Bookends with Mattea Roach

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When the book ends, the conversation begins. Mattea Roach speaks with writers who have something to say about their work, the world and our place in it. You’ll always walk away with big questions to ponder and new books to read.

2 HR AGO

Rachel Robb: Exploring reconciliation and the natural world

Rachel is a teacher from Toronto. Her students didn’t even know she was a writer — until she won the 2024 CBC Poetry prize. Her poem, Palimpsest County, is inspired by Ontario landscapes and speaks to colonialism, climate change, and how our responsibility to protect the natural world is a key part of reconciliation. Rachel talks to Mattea Roach about approaching reconciliation as a non-Indigenous person and how her job inspired her winning poem. The CBC Poetry Prize is one of three literary prizes that CBC Books offers for aspiring Canadian writers. The CBC Nonfiction Prize is open right now. You could win $6,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts, a writing residency at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, and have your work published by CBC. Head to CBCBooks.ca for all the details.

19 min
3 DAYS AGO

Judith Butler: Breaking down why people fear gender

Judith Butler is one of the foremost gender and political theorists of the 21st century — an academic celebrity. Their latest book, Who’s Afraid of Gender?, explores gender in today’s polarized world and how the word itself is being used to incite political passions. Judith joins Mattea Roach to tackle the book’s titular question and discuss their influential body of work.

40 min
8 JAN

Zoe Whittall: Why heartbreak is a valid form of grief

The profound impact of romantic loss doesn’t always get taken seriously, but Zoe Whittall is here to tell you that she gets it. The Canadian author talks to Mattea Roach about her latest book, No Credit River, and why she’s sharing her experiences with queer breakups, anxiety, and miscarriage.

28 min
5 JAN

Adrian Tomine: Answering his readers’ burning questions

If you could ask your favourite author one question, what would it be? If that author is Adrian Tomine, your question might be answered in his latest book, Q&A. The cartoonist talks to Mattea Roach about what he’s learned from his readers and why you might want to think twice about becoming a professional cartoonist.

32 min
29/12/2024

Bookends: Highlights from 2024

This episode features highlights from interviews with Teresa Wong, Casey McQuiston, Eric Chacour, Jenny Heijun Wills, and Matt Haig. Music featured in this episode: "Rainy Days and Mondays" written by Paul Williams and Roger Nichols, performed by Carpenters, from the 1971 self-titled album Carpenters, produced by Jack Daugherty.

53 min
22/12/2024

Samantha Harvey: In conversation with Eleanor Wachtel

This week on Bookends, we revisit Eleanor Wachtel's conversation with Samantha Harvey, the winner of the 2024 Booker Prize. They spoke on Writers & Company in 2015 about Samantha's novel Dear Thief, which was inspired by a Leonard Cohen song. Samantha also explores her interest in themes of aging, why she writes about the unfamiliar, and infusing her work with philosophical questions.

51 min
18/12/2024

Bryan Lee O’Malley: 20 years of Scott Pilgrim

Bryan talks to Mattea about the legacy of the hit comic book series, the inspiration behind some of his most iconic characters, and his nostalgia for Toronto in the early aughts.

29 min
15/12/2024

Nita Prose: The Maid series returns with a Christmas twist

The bestselling Maid mystery series has a new festive novella, and Nita Prose joins Mattea Roach onstage for the first Bookends live show.

37 min

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TRAILER

Introducing Bookends with Mattea Roach

When the book ends, the conversation begins. Mattea Roach speaks with writers who have something to say about their work, the world and our place in it. You'll always walk away with big questions to ponder and new books to read. Beginning Sept. 8 on CBC.

06/09/2024

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2 min

Mattea Roach

Host

When the book ends, the conversation begins. Mattea Roach speaks with writers who have something to say about their work, the world and our place in it. You’ll always walk away with big questions to ponder and new books to read.

Channel

CBC Arts & Entertainment
Creator

CBC
Years Active

2007 - 2025
Episodes

45
Rating

Clean
Show Website

Bookends with Mattea Roach
Provider

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has identified itself as a trader for this podcast and confirmed that this product or service complies with European Union law. Address 181 Queen St Ottawa Ontario K1P 1K9 Canada Phone Number +1 8663064636 Email podcasting@cbc.ca