Bookends with Mattea Roach

If an asteroid was hurtling towards Earth, and you had no other choice … would you upload your mind to a computer to survive? Robert J. Sawyer explores that dilemma in his new novel, The Downloaded 2: Ghosts in the Machine. The Canadian sci-fi legend’s latest is all about technology and identity at the end of the world … and as someone who has thought a lot about mortality, Robert has a unique perspective on how technology, humanity and death align. Robert tells Mattea Roach about why he likes to write about cheating death, the harmony of science and religion and a personal experience he’s sharing for the first time.

Liked this conversation? Keep listening:
In a world run by AI, what makes us human?
Getting to know Canada's king of suspense

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Coast to coast, province to province, soccer pitch to hockey rink … there’s no one Canadian experience, and no one Canadian story. This week, Bookends is highlighting four Canadian writers we’ve featured on the show so far. From a hockey drama in the maritimes, to Canadian soldiers in the Second World War, to a long journey North, these stories about Canada might surprise you … or they might remind you of home. In this special Canada Day edition of the show, we’re revisiting Mattea Roach’s conversations with Jack Wang, Tyler Hellard, Alison McCreesh and Conor Kerr.

Hear the full conversations here:
Jack Wang: Reimagining the lost stories of Chinese Canadians during WWII
Meet hockey’s greatest (fictional) goon
Alison McCreesh: Exploring the magic and nuance of life in the North in her latest graphic novel
Capitalism, dating apps and why we love Edmonton

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When Marjane Satrapi died earlier this month, we lost an acclaimed graphic novelist and filmmaker … and a voice that explored Iranian society in a wholly unique way. You might know Marjane from her celebrated graphic memoirs Persepolis and Persepolis II. They’re about her experience growing up in an unconventional household during Iran’s Islamic revolution, and the screen adaptation was nominated for an Academy Award. This week, we’re revisiting Eleanor Wachtel’s 2011 conversation with Marjane about her book Chicken with Plums. They spoke about Marjane’s relationship to her home country, how her family influences her work and appreciating the beauty of life’s small moments.

Check out the rest of the Writers & Company archive: https://digital.lib.sfu.ca/writers-company

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Fatherhood isn’t easy. It might be hard to put the experience into words … but Jordan Abel’s new poetry collection does just that. Dad Era is addressed to Jordan’s daughter Phoenix. Through free verse, pictures and a mix of ideas both personal and universal, the collection explores the nuances of fatherhood, Indigenous parenting and what it’s like to raise a child in a world that gets more uncertain by the day. Like his previous work, Dad Era showcases Jordan’s ability to be a literary DJ — he loops, cuts and fades together words, artwork, and documents, giving readers fresh perspectives on fatherhood and Indigenous joy, past and present.

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David A. Robertson puts stories at the heart of reconciliation
What would it take to become the first Cherokee astronaut?

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What would you do if you were stuck reliving the same day on loop? Splurge with your ever-replenishing bank account? Travel, so you can experience more than one season? Would it feel freeing, or lonely? In Solvej Balle's series On the Calculation of Volume, Tara Selter is stuck reliving the same November 18th. Nearly 40 years after the idea first came to Solvej, her time loop tale is speaking to readers around the world with its explorations of love, hope, despair and isolation. Solvej tells Mattea about why she initially resisted writing this story, the upside of aloneness, and what she really thought of the movie Groundhog Day.

Liked this conversation? Keep listening:
Is it magic ... or is it Siri?
R.F. Kuang raises a little hell

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