Watershed Writers with Tanis MacDonald

Episode 10 - Madhur Anand

Mon, 24 Jan 2022 19:08:29 GMT

In this episode, we begin by asking when writing a memoir, at what point does your parents’ story become your own?” We talk with Governor General Award winner, Madhur Anand about challenging the standard memoir form, and how she decided to explore its limits in her book A Red Line Goes Right Through To Your Heart.

Watershed Writers - Emily Urquhart

Mon, 17 Jan 2022 17:51:41 GMT

In this podcast episode, we ask about age. What if artistic experimentation does not decline with age? Are many of our assumptions about aging just flat-out wrong? Listen in as we talk with author, Emily Urquhart about her new book, The Age of Creativity: Art, Memory, My Father, and Me.

Watershed Writers - Luke Hathaway

Mon, 27 Dec 2021 16:37:49 GMT

In this episode, we talk with Luke Hathaway about Luke’s Waterloo Region roots and the international reach of his latest book, Years, Months, and Days, as well about the importance of influences in maker culture.

Hosted by Tanis MacDonald

Produced by Frances Roberts Reilly

Edited by Brendon Highmore

Music by Alysha Brilla

Artwork by John Roscoe

Sponsored by The Region of Waterloo Arts Fund

Watershed Writers - Janet Rogers

Tue, 21 Dec 2021 01:06:27 GMT

We talk with Tuscarora writer, performer, and publisher Janet Rogers. As the national Truth and Reconciliation conversation continues, we listen as Janet speaks of writing as a response to the work of her forebears. She reads from her new book Ego of a Nation about personal and political power.

Hosted by Tanis MacDonald

Produced by Frances Roberts Reilly

Edited by Brendon Highmore

Music by Alysha Brilla

Artwork by John Roscoe

Sponsored by The Region of Waterloo Arts Fund

Watershed Writers - Tasneem Jamal

Mon, 13 Dec 2021 20:08:47 GMT

We talk with author Tasneem Jamal about migrant writing in Canadian literature, the challenge of writing across generations in her novel Where The Air is Sweet.

Hosted by Tanis MacDonald

Produced by Frances Roberts Reilly

Edited by Brendon Highmore

Music by Alysha Brilla

Artwork by John Roscoe

Sponsored by The Region of Waterloo Arts Fund

Watershed Writers - Mike Chaulk & Sarah Tolmie

Mon, 06 Dec 2021 18:38:18 GMT

In this podcast episode, we ask Inuit author Mike Chaulk about his writerly solutions for claiming his mixed-race identity explored in his book Night Lunch. Also on this episode, we ask Sarah Tolmie about literary prize culture. She reads from her book, Check, about confirmation bias and speaks about taking up space, daring to be funny.

Hosted by Tanis MacDonald

Produced by Frances Roberts Reilly

Edited by Brendon Highmore

Music by Alysha Brilla

Artwork by John Roscoe

Sponsored by The Region of Waterloo Arts Fund

Watershed Writers - Textile Magazine

Mon, 29 Nov 2021 18:40:43 GMT

In this episode, our guests are Fitsum Areguy, Yasmeen Namett Alla and Ashley Hynd who are a few of the many contributors to Textile Magazine. Lean in as we explore two questions that form the backbone of Textile magazine, “Which stories are valued the most? Where does power reside?”

Hosted by Tanis MacDonald

Produced by Frances Roberts Reilly

Edited by Brendon Highmore

Music by Alysha Brilla

Artwork by John Roscoe

Sponsored by The Region of Waterloo Arts Fund

Watershed Writers - Sweet Water: Poems for the Watersheds

Mon, 22 Nov 2021 18:52:13 GMT

In this episode, we speak with three poets, Yvonne Blomer, Laurie D. Graham and Gary Barwin who all write about their local watersheds in Sweat Water: Poems for the Watersheds. We ask, what does a poetics of water look like/sound like in Waterloo Region?

Hosted by Tanis MacDonald

Produced by Frances Roberts Reilly

Edited by Brendon Highmore

Music by Alysha Brilla

Artwork by John Roscoe

Sponsored by The Region of Waterloo Arts Fund

Watershed Writers - Janice Jo Lee

Mon, 15 Nov 2021 20:09:26 GMT

In this episode we ask, as a young artist, would you take the risk of being called notorious? That’s the risk our podcast guest, the multi-talented Janice Jo Lee took with the performances of her one-person show Will You Be My Friend? in Kitchener and in Toronto. For many years, Janice was a mover and shaker in the artistic community of the Region of Waterloo,. She was everywhere, it seemed, with her songs and spoken word pieces about identity, friendship, and solidarity.

Listen in as Janice talks about her upcoming album, Ancestor Songs, and her many other projects. We ask, what is it like to be a public artist who shakes things up? What does it means to get uncomfortable to make art responsibly. How do we find capacity to create in challenging times?

Hosted by Tanis MacDonald

Produced by Frances Roberts Reilly

Edited by Brendon Highmore

Music by Alysha Brilla

Artwork by John Roscoe

Sponsored by The Region of Waterloo Arts Fund

Watershed Writers - Erin Bow

Mon, 01 Nov 2021 19:10:27 GMT

Sit back and get transported to the steppes of Mongolia where eagle hunting, an age-old tradition is overturned by one young girl’s bravery and determination to train an eagle as author Erin Bow talks about Stand on the Sky, which won the 2019 Governor General’s Award for Young People’s Literature in English. Then hear what’s hair-raising about her book Plain Kate and how Erin explores blood magic to transform an old Russian fairytale for contemporary readers. We finish with Erin reading her poem about Madame Curie where Erin puts her science background to poetic means.

Hosted by Tanis MacDonald

Produced by Frances Roberts Reilly

Edited by Brendon Highmore

Music by Alysha Brilla

Artwork by John Roscoe

Sponsored by The Region of Waterloo Arts Fund