Bruce Allen discusses his journey into Japanese literaturetranslation, his experience working with Ishimure Michiko, and why Spring Castle is considered her magnum opus, emphasizing that successful translation requires patience to move beyond the surface and capture the spirit of the text.
About the Author
Ishimure Michiko (1927-2018) is regarded as one of Japan's most important modern writers. She published over 50 worksranging from novels, non-fiction, Noh drama and poetry to essays, memoirs and children's stories. She received numerous international and Japanese literary awards including the Ramon Magsaysay Award from the Philippines (1973) and the Asahi Prize for literature in Japan (2001). Her best-known work, Paradise in the Sea of Sorrow; Our Minamata Disease (1969), was reprinted over 30 times in Japan and has been translated into English and several otherlanguages. This work, along with several other books focusing on the Minamata Disease incident, led to her being known as the "mother of the Japanese environmental movement" and the "Rachel Carson of Japan."
About the Translator
Bruce Allen is retired Professor of translation and global environmental literature at Seisen University in Tokyo. Histranslations include Ishimure Michiko 's novel Lake of Heaven, Japanese Tales of Fantasy and Folklore, and Toward the Paradise of Flowers, a documentary film on Ishimure. He is editor of Ishimure Michiko's Writing in Ecological Perspective: Between Sea and Sky. His translation of several chapters of Spring Castle was recognized by the Kyoko Iriye Selden Memorial Translation Prize of Cornell University.
Book link: https://www.tuttlepublishing.com/japan/spring-castle-9784805319659
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Katie talks about the influence of Little Women on her latest book, the biggest challenge faced in writing her first book and what her latest project is.
Katie Bernet lives in Dallas, Texas. As one of three sisters, she’s a diehard fan of Little Women. Beth Is Dead is her debut novel.
In this episode, she reads from Beth Is Dead.
Author link: https://www.katiebernet.com
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Chris and Brandi discuss the programs offered by theCanadian Authors Association, how volunteering can enrich a writer’s life, and the personal and professional benefits that come from giving back to the literary community.
Christopher Gorman is the national Co-Chair of the CanadianAuthor Association, and co-host of the Words with Writers Podcast. His first novel, Dawn of Magic: Rise of the Guardians was released in 2020 and explores what he identifies as the trilogy of powers in this world—nature (magic), faith, and science. Book two in the series is scheduled for release in the fall of 2026. gn the mountains and explored sites of ancient wisdom and magic in England, Scotland Wales, and Ireland. His passion for the environment and inclusivity inform his work and life.
Brandi Tanner is the Administrative Director for CanadianAuthors Association (CAA). She holds roles with several non-profit organizations in the Canadian written works sector, including as a Board Director for Book and Periodical Council (BPC). Brandi is a cohost of Words with Writers Podcast. An avid fan of reading, writing, and cats, Brandi can be found writing short stories and STILL working on her science fiction novel.
Link to CAA-Toronto: https://canadianauthors.org/toronto/
Link to CAA-National: https://canadianauthors.org/national/
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Lindsay and Justin Lee share the story of founding theirpuppetry animation studio, reveal their inspiration for Go Togo’s transit vehicle characters, and reflect on the challenges of bringing their films to life.
Founded by wife-and-husband team Lindsay & Justin Lee,Gazelle Automations is an award-winning Toronto-based film production company redefining practical storytelling through puppetry, model miniatures, and animation. Their preschool series Miikshi (TVOkids) earned the 2023 KidscreenAward for Best Web/App Series and the 2022 WIFT-T Award for Best Writing, while Lindsay was named the 2025 Youth Media Alliance Emerging Talent Award recipient. Together, the Lees continue to elevate Canadian children’s media bymerging imagination, craftsmanship, and heart, and Go Togo remains their proudest ride yet.
GO TOGO: https://gem.cbc.ca/go-togo
Gazelle Automations: https://www.gazelleautomations.com/
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Professor Carolyne Topdjian explores the many shadesof gothic storytelling, draws from her experience of living in a haunted house, and reveals how writers can sustain tension and suspense.
Carolyne Topdjian is a MARTY award-winning suspense writerand the author of the critically acclaimed gothic novels The Black Moth and The Hitman’s Daughter—the latter which received a starred review from Library Journal. Shortlisted for the Ghost Prize by Fractured Literary, her work has appeared in PRISM International, Dreamers Magazine, Firewords Quarterly, and elsewhere. She is a grant recipient from the Canada Council for the Arts and the Mississauga ArtsCouncil, holds an interdisciplinary PhD, and is a professor of fine arts at Humber Polytechnic in Toronto. Fittingly, she’s lived in a 100-year-old haunted house for over a decade.
You can connect with her on Instagram or Facebook:@TopdjianC.
In this episode, she reads from The Hitman’s Daughter.
Website: https://www.carolynetopdjian.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/topdjianc/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/TopdjianC
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21374056.Carolyne_Topdjian
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Meher McArthur reflects on her journey from living in the UKto becoming a curator of Japanese art, discusses the importance of storytelling in curatorial work, and highlights the artworks that have most deeply moved her and are featured in her memoir.
Meher McArthur has decades of experience as an Asianart historian and curator specializing Japanese art. With degrees from Cambridge University and London University's School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), she has served as Curator of East Asian Art at Pacific Asia Museum, Creative Director for the Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden, AcademicCurator for Scripps College and Art and Cultural Director for Japan House in Los Angeles. She has also taught courses in Asian art at the University of Southern California, Scripps College and Claremont Graduate University. She regularly lectures and trains docents at various museums in SouthernCalifornia.
For over a decade, McArthur has curated exhibitions for International Arts & Artists (IA&A) including Washi Transformed: New Expressions in Japanese Paper and Kimono: Garment, Canvas, and Artistic Muse. She also curated the exhibition Shiki: The Four Seasons in Japanese Art at the Sturt Haaga Gallery at Descanso Gardens. She lives in Pasadena, CA.
In this episode, she reads from A Japanese Art Journey: A Curator's Memoir of Polka Dot Pumpkins, Paper Dolls and Woodblock Prints.
Book website - https://www.tuttlepublishing.com/japan/a-japanese-art-journey-9784805319901
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Samantha Ong discusses why representation matters, thecritical role insurance plays for small businesses, and what she learned from her experience on Dragon’s Den.
Samantha Ong is the founder of Joeydolls, a Toronto-basedtoy company on a mission to celebrate culture, identity, and belonging through play. Inspired by her own experience growing up without dolls that reflected her heritage, Samantha created Joeydolls to help all children seethemselves—and others—with pride and empathy.
Since launching in 2023, Joeydolls has sold over 15,000 dolls worldwide and continues to expand its diverse line to represent more cultures and communities. Featured on Dragons’ Den Canada, CBC News, and Good Housekeeping, Joeydolls has earned national recognition for fostering inclusivity and joy in every child’s playroom. Samantha’s work continues to spark meaningful conversations about representation, diversity, and cultural connection.
Link: https://joeydolls.com
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Pauline Chow talks about her varied careers before becominga writer, why she’s drawn to horror, and her fascinating project documenting Asian witches.
Pauline Chow is a writer and ancestral magic practitioner, crafting alternative histories and optimistic futures. Not youraverage data scientist, she once sued slumlords and advocated for affordable housing in Southern California. She is a Pushcart Prize nominated author with words in Cosmic Monthly Horror, Space and Time Magazine, ApocalypseConfidential, and more. Now, she lives in the woods and is planning her next trip to a historical (hopefully haunted) hotel. Her debut gothic fantasy, Chasing Moonflowers, is a September 2025 recommended indie read by Kirkus ReviewsMagazine.
In this episode, she reads from Chasing Moonflowers.
Author links:
Website: https://paulinechowstories.com/
Substack: https://paulinechow.substack.com/
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/paulinechow.bsky.social
IG: https://www.instagram.com/paulinechowstories/
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Simon Stephenson shows how medicine and writing align, why clichés weakenstorytelling, and how authenticity speaks most powerfully to readers
Simon Stephenson originally trained as a doctor and worked in London and Scotland. He previously wrote Let Not the Waves of the Sea, a memoir about the loss of his brother in the Indian Ocean tsunami. It won Best First Book at theScottish Book Awards, was a Book of the Week on BBC Radio 4, and a DailyTelegraph Book of the Year. His first novel, Set My Heart to Five, has been optioned by Working Title Films. He currently lives in Los Angeles, where he works as a screenwriter. He originated and wrote the film The Electrical ife of Louis Wain and wrote on Pixar’s Luca. The Snowman Code is Simon’s first book for young readers.
In this episode, he reads from The Snowman Code.
Websites: https://www.simonstephenson.com/the-snowman-code
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Susan Breen reveals what drew her to write about therestless spirit of Charles Dickens, shares advice she offers her Gotham Writers students, and discusses the beauty of rare books.
Susan Breen is the award-winning author of The Fiction Class and the Maggie Dove mystery series. She teaches novelwriting at Gotham Writers and has been on the faculty of conferences from Cape Cod to Dubai. She loves stories about families, London, ghosts, guilt, atonement, dogs, Charles Dickens, and Christmas. She likes the idea of collecting rare books, though so far, she’s only collected two, both of thembeing early editions of A Christmas Carol.
In this episode, Susan reads from Merry.
Author links: https://bookshop.org/p/books/merry-a-novel-susan-breen/b7729a2cc2496c90
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Dr. Shumaila Hemani speaks about turning pain intoresilience, confronting the obstacles Canada places before its artists, and following the divine call that fuels her art and purpose.
Dr. Shumaila Hemani (Ph.D., M.A., University of Alberta) isan award-winning ethnomusicologist, soundscape composer, and changemaker based in Alberta. A former Music Faculty member with Semester at Sea and the Faculty of Extension at the University of Alberta, Hemani’s work bridges music,ethnography, mental health, and social justice, earning her the Women in Music Canada Honour Roll (2023) and the Cultural Diversity Award (2016).
Her debut memoir, Writing in the Wound: Acculturation, Trauma, and Music, tells the story of surviving systemicexclusion and rebuilding a life through art. Blending memory, autoethnography, and poetry, it invites readers to listen to the wounds that shape us—and to the music that helps us heal.She has also published prose and poetry in TheGoose, National Observer, the Conversation, Arts Desk (UK), and New Forum Magazine to name a few, and was nominated for the Alberta Magazine Awards (2022) in the Poetry category.
In this episode, she reads from Writing in the Wound:Acculturation, Trauma, and Music.
Author Links: https://writinginthewound.com/
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Michael Mirolla discusses how he became involved with theliterary publishing house Guernica Editions, the role discipline plays in his writing, and why creating a human connection with readers matters across everygenre.
Michael Mirolla’s publications include the novella The Last News Vendor, winner of the 2020 Hamilton Literary Award for fiction, and three Bressani Prizes: the novel Berlin (2010), the poetry collection The House on 14th Avenue (2014), and the short story collection Lessons in Relationship Dyads (2016). His latest poetry collection, At the End of the World, was short-listed for the 2022 Hamilton Literary Award. Michael has participated in multiple writers’ residencies, including Vancouver’s Historic Joy Kogawa House in 2019, Olot,Catalonia in 2023, and Barcelona in 2024, completing drafts of his novels The Second Law of Thermodynamics and How About This …?. Born in Italy and raised in Montreal, he now lives outside Gananoque, Ontario, and helps run the Canadian independent literary publishing house Guernica Editions.
In this episode, he reads from How About This …?.
Author Links: https://www.michaelmirolla.com/,https://atbaypress.com/books/detail/how-about-this
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Luke Gleeson shares why he felt compelled to tell Tsay KehDene stories, what the disappearing caribou signify, and why filmmakers should take the time to find the story that calls to them.
Luke Gleeson owns and operates a number of businessesranging from consultation, to film and media services. As a businessman, and a member of the Tsay Keh Dene Nation, he has experience as a former member of Council for the Tsay Keh Dene Nation as well as Chairman of the Board for theTKD Economic Development Corporation and Director of Lands, Resources and Treaty Operations. Luke's previous award-winning doc DƏNE YI’INJETL | The Scattering of Man is on CBC Gem.
His latest feature documentary, Wədzįh Nəne’ | CaribouCountry is have its world premiere at the Whistler Film Festival.
The Whistler Film Festival running Dec. 3-7, 2025 featuresfilms, events, a Content Summit and Talent Programs. This year marks 25 years of the festival and the focus is cultivating Canadian talent in the film industry!
Festival link: https://www.whistlerfilmfestival.com/
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Marking the festival’s 25th anniversary, Angela Heck and Robin Smith reflect on the Whistler Film Festival’s (WFF) history, share insights on talentprograms designed to cultivate and elevate Canadian talent in the industry, and share tips on how filmmakers can prepare strong applications.
Angela Heck has been involved in Canada’s screen-based media community for over 20 years and with WFF in a variety of ways since its start in 2001. As Executive Director, Angela is responsible for all aspects of the festival, including film and industry programming and the full slate of 15 Talent Programs. Prior to joining WFF she served as Director of Digital & Strategic Initiatives at the National Screen Institute, with past roles atWinnipeg Art Gallery Inuit Art Centre, Tactica Interactive, CBC Manitoba, University of Manitoba, and the National Film Board of Canada (Pacific &Yukon studio). As a producer Angela works extensively in the adventure realm, with productions heading up mountains from Tibet to British Columbia and on the sea in Antarctica. Most recently she produced the documentary CARVED IN STONE: SANANNGUAQTIT, available on CBC Gem and APTN lumi. Past productions include theprime time documentary series THE EXPLORER’S CLUB with FlorianFilm (ZDF/arte), and the Canada/US co-venture SOUL OF THE SEA (Blue Ant). Her first film, IN THE SHADOW OF THE CHIEF, took home the People’s Choice Award at the Whistler Film Festival in 2003.
Robin Smith is currently the Director of Programming for the Whistler Film Festival and the CEO of Blue Ice Docs Inc. – a distribution andequity funding company dedicated to funding, acquiring and distributing the best non-fiction work from around the world. Robin brings a strong background of over 30 years of film, video and arts-related work to the marketplace having worked at a variety of distribution companies including The National Film Board of Canada, Alliance Films, Lions Gate Film Entertainment, Seville Pictures,Capri Releasing and level FILM. Robin has recently also been brought aboard to advise a variety of companies such as the Vancouver International Film Festival and Vortex Media. Robin also programmed the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema for its first10 years of operation. Notable releases managed and navigated by Robin include such hits as CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON, ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER, AWAY FROM HER, CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS, BLACKFISH, UP THE YANGTZE and KEDI.
The Whistler Film Festival running Dec. 3-7, 2025 features films, events, a Content Summit and Talent Programs. This year marks 25 yearsof the festival and the focus is cultivating Canadian talent in the film industry!
Festival link: https://www.whistlerfilmfestival.com/
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Celebrating half a century of nurturing Asian Canadian talent, the Asian Canadian Writers’ Workshop’s (ACWW) Effie Pow and Sean Gunn talk about the history of the organization, why it’s important to nurture creative voices, and Sean sings us "Asian Canadian Blues"!
Effie Pow is a writer/editor and cultural connector interested in storytelling, creative collaboration, and arts-based community engagement. Effie was a storyteller in Gateway Theatre’s True Voices: Pride Storytelling & Tea and Zee Zee Theatre’s Queer Asian Story Collection, and has produced Perilous Words writing workshops (LiterAsian Festival), HakkaBridges, and Transforming Trauma through Words and Music, inspired by themes of identity, home, and migration. IG @perilouswords
Sean Gunn was born in Vernon, BC, in August 1948 and wantsyou to know that he is the son of a Chinese head tax payer, grandson of a railway worker, and great-grandson of a gold prospector. Jang Won Jeong (1831-1907; known as On Lee) was his maternal great-grandfather, a prominent member of the Chinese community in Yale, BC. From a childhood in Vernon to Vancouver, Sean’s time at UBC in the late 60s and early 70s was the heart of the Asian Canadian movement as Chinese and Japanese Canadians explored Asian historyand identity together. To mark the 50th anniversary of the Asian Canadian Writers Workshop (ACWW), Sean shared a few personal highlights of the people and community connections that helped shape ACWW.
Sean sings at 18:24 “Asian Canadian Blues” and reads his poem Sid Tow Chan at 22:37. RIP activist Sid Tow Chan (https://www.dignitymemorial.com/en-ca/obituaries/vancouver-bc/sidney-chow-tan-10948733).
Effie’s interview with Sean on ACWW's journey: https://ricepapermagazine.ca/2025/09/rooted-in-community-sean-gunns-50-year-journey-with-acww/
Websites: http://www.asiancanadianwriters.ca/,
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Sean Paul Bedell explores turning paramedic trauma intofiction, the therapeutic force of writing, and his role in founding the Jampolis Cottage Writing Retreat.
Sean Paul Bedell, author of Shoebox and SomewhereThere’s Music, has been writing and publishing for more than 30 years and previously served as a longtime paramedic and fire service captain. He has also worked in the finance, insurance, and aerospace industries and is a leadingsafety expert who holds the Canadian Registered Safety Professional (CRSP) designation, has consulted widely across multiple sectors, served as a director with Capital Health, and was appointed to Nova Scotia’s Occupational Health & Safety Advisory Board. An active member of several national and regional writing organizations, Sean also served for many years on the board of the Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia, including as president, and helped establish the Jampolis Cottage writing retreat.
He lives in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, with his wife Lisa and their golden retriever, Maggie, has two grown children, Amy and Luke, and enjoys reading, travel, music, hiking, kayaking, golf, and time at the family cabin on North Mountain.
At time 17:00 he reads from Shoebox.
Author link: https://seanpaulbedell.ca/
Jampolis Cottage writing retreat: https://writers.ns.ca/jampolis/
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Neal Shusterman talks about the importance of being at theright place at the right time, how longhand fuels their creativity and why they reject the idea of a writer’s block.
Neal Shusterman is the New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty award-winning books for children, teens, and adults, including the Unwind dystology, the Skinjacker trilogy, Downsiders, All Better Now, and Challenger Deep, which won the National Book Award. Scythe, the first book in his series Arc of a Scythe is a Michael L. Printz Honor Book. He also writes screenplays for motion pictures and television shows. Neal is the father of four, all of whom are talented writers and artists themselves.
At time 21:50 he reads from MindWorks: An Uncanny Compendium of Short Fiction.
Author link: https://www.storyman.com/
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Tirzah shares how she used OldBailey.net to explorehistorical English criminal proceedings for her research, discusses her work with Book Riot, and explains why it’s perfectly fine to jump between scenes when writing.
Tirzah Price is a former librarian and Book Riot contributor and holds an MFA in writing for children and young adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. When she’s not writing, reading, or talking about YA books, she experiments in the kitchen andknits. She lives in Michigan.
At time 20:44 she reads from A Matter of Murder.
Author links:
https://www.amazon.com/Matter-Murder-Characters-Thrilling-Conclusion/dp/0063278073
https://www.instagram.com/tirzah.price
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Janet-Rose Nguyen opens up about the early influences thatshaped her storytelling voice, the unexpected journey that led to casting Kim’s Convenience star Jean Yoon in her debut feature, and why she believes discipline isn’t just helpful—but absolutely essential—to both writing and filmmaking.
Janet-Rose Nguyen holds a BA in Creative Writing and a BFAin Screenwriting, and is currently in post- production on her debut feature, Welcome to Kurosawa House, starring Jean Yoon (Kim’s Convenience), Tymika Tafari (Dinner With Friends) and Ivy Miller. As a queer Vietnamese-Canadian storyteller, she is deeply committed to bringing underrepresented voices to the screen, crafting stories that challenge, unsettle, and expand the boundaries of genre.
Janet-Rose Nguyen talks about what what early influencesshaped stories, how she got Jean Yoon of Kim’s Convenience to act in her debut feature and why discipline is so important to writing and filmmaking.
Website: https://janetrosenguyen.com/
Do You See Her? trailer: https://vimeo.com/1111514114?fl=ip&fe=ec
Do You See Her? is premiering at the Blood in the Snow Film Festival (BITS),running November 17–22, 2025, in Toronto at the Isabel Bader Theatre.
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Eleanor Lerman discusses the poetic influence of Leonard Cohen on her books, the themes of grief in her books and confronting mortalitythrough art.
Eleanor Lerman is an acclaimed author whose fifty-yearcareer spans award-winning poetry, short stories, and novels. She was one of the youngest finalists for the National Book Award in Poetry and has received major honors including the Juniper Prize and the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize.
Her fiction has also earned wide recognition, such as the John W. Campbell Award for Best Book of Science Fiction and a shortlisting for The Chautauqua Prize. Lerman is the recipient of prestigious fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the NEA, and the New York Foundation for the Arts. Her latestpoetry collection, Slim Blue Universe (Mayapple Press, 2023), was a finalist for the Eric Hoffer Medal Provocateur, and her upcoming short story collection, King the Wonder Dog and Other Stories, will be released by She Writes Press in 2026.
At time 23:43 she reads from Oleander Marriage.
Author Links: eleanorlerman.com and on Facebook (facebook.com/eleanor.lerman).
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