Speculating Canada on Trent Radio Episode 8: An Interview with Marie Bilodeau and Karen Dudley About Myth and Canadian SF

In this interview, SF authors Marie Bilodeau, Karen Dudley, and I explore the mythic underpinnings of modern Canadian SF. Prepare for us to open up mythic worlds within all of those little corners of reality.

Marie Bilodeau is an award-winning, Ottawa-based Science Fiction and Fantasy author and a professional storyteller. A modern mythographer, Marie creates worlds of wonder with pen and voice. Marie is the author of the Destiny and Heirs of a Broken Land series of novels.

Karen Dudley is a Winnipeg-based author of environmental mysteries and historical fantasy. Evoking the wonder of the past and the mysteries of the present, Karen blends humour with the paranormal. Karen is the award-winning author of the novels Kraken Bake, Food for the Gods, Hoot to Kill, Macaws of Death, and multiple others.

Together, we examine the continuity and changes of myth, moral grey areas in Canadian SF, the development of the figure of the hero, the villain, and the monster… and, of course, the ultimate villain: Winter!

Explore Trent Radio at www.trentradio.ca

Explore Trent Radio at http://www.trentradio.ca

 

This audio file was originally broadcast on Trent Radio, and I would like to thank Trent Radio for their continued support.

Make sure to allow a few minutes for the file to buffer since it may take a moment before it begins to play.

This interview was taped in preparation for the event – A Mythic Night: An Author Reading by Karen Dudley and Marie Bilodeau at Sadleir House (751 George Street North in Peterborough) taking place on Thursday June 19th at 7:00 PM.

A Mythic Night poster 2 revised

Speculating Canada on Trent Radio Episode 7: Feminism and Horror

This episode features an interview with Peterborough’s own Mistress of Dark Scholarship, Amy Jane Vosper. Amy Jane is a PhD student in the Cultural Studies PhD programme at Trent University who conducts research on women’s responses to horror film.

Hear a discussion of the love of horror, audience passion about horror, women growing up with horror, age and different reactions to horror.

Explore Trent Radio at www.trentradio.ca

Explore Trent Radio at http://www.trentradio.ca

 

This audio file was originally broadcast on Trent Radio, and I would like to thank Trent Radio for their continued support.

Make sure to allow a few minutes for the file to buffer since it may take a moment before it begins to play.

Speculating Canada on Trent Radio Episode 2: An Interview with Chadwick Ginther and Discussion of his Work

In this episode of Speculating Canada on Trent Radio, check out an interview with Winnipeg author Chadwick Ginther where he discusses his Thunder Road trilogy. In our interview we talk about notions of heroism and villainy, moral ambiguities, the interplay of Canadian legends and Norse myths, the landscape, urban fantasy and horror.

After our interview, I get a chance to talk about his novels Thunder Road and Tombstone Blues.

Explore Trent Radio at www.trentradio.ca

Explore Trent Radio at http://www.trentradio.ca

This audio file was originally broadcast on Trent Radio, and I would like to thank Trent Radio for their continued support.

Make sure to allow a few minutes for the file to buffer since it may take a moment before it begins to play.

Speculating Canada on Trent Radio Episode 1: Canadian Zombie Fiction

In many American zombie narratives, people escape the zombie apocalypse by crossing the border into Canada. Is it our health care? Is it the cold? Is it the maple syrup? Whatever it is, American zombies don’t seem to like us very well… so, Canadians have created our own zombie fiction and we do something a little bit different with our zombies.

This first radio show of the season explores the history of the zombie narrative then delves into some examples of Canadian zombie narratives and explores the potential for the zombie to ask social questions of us as readers.

Listen to a discussion of:

The film Pontypool by Tony Burgess and Bruce McDonald

Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s collection Dead North: Canadian Zombie Fiction, and particularly the stories “And All The Fathomless Crowds” by Ada Hoffmann and “The Herd” by Tyler Keevil.

Corey Redekop’s novel Husk.

James Marshall’s novels Ninja Versus Pirate Featuring Zombies and Zombie Versus Fairy Featuring Albinos.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s short story “Cemetery Man”

and

Claude Lalumiere’s short story “The Ethical Treatment of Meat”

Click on the link to hear about how Canadian zombie fiction can comment on everything from the media, violence, the human as monster, social performances, the education system, depression, war, and animal rights.

Explore Trent Radio at www.trentradio.ca

Explore Trent Radio at http://www.trentradio.ca

This audio file was originally broadcast on Trent Radio, and I would like to thank Trent Radio for their continued support.

Make sure to allow a few minutes for the file to buffer since it may take a moment before it begins to play.

Upcoming audio interview with Tanya Huff on Saturday August 31st

At the Academic Conference on Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy, I had the opportunity to talk with one of the first Canadian SF authors that I had read and absolutely adored, Tanya Huff. She allowed me to take a few minutes to record our conversation and play it here on Speculating Canada.

The audio file of our interview will be available on Saturday August 31st for you to download and listen to as a podcast or stream.

Trent Radio second Icon

In our interview, we discuss playing with the idea that when encountering “monsters”, it is often the humans that behave more monstrously, the role of class and clothing in fantasy literature, werewolves, zombies and the social fear of aging, the switch between the interest in the vampire to interest in the zombie, the blurring of boundaries between horror and fantasy, de-fanging the vampire, romance and the vampire, identity, the use of queer or LGBTQ characters, discrimination against books with queer characters, books and identity. Ms. Huff reveals some of her current projects and some of the challenges that have been faced in her upcoming work.

On Air Interview with Douglas Smith

Click below to hear an interview with Douglas Smith on Trent Radio. Douglas Smith is the Aurora Award winning author of Chimerascope and Impossibilia and has a book forthcoming called The Wolf at the End of the World.

Mr. Smith and I had an incredible and enlightening discussion about a variety of subjects including werewolves, myths and legends, disability in SF, ecology, the power of SF to challenge social assumptions, representations of oppressed peoples in SF, writing short fiction, and blurring the boundaries between horror, science fiction, and fantasy.

Explore Trent Radio at www.trentradio.ca

Explore Trent Radio at http://www.trentradio.ca

I want to thank Mr Smith for this brilliant interview, Alissa Paxton for her tech skills, and John Muir and Kathleen Adamson for finding up a place in the broadcast schedule.

Upcoming On Air Interview with Douglas Smith

I recently had an opportunity to talk to Douglas Smith in the Trent Radio Studio about a variety of subjects. Check out his insights in an audio file on Speculating Canada on Friday August 16th and have a chance to hear about Mr. Smith’s insights on writing and social justice, werewolves, disability in SF, myths and legends, and blurring the boundaries between horror, science fiction, and fantasy.

Trent Radio second Icon

Mr. Smith has twice won the Aurora Awards and is the author of the collections Chimerascope and Impossibilia. Check out our interview and download it as a podcast so you can listen to it while you are out.

Douglas Smith and Alissa Paxton in the Trent Radio Studio

Douglas Smith and Alissa Paxton in the Trent Radio Studio