Bookends with Mattea Roach - CBC

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Emma Knight: 'Bad' mothers make good stories — and are more true-to-life Feb 05, 2025

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You might be surprised to learn that Emma Knight’s new book, The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus, isn’t about marine life at all. The novel follows two Canadian students finding their way in Scotland as they navigate family secrets and first love. Emma joins Mattea Roach to talk about coming of age abroad, the freedom of the pre-smartphone age, and her interest in imperfect mothers.

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Imani Perry: Tracing blue through Black American life Feb 02, 2025

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Imani Perry’s latest book, Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People, is an evocative exploration of what the colour can tell us about being Black in the United States today — and the extraordinary human capacity to find beauty in the face of devastation. Imani speaks to Mattea Roach about tracing blue through history, music, and her own life.

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Chris Ware: Inside the sketchbooks of a comics master Jan 26, 2025

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The latest volume of Chris Ware's Acme Novelty Date Book series is made up of pages from his personal sketchbooks, providing a window into his ideas, obsessions and insecurities. Chris tells Mattea Roach about his career as a cartoonist, staying in touch with childhood and why his daughter is the star of the comics in this book.

Amy Lin: Widowed at 31, she looks for the beauty in grief Jan 22, 2025

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When Amy Lin’s husband died suddenly, even the simplest parts of daily life became a struggle — but through it all, she took refuge in writing. Amy’s debut memoir, Here After, is a searing portrait of grief and a tribute to the love she shared with her husband. Amy joins Mattea to talk about the intensity of grief, the widowhood effect and confronting the death of a loved one.

Rumaan Alam: How would you spend a billion dollars? Jan 19, 2025

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Rumaan Alam’s latest novel, Entitlement, is about a young woman hired to help an aging billionaire give away his fortune — and it asks a lot of questions about the cash-driven world we live in. Rumaan joins Mattea Roach to talk about wealth, morality and how much money a billion dollars really is.

Rachel Robb: Exploring reconciliation and the natural world Jan 15, 2025

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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.

Judith Butler: Breaking down why people fear gender Jan 12, 2025

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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.

Zoe Whittall: Why heartbreak is a valid form of grief Jan 08, 2025

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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.

Adrian Tomine: Answering his readers’ burning questions Jan 05, 2025

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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.

Bookends: Highlights from 2024 Dec 29, 2024

Show notes

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.

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