Why writing a novel is like riding a horse
Imagine you walk into your bedroom one day … and there’s a horse going on a rampage. Better yet, it’s a horse from a childhood story that ha...
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Writers and Company from CBC Radio
CBC Radio's Writers and Company offers an opportunity to explore in depth the lives, thoughts and works of remarkable writers from around the world. Hosted by Eleanor Wachtel.
Episodes
20 of 171 episodesA city just for adulterers
For cheating couples who are sneaking around, it’s paradise … but how long until the cracks start to show? Sophie Mackintosh’s new novel, Pe...
It’s tough being the new kid in town. The zombies don’t help
You might be used to moving around … but you've probably never ended up in a town full of zombies, aliens and sad clowns. Jon Claytor’s new...
Can you justify killing bad men?
Bad men, bee warned. Imani Thompson’s buzzy debut novel, Honey , follows a jaded PhD student named Yrsa. She’s bored with her work and frust...
The dazzling, dangerous world of a 20th century spy
David Baerwald is a famous songwriter who’s worked with artists like Joni Mitchell and Sheryl Crow. But when he uncovered a family history f...
Why you shouldn’t go gentle into that good night
If you just let go of everything that’s out of your control … can you truly be happy? Maria Semple tests that philosophy in her new novel, G...
From Hamnet to Land, Maggie O'Farrell maps uncharted history
Maggie O’Farrell brought Shakespeare’s son out of the footnotes of history with her 2020 novel Hamnet . Its hugely successful movie adaptati...
Can you make a family — and a country — great again?
Imagine your entire family … immediate and extended … living in one apartment complex together. Karan Mahajan’s latest novel, The Complex ,...
Sci-fi, survival and the final frontier
If an asteroid was hurtling towards Earth, and you had no other choice … would you upload your mind to a computer to survive? Robert J. Sawy...
Bookends highlights: Y’all know we’re Canada down
Coast to coast, province to province, soccer pitch to hockey rink … there’s no one Canadian experience, and no one Canadian story. This week...
Marjane Satrapi: In conversation with Eleanor Wachtel
When Marjane Satrapi died earlier this month, we lost an acclaimed graphic novelist and filmmaker … and a voice that explored Iranian societ...
What does it mean to be a dad, anyway?
Fatherhood isn’t easy. It might be hard to put the experience into words … but Jordan Abel’s new poetry collection does just that. Dad Era i...
This time loop story digs deeper than Groundhog Day
What would you do if you were stuck reliving the same day on loop? Splurge with your ever-replenishing bank account? Travel, so you can expe...
A raunchy workplace satire ... about deradicalizing ISIS brides?
When Nussaibah Younis decided to write a book about ISIS brides, everyone expected it to be an academic tome. Instead, she wrote a raunchy s...
Here’s why Fran Lebowitz needs a cigarette
Fran Lebowitz is a legendary writer and critic. She’s made a career of sharing hot takes without apology, and she didn’t hold back when she...
Dive into the dark underbelly of rural Ontario
It’s easy to glamorize small town life … but Kevin Hardcastle’s new novel, County Road Six , is all about the darkness lurking in rural Cana...
Douglas Stuart was a fashion exec — now he designs stories
A glamorous life and career in New York’s fashion industry was everything Douglas Stuart worked for. So why did he walk away from it all? An...
What’s the cost of the immigrant success story?
Anne Kim has it all. She’s a high-powered tax lawyer, lives in a beautiful apartment in New York and has the perfect boyfriend to boot. She’...
A forensic thriller writer autopsies her own life
A famous crime writer who gets her inspiration from years of working on real cases at the medical examiner’s office. That’s the story of Pat...
Accepting the unknown … and a giant flock of crows
The winner of the 2026 CBC Short Story Prize is the Vancouver-based writer Larah Luna. Larah’s story, A Season of Crows , is about a small t...