Bookends with Mattea Roach

0.0 (0)
BOOKS
UPDATED WEEKLY

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.

12 HR AGO

Why this comics legend is just getting started

Growing up in rural Ontario, Jeff Lemire bought superhero comics at the local minimart. Years later, he’s one of the biggest comic book creators in Canada … and he’s the one bringing those superheroes to life. Jeff’s new memoir, 10,000 Ink Stains, tells his story. The book looks back on his 25-year career, diving into notable works like Essex County and Sweet Tooth — both of which were recently adapted for television. Jeff tells Mattea about his early days as an indie comics artist, stepping into the worlds of iconic heroes and why his career is only just beginning. Liked this conversation? Keep listening: Chris Ware: Inside the sketchbooks of a comics masterAdrian Tomine: Answering his readers' burning questions

33 min
3 DAYS AGO

Who was the woman Kafka loved?

Milena Jesenská was a courageous journalist, translator and resister of the Nazi regime. So why do most people only know her as Franz Kafka’s lover? Milena was one of the great loves of Kafka’s life, and his letters to her are immortalized in the book Letters to Milena. But that story remains unfinished … because Milena’s responses have never been found. That’s where writer Christine Estima steps in. In her debut novel, Letters to Kafka, Christine tells Milena’s story and gives voice to a woman often overshadowed in history. Liked this conversation? Keep listening: Leslie Jamison: Capturing Peggy Guggenheim in fiction and honouring a friend's dream Emma Donoghue boards a train destined for disaster Check out Mattea’s interview on Gays Reading: gaysreading.com

34 min
10 SEPT

Reliving the soundtrack of the 2000s

Feeling nostalgic for the music of the aughts? You’re not the only one. Holly Brickley’s debut novel, Deep Cuts, follows a music-obsessed writer named Percy coming of age in the early 2000s. When Percy befriends a young musician in college, they start to collaborate and their connection deepens. Holly and Mattea talk about their shared love of music, the magic of the pre-smartphone era and why music and human connection often go hand-in-hand. Liked this conversation? Keep listening: Music, sex and finding the soundtrack to queer joyEmma Knight: 'Bad' mothers make good stories — and are more true-to-life

30 min
7 SEPT

Why this Pulitzer Prize winner is done with writing books

Tessa Hulls won a Pulitzer Prize for her first book. So why is it also her last? Tessa’s graphic memoir, Feeding Ghosts, unravels the stories of three women in her family: her Chinese grandmother, her mother and herself. It’s an emotional, complex and beautifully illustrated book that took Tessa almost a decade to produce. This week on Bookends, Tessa tells Mattea about following her family ghosts across the world … and why her next step will look a little different. Liked this conversation? Keep listening: Teresa Wong: Illustrating her family's past — in all its ordinary and epic momentsSarah Leavitt: Illustrating grief too wide for words Listen to Mattea's interview on Gays Reading here: https://www.gaysreading.com/

35 min
3 SEPT

Bookends Bonus: Death, sex, money … and podcasting?

Here at Bookends, we never shy away from difficult conversations … and neither does Anna Sale, the host of the popular Slate podcast Death, Sex and Money. The show is all about diving into topics that get deep fast, and Anna expands on that promise in her book, Let’s Talk About Hard Things. In this special summer edition of Bookends, Anna joins Mattea to chat all about the book, podcasting and how her own outlook on tough topics has changed over the years.

37 min
31 AUG

Bookends Highlights: Why we never shut up about our literary prizes

The CBC Literary Prizes are where Canadian writing stars are made… and this week, we’ll prove it to you. In the first season of Bookends, Mattea Roach spoke with some of the winners, finalists and jurors of the prizes. This week, we’re revisiting Mattea's conversations with Zilla Jones, Dorian McNamara, David Huebert, Zoe Whittall, and Rachel Robb. You can learn more about the prizes at cbcbooks.ca. Hear the full conversations here: An opera singer gives voice to the Grenadian revolutionMeet the winner of the 2025 CBC Short Story PrizeDavid Huebert: Exploring the complexity of our relationship with oil through fiction Zoe Whittall: Why heartbreak is a valid form of griefRachel Robb: Exploring reconciliation and the natural world

54 min
24 AUG

Bookends Bonus: What do you see in the mirror?

This week, Bookends is revisiting the Mirrors series. It’s a CBC Books special featuring winners of the 2024 Governor General’s Literary Awards. The English-language books that won last year’s awards demonstrate how stories help us reflect on our lives and see the world in new ways. In this special series, CBC Books asked the winners to further explore the power of reflection in original works. The new works are centred around the theme of mirrors and challenge how we see ourselves, explore alternative identities and blur the lines between reality and fantasy. This episode is hosted by Talia Schlanger. It features Canadian authors Li Charmaine Anne, Caleigh Crow, Katia Grubisic, Niigaanwewidam Sinclair, Todd Stewart and Chimwemwe Undi. You can learn more about the winners at cbcbooks.ca.

49 min
17 AUG

Bookends Bonus: Redefining what counts as a Canadian literary classic from Commotion

Commotion is where you go for thoughtful and vibrant conversations about all things pop culture. Host Elamin Abdelmahmoud calls on journalists, critics, creators and friends to talk through the biggest arts & entertainment stories of the day, in 30 minutes or less. In this episode, Elamin is joined by authors Jael Richardson and David A. Robertson, and bookseller and publisher Martha Sharpe to chat about updating the Can Lit canon. What is considered to be a Canadian literary classic? Has that changed? Has it remained the same? More episodes of Commotion are available here: https://link.mgln.ai/cwea-bookends

29 min

See All (94)

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

•

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.