Re-Creative: A podcast about inspiration and creativity

Joe and Mark are joined by visual artist Gerard Pas to discuss the work of Greg Curnoe.

Gerard was born in The Netherlands and immigrated to Canada with his parents when he was a boy. When he was a teen, he moved back to Holland, where he steeped himself in the Dutch masters and launched his career in art.

Greg Curnoe was a huge influence on Gerard; both artists made London, Ontario their homes. At first, Greg was Gerard's hero, then mentor, then friend and colleague.

Find out more about Gerard Pas and Greg Curnoe and their work on the show notes page for this episode.

Re-Creative is a co-production of Donovan Street Press Inc. in association with Mark A. Rayner.

Contact us at: [email protected]

Mark and Joe jump around in time with Nebula and Hugo-Award winning author Robert Charles Wilson.

Written in the late 1800s, The Time Machine is one of the first books of science fiction that Robert Charles Wilson discovered. "It was obviously the work of someone who was intellectually engaged with the big discoveries of the late 19th century," says Robert. Particularly what science was learning about geology and, of course, evolution.

The Time Machine looked directly and bluntly at those ideas, says Robert. He was struck by the ending of the book, which moves far into the future, when the sun is dying and earth is doomed.

"There's a kind of bleak beauty in it."

From there, the trio then move into a fascinating discussion about Robert's new book, Owning the Unknown. He describes it as a "sort of matryoshka doll, a memoir inside a history of the science fiction genre inside a defense of metaphysical agnosticism/atheism."

Don't miss this deep and fascinating discussion!

Find out more about Robert Charles Wilson's work on the show notes page for this episode.

Re-Creative is a co-production of Donovan Street Press Inc. in association with Mark A. Rayner.

Contact us at: [email protected]

Joe and Mark are joined by beloved and bestselling Canadian author, Terry Fallis.

Terry's fiction has won the Leacock Medal for Humour twice, and his debut novel, Best Laid Plans, won Canada Reads in 2011. The annual CBC competition had a huge impact on his sales figures for that novel: more than 150,000 copies of the book to date. "Canada Reads made me a bestseller," he says, adding how grateful he is to the contest.

A replica of an old map of Paris, circa. 1928, decorates Terry's office walls. It, along with his old Underwood typewriter, remind him of a remarkable time in the history of writing – Paris in the 1920s.

"Paris and that particular period in history was such a critical time in the history of literature," says Terry.

The three have a lively and entertaining conversation about this period of literary history, the nature of writing, and a few bits of Canadian trivia as well.

Tune in and join in the fun.

For more info on this show, visit the show notes for this episode.

Re-Creative is a co-production of Donovan Street Press Inc. in association with MonkeyJoy Press.

Joe and Mark are joined by Karina Bates, a potter from Omemee, Ontario.

Karina takes the lads through a quick tour of what it’s like the throw pots and other ceramics on the wheel. Her work tends to be functional and purposeful.

“It’s a nice feeling to have people hold up a cup you’ve made and say they enjoy having their coffee in it,” says Karina.

On the bottom of every piece, Karina leaves her "maker's mark", which is the Eye of Horus. In ancient Egypt, Horus was represented as a falcon-headed man, and was the god of order. His right eye was the morning star, embodying power, and his left eye was the evening star, representing healing. Karina explains her personal connection to this maker's mark.

This is a thoroughly engaging conversation about the art of pottery, the purpose of guilds, and ancient Egyptian mythology.

Find out more about Karina's work in the show notes page for this episode.

Re-Creative is a co-production of Donovan Street Press Inc. in association with Mark A. Rayner.

Contact us at: [email protected]

On today's episode Joe and Mark talk to author Benoit Chartier about the anime film Akira.

They begin with one of Mark's questions: what piece of technology frightens you? Benoit admits he isn't frightened by it, but he's annoyed by ChatGPT and other AI techs, because it may flood the market with crap books.

After which they discuss one of Benoit's favorite pieces of art, the 1988 anime cyberpunk film Akira, by Katsuhiro Otomo.

Find out more about Akira and Benoit on the show notes page for this episode.

Re-Creative is a co-production of Donovan Street Press Inc. in association with Mark A. Rayner.

Contact us at: [email protected]