the cultural and social significance of... pickleball.   Dante's Indiana at Biblioasis.com Music: "simple-hearted thing" by Alex Lukashevsky. Used with permission. Contact Nathan Whitlock at nathanwhitlock.ca/contact

Philip Slayton is a Canadian lawyer, author, and past president of PEN Canada, a branch of an international non-profit defending free expression. His most recent book is Antisemitism: An Ancient Hatred in the Age of Identity Politics. In this episode, Meghan Murphy speaks with Philip about free speech in Canada, where antisemitism comes from, what it means to be a Jew, and whether or not a line needs to be drawn around so-called "hate speech."  The Same Drugs is a fully independent, listener-supported podcast. Please consider ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠supporting us with a donation⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, by ⁠⁠beco⁠ming⁠ a ⁠⁠⁠patron⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, or by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠subscribing on Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. You can watch select clips and episodes of The Same Drugs on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠and on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rumble⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Full videos are available on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠ as well as to paid members on YouTube. You can support The Same Drugs on Spotify by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠clicking the "support" button⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠donating directly via Stripe⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. The Same Drugs is on X ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thesamedrugs_⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Meghan Murphy is on X ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@meghanemurphy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-same-drugs/support

EPISODE 1457: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the author of JUST ONCE, NO MORE, Charles Foran, about what his memories of his father teach us about himself and us Charlie Foran was born and raised in Toronto. He holds degrees from the University of Toronto and the University College, Dublin, and has taught in China, Hong Kong, and Canada. He has published twelve books, including five novels.  His fiction, non-fiction, and journalism have won the Governor General's Literary Award, the Weston Prize, the Taylor Prize, a Canadian Jewish Book Award, and two QSPELL prizes.   His latest book is Just Once, No More. Charlie has also made radio documentaries for CBC's Ideas and co-wrote the Gemini-winning documentary Mordecai Richler: The Last of the Wild Jews. A past president of PEN Canada, he is a senior fellow at Massey College, and an adjunct professor in the Dept of English at the University of Toronto.  In 2014 he was named to the Order of Canada.  In fall 2018 he was awarded the Writers' Trust Fellowship. From 2015-2019, Charlie Foran served as CEO of the Institute for Canadian Citizenship (ICC).  He is currently Executive Director of the Writers' Trust of Canada. He divides his time between Toronto and Port Hope. Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EPISODE 1437: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the author of Antisemitism, Philip Slayton, about hatred of Jews - an ancient hatred in our age of identity politics After studying law at Oxford University as a Manitoba Rhodes Scholar, Philip Slayton clerked at the Supreme Court of Canada in Ottawa. Then, for thirteen years, he pursued an academic career, teaching at McGill University and becoming dean of law at the University of Western Ontario. Philip then went into legal practice with a major Canadian law firm in Toronto, and worked on many of the biggest corporate and commercial transactions of the time. He retired from the practice of law in 2000. Since leaving legal practice Philip Slayton has written eight books. Lawyers Gone Bad: Money, Sex and Madness in Canada's Legal Profession was published in hard cover by Viking Canada in 2007, in paperback by Penguin Canada in 2008, and as an ebook in 2010. Mighty Judgment: How the Supreme Court of Canada Runs Your Life was published in hard cover and as an ebook in 2011 by Allen Lane and as a paperback by Penguin Canada in 2012. In 2013 Philip independently published Bay Street: A Novel, a legal thriller. The Toronto Star described Bay Street as “expert and engaging… exciting and hilarious… a first rate crime novel…” Mayors Gone Bad was published in hard cover and as an ebook by Viking in May of 2015. How To Be Good: The Struggle Between Law and Ethics (with Patricia Chisholm), a collection of essays first published in Canadian Lawyer magazine, was published in 2017. The Future of Tennis (with Peter Figura) was published in 2018 by Skyhorse Publications of New York. Nothing Left to Lose: An Impolite Report on the State of Freedom in Canada was published by Sutherland House in 2020. Antisemitism: An ancient hatred in the age of identity politics was published by Sutherland House in March 2023. Philip divides his time between Toronto and Nova Scotia. He is married to the writer Cynthia Wine. He has been a Woodrow Wilson Fellow; President of the Canadian Rhodes Scholars Foundation; Co-Chairman of the Canadian Campaign for Oxford; a Governor of Sheridan College; and president of PEN Canada. In 1998, Oxford University named him a “Distinguished Friend” of the University. Philip and Cynthia were founders (in 2002) of the Port Medway Readers Festival, a highly successful summer literary festival on Nova Scotia's South Shore, and founders (in 2017) of the Seely Hall Society, dedicated to promoting interest in the local history of Port Medway and the surrounding area and helping restore, protect, and use as a local resource, the historic Port Medway building known as Seely Hall. Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ziya is a television presenter, producer, author and board member. She was the co-host of Discovery Channel's long-running primetime science magazine, Daily Planet. In 2019 she wrote the book “The Reality Bubble“. Ziya serves on the boards of a range of NGOs and charities, including PEN Canada, We Animals Media and WWF International. In Sentientist Conversations we talk about the two most important questions: “what's real?” & “who matters?” Sentientism is "evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings." The video of our conversation is here on YouTube. We discuss: 00:00 Welcome 01:46 Ziya's Intro - Science broadcasting @discoverycanada - Author of "The Reality Bubble" exposing human blind-spots - NGO board roles including @WeAnimalsMedia (animal photojournalism led by Jo-Anne McArthur) - Tweeting about earthlings: https://twitter.com/ziyatong 03:32: What's Real? - "Being a bi-racial person gives you a sort of split view... Chinese... Eastern European" - Communism & capitalism, eastern & western - "I never really... took one true dogmatic reality" - "I consistently shed layers of what I previously thought of as reality" - Yoda: "You must unlearn what you have learned" - A science journalist career "naturalistic in one sense" - "With science you can reveal a lot... the whole book [The Reality Bubble] is about that... but it always puts a lens between you and the subject" - Black holes & mites on our eyelashes - "The humanities are much more subjective" - Polymaths spanning humanities & the sciences "that blend is what's interesting to me" - "Indigenous perspectives... have so much to share with us about how we perceive reality" - Swimming sea wolves in British Columbia "new to science - but indigenous peoples had known about these wolves for their entire histories" - The Consilience Model: Science and indigenous perspectives "Two eyed seeing" - Plant medicines like #ayahuasca "which open up an entirely new door to reality" - "I don't believe reality stands on firm ground... I'm happy to run around the ice flow as it shifts... reality should never be solid" - Science & indigenous perspectives "are both based on observation" - "To a neutrino this mug wouldn't be here at all" - "We have to question our every-day common sense notions of reality" - Humilty & error-correction - Risks of dogma within science "we looked at animals as if they were machines" - Brought up Roman #catholic , dabbled with #buddhism / #sufiism - Rumi: "There's a hundred ways to kiss the ground" - #Vipassna #meditation - a 10 day silent retreat "you are really guided by yourself" - Feeding ants & saving an ant "I promised not to kill anything" as part of the 10 Buddhist precepts ...and much more. Full show notes at Sentientism.info. Sentientism is “Evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings.” More at Sentientism.info. Join our "I'm a Sentientist" wall via this simple form. Everyone, Sentientist or not, is welcome in our groups. The biggest so far is here on FaceBook. Come join us there!

In this episode, I speak with professor, novelist, and critic, Randy Boyagoda, about why people of faith should read contemporary novels, the role of literature generally in the spiritual, moral, and intellectual life, and the themes of his two latest novels, Original Prin and Dante's Indiana. As always, I hope you enjoy our conversation. Randy Boyagoda is the author of four novels, a SSHRC-supported critical biography, and a scholarly monograph. His fiction has been nominated for the Scotiabank Giller Prize and IMPAC Dublin Literary Prize, and named a New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice Selection and Globe and Mail Best Book of the Year. He contributes essays, reviews, and opinions to publications including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, the Atlantic, the Walrus, First Things, Commonweal, Harper's, Financial Times (UK), Guardian, New Statesman, and Globe and Mail, in addition to appearing frequently on CBC Radio and podcasting for the Toronto Public Library. He served as President of PEN Canada from 2015-2017 and is currently a member of The Walrus Educational Review Committee, and the boards of the Toronto International Festival of Authors and the Conference on Christianity and Literature. His fourth novel, Dante's Indiana, was published in 2021. Jennifer Frey is an associate professor of philosophy and Peter and Bonnie McCausland Faculty Fellow at the University of South Carolina. She is also a fellow of the Institute for Human Ecology at the Catholic University of America and the Word on Fire Institute. Prior to joining the philosophy faculty at USC, she was a Collegiate Assistant Professor of Humanities at the University of Chicago, where she was a member of the Society of Fellows in the Liberal Arts and an affiliated faculty in the philosophy department. She earned her Ph.D. in philosophy at the University of Pittsburgh, and her B.A. in Philosophy and Medieval Studies (with a Classics minor) at Indiana University, in Bloomington, Indiana. She has published widely on action, virtue, practical reason, and meta-ethics, and has recently co-edited an interdisciplinary volume, Self-Transcendence and Virtue: Perspectives from Philosophy, Theology, and Psychology. Her writing has also been featured in Breaking Ground, First Things, Fare Forward, Image, Law and Liberty, The Point, and USA Today. She lives in Columbia, SC, with her husband, six children, and chickens. You can follow her on Twitter @ jennfrey. Sacred and Profane Love is a podcast in which philosophers, theologians, and literary critics discuss some of their favorite works of literature, and how these works have shaped their own ideas about love, happiness, and meaning in human life. Host Jennifer A. Frey is an associate professor of philosophy at the University of South Carolina. The podcast is generously supported by The Institute for Human Ecology at the Catholic University of America and produced by Catholics for Hire. Episode Links: Original Prin https://bit.ly/3XTvcC0 Dante's Indiana https://bit.ly/3YXMyPC "Faith in Fiction" https://bit.ly/3krAw1S

In this episode, I speak with professor, novelist, and critic, Randy Boyagoda, about why people of faith should read contemporary novels, the role of literature generally in the spiritual, moral, and intellectual life, and the themes of his two latest novels, Original Prin and Dante's Indiana. As always, I hope you enjoy our conversation. Randy Boyagoda is the author of four novels, a SSHRC-supported critical biography, and a scholarly monograph. His fiction has been nominated for the Scotiabank Giller Prize and IMPAC Dublin Literary Prize, and named a New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice Selection and Globe and Mail Best Book of the Year. He contributes essays, reviews, and opinions to publications including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, the Atlantic, the Walrus, First Things, Commonweal, Harper's, Financial Times (UK), Guardian, New Statesman, and Globe and Mail, in addition to appearing frequently on CBC Radio and podcasting for the Toronto Public Library. He served as President of PEN Canada from 2015-2017 and is currently a member of The Walrus Educational Review Committee, and the boards of the Toronto International Festival of Authors and the Conference on Christianity and Literature. His fourth novel, Dante's Indiana, was published in 2021. Jennifer Frey is an associate professor of philosophy and Peter and Bonnie McCausland Faculty Fellow at the University of South Carolina. She is also a fellow of the Institute for Human Ecology at the Catholic University of America and the Word on Fire Institute. Prior to joining the philosophy faculty at USC, she was a Collegiate Assistant Professor of Humanities at the University of Chicago, where she was a member of the Society of Fellows in the Liberal Arts and an affiliated faculty in the philosophy department. She earned her Ph.D. in philosophy at the University of Pittsburgh, and her B.A. in Philosophy and Medieval Studies (with a Classics minor) at Indiana University, in Bloomington, Indiana. She has published widely on action, virtue, practical reason, and meta-ethics, and has recently co-edited an interdisciplinary volume, Self-Transcendence and Virtue: Perspectives from Philosophy, Theology, and Psychology. Her writing has also been featured in Breaking Ground, First Things, Fare Forward, Image, Law and Liberty, The Point, and USA Today. She lives in Columbia, SC, with her husband, six children, and chickens. You can follow her on Twitter @jennfrey. Sacred and Profane Love is a podcast in which philosophers, theologians, and literary critics discuss some of their favorite works of literature, and how these works have shaped their own ideas about love, happiness, and meaning in human life. Host Jennifer A. Frey is an associate professor of philosophy at the University of South Carolina. The podcast is generously supported by The Institute for Human Ecology at the Catholic University of America and produced by Catholics for Hire. Episode Links: Original Prin Dante's Indiana "Faith in Fiction"

Grace Westcott, President, PEN Canada

How free is Canada as a country? It's a question that Tara's guest on the podcast today tackled in a book, back in 2020. He concluded that our freedom was actually pretty precarious. Philip Slayton is a Canadian lawyer and a former dean of law at Western University. He's also a former president of PEN Canada, and a bestselling author. His latest book is Nothing Left To Lose: An Impolite Report on the State of Freedom in Canada. Philip joins Tara today for a lively, state-of-the-nation conversation, looking at how the pandemic, growing economic inequality, and the use of the Emergencies Act to quash the trucker protests impacted freedom in this country.

In this episode of “Keen On”, Andrew is joined by Tanya Talaga, the author of “All Our Relations: Finding the Path Forward”. Tanya Talaga is an award winning Ojibwe author and journalist. Talaga holds an honorary Doctor of Letters from Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, and shares her expertise on the boards of PEN Canada and The Narwal. Tanya is the President and CEO of Makwa Creative, a production company focused on Indigenous storytelling. Visit our website: https://lithub.com/story-type/keen-on/ Email Andrew: a.keen@me.com Watch the show live on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ajkeen Watch the show live on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ankeen/ Watch the show live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lithub Watch the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/LiteraryHub/videos Subscribe to Andrew's newsletter: https://andrew2ec.substack.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In January 1982, Marina Nemat, then just sixteen years old, was arrested, tortured, and sentenced to death for political crimes. Until then, her life in Tehran had centered around school, summer parties at the lake, and her crush on Andre, the young man she had met at church. But when math and history were subordinated to the study of the Koran and political propaganda, Marina protested. Her teacher replied, "If you don't like it, leave." She did, and, to her surprise, other students followed. Soon she was arrested with hundreds of other youths who had dared to speak out, and they were taken to the notorious Evin prison in Tehran. Two guards interrogated her. One beat her into unconsciousness; the other, Ali, fell in love with her. Sentenced to death for refusing to give up the names of her friends, she was minutes from being executed when Ali, using his family connections to Ayatollah Khomeini, plucked her from the firing squad and had her sentence reduced to life in prison. But he exacted a shocking price for saving her life -- with a dizzying combination of terror and tenderness, he asked her to marry him and abandon her Christian faith for Islam. If she didn't, he would see to it that her family was harmed. She spent the next two years as a prisoner of the state, and of the man who held her life, and her family's lives, in his hands. Her search for emotional redemption envelops her jailers, her husband and his family, and the country of her birth -- each of whom she grants the greatest gift of all: forgiveness.Marina Nemat was born in 1965 in Tehran, Iran. After the Islamic Revolution of 1979, she was arrested at the age of sixteen and spent more than two years in Evin, a political prison in Tehran, where she was tortured and came very close to execution. She came to Canada in 1991 and has called it home ever since. Her memoir of her life in Iran, "Prisoner of Tehran" (Penguin Canada 2007), has been published in 28 other countries, and has been an international bestseller. In 2007, Marina received the inaugural Human Dignity Award from the European Parliament, and in 2008, she received the prestigious Grinzane Prize in Italy. In 2008/2009, she was an Aurea Fellow at University of Toronto's Massey College, where she wrote her second book, "After Tehran: A Life Reclaimed" (Penguin Canada 2010). Marina regularly speaks at high schools, universities, and conferences around the world and sits on the Board of Directors at CCVT (Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture) and on advisory boards at ACAT (Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture) and PEN Canada. She also teaches memoir writing, in Farsi and in English, at the School of Continuing Studies at University of Toronto and writes book reviews for The Globe and Mail.This presentation was delivered as part of the 2015 Acton Lecture Series. Prisoner of Tehran: One Woman's Story of Survival Inside an Iranian Prison Religious liberty versus secular tyranny Marina Nemat speaks at Acton University 2013 An interview with Marina Nemat Acton Lecture Series Acton Institute Events Podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Can a computer judge a creative writing competition? Do automatically curated newsfeeds help or hinder free expression? How does creativity interact with rights protections? A fascinating and timely discussion with Brendan de Caires of Pen Canada, hosted by barristers Adam Wagner and Susie Alegre. Show notes at www.betterhumanpodcast.com

Works by Umberto EcoThe Name of the RoseFoucault’s PendulumThe Prague CemeteryOn the Shoulders of Giants Other Related Books or MaterialsSigns and Secrets: the Worlds of Umberto Eco (2013 documentary)Always Narrating: The Making and Unmaking of Umberto Eco (link opens a 2020 Los Angeles Review of Book article)The Man Who Loved Books: Interview with Umberto Eco (link opens a 2020 Counterpunch article)Umberto Eco, The Art of Fiction, No. 197 (link opens a 2008 Paris Review article)Umberto Eco, 84, Best-selling Academic Who Navigated Two Words (link opens a 2016 New York Times obituary)__About the HostNovelist Randy Boyagoda is a professor of English at the University of Toronto and principal of St. Michael’s College, where he holds the Basilian Chair in Christianity, Arts, and Letters. He is the author of three novels: Original Prin, Beggar's Feast, and Governor of the Northern Province. His fiction has been nominated for the Scotiabank Giller Prize (2006) and IMPAC Dublin Literary Prize (2012), and named a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice Selection (2012 and 2019) and Globe and Mail Best Book (2018). He contributes essays, reviews, and opinions to publications including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, First Things, Commonweal, Harper’s, Financial Times (UK), Guardian, New Statesman, Globe and Mail, and National Post, in addition to appearing frequently on CBC Radio. He served as President of PEN Canada from 2015-2017.Music is by Yuka From the ArchivesWriters Off the Page: 40 Years of TIFA is the first series associated with the Toronto Public Library’s multi-year digital initiative, From the Archives, which presents curated and digitized audio, video and other content from some of Canada’s biggest cultural institutions and organizations.Thanks to the Toronto International Festival of Authors (TIFA) for allowing TPL access to their archives to feature some of the best-known writers in the world from moments in the past. Thanks as well to Library and Archives Canada for generously allowing TPL access to these archives. 

Works by Austin ClarkeIn This CityThey Never Told Me and Other StoriesThe Polished Hoe Other Related Books or MaterialsOdetta’s 1960 recording of “Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child” (link opens a Youtube video)Austin Clarke’s Harlem (link opens part of a CBC audio documentary produced by Austin Clarke in 1963 about the Civil Rights Movement)Why Literary Critics Failed to Define and Understand Austin Clarke (link opens a National Post article from 2016)Austin Clarke Quotes (link opens a Twitter account devoted to the quotes and other aspects of Clarke’s work)__About the HostNovelist Randy Boyagoda is a professor of English at the University of Toronto and principal of St. Michael’s College, where he holds the Basilian Chair in Christianity, Arts, and Letters. He is the author of three novels: Original Prin, Beggar's Feast, and Governor of the Northern Province. His fiction has been nominated for the Scotiabank Giller Prize (2006) and IMPAC Dublin Literary Prize (2012), and named a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice Selection (2012 and 2019) and Globe and Mail Best Book (2018). He contributes essays, reviews, and opinions to publications including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, First Things, Commonweal, Harper’s, Financial Times (UK), Guardian, New Statesman, Globe and Mail, and National Post, in addition to appearing frequently on CBC Radio. He served as President of PEN Canada from 2015-2017.Music is by Yuka From the ArchivesWriters Off the Page: 40 Years of TIFA is the first series associated with the Toronto Public Library’s multi-year digital initiative, From the Archives, which presents curated and digitized audio, video and other content from some of Canada’s biggest cultural institutions and organizations.Thanks to the Toronto International Festival of Authors (TIFA) for allowing TPL access to their archives to feature some of the best-known writers in the world from moments in the past. Thanks as well to Library and Archives Canada for generously allowing TPL access to these archives.

Works by Doris LessingThe Golden NotebookStories by Doris LessingThe Grandmothers: Four Short NovelsThe Grass is Singing (ebook) Other Related Books or MaterialsDoris Lessing: A Biography by Carole KleinDoris Lessing: First Visit to Toronto (link opens a 1984 photo by Reg Innell, courtesy of Toronto Star Archives at Toronto Public Library)Doris Lessing, Author Who Swept Aside Convention (link opens New York Times obituary from November 2013Doris Lessing, The Art of Fiction (link opens Paris Review interview from 1988)___About the HostNovelist Randy Boyagoda is a professor of English at the University of Toronto and principal of St. Michael’s College, where he holds the Basilian Chair in Christianity, Arts, and Letters. He is the author of three novels: Original Prin, Beggar's Feast, and Governor of the Northern Province. His fiction has been nominated for the Scotiabank Giller Prize (2006) and IMPAC Dublin Literary Prize (2012), and named a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice Selection (2012 and 2019) and Globe and Mail Best Book (2018). He contributes essays, reviews, and opinions to publications including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, First Things, Commonweal, Harper’s, Financial Times (UK), Guardian, New Statesman, Globe and Mail, and National Post, in addition to appearing frequently on CBC Radio. He served as President of PEN Canada from 2015-2017.Music is by Yuka From the ArchivesWriters Off the Page: 40 Years of TIFA is the first series associated with the Toronto Public Library’s multi-year digital initiative, From the Archives, which presents curated and digitized audio, video and other content from some of Canada’s biggest cultural institutions and organizations.Thanks to the Toronto International Festival of Authors (TIFA) for allowing TPL access to their archives to feature some of the best-known writers in the world from moments in the past. Thanks as well to Library and Archives Canada for generously allowing TPL access to these archives.

Works by Eduardo GaleanoMemory of Fire Volume One: GenesisMemory of Fire Volume Two: Faces and MasksMemory of Fire Volume Three: Century of the WindChildren of the Days: A Calendar of Human History Soccer in Sun and ShadowLas venas abiertas de américa latina (ebook) Other Related Books or MaterialsThe Pan American: The World of Eduardo Galeano (link opens an August 2018 article from The Nation)Women of the Mine - Les Mujeres de la mina - 2006 FilmMy Hero: Eduardo Galeano by Tariq Ali (link opens an April 2015 article from The Guardian)Eduardo Galeano (photo) "His vivid survey of the Latin American past is an impressive achievement." (link opens a photograph by Reg Innell in 1988 from TPL’s Special Collections, part of the Toronto Star Archives)___About the HostNovelist Randy Boyagoda is a professor of English at the University of Toronto and principal of St. Michael’s College, where he holds the Basilian Chair in Christianity, Arts, and Letters. He is the author of three novels: Original Prin, Beggar's Feast, and Governor of the Northern Province. His fiction has been nominated for the Scotiabank Giller Prize (2006) and IMPAC Dublin Literary Prize (2012), and named a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice Selection (2012 and 2019) and Globe and Mail Best Book (2018). He contributes essays, reviews, and opinions to publications including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, First Things, Commonweal, Harper’s, Financial Times (UK), Guardian, New Statesman, Globe and Mail, and National Post, in addition to appearing frequently on CBC Radio. He served as President of PEN Canada from 2015-2017.Music is by Yuka From the ArchivesWriters Off the Page: 40 Years of TIFA is the first series associated with the Toronto Public Library’s multi-year digital initiative, From the Archives, which presents curated and digitized audio, video and other content from some of Canada’s biggest cultural institutions and organizations.Thanks to the Toronto International Festival of Authors (TIFA) for allowing TPL access to their archives to feature some of the best-known writers in the world from moments in the past. Thanks as well to Library and Archives Canada for generously allowing TPL access to these archives.

Works by Angela CarterNights at the CircusThe Bloody Chamber, Wise Children, FireworksWriters Talk: Angela Carter with Lisa Appignanesi (evideo)The Infernal Desire Machines of Doctor Hoffman (ebook) Other Related Books or MaterialsAngela Carter: A Literary Life by Sarah GambleNights at the Circus is Feminist... (link opens an article from The Guardian from Feb 2017)Taking Flight with Angela Carter’s Nights at the Circus  (link opens a piece from Tor.com from Apr 2017)Angela Carter: a staggering command of language (link opens TPL Special Collections page of the Toronto Star Archives featuring a 1988 photo of Carter by John Mahler) About the HostNovelist Randy Boyagoda is a professor of English at the University of Toronto and principal of St. Michael’s College, where he holds the Basilian Chair in Christianity, Arts, and Letters. He is the author of three novels: Original Prin, Beggar's Feast, and Governor of the Northern Province. His fiction has been nominated for the Scotiabank Giller Prize (2006) and IMPAC Dublin Literary Prize (2012), and named a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice Selection (2012 and 2019) and Globe and Mail Best Book (2018). He contributes essays, reviews, and opinions to publications including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, First Things, Commonweal, Harper’s, Financial Times (UK), Guardian, New Statesman, Globe and Mail, and National Post, in addition to appearing frequently on CBC Radio. He served as President of PEN Canada from 2015-2017.Music is by Yuka From the ArchivesWriters Off the Page: 40 Years of TIFA is the first series associated with the Toronto Public Library’s multi-year digital initiative, From the Archives, which presents curated and digitized audio, video and other content from some of Canada’s biggest cultural institutions and organizations.Thanks to the Toronto International Festival of Authors (TIFA) for allowing TPL access to their archives to feature some of the best-known writers in the world from moments in the past. Thanks as well to Library and Archives Canada for generously allowing TPL access to these archives. 

Works by Luisa ValenzuelaThe Lizard’s Tail (print book)The Wanderer by Luisa Valenzuela, translated by Marguerite Feitlowitz (link opens a short story from The Brooklyn Rail's InTranslation)He Who Searches Latin American Literature Series (link opens Dalkey Archive Press site with two translated works - print on demand)Collections/Anthologies Containing Stories from Luisa ValenzuelaSudden Fiction Latino: Short-Short Stories From Latin America and the United States (print book)Brevity by David Galef The Will to Heal: Psychological Recovery in the Novels of Latina Writers (print book) Other Related Books or MaterialsLuisa Valenzuela, The Art of Fiction No. 170 (link opens an article from The Paris Review from 2001)Luisa Valenzuela on Writing, Power and Gender (link opens an article from the Cervantes Virtual Library About the HostNovelist Randy Boyagoda is a professor of English at the University of Toronto and principal of St. Michael’s College, where he holds the Basilian Chair in Christianity, Arts, and Letters. He is the author of three novels: Original Prin, Beggar's Feast, and Governor of the Northern Province. His fiction has been nominated for the Scotiabank Giller Prize (2006) and IMPAC Dublin Literary Prize (2012), and named a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice Selection (2012 and 2019) and Globe and Mail Best Book (2018). He contributes essays, reviews, and opinions to publications including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, First Things, Commonweal, Harper’s, Financial Times (UK), Guardian, New Statesman, Globe and Mail, and National Post, in addition to appearing frequently on CBC Radio. He served as President of PEN Canada from 2015-2017.Music is by Yuka From the ArchivesWriters Off the Page: 40 Years of TIFA is the first series associated with the Toronto Public Library’s multi-year digital initiative, From the Archives, which presents curated and digitized audio, video and other content from some of Canada’s biggest cultural institutions and organizations.Thanks to the Toronto International Festival of Authors (TIFA) for allowing TPL access to their archives to feature some of the best-known writers in the world from moments in the past. Thanks as well to Library and Archives Canada for generously allowing TPL access to these archives. 

Works by Richard WagameseA Quality of Light (ebook)One Drum: Stories and Ceremonies for a Planet (all formats)One Drum: Stories and Ceremonies for a Planet (audiobook)Starlight (ebook)Indian Horse Other Related Books or MaterialsHonouring Richard Wagamese (link opens a 2017 article from Indian Horse)Richard Wagamese’s final novel ‘a captivating and ultimately uplifting read.’ (link opens a 2018 article from Toronto Star)Richard Wagamese, Whose Writing Explored his Ojibwe Heritage, Dies at 61 (link opens a 2017 New York Times obituary)Three ‘Meditations' from Richard Wagamese (link opens a 2016 article from The Tyee)___About the HostNovelist Randy Boyagoda is a professor of English at the University of Toronto and principal of St. Michael’s College, where he holds the Basilian Chair in Christianity, Arts, and Letters. He is the author of three novels: Original Prin, Beggar's Feast, and Governor of the Northern Province. His fiction has been nominated for the Scotiabank Giller Prize (2006) and IMPAC Dublin Literary Prize (2012), and named a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice Selection (2012 and 2019) and Globe and Mail Best Book (2018). He contributes essays, reviews, and opinions to publications including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, First Things, Commonweal, Harper’s, Financial Times (UK), Guardian, New Statesman, Globe and Mail, and National Post, in addition to appearing frequently on CBC Radio. He served as President of PEN Canada from 2015-2017.Music is by Yuka From the ArchivesWriters Off the Page: 40 Years of TIFA is the first series associated with the Toronto Public Library’s multi-year digital initiative, From the Archives, which presents curated and digitized audio, video and other content from some of Canada’s biggest cultural institutions and organizations.Thanks to the Toronto International Festival of Authors (TIFA) for allowing TPL access to their archives to feature some of the best-known writers in the world from moments in the past. Thanks as well to Library and Archives Canada for generously allowing TPL access to these archives.

Works by John IrvingA Prayer for Owen MeanyThe World According to Garp (book in various formats)The World According to Gary (1982 film starring Robin Williams, Glenn Close and John Lithgow)Avenue of MysteriesThe Cider House RulesLast Night in Twisted RiverOther Related Books or Materials13 Facts about A Prayer for Owen Meany (link opens an article from Mental Floss from Apr 2015)John Irving in 1990 (link opens TPL Special Collections page of the Toronto Star Archives featuring a 1990 photo of Irving by Doug Griffin)Episode 162: A Prayer for Owen Meany (link opens a podcast episode by Overdue Podcast)John Irving: A Prayer for Owen Meany (link opens a podcast episode by BBC Radio 4 Bookclub) About the HostNovelist Randy Boyagoda is a professor of English at the University of Toronto and principal of St. Michael’s College, where he holds the Basilian Chair in Christianity, Arts, and Letters. He is the author of three novels: Original Prin, Beggar's Feast, and Governor of the Northern Province. His fiction has been nominated for the Scotiabank Giller Prize (2006) and IMPAC Dublin Literary Prize (2012), and named a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice Selection (2012 and 2019) and Globe and Mail Best Book (2018). He contributes essays, reviews, and opinions to publications including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, First Things, Commonweal, Harper’s, Financial Times (UK), Guardian, New Statesman, Globe and Mail, and National Post, in addition to appearing frequently on CBC Radio. He served as President of PEN Canada from 2015-2017.Music is by Yuka From the ArchivesWriters Off the Page: 40 Years of TIFA is the first series associated with the Toronto Public Library’s multi-year digital initiative, From the Archives, which presents curated and digitized audio, video and other content from some of Canada’s biggest cultural institutions and organizations.Thanks to the Toronto International Festival of Authors (TIFA) for allowing TPL access to their archives to feature some of the best-known writers in the world from moments in the past. Thanks as well to Library and Archives Canada for generously allowing TPL access to these archives.

Note: given the current temporary closure of TPL due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have made our best efforts to offer suggestions below for materials which are part our online collections (indicated) and available at home to anyone with a current Toronto Library card. Read: Why are wait times on ebooks or audiobooks sometimes so long? Works by Bruce ChatwinThe SonglinesIn PatagoniaAnatomy of Restlessness: Selected Writings, 1969-1989 (ebook)On the Black Hill (ebook)Utz (ebook)Books About Bruce ChatwinBruce Chatwin by Nicholas ShakespeareAnywhere Out of the World: the Work of Bruce Chatwin by Jonathan ChatwinUnder the Sun: The Letters of Bruce Chatwin, Edited by Elizabeth Chatwin and Nicholas ShakespeareOther Related Books or MaterialsBowie’s Bookshelf: the Hundred Books that Changed David Bowie’s Life (ebook)Walking With Bruce Chatwin by Rory Stewart (about the importance and influence of The Songlines] (link opens a New York Review of Books article from June 2012)Travel and Endless Talk Connected me to Details of Chatwin’s Songlines Missed (link opens an article from The Guardian from Oct 2017)Bruce Chatwin, the Forgotten Travel-Writer is At-Last Being Remembered by Nicholas Shakespeare (link opens an article from The Oldie)About the HostNovelist Randy Boyagoda is a professor of English at the University of Toronto and principal of St. Michael’s College, where he holds the Basilian Chair in Christianity, Arts, and Letters. He is the author of three novels: Original Prin, Beggar's Feast, and Governor of the Northern Province. His fiction has been nominated for the Scotiabank Giller Prize (2006) and IMPAC Dublin Literary Prize (2012), and named a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice Selection (2012 and 2019) and Globe and Mail Best Book (2018). He contributes essays, reviews, and opinions to publications including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, First Things, Commonweal, Harper’s, Financial Times (UK), Guardian, New Statesman, Globe and Mail, and National Post, in addition to appearing frequently on CBC Radio. He served as President of PEN Canada from 2015-2017.Music is by Yuka From the ArchivesWriters Off the Page: 40 Years of TIFA is the first series associated with the Toronto Public Library’s multi-year digital initiative, From the Archives, which presents curated and digitized audio, video and other content from some of Canada’s biggest cultural institutions and organizations.Thanks to the Toronto International Festival of Authors (TIFA) for allowing TPL access to their archives to feature some of the best-known writers in the world from moments in the past. Thanks as well to Library and Archives Canada for generously allowing TPL access to these archives.

Note: given the current temporary closure of TPL due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have made our best efforts to offer suggestions below for materials which are part our online collections (indicated) and available at home to anyone with a current Toronto Library card. Read: Why are wait times on ebooks or audiobooks sometimes so long?__Books by Lee MaracleMemory Serves (ebook)My Conversations with Canadians (ebook)Celia’s Song (ebook)Hope Matters (ebook)Other Related Books or Materials‘We Have the Same Language, But Definitely Different Rules’: An Interview with Lee Maracle (link opens a Hazlitt article)High-schooler Catricia Hiebert reads the poem “War” by Lee Maracle for Les Voix des poésie competition (link opens a Youtube video)Activist Lee Maracle On Why Every Question Is Worth Answering (Even If It's Racist) (link opens a Chatelaine article)Lee Maracle Reflects on her Legacy as One of Canada's Most Influential Indigenous Writers  (link opens a CBC site)About the HostNovelist Randy Boyagoda is a professor of English at the University of Toronto and principal of St. Michael’s College, where he holds the Basilian Chair in Christianity, Arts, and Letters. He is the author of three novels: Original Prin, Beggar's Feast, and Governor of the Northern Province. His fiction has been nominated for the Scotiabank Giller Prize (2006) and IMPAC Dublin Literary Prize (2012), and named a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice Selection (2012 and 2019) and Globe and Mail Best Book (2018). He contributes essays, reviews, and opinions to publications including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, First Things, Commonweal, Harper’s, Financial Times (UK), Guardian, New Statesman, Globe and Mail, and National Post, in addition to appearing frequently on CBC Radio. He served as President of PEN Canada from 2015-2017.Music is by Yuka From the ArchivesWriters Off the Page: 40 Years of TIFA is the first series associated with the Toronto Public Library’s multi-year digital initiative, From the Archives, which presents curated and digitized audio, video and other content from some of Canada’s biggest cultural institutions and organizations.Thanks to the Toronto International Festival of Authors (TIFA) for allowing TPL access to their archives to feature some of the best-known writers in the world from moments in the past. Thanks as well to Library and Archives Canada for generously allowing TPL access to these archives.

Note: given the current temporary closure of TPL due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have made our best efforts to offer suggestions below for materials which are part our online collections (indicated) and available at home to anyone with a current Toronto Library card. Read: Why are wait times on ebooks or audiobooks sometimes so long?__Works by Austin ClarkeNine Men Who Laughed‘Membering (ebook)The Origin of Waves: a Novel (ebook)Choosing His Coffin: the Best Stories of Austin Clarke (ebook)Where the Sun Shines Best (ebook)The Polished Hoe (audiobook)Love and Sweet Food: a Culinary MemoirOther Related Books or MaterialsAustin Clarke: Essays on his Work by Camille IsaacsThe Passions of Austin Clarke by Donna Bailey Nurse (link opens an article from The Walrus from Jun 2016)Remembering Author Austin Clarke by Andrea Baillie (ink opens McLean’s article from Jun 2016)Austin Clarke: a Frank and Thoughtful Critic (link opens CBC Archives interview from 1963)Austin Clarke (link opens a 1969 photo by Boris Sprimo from TPL’s Special Collections of the Toronto Star Archives; all of Clarke’s images from the Toronto Star Archives can be found here)About the HostNovelist Randy Boyagoda is a professor of English at the University of Toronto and principal of St. Michael’s College, where he holds the Basilian Chair in Christianity, Arts, and Letters. He is the author of three novels: Original Prin, Beggar's Feast, and Governor of the Northern Province. His fiction has been nominated for the Scotiabank Giller Prize (2006) and IMPAC Dublin Literary Prize (2012), and named a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice Selection (2012 and 2019) and Globe and Mail Best Book (2018). He contributes essays, reviews, and opinions to publications including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, First Things, Commonweal, Harper’s, Financial Times (UK), Guardian, New Statesman, Globe and Mail, and National Post, in addition to appearing frequently on CBC Radio. He served as President of PEN Canada from 2015-2017.Music is by Yuka From the ArchivesWriters Off the Page: 40 Years of TIFA is the first series associated with the Toronto Public Library’s multi-year digital initiative, From the Archives, which presents curated and digitized audio, video and other content from some of Canada’s biggest cultural institutions and organizations.Thanks to the Toronto International Festival of Authors (TIFA) for allowing TPL access to their archives to feature some of the best-known writers in the world from moments in the past. Thanks as well to Library and Archives Canada for generously allowing TPL access to these archives. 

Note: Given the current temporary closure of TPL due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have made our best efforts to offer suggestions below for materials which are part our online collections (indicated) and available at home to anyone with a current Toronto Library card. __ Works by Gloria NaylorThe Women of Brewster Place (ebook)The Novels of Gloria Naylor: Mama Day, Linden Hills, Bailey’s Café (ebook)Mama Day (print book)The Women of Brewster Place (DVD of 1989 mini-series starring Oprah Winfrey and Cicely Tyson)Bailey’s Café (print book)Other Related Books or MaterialsNew York Times Obituary of Gloria Naylor (link opens NYT article from Oct 2016)Unsolved Problems: Rachel Harper on Gloria Naylor  (link opens Los Angeles Review of Books article from Mar 2017) About the HostNovelist Randy Boyagoda is a professor of English at the University of Toronto and principal of St. Michael’s College, where he holds the Basilian Chair in Christianity, Arts, and Letters. He is the author of three novels: Original Prin, Beggar's Feast, and Governor of the Northern Province. His fiction has been nominated for the Scotiabank Giller Prize (2006) and IMPAC Dublin Literary Prize (2012), and named a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice Selection (2012 and 2019) and Globe and Mail Best Book (2018). He contributes essays, reviews, and opinions to publications including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, First Things, Commonweal, Harper’s, Financial Times (UK), Guardian, New Statesman, Globe and Mail, and National Post, in addition to appearing frequently on CBC Radio. He served as President of PEN Canada from 2015-2017.Music is by YukaFrom the ArchivesWriters Off the Page: 40 Years of TIFA is the first series associated with the Toronto Public Library’s multi-year digital initiative, From the Archives, which presents curated and digitized audio, video and other content from some of Canada’s biggest cultural institutions and organizations.Thanks to the Toronto International Festival of Authors (TIFA) for allowing TPL access to their archives to feature some of the best-known writers in the world from moments in the past. Thanks as well to Library and Archives Canada for generously allowing TPL access to these archives. 

Works by Nikki GiovanniThe Collected Poetry of Nikki Giovanni: 1969 - 1998The Sun Is So Quiet: PoemsRosa  (a short video)Rosa (a kids biography)I Am Loved  Other Related Books or MaterialsNikki Giovanni: In her Revolutionary Dream (link opens Los Angeles Review of Book article) About the HostNovelist Randy Boyagoda is a professor of English at the University of Toronto and principal of St. Michael’s College, where he holds the Basilian Chair in Christianity, Arts, and Letters. He is the author of three novels: Original Prin, Beggar's Feast, and Governor of the Northern Province. His fiction has been nominated for the Scotiabank Giller Prize (2006) and IMPAC Dublin Literary Prize (2012), and named a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice Selection (2012 and 2019) and Globe and Mail Best Book (2018). He contributes essays, reviews, and opinions to publications including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, First Things, Commonweal, Harper’s, Financial Times (UK), Guardian, New Statesman, Globe and Mail, and National Post, in addition to appearing frequently on CBC Radio. He served as President of PEN Canada from 2015-2017.Music is by YukaFrom the ArchivesWriters Off the Page: 40 Years of TIFA is the first series associated with the Toronto Public Library’s multi-year digital initiative, From the Archives, which presents curated and digitized audio, video and other content from some of Canada’s biggest cultural institutions and organizations.Thanks to the Toronto International Festival of Authors (TIFA) for allowing TPL access to their archives to feature some of the best-known writers in the world from moments in the past. Thanks as well to Library and Archives Canada for generously allowing TPL access to these archives.

Works by Grace PaleyLater the Same DayJust As I ThoughtA Grace Paley ReaderThe Little Disturbances of Man Other Related Books or MaterialsGrace Paley, the Saint of Seeing by George Saunders (link opens a New Yorker article)Grace Paley’s Crowded World (link opens article in The Nation)The Value of Not Understanding Everything: Grace Paley’s Advice to Aspiring Writers (link opens Brain Pickings article) About the HostNovelist Randy Boyagoda is a professor of English at the University of Toronto and principal of St. Michael’s College, where he holds the Basilian Chair in Christianity, Arts, and Letters. He is the author of three novels: Original Prin, Beggar's Feast, and Governor of the Northern Province. His fiction has been nominated for the Scotiabank Giller Prize (2006) and IMPAC Dublin Literary Prize (2012), and named a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice Selection (2012 and 2019) and Globe and Mail Best Book (2018). He contributes essays, reviews, and opinions to publications including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, First Things, Commonweal, Harper’s, Financial Times (UK), Guardian, New Statesman, Globe and Mail, and National Post, in addition to appearing frequently on CBC Radio. He served as President of PEN Canada from 2015-2017.Music is by YukaFrom the ArchivesWriters Off the Page: 40 Years of TIFA is the first series associated with the Toronto Public Library’s multi-year digital initiative, From the Archives, which presents curated and digitized audio, video and other content from some of Canada’s biggest cultural institutions and organizations.Thanks to the Toronto International Festival of Authors (TIFA) for allowing TPL access to their archives to feature some of the best-known writers in the world from moments in the past. Thanks as well to Library and Archives Canada for generously allowing TPL access to these archives.

Works by Nikki GiovanniA Good Cry: What We Learn from Tears and LaughterThe Collected Poetry of Nikki Giovanni, 1969-1998Lincoln and Douglass: an American FriendshipBicycles: Love PoemsRosaVacation Time: Poems for ChildrenNikki Giovanni: “Martin Had Faith in People” (link opens article from The Atlantic) About Nikki GiovanniNikki Giovanni: a Literary BiographyPoet Nikki Giovanni on the Darker Side of Her Life (link opens an NPR article) About the HostNovelist Randy Boyagoda is a professor of English at the University of Toronto and principal of St. Michael’s College, where he holds the Basilian Chair in Christianity, Arts, and Letters. He is the author of three novels: Original Prin, Beggar's Feast, and Governor of the Northern Province. His fiction has been nominated for the Scotiabank Giller Prize (2006) and IMPAC Dublin Literary Prize (2012), and named a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice Selection (2012 and 2019) and Globe and Mail Best Book (2018). He contributes essays, reviews, and opinions to publications including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, First Things, Commonweal, Harper’s, Financial Times (UK), Guardian, New Statesman, Globe and Mail, and National Post, in addition to appearing frequently on CBC Radio. He served as President of PEN Canada from 2015-2017.Music is by YukaFrom the ArchivesWriters Off the Page: 40 Years of TIFA is the first series associated with the Toronto Public Library’s multi-year digital initiative, From the Archives, which presents curated and digitized audio, video and other content from some of Canada’s biggest cultural institutions and organizations.Thanks to the Toronto International Festival of Authors (TIFA) for allowing TPL access to their archives to feature some of the best-known writers in the world from moments in the past. Thanks as well to Library and Archives Canada for generously allowing TPL access to these archives.

Works by Larry KramerThe American People: Volume 1: The Search for My HeartThe American People: Volume 2: The Brutality of Fact: a NovelThe Normal HeartThe Destiny of Me: a Play in Three ActsLarry Kramer: What Pride Means to Me (link opens Salon.com article from June, 2019) About Larry KramerWe Must Love One Another or Die: the Life and Legacies of Larry KramerLarry Kramer: In Love & Anger (2015 documentary) Other Related Books or MaterialsThe Normal Heart (2014 film starring Matthew Bomer)Larry Kramer is Still the Angriest Man in the World (link opens an Interview Magazine article from Dec 2019) Books by or About June CallwoodTrial Without End: A Shocking Story of Women and AIDSIt’s All About Kindness: Remembering June Callwood About June CallwoodJune Callwood, often dubbed, “Canada’s Conscience,” was a journalist who wrote over 2,000 articles in her career, spanning six decades. Her work as a social activist made her a champion of free speech and intellectual freedom and she was the founder or co-founder or many Canadian charities including Casey House (Canada’s first hospice for those suffering from AIDS) and Jessie’s, the June Callwood Centre for Young Women. She also founded the Toronto Public Library’s annual lecture series, the June Callwood Lecture, which honours each year an activist who provides a platform for the exploration and discussion of contemporary social justice issues. Recent lecturers have included Albert Woodfox, Ahmad Danny Ramadan and Clara Hughes.Born in 1924 in Chatham, Ontario, Callwood died, in Toronto, in 2007, leaving a legacy as one of Canada’s most important champions of social justice. About the HostNovelist Randy Boyagoda is a professor of English at the University of Toronto and principal of St. Michael’s College, where he holds the Basilian Chair in Christianity, Arts, and Letters. He is the author of three novels: Original Prin, Beggar's Feast, and Governor of the Northern Province. His fiction has been nominated for the Scotiabank Giller Prize (2006) and IMPAC Dublin Literary Prize (2012), and named a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice Selection (2012 and 2019) and Globe and Mail Best Book (2018). He contributes essays, reviews, and opinions to publications including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, First Things, Commonweal, Harper’s, Financial Times (UK), Guardian, New Statesman, Globe and Mail, and National Post, in addition to appearing frequently on CBC Radio. He served as President of PEN Canada from 2015-2017.Music is by YukaFrom the ArchivesWriters Off the Page: 40 Years of TIFA is the first series associated with the Toronto Public Library’s multi-year digital initiative, From the Archives, which presents curated and digitized audio, video and other content from some of Canada’s biggest cultural institutions and organizations.Thanks to the Toronto International Festival of Authors (TIFA) for allowing TPL access to their archives to feature some of the best-known writers in the world from moments in the past. Thanks as well to Library and Archives Canada for generously allowing TPL access to these archives. 

Works by Gwendolyn BrooksThe Essential Gwendolyn BrooksSelected PoemsGwendolyn Brooks (Poetry Foundation article) Other Related Books or MaterialsGwendolyn BrooksConversations with Gwendolyn BrooksA Song for Gwendolyn BrooksThe Importance of Being Ordinary (New Republic article from July 2017)Jane Addams: Spirit in ActionOn Gwendolyn Brooks’ Birthday, a Statue of the Powerful Poet (Chicago Tribune article from June 2018)A Short History of South Africa About the HostNovelist Randy Boyagoda is a professor of English at the University of Toronto and principal of St. Michael’s College, where he holds the Basilian Chair in Christianity, Arts, and Letters. He is the author of three novels: Original Prin, Beggar's Feast, and Governor of the Northern Province. His fiction has been nominated for the Scotiabank Giller Prize (2006) and IMPAC Dublin Literary Prize (2012), and named a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice Selection (2012 and 2019) and Globe and Mail Best Book (2018). He contributes essays, reviews, and opinions to publications including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, First Things, Commonweal, Harper’s, Financial Times (UK), Guardian, New Statesman, Globe and Mail, and National Post, in addition to appearing frequently on CBC Radio. He served as President of PEN Canada from 2015-2017.Music is by YukaFrom the ArchivesWriters Off the Page: 40 Years of TIFA is the first series associated with the Toronto Public Library’s multi-year digital initiative, From the Archives, which presents curated and digitized audio, video and other content from some of Canada’s biggest cultural institutions and organizations.Thanks to the Toronto International Festival of Authors (TIFA) for allowing TPL access to their archives to feature some of the best-known writers in the world from moments in the past. Thanks as well to Library and Archives Canada for generously allowing TPL access to these archives.Audio and transcript used with the permission of the Brooks Estate.

Works by Grace PaleyThe Collected StoriesA Grace Paley ReaderJust As I ThoughtFidelity: Poems Other Related Books or MaterialsThe Art and Activism of Grace Paley (link opens a New Yorker article from 2017)Margalit Fox’s 2007 obituary of Grace Paley (link opens New York Times article)Grace Paley: the Art of Fiction (link opens a Paris Review interview from 1992) About the HostNovelist Randy Boyagoda is a professor of English at the University of Toronto and principal of St. Michael’s College, where he holds the Basilian Chair in Christianity, Arts, and Letters. He is the author of three novels: Original Prin, Beggar's Feast, and Governor of the Northern Province. His fiction has been nominated for the Scotiabank Giller Prize (2006) and IMPAC Dublin Literary Prize (2012), and named a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice Selection (2012 and 2019) and Globe and Mail Best Book (2018). He contributes essays, reviews, and opinions to publications including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, First Things, Commonweal, Harper’s, Financial Times (UK), Guardian, New Statesman, Globe and Mail, and National Post, in addition to appearing frequently on CBC Radio. He served as President of PEN Canada from 2015-2017.Music is by YukaFrom the ArchivesWriters Off the Page: 40 Years of TIFA is the first series associated with the Toronto Public Library’s multi-year digital initiative, From the Archives, which presents curated and digitized audio, video and other content from some of Canada’s biggest cultural institutions and organizations.Thanks to the Toronto International Festival of Authors (TIFA) for allowing TPL access to their archives to feature some of the best-known writers in the world from moments in the past. Thanks as well to Library and Archives Canada for generously allowing TPL access to these archives. 

Works by Gwendolyn BrooksThe Essential Gwendolyn BrooksSelected PoemsA Street in BronzevilleBronzeville Boys and Girls (children’s picture book by Brooks) Other Related Books or MaterialsA Surprised Queenhood in the Black Sun: the Life & Legacy of Gwendolyn BrooksConversations with Gwendolyn BrooksGwendolyn Books (Poetry Foundation article and poetry)Remembering the Great Poet, Gwendolyn Brooks, at 100 (NPR audio news story)A Song for Gwendolyn Brooks by Alice Faye Duncan About the HostNovelist Randy Boyagoda is a professor of English at the University of Toronto and principal of St. Michael’s College, where he holds the Basilian Chair in Christianity, Arts, and Letters. He is the author of three novels: Original Prin, Beggar's Feast, and Governor of the Northern Province. His fiction has been nominated for the Scotiabank Giller Prize (2006) and IMPAC Dublin Literary Prize (2012), and named a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice Selection (2012 and 2019) and Globe and Mail Best Book (2018). He contributes essays, reviews, and opinions to publications including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, First Things, Commonweal, Harper’s, Financial Times (UK), Guardian, New Statesman, Globe and Mail, and National Post, in addition to appearing frequently on CBC Radio. He served as President of PEN Canada from 2015-2017.Music is by YukaFrom the ArchivesWriters Off the Page: 40 Years of TIFA is the first series associated with the Toronto Public Library’s multi-year digital initiative, From the Archives, which presents curated and digitized audio, video and other content from some of Canada’s biggest cultural institutions and organizations.Thanks to the Toronto International Festival of Authors (TIFA) for allowing TPL access to their archives to feature some of the best-known writers in the world from moments in the past. Thanks as well to Library and Archives Canada for generously allowing TPL access to these archives.Audio and transcript used with the permission of the Brooks Estate. 

Works by Jim HarrisonThe Road HomeLegends of the FallThe Essential PoemsThe River Swimmer: novellas Other Related Books or Materials“Alfresco” a poem by Merrill Gilfillan (Poetry Foundation)Grizzly Years by Doug PeacockCloudbursts: Collected and New Stories by Thomas McGuaneGallatin Canyon: Stories by Thomas McGuaneDriving on the Rim: a Novel by Thomas McGuaneThomas McGuane remembers his friend, Jim Harrison (LitHub article from Aug 2017)Ranier Maria Rilke: Letters to a Young Poet About the HostNovelist Randy Boyagoda is a professor of English at the University of Toronto and principal of St. Michael’s College, where he holds the Basilian Chair in Christianity, Arts, and Letters. He is the author of three novels: Original Prin, Beggar's Feast, and Governor of the Northern Province. His fiction has been nominated for the Scotiabank Giller Prize (2006) and IMPAC Dublin Literary Prize (2012), and named a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice Selection (2012 and 2019) and Globe and Mail Best Book (2018). He contributes essays, reviews, and opinions to publications including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, First Things, Commonweal, Harper’s, Financial Times (UK), Guardian, New Statesman, Globe and Mail, and National Post, in addition to appearing frequently on CBC Radio. He served as President of PEN Canada from 2015-2017. Music is by Yuka From the ArchivesWriters Off the Page: 40 Years of TIFA is the first series associated with the Toronto Public Library’s multi-year digital initiative, From the Archives, which presents curated and digitized audio, video and other content from some of Canada’s biggest cultural institutions and organizations. Thanks to the Toronto International Festival of Authors (TIFA) for allowing TPL access to their archives to feature some of the best-known writers in the world from moments in the past. Thanks as well to Library and Archives Canada for generously allowing TPL access to these archives.

Works by Jim HarrisonThe Road HomeLegends of the FallDalvaTrue North Works about Jim HarrisonOff to the Side: a MemoirJim Harrison, the Art of Fiction, No. 104 (Paris Review article, summer 1988)Jim Harrison, the Mozart of the Prairies (New Yorker article, March 2016) Other Related Books or MaterialsThe Raw and the Cooked: Cooking Your Life by Jim Harrison (Esquire article, June 1991)Wallace Stevens: poems About the HostNovelist Randy Boyagoda is a professor of English at the University of Toronto and principal of St. Michael’s College, where he holds the Basilian Chair in Christianity, Arts, and Letters. He is the author of three novels: Original Prin, Beggar's Feast, and Governor of the Northern Province. His fiction has been nominated for the Scotiabank Giller Prize (2006) and IMPAC Dublin Literary Prize (2012), and named a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice Selection (2012 and 2019) and Globe and Mail Best Book (2018). He contributes essays, reviews, and opinions to publications including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, First Things, Commonweal, Harper’s, Financial Times (UK), Guardian, New Statesman, Globe and Mail, and National Post, in addition to appearing frequently on CBC Radio. He served as President of PEN Canada from 2015-2017. Music is by Yuka From the ArchivesWriters Off the Page: 40 Years of TIFA is the first series associated with the Toronto Public Library’s multi-year digital initiative, From the Archives, which presents curated and digitized audio, video and other content from some of Canada’s biggest cultural institutions and organizations.**Thanks to the Toronto International Festival of Authors (TIFA) for allowing TPL access to their archives to feature some of the best-known writers in the world from moments in the past. Thanks as well to Library and Archives Canada for generously allowing TPL access to these archives.

Works by Susan SontagFrom AmericaThe Volcano LoverTuesday, and After: New Yorker Writers Respond to 9/11 (New Yorker article from Sep 2001)Regarding the Pain of OthersDebriefing: Collected Stories Works about Susan SontagSontag: Her Life and Work by Benjamin MoserRobert Fulford: A Sojourn With Susan Sontag (National Post article from 2012)Susan Sontag: The Complete Rolling Stone InterviewSusan Sontag: A Biography by Daniel Schreiber Other Related Books or MaterialsTheatre of War by Lewis Lapham About the HostNovelist Randy Boyagoda is a professor of English at the University of Toronto and principal of St. Michael’s College, where he holds the Basilian Chair in Christianity, Arts, and Letters. He is the author of three novels: Original Prin, Beggar's Feast, and Governor of the Northern Province. His fiction has been nominated for the Scotiabank Giller Prize (2006) and IMPAC Dublin Literary Prize (2012), and named a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice Selection (2012 and 2019) and Globe and Mail Best Book (2018). He contributes essays, reviews, and opinions to publications including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, First Things, Commonweal, Harper’s, Financial Times (UK), Guardian, New Statesman, Globe and Mail, and National Post, in addition to appearing frequently on CBC Radio. He served as President of PEN Canada from 2015-2017. Music is by Yuka From the ArchivesWriters Off the Page: 40 Years of TIFA is the first series associated with the Toronto Public Library’s multi-year digital initiative, From the Archives, which presents curated and digitized audio, video and other content from some of Canada’s biggest cultural institutions and organizations. Thanks to the Toronto International Festival of Authors (TIFA) for allowing TPL access to their archives to feature some of the best-known writers in the world from moments in the past. Thanks as well to Library and Archives Canada for generously allowing TPL access to these archives.

Writers Off the Page is a biweekly podcast series produced by Toronto Public Library that presents the best of 40 years from the archives of the Toronto International Festival of Authors (formerly known as IFOA: International Festival of Authors). Between 10-20 minutes long, episodes feature interviews, readings and discussions with some of the 20th century's best-known writers. Works by Susan SontagFrom AmericaThe Volcano Lover“Godot Comes to Sarajevo” (New York Review of Books article) Books about Susan SontagSwimming in a Sea of Death: a Son’s Memoir by David RieffSempre Susan: a Memoir of Susan Sontag by Sigrid NunezSontag: Her Life and Work by Benjamin Moser Other Related Books or MaterialsWaiting for Godot: Tragicomedy in Two Acts by Samuel BeckettUbu Roi: Drama in Five Acts by Alfred JarryRegarding Susan Sontag: a 2015 documentaryAbout the HostNovelist Randy Boyagoda is a professor of English at the University of Toronto and principal of St. Michael’s College, where he holds the Basilian Chair in Christianity, Arts, and Letters. He is the author of three novels: Original Prin, Beggar's Feast, and Governor of the Northern Province. His fiction has been nominated for the Scotiabank Giller Prize (2006) and IMPAC Dublin Literary Prize (2012), and named a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice Selection (2012 and 2019) and Globe and Mail Best Book (2018). He contributes essays, reviews, and opinions to publications including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, First Things, Commonweal, Harper’s, Financial Times (UK), Guardian, New Statesman, Globe and Mail, and National Post, in addition to appearing frequently on CBC Radio. He served as President of PEN Canada from 2015-2017. Music is by Yuka From the ArchivesWriters Off the Page: 40 Years of TIFA is the first series associated with the Toronto Public Library’s multi-year digital initiative, From the Archives, which presents curated and digitized audio, video and other content from some of Canada’s biggest cultural institutions and organizations.**Thanks to the Toronto International Festival of Authors (TIFA) for allowing TPL access to their archives to feature some of the best-known writers in the world from moments in the past. Thanks as well to Library and Archives Canada for generously allowing TPL access to these archives. 

Books by Susan SontagThe BenefactorIllness as Metaphor/AIDS and Its MetaphorsFrom America Books about Susan SontagSontag: Her Life and Work by Benjamin Moser Other Books or Materials MentionedGreat Expectations by Charles DickensFilm: David Lean’s 1946 version of Great Expectations (Criterion Collection)The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov About the Host:Novelist Randy Boyagoda is a professor of English at the University of Toronto and principal of St. Michael’s College, where he holds the Basilian Chair in Christianity, Arts, and Letters. He is the author of three novels: Original Prin, Beggar's Feast, and Governor of the Northern Province. His fiction has been nominated for the Scotiabank Giller Prize (2006) and IMPAC Dublin Literary Prize (2012), and named a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice Selection (2012 and 2019) and Globe and Mail Best Book (2018). He contributes essays, reviews, and opinions to publications including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, First Things, Commonweal, Harper’s, Financial Times (UK), Guardian, New Statesman, Globe and Mail, and National Post, in addition to appearing frequently on CBC Radio. He served as President of PEN Canada from 2015-2017. Music is by Yuka. This podcast series is produced by Toronto Public Library, in collaboration with TIFA (Toronto International Festival of Authors) and Library and Archives Canada.  

Books by Susan Sontag:Illness as Metaphor/AIDS and Its MetaphorsIn America: A NovelFascinating Fascism: Susan Sontag on Leni Riefenstahl (The New York Review of Books)Notes on "Camp"Books about Susan Sontag:Sontag: Her Life and Work by Benjamin MoserAbout the Host:Novelist Randy Boyagoda is a professor of English at the University of Toronto and principal of St. Michael’s College, where he holds the Basilian Chair in Christianity, Arts, and Letters. He is the author of three novels: Original Prin, Beggar's Feast, and Governor of the Northern Province. His fiction has been nominated for the Scotiabank Giller Prize (2006) and IMPAC Dublin Literary Prize (2012), and named a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice Selection (2012 and 2019) and Globe and Mail Best Book (2018). He contributes essays, reviews, and opinions to publications including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, First Things, Commonweal, Harper’s, Financial Times (UK), Guardian, New Statesman, Globe and Mail, and National Post, in addition to appearing frequently on CBC Radio. He served as President of PEN Canada from 2015-2017.Music is by Yuka.This podcast series is produced by Toronto Public Library, in collaboration with TIFA (Toronto International Festival of Authors) and Library and Archives Canada. 

On Tuesday, we learned more graphic and grisly details about what likely happened to Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Turkey.  But how critical is it for all the details to come out?  We speak with PEN Canada executive director Brendan de Caires for perspective.

RCMP raids home of journalist Juliet O’Neill, prompting widespread condemnation. Ottawa Citizen reporter Juliet O’Neill was writing about the imprisonment and torture of Canadian Maher Arar, who spent a year in a Syrian prison after being detained in the United States and sent to Syria due to information given to them by Canadian officials. The issue became more than just an embarrassment for the Canadian government as questions arose about the information Canadian officials had given the U.S. In the end, Arar was exonerated with an apology and an $11.5 million settlement from the Canadian government. On January 21, 2004, 10 RCMP officers raided O’Neill’s home, taking copies of her computer files along with notebooks, address books and other documents. They were investigating a possible breach of the Security of Information Act and implicating O’Neill in criminal activity. Worldwide condemnation by organizations devoted to freedom of the press followed immediately. PEN Canada for Freedom of Expression expressed outrage at the Canadian police actions. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, and the Vienna-based International Press Institute also had harsh words for Canada’s Prime Minister Paul Martin and the RCMP. The Ottawa Citizen went to court, demanding their documents and those of O’Neill returned. In October of 2006 an Ontario judge granted most of their demands and had harsh words for the RCMP. Judge Ratushny wrote the RCMP’s allegations of criminality by O’Neill was, “abusive conduct… that amounts to an intimidation of the press and an infringement of the constitutional right of freedom of the press.” The judge further ruled that certain actions of the RCMP “offend the public's sense of decency and fairness and does undermine the integrity of the judicial process.” See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Emily M. Keeler listens to one song seven times a day, goes on Instagram and ends up in the Twilight Zone, and looks for gopher holes in poetry.   Emily is vice president of PEN Canada and editor of the Exploded Views series from Coach House Books. She also founded Little Brother Magazine. She recommends you check out: Naomi Skwarna's Instagram account. The essay "Mind No Mind" by Jia Tolentino. Rupi Kaur's poetry book Milk and Honey. Jana Prikryl's poetry book The After Party. The song "I Wish" by Skee-Lo. Emily's Twitter: @emilymkeeler   Find links to these people's work on our website, canadalandshow.com/impSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Following their PEN Canada discussion on child soldiers, Romeo Dallaire and Stephen Lewis field questions from the audience.

Drawing on their vast experiences and first-hand knowledge, distinguished humanitarians Senator Romeo Dallaire and Stephen Lewis, enter into a dialogue about the issues that they have committed their lives to: the eradication of the use of child soldiers and stopping the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa. Their discussion, moderated by journalist Anna Maria Tremonti, was organized by PEN Canada.

Drawing on their vast experiences and first-hand knowledge, distinguished humanitarians Senator Romeo Dallaire and Stephen Lewis, enter into a dialogue about the issues that they have committed their lives to: the eradication of the use of child soldiers and stopping the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa. Their discussion, moderated by journalist Anna Maria Tremonti, was organized by PEN Canada.

The conclusion of readings at PEN Canada's Annual Fall Gala

art One of the readings at PEN Canada's annual fall gala benefit held on Friday, October 20 at the University of Toronto.