Journey of the Art

In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Craig Yorke to discuss candid reflections on his journey through race, a strict upbringing, and his career as a neurosurgeon. Dr. Yorke is the author of Steep, an exploration of the psychological impact of childhood experiences on adult resiliency and identity. We discuss the inspiration behind the book,   his early life in Massachusetts, and the influence of rac...

Did you know that hope is a story and a science? In Episode 43, I'm speaking with journalist Andrea Curtis about her book for middle graders,  The Story and Science of Hope .  Sparked by an observation of despair among children, Andrea set out to investigate the source and history of hope and what it could mean for the children she was observing. We talked about the difference between faith an...

I’m delighted to resume the show with a discussion on naming and history. In Episode 42, I’m chatting with Chinua Ezenwa-Ohaeto about his poetry collection, “The Naming,” a book about revelations and ongoing conversations with ancestors about identity, memory, and history. Our journey begins with the definition of names and Chinua’s claim that his name is perhaps the most important in all of Igbol...

In Episode 41, I’m joined by Canadian children’s book writers Eric Walters and Lana Button to discuss their award-winning book, One Can.  Illustrated by Isabelle Malenfant, One Can tells the emotional story of a young boy’s generosity and the importance of community in tackling food insecurity. It is a story of hope and a reminder of the power of positive storytelling in children's narratives....

In Episode 40 of the podcast, I have the privilege of speaking with adult and children’s book writer Caroline Adderson, writer of  A Pond, A Poet, and Three Pests .   A Pond, A Poet, and Three Pests  is a brilliant children’s book about thinking and finding quiet moments in a chaotic world. Illustrated by Lauren Tamaki, the book   imagines how an old haiku by Japanese poet Matsuo Basho came to be....

In Episode 39, I’m chatting with Whitney French about her novel in verse,  Syncopation , a science fiction novel about two women searching for meaning and purpose in a catastrophic world where memory is currency.  We talk about the musicality of  Syncopation , how a random Tumblr post birthed the idea of the book, and what characters can teach us about ourselves. I ask Whitney to don her writing c...

In this episode, I’m joined by Nadia Ragbar to discuss her latest work,  The Pugilist and the Sailor .  The book follows the lives of conjoined twins, Bruce and Dougie. One an ambitious boxer and the other a bookkeeper. As the brothers pursue their individual desires, a love interest and a boxing championship, they are compelled to consider the true meaning of belonging, independence, and their ow...

In Episode 37, I have the privilege of speaking with three-time Pushcart nominee Bill Gaythwaite about his short story collection,  A Place In The World , winner of the 2025 Drue Heinz Literature Prize.  This stunning collection of compelling short stories features regular people battling betrayal, displacement, and loss and will leave you feeling a deep sense of connection with the characters. In...

In this episode, I have the honour of chatting with Minelle Mahtani to discuss her memoir,  May It Have A Happy Ending .  In  May It Have A Happy Ending , Minelle travels back and forth in time to investigate the parallels between finding her voice in broadcasting and watching her mother lose hers to tongue cancer.  The book is an exploration of voice, with people, animals, nature, and things spea...

In this episode, I’m joined by award-winning Cree Métis storyteller and multidisciplinary artist Arnolda Dufour-Bowes to discuss her latest children's book, "Maggie Lou Meets Her Match." Arnolda shares her creative strategies, the importance of family and cultural storytelling, and her approach to balancing humor and serious themes in her work. You’ll find the initial part of our conversation deep...

This moving episode with Halina St James is a conversation about intergenerational trauma, an exploration of a mother-daughter relationship, the Second World War, family secrets, love and forgiveness. Our conversation is centred around Halina’s memoir, The Golden Daughter.  After discovering her mother’s secret stash of letters upon her passing, Halina translated them and then embarked on a journe...

In this episode, I have the privilege of speaking with Eddie Kawooya, author of the Ace and the Misfits series. We talk about how immigrant kids can foster friendships and a sense of purpose through sports. Inspired by his own immigrant experiences, Eddie brings to life a community of young boys who thrive through sports and a joint sense of purpose. Upheld by the storytelling traditions of his Ug...

I’m truly honored to share this episode with Summer Brenner, fiction writer, poet, and the oldest guest on the show (Summer turned 80 this year)! In this episode, we step back in time to the 1950s through her memoir, DUST. We discuss her encounters with racism and being Jewish in the South, caring for her brother who suffered from schizophrenia, dealing with her father’s suicide, other complexitie...

In this episode, my guest is Adedayo Agarau, author of  The Years of Blood , a poetry collection that explores trauma, memory, anxiety, and immigration.  Listen as we discuss the lack of emergency on ritual killings and abductions that inspired him to take on this subject, his struggles with mental health, and the ways community and religion impacted his ability to deal with his struggles.  Show h...

In this episode with Saad Omar Khan, we discuss depression, faith, unrequited love, and the connections between these. We explore these in Khan’s latest work, Drinking the Ocean, which tells the story of Murad, whose carefully constructed reality is upset by a chance encounter with a long lost love. Set in England, Canada, and Pakistan, Drinking the Ocean forces us to contemplate deep questions on...

What do math and art have in common? For most of my life, I’ve heard that these two concepts (and subjects) belonged in different worlds, but in this episode, we explore the intersection points between these two and how one helps the other. 00:00 - Introduction 2:10 - How art helped Jennifer through her personal struggle with math 6:33 - How important is art in teaching math? 11:06 - Creative stra...

In Episode 28, I’m joined by Kate Jenks Landry, author of A Summer Without Anna, to discuss the hardship children face when a family member is sick. When we think about sickness, especially those requiring hospitalizations and long-term care, the focus is on the patient and rightfully so. But what happens to the children in the family, who often have to live with a relative or family friend? Is th...

What parallels can be drawn between personal and societal crisis? In this episode, I’m joined by James Cairns, professor and writer of the essay collection,  In Crisis, On Crisis , to discuss what happens when we examine crisis not just from the lens of societal injustice and political upheaval but also from the lens of personal, secret struggles. James opens up about overcoming alcohol addiction,...

What do ADHD and ship salvage have in common?  In this episode of the Journey of the Art podcast, Elizabeth Rynecki and I discuss her six-part podcast series, That Sinking Feeling, exploring the similarities between her father’s job in ship salvage and her son’s ADHD struggles.  When Elizabeth completed her non-fiction memoir and began looking for her next project, an unlikely convergence of ideas...

Who really was Isabel de Saavedra? And was she really as cruel as history portrays her?   In Episode 25, Martha Bátiz tells me what inspired her to reimagine the stories of Miguel de Cervantes, his sisters, wife, and daughter, Isabel de Saavedra, in her latest historical novel, A Daughter’s Place.   Set in 16th-century Spain, the historical fiction revolves around Miguel’s daughter, Isabel, who fi...

I’m joined by poet, scholar, and renowned translator Radha Chakravarty for a powerful conversation on the crossroads between translation and literature, feminism in writing, and the inner work of creating across languages.   We explore Radha’s life as a multilingual writer in India, her deep relationship with Tagore’s work, and what it means to be a translator of emotion, memory, and resistance. F...

“Whatever my life story is, the last line cannot be: ‘And then he died in Texas.’” — Alex R Johnson   In this episode, I’m joined by filmmaker and debut author Alex R Johnson to unpack the story behind his debut novel, how screenwriters are robbed of creative ownership, and what it takes to push past imposter syndrome—even at 50.   Show Highlights 00:00 Introduction 3:11 Leaving Brooklyn for Texas...

In this episode, children’s book author and illustrator Thao Lam opens up about her latest picture book,  Everybelly —a joyful celebration of body diversity and inclusion for young readers. We discuss: How her daughter’s first comments on her body sparked the book’s creation The power of bellies as a storytelling lens Raising kids to love their bodies in a judgmental world Cultural identity, food,...

What happens when poetry meets climate crisis? In this episode, I’m joined by award-winning poet Farah Ghafoor to discuss her poetry collection,  Shadow Price , from House of Anansi Press. Taking its title from an economics term—the estimated value of things without a clear market price— Shadow Price  explores themes of climate change, capitalism, colonialism, and the multigenerational impact of b...

In Episode 20, I chat with Kid Haile, author and illustrator of Sometimes I Eat with My Hands. We explore the intersection of food, culture, and identity and how mealtime traditions shape our sense of belonging. Kid shares his journey from science to art, how his daughter inspired his book, the deep meaning behind the Ethiopian dish, injera, and the role of food in preserving cultural heritage. So...