Nonfiction author Elizabeth McLachlan talks about the inspiring resilience of small Canadian towns, and their surprising ability to reinvent themselves economically.

Calgary author Garry Ryan, most famous for his series of Detective Lane mysteries, talks about his first foray into historical fiction: the WWII aviation adventure BLACKBIRDS.

Fran Kimmel joins us from Lacombe to talk about her new novel THE SHORE GIRL, her attraction to outsider characters, and the challenges of writing about a main character from the point of view of a group of characters who barely know her at all.

Calgary writer Theanna Bischoff talks about her new novel SWALLOW, the complexities of sister-sister relationships, and the challenges of writing a book about suicide without alienating potential readers.

Calgary playwright Clem Martini discusses his new collection MARTINI WITH A TWIST, ponders the usefulness of absurdity, and reveals which part of the elephant is the softest one to kiss.

Dianne Meili talks about the process of writing her seminal 1991 collection of elder profiles THOSE WHO KNOW, and revising and updating it for its brand-new 20th Anniversary Edition.

Barb Howard discusses her hilarious new short story collection WESTERN TAXIDERMY, roadside tourist attractions, and the art of back-fat defleshing.

Sarah de Leeuw talks about her new book of poetry GEOGRAPHIES OF A LOVER, the challenges of writing poetry about intimate sexual experiences, and how her work as a geographer informs her depictions of place and landscape. NOTE: This episode contains explicit language that may offend some listeners.

Cassie Stocks talks about her first novel, the delightful comic fable DANCE, GLADYS, DANCE, artistic self-doubt, the genius of Kurt Vonnegut, and her former job as the caretaker of her boyfriend's hydroponic pot factory.

Saskatchewan author Barbara Langhorst talks about her debut poetry collection RESTLESS WHITE FIELDS and the violent real-life incident that inspired it.