I had the great opportunity to talk to Canadian poet Melanie Marttila just before the launch of her new poetry collection The Art of Floating. In today’s interview, we discuss speculative poetry, small local writing groups, and writing for a community. We talk about disability, ageing, and neurodiversity. Melanie Marttila (she/her) is an #actuallyaustitic SFF author-in-progress, writing poetry and tales of hope in the face of adversity. She has been writing since the age of seven, when she made her first submission to CBC’s “Pencil Box.” She is a graduate of the University of Windsor’s maste ..read more

In today’s interview of the brilliant Lydia M Hawke, we explore ageing, coming-of-age stories, parents in coming-of-age stories, paranormal fiction, gender and feminism. Lydia gives us some amazing insights into her Crone series. Lydia M. Hawke is an award-winning urban fantasy and paranormal women’s fiction author and a proud crone living just outside of Ottawa. When worlds collide or apocalyptic disaster strikes, Lydia’s mature, magical heroines are more than capable of saving themselves–and the world, if necessary. Her paranormal women’s fiction novel Becoming Crone was a 2023 I ..read more

I finally get the opportunity to interview Carolyn Charron and we talk about ageing in fiction, disability, historical fiction, pirates, short stories, and so much more. Carolyn Charron is a speculative fiction writer who’s always wanted to be a pirate or a wizard preferably with a dragon companion. Her short stories have appeared Renaissance Press’ Nothing Without Us, an anthology of disabled writers nominated for a 2020 Prix Aurora award and in three of Flame Tree Publishing’s Gothic Fantasy anthologies among others. On the editor’s side of her desk, she read slush for Apex, Lightspeed, an ..read more

Folks may not know this, but Speculating Canada is a Digital Humanities project (a way to engage with the digital in scholarship or teach through the digital). I have been very lucky to have Dr. Ashley Caranto-Morford to educate me about Digital Humanities (DH) and all of the complexities of DH. In this interview, Ashley and I explore decolonial Digital Humanities, the impact of the digital on the environmental, the relationship between place and technology, futurity, artificial intelligence and the role and power of storytelling. It was such an engaging and enlightening conversation. Dr. As ..read more

In this interview with Eric Choi, we examine the interweaving of Eric’s roles as an aerospace engineer and science fiction writer and the way that he breaks down the barriers between the arts and sciences. We examine Eric’s work looking at alternative histories and imagining a world that could have turned out differently if not for chance moments in time. If you are looking for an interview that digs into the science of science fiction and the speculation of speculative fiction, this is the one for you! Eric Choi (he/him) is a Hong Kong born writer, editor, and aerospace engineer based in To ..read more

Ever thought to yourself “I would love to get a doctor’s perspective on this murder mystery”… well, great news, Dr. Melissa Yuan-Innes writes murder mysteries informed by her perspective as a doctor. In this interview, we examine the way that Melissa’s medical perspective informs her fiction writing, the incredible work Melissa did in converting one of her books to a play (AND ACTED IN IT!!), and how to plot the perfect murder… and that’s just the highlights. Melissa Yi, her two rescue dogs, and three humans live in Eastern Ontario. She is best known for her heroine, resident Dr. Hope Sze, w ..read more

Douglas Smith returns to the Speculating Canada studio to talk about his latest book series The Dream Rider Saga. We explore ideas of mental health and disability, poverty and homelessness, the role of the city, urban fantasy, the superhero, and how to write powerful characters Douglas Smith is a multi-award-winning author described by Library Journal as “one of Canada’s most original writers of speculative fiction.” His latest work is the multi-award-winning YA urban fantasy trilogy, The Dream Rider Saga(The Hollow Boys, The Crystal Key, and The Lost Expedition). Other books include the ur ..read more

In this interview, academic and podcaster, Rick Fehr shares some of Canada’s supernatural history exploring some of the strange mysteries that have haunted Canada’s past. Rick Fehr‘s interest in the supernatural has been a longstanding part of his life. Growing up in a town known for an historic poltergeist, the paranormal was normal. Surrounded by good storytellers, Rick’s upbringing was immersed in narratives skillfully navigating the delicate boundary between reality and the surreal, often blurring the distinction altogether. He has a PhD in Environmental Studies and writes essays on para ..read more

In this interview, Jamieson Wolf and I explore disability in SF, Queer identity, and how the two intertwine in the worlds Jamieson creates Jamieson Wolf has been writing since a young age when he realized he could be writing instead of paying attention in school. Since then, he has created many worlds in which to live his fantasies and live out his dreams. He is a number-one bestselling author—he likes to tell people that a lot—and writes in many different genres. Jamieson is also an accomplished artist. He works in acrylic paint with brush and pallet knife. He is also a Tarot reader. Jamies ..read more

I had a wonderful opportunity to speak with Regina Hansen about the Italian Christmas Witch La Befana. I am excited to have this wonderful chance to talk about Folklore in the Italian diaspora. Regina M Hansen is the author of the YA horror/fantasy novel The Coming Storm (Atheneum/Simon and Schuster, 2021), and co-editor (with Jeffrey Weinstock) of Giving the Devil His Due: Satan and Cinema (Fordham UP). She has published essays on horror, fantasy and myth for The Boston Globe, Enchanted Living, The Wall Street Journal Review, The Conversation and the children’s magazine Dig Into History. He ..read more