Meet Me In The Stacks

Don't worry, you don't need to have read the books!  But you do need to be okay with a lot of hockey innuendos.  Join Nathan as he tests Darby's trivial knowledge in romance, hockey romance, and spiciness.  

Come along for a strange ride with Nathan as he takes you down an archive.org rabbit hole.  Yes, this episode is as random as the day in the life of a librarian.  Also as random as the hobbies, both past and present, of a librarian. 

Anthony reads the entirety of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens to you, dear listener!  The staves will be released one per day until the entirety of the novella is revealed. 

Anthony reads the entirety of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens to you, dear listener!  The staves will be released one per day until the entirety of the novella is revealed. 

Anthony reads the entirety of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens to you, dear listener!  The staves will be released one per day until the entirety of the novella is revealed. 

Anthony reads the entirety of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens to you, dear listener!  The staves will be released one per day until the entirety of the novella is revealed. 

Anthony reads the entirety of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens to you, dear listener!  The staves will be released one per day until the entirety of the novella is revealed. 

A thoughtful and thought provoking conversation between writers Marilyn Bowering , Kate Braid , and Carol Matthews about Marilyn's new work More Richly in Earth: A Poet's Search for Mary MacLeod (2024).  Mary MacLeod is an intriguing figure who is i mportant in the Gaelic world in Canada, as in Scotland  She was widely honoured, especially by singers and poets; yet she was also marginalised, exile...

Spooky stories and terrifying old poetry read to you by Anthony, who is very boo-kish indeed.  First up is  The Haunted Dock  by Clara Le Grand, which was a Spooky Scribbles Writing Contest winner last season.  Spooky Scribbles is a writing contest sponsored by the Library and the Comox Valley Lifelong Learning Center for young writers. Second is  Til Death Do Us Part  by Tim Maleeny, because long...

This episode is a good egg for sure.  Darby talks with Gabriola Island blogger and educator Claire from Bitchin' Chickens about all sorts of chicken topics.  Then Nathan rules the roost at chicken trivia.  There's definitely nobody here but us chickens today! Episode links: Bitchin' Chickens blog and Facebook page Guinness World Record holding chicken training blog post and Dr. Emily Carrington's...

Nathan talks with Vancouver Island-based Amanda Swinimer all about seaweed.  She has a BSc. that involved taking an algae physiology couse and harvests seaweed to eat.  She also has written The Science and Sprit of Seaweed for adults and The Science and Superpowers of Seaweed for kids.  You can find them here in the library. Pro tip from Darby: don't brandish bull kelp as a whip unless you are pre...

It's a Sea & Cedar Storytime episode!  Nathan gets piratey to set some beach vibes.  Enjoy work from the Winter, 2024 edition of Sea & Cedar with local writers. Featured writers:  Camilla Arnold, Cate Sandilands, Jonathan Moskaluk, Marlene Dean, Mary Alissa, Erica Keen, Petra Chambers, Richard Youds, Shelley Stein-Wotten, T.J. Radcliffe You can READ this issue of Sea & Cedar online or in print . ...

Was it Really Murder?  Big crime comes to a town too small to merit even that title in Murder Rides a Gale Force Wind. Beloved West Coast author and artist Yvonne Maximchuck is best known for her slices of BC marine life written with friend Billy Proctor, but has turned her hand to writing a murder mystery!  Yvonne reads from the book to whet your appetite and then chats with Darby. Check out more...

Have you always wondered what SOGI stands for but didn't want to ask the angry people with the signs by the side of the road?  Nathan thinks maybe you have.  He conducts an investigation with the help of Scout from SOGI 1, 2, 3 . Find some SOGI-inclusive books for children and teens here .

Join us in our first sponsored episode! Buster and Barnfather's Children's Cigarettes are the perfect pairing for this educational look at Vancouver Island University's Canadian Letters & Images Project with Dr. Stephen Davies.  See the project here at https://www.canadianletters.ca including some famous Canadian guest readers! You can help the project financially by donating through the VIU Found...

Nathan gets a bit down/realistic about climate change with some special guests.  First he talks to Teegan Walshe from Fridays for the Future in Qualicum, which is an ongoing school strike for climate justice.  (Back in Nathan and Darby's day, people skipped school to smoke pot or buy candy.) Second, he talks with Lucy Grainger of FireSmart BC.  You can learn more, including the free fire assessmen...

Ex-high school investigative journal turned Library Manager Stephanie interviews Library Manager Monica about Freedom to Read Week, which we observe from Feb. 18-24 this year.  Tune in for this interesting library values conversation on this still very relevant topic. Further reading: Check out the Library's curated lists of Freedom to Read items.  Or some resources on the FreedomtoRead.ca site he...

Nathan tests his Manager Stephanie's trivia prowess in today's episode.  Can you beat Stephanie at trivia?  Peter Parker Gretzky thinks you can in one section for sure.  Winners will of course receive FREE BOOKS FOR LIFE!  If you did not win, you will also receive free books for life, but only real Alex Cross titles.  Redeemable at your local library branch. 

We are feeling very educational today.  So today is the day you learn a new acronym! LAC stands for Library and Archives Canada and we are really nerding out with Julie Anne Richardson from LAC.  Ever wondered what the Library and Archives of Canada does?  Or how Canada preserves its written and recorded culture?  Or what animal noises Nathan's former bandmates can make?  Listen to find out the an...

How do YOU feel about honking like a goose for people?  If you're very comfortable, perhaps you are our next guest!  Meet Naomi Steinberg , storyteller and author.  There are no spoilers, just enjoy the voyage...  *HONK!*

Enjoy your literary adult storytime with these Sea & Cedar magazine readings!  Works included: Storyteller Spirits & Tuesday's Tide by Heather Hendry Hedgerow & Moss by Allie Picketts Flame Girl  by Jann Everard Snake Spur Road by Karl Sturmanis Planting Onions by Zoe Dickinson Pop-Up Grebe  by Christine Lowther Spell for Skookumchuck Narrows  by Anne Hopkinson You can READ this issue of Sea & Ced...

Do paper (or "pbooks", if you will) have a place in this world anymore?  Will reading an ebook lead to buying unneeded items on the internet and generally ruin your health? Nathan and Darby duke it out.  Can they come together on the topic, or will the excitement of the debate rhetoric prove to be too much?  Find out on this impassioned episode. 

Spurred on by our special guest, Nathan reflects on whether he is "award winning" for a brief, awkward moment.  Then Quadra Island dwelling and Order of Canada winning poet Jan Zwicky (and lovely human being) does a special reading of her essays and poems.  From this, she dives into a discussion with Darby about climate change and accepting the mess we seem to be in.  If you're feeling stressed ou...

Casey talks with Ottawa based bisexual author Ruby Barrett.   She is the author of The Romance Recipe , a queer rom-com featuring Amy and Sophie possibly adding the non-FDA approved ingredient of "love" into their restaurant food.  Publisher's Weekly calls it "a down-to-earth queer romance". This episode was recorded at our live Pride Month event with Ruby Barrett. Check out some other LGBTQ2+ rea...

Not for sensitive ears!  There are a lot of words that start with different letters, but mostly "F".  Get ready to feel like a kid looking up bad words in the dictionary!  (Tee hee.) Nathan talks about all of the books with the eff word in the title.  Apparently this kind of title is helpful to us all. And then there is some profanity trivia for you!