Books & Ideas Audio
Vancouver Writers Fest
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Top 10 Books & Ideas Audio Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Books & Ideas Audio episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Books & Ideas Audio for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Books & Ideas Audio episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
Writing in America Today
Books & Ideas Audio
05/01/23 • 68 min
These three American writers are at the top of their game, their works each addressing timeless and timely themes of individuality, freedom, justice, equality. Megha Majumdar’s electrifying debut, A Burning, follows three characters seeking to rise—to the middle class, to political power, to fame in the movies. Kawai Strong Washburn’s groundbreaking novel folds the legends of Hawai’ian gods into an engrossing family saga. Charles Yu’s Interior Chinatown is an intimate story about race, pop culture, and escaping stereotypes. These three sharp minds talk about upending stereotypes, writing with a day job, and the bright side of living and writing in America right now.
Sheila Heti: Alphabetical Diaries
Books & Ideas Audio
03/01/24 • 61 min
Acclaimed Canadian writer Sheila Heti speaks with Molly Cross-Blanchard in this conversation from our 2024 Incite series, presented in partnership with the Vancouver Public Library. Her latest book, Alphabetical Diaries, collects lines from a decade's worth of her journals—rearranged in alphabetical order to create something entirely fresh and sublime.
Heti is the author of ten previous books, including experimental and philosophical works such as Motherhood, Pure Colour, and How Should a Person Be?
Zadie Smith in Conversation with Madeleine Thien
Books & Ideas Audio
02/01/24 • 48 min
Widely recognized as one of the finest and most influential authors writing in English today, Zadie Smith speaks about her acclaimed latest novel, The Fraud, with her internationally-renowned Canadian contemporary, Madeleine Thien.
This event was presented in 2023 in partnership with UBC School of Creative Writing and the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, and with the support of Penguin Random House Canada.
Celeste Ng: Our Missing Hearts
Books & Ideas Audio
05/01/24 • 50 min
Where does one start when listing the accolades and praise for Celeste Ng’s deeply felt, intelligent body of work? Little Fires Everywhere sold millions of copies worldwide and was adapted to a highly acclaimed series on Hulu. Of her latest, Our Missing Hearts, Stephen King shared that “it’s impossible not to be moved,” while TIME, NPR, People, The Globe and Mail, and more, listed it as a book of the year. Celeste Ng joined us at the Festival for a conversation with Jael Richardson.
Michelle Good: Truth Telling
Books & Ideas Audio
06/01/24 • 68 min
Michelle Good has moved and inspired millions of people with Five Little Indians, the Canada Reads-winning novel that tells the story of a group of residential school survivors coming to terms with their past and finding a way forward. She joined us at the Vancouver Writers Fest on October 21st, 2023, in partnership with Talking Stick Festival, HarperCollins Canada Ltd, and the Peter A. Allard Law School at UBC, in conversation with author Carleigh Baker. Her latest work of non-fiction, Truth Telling, is a collection of essays about the contemporary Indigenous experience in Canada—from resistance and reconciliation to the resurgence and reclamation of Indigenous power.
Pierre Jarawan in Conversation with Eleanor Wachtel
Books & Ideas Audio
08/01/23 • 69 min
After 33 years as the acclaimed host of CBC Radio’s Writers & Company, Eleanor Wachtel retired this year. Celebrate her long career by revisiting her interview with Lebanese-German author Pierre Jarawan, who joined us at the 2022 Festival to discuss Song for the Missing, named one of 24 must-read 2022 Books in Translation by BookRiot. Critically lauded by European and North American press alike, this poetic novel links events of the Middle East, including the Lebanese Civil War and the Arab Spring. Discover a deeply personal lens on the complex, tumultuous history of this region—and a literary voice as mysterious as it is moving.
On Freedom: Maggie Nelson
Books & Ideas Audio
06/01/23 • 53 min
Those who are first introduced to Maggie Nelson soon notice her name throughout their literary and social worlds. The award-winning writer, scholar, poet, and critic is one of the most prolific and influential Western thinkers today. She’s the author of the National Book Critics Circle Award winning work The Argonauts, a genre-bending memoir that gives a firsthand account of the complexities and joys of queer family-making. Her latest work, On Freedom: Four Songs of Care and Constraint, draws on a vast range of material to explore how we might think, experience, or talk about freedom. Thinking publicly through the knots in our culture—from recent art-world debates to the turbulent legacies of sexual liberation, from the painful paradoxes of addiction to the lure of despair in the face of the climate crisis—is itself a practice of freedom, a means of forging fortitude, courage, and company. Hear her in conversation with bookseller-turned-librarian Baharak Yousefi.
The Poetry Bash
Books & Ideas Audio
04/01/24 • 84 min
Our annual Poetry Bash is a gateway to discovering exceptional poets from across the globe. In this release from our 2023 flagship Festival, hear readings from Victoria Adukwei Bulley (Quiet), Lorna Crozier (After That), Patrick Friesen (Reckoning), Susan Musgrave (Exculpatory Lilies) Michael V. Smith (Queers Like Me), and Matthew James Weigel (Whitemud Walking).
Margaret Atwood in Conversation
Books & Ideas Audio
09/01/23 • 65 min
The legendary Margaret Atwood joined award-winning author Ian Williams to discuss Old Babes in the Wood, her extraordinary new collection of short fiction, as part of our May Bestsellers Series. A cornerstone of Canada’s literary canon, Atwood is the author of over fifty books.
Presented in partnership with Scotia Wealth Management and with support from the Chan Endowment Fund at the University of British Columbia.
Yellowface: R. F. Kuang
Books & Ideas Audio
07/01/23 • 79 min
Rebecca F. Kuang shot to #1 on the New York Times bestsellers list with her previous novels Babel and the Poppy War Trilogy. She joined the Vancouver Writers Fest, Massy Books, and SFU Woodward’s Cultural Programs with her new literary thriller, Yellowface—a timely and cutting satire that investigates racism in the publishing industry and beyond. She speaks here with Writers’ Trust of Canada Rising Star Eddy Boudel Tan about transparency in publishing; the nuances of cultural identity and appropriation; Asian representation and stories; and her perspective on Yellowface’s messy main character.
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FAQ
How many episodes does Books & Ideas Audio have?
Books & Ideas Audio currently has 51 episodes available.
What topics does Books & Ideas Audio cover?
The podcast is about Podcasts, Books and Arts.
What is the most popular episode on Books & Ideas Audio?
The episode title 'Celeste Ng: Our Missing Hearts' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Books & Ideas Audio?
The average episode length on Books & Ideas Audio is 69 minutes.
How often are episodes of Books & Ideas Audio released?
Episodes of Books & Ideas Audio are typically released every 31 days.
When was the first episode of Books & Ideas Audio?
The first episode of Books & Ideas Audio was released on Feb 11, 2020.
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