This week! We chat with author Curtis LeBlanc about his latest novel, Sunsetter.
I’d write more but I’m exhausted due to…many things. Hope you’re all well!
ECW Press
E339 with ANDREW F. SULLIVAN
Hey folks! Andrew F. Sullivan and his partner (author Amy Jones) moved to Hamilton a few years ago, and I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know them a little in recent months. I was even lucky enough to have him come on by the studio in-person.
Sullivan’s newest is The Marigold, which has been getting a ton of press – positive press – since its release. For good reason. It’s probably my favourite book of the year so far. Of course, it’s right in my wheelhouse: horror, satire, humour, etc. Listen in to hear all about it!
E308 with GARY BARWIN
Hey folks! I wanna take a second to say thanks to everyone who came to my book launch and who has supported me through this second novel experience.
One of those folks is this guy right here – the inestimable Gary Barwin, who joins me to talk about his latest collection of new poetry, The Most Charming Creatures. Enjoy the show!
E301 with MERILYN SIMONDS
Episode what now? We’re in the 300s? When did that happen? (Last week, I guess. Hah.)
Great chat with author Merilyn Simonds on this week’s show. We discuss her latest, Woman, Watching: Louise de Kiriline Lawrence and the Songbirds of Pimisi Bay. You don’t have to be a birder to find this one fascinating. Check it out!
E292 with TERRI FAVRO
Hey folks! Today we chat with amazing Terri Favro about her newest, The Sisters Sputnik!
As I’m away for a bit, I have scheduled everything instead of trying to do it from another country. However! I just learned that Soundcloud won’t allow me to embed the way I normally do, as the link won’t be live until the day of broadcast. So! Follow this link instead! Or search it up on podcasts. Enjoy!
https://soundcloud.com/jamestennant-1/get-lit-e292-terri-favro-june-23
E291 with GURJINDER BASRAN
Hey folks! I got to speak to the excellent Gurjinder Basran (it’s been a while!) about her latest “cheery” novel, Help! I’m Alive. We had a good time, the book is great, you should listen!
E285 with MICHAEL BARCLAY
Michael Barclay and I came up in music journalism around the same time. He started with ID Magazine in Guelph, while I was writing a Spectator column and just beginning with View Weekly. Given our ages and interests, it was pretty clear I’d love his books, and so far, I absolutely have – from Have Not Been The Same to The Never-Ending Present (for which I got to interview him) to the newest, Hearts on Fire. This one hits me right in the musical feels, focusing on the first five years of the new millennium, which happen to coincide with my first five years working at 93.3 CFMU FM.
Barclay’s book is great and he’s a good dude. Tune in.
E284 with STUART ROSS
Hey folks! Had a great time last weekend with the return of live GritLit events. I was able to attend two of them, and everything felt all weirdly familiar and wonderful (and fairly anxiety-free…unlike the Judas Priest show I attended two weeks ago, but that’s another story). For me though, the highlight was probably hanging with the cool GritLit folks afterward, fine people I haven’t seen in a while. Oh, and demonstrating ska dancing for the table. I suppose, if nothing else, it will be easy to remind Heather O’Neill where she met me before.
ALSO
I have seen cover concepts for River, Diverted. I have my first blurb for it, too (holy hell is it a good one – but it’s too early to share). October 2022!
Today’s show features the remarkable Stuart Ross. His newest is The Book Of Grief And Hamburgers, and it’s excellent. Tune in!
E132 with MARK HOWARD
Hey all,
If you know me you know I’ve worked in the music industry a long time, and I love having music-related shows. This one’s a good one. Mark Howard has worked with Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Neil Young and tons more (hell, I was kinda impressed with Luscious Jackson, but that might be going obscure). The Hamilton, ON-born engineer and producer did a lot of work with Daniel Lanois and then struck out on his own.
Howard was diagnosed with melanoma in 2017 and things got dicey. It progressed to stage 4, spread around his body (including his brain). He came to Toronto for treatment and, miraculously, is now cancer-free. During the time in-between, he wrote Listen Up! with assistance from his brother Chris Howard. If you’re a music fan (or a recording gear nerd, or even a motorcycle enthusiast) this book is for you.
If you’re in the Hamilton area this weekend, Mark is hosting the Mark Howard Cancer-Free Benefit for Princess Margaret Hospital. You can find details here.
Hope you dig the show!
E107 with NOELLE ALLEN and PAUL VERMEERSCH
Hey folks,
A bit of local content on the first half of today’s show. Noelle Allen from Wolsak & Wynn joins us, on behalf of the Hamilton Arts Council Literary Advisory Committee (I would rather call it HACLAC but it’s maybe too reminiscent of the Aflac duck). We talk about next week’s Hamilton Literary Awards.
Next up, someone else form the Wolsak family – senior editor and poet Paul Vermeersch. We talk about poetry and his latest collection, the excellent Self Defence for the Brave and Happy. Hope you enjoy our conversation!