Two former voices from The Walrus—Tajja Isen, the former digital editor, now editor-in-chief at Catapult magazine, and digital director Angela Misri, who by the time this episode is available will have moved on to Toronto Metropolitan University as its newest assistant professor.

Misri talked to Isen about her new book, Some of my Best Friends: Essays on Lip Service. It’s an essay collection about race, justice, and the limits of good intentions.

Tajja Isen is also the co-editor of the essay anthology The World As We Knew It: Dispatches from a Changing Climate. Some of My Best Friends is her debut essay collection. Angela Misri is a novelist and digital journalist based in Toronto.

In this episode:

Isen describes why she wrote this book and the journey she marked through writing it.

Then Isen talks about the baggage people bring to the books they read and how she approached writing the nine essays in the collection.

Isen then describes the toughest and easiest chapters to write and why absolution is a theme that shows up throughout.

Isen also talks about the publishing industry and fighting the impulse to pigeonhole a book on a shelf or genre that is more than one thing.

Finally, Isen gives some advice for new writers.

Links:

• Why Success in Canada Means Moving to America

Credits:

This episode of The Deep Dive was produced by Simran Singh, Yasmin Duale, and Angela Misri and edited by Angela Misri. Thanks so much toTajja Isen for joining us this week.

Music for this podcast is provided by Audio Jungle. Our theme song is “This Podcast Theme” by Inplus Music. Additional music includes “Ethereal Relaxation” by Kevin MacLeod.

Ethereal Relaxation by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/8719-ethereal-relaxation

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Credit scores are often the deciding factor for people’s most important financial milestones. Whether it’s getting approved for a mortgage, buying a car, or getting a loan, those three digits can make or break a person’s life. 

But what might surprise you is that finding errors in your credit score is extremely common, and trying to fix it brings a whole other set of issues.

In this episode:

We hear from award-winning journalist Emily Baron Cadloff, who wrote the cover story of the June issue of The Walrus.

She explains how credit scores have grown to hold so much power over our lives.

Baron Cadloff then debunks some popular misconceptions about credit scores and talks about how common credit-score errors are and how to avoid them. 

Finally, Baron Cadloff breaks down the main takeaways from her latest piece.

Links:

• How Credit Scores Can Run—and Ruin—Our Lives
• Canada’s Middle Class Is on the Brink of Ruin
• Owning Our Privilege

Credits: 

This week’s episode was produced and edited by Yasmin Duale and Simran Singh. Thanks so much to Emily Baron Cadloff for joining us.

Music Credits:

“Impact Prelude” by Kevin MacLeod

Link: incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/7565-impact-prelude

License: filmmusic.io/standard-license

“Inspired” by Kevin MacLeod

Link: incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3918-inspired

License: filmmusic.io/standard-license

Recently, we announced the authors shortlisted for this year’s Amazon First Novel Award. This is the forty-sixth time this prize is being given out, and The Walrus is thrilled to be part of it.

For The Deep Dive, we spoke to Emily Austin, Lisa Bird-Wilson, Pik-Shuen Fung, Brian Thomas Isaac, Conor Kerr, and Aimee Wall. We asked each shortlisted author the same five questions, and we’ve taken some of their answers and woven them into this episode.

In this episode:

We ask five questions of the shortlisted authors:

Why is this novel important now? (Answered by Connor Kerr, Emily Austin, and Aimee Wall.)

Who is your protagonist? (Answered by Pik Shuen Fung and Lisa Bird Wilson.)

Why are first novels special? (Answered by Aimee Wall, Brian Thomas Isaac, and Connor Kerr.)

What advice do you have for someone writing their first novel? (Answered by Lisa Bird Wilson and Brian Thomas Isaac.)

Finally, we asked what all of the shortlisted authors are reading right now.

Links:

• https://thewalrus.ca/partnerships/amazon-first-novel-award/

Credits:

This episode of The Deep Dive was produced by Simran Singh and Angela Misri and edited by Angela Misri. Thanks so much to all the authors for joining us this week.

Music for this podcast is provided by Audio Jungle. Our theme song is “This Podcast Theme” by Inplus Music. Additional music includes “Stay Cool” by Loops Lab and“Limit 70” by Kevin MacLeod.

“Limit 70” by Kevin MacLeod

Link: incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5710-limit-70

Licence: filmmusic.io/standard-license

Since 2015, Canada had deployments of ground troops in Ukraine, working to reform the country's military after the invasion of Crimea. In light of Russia’s most recent invasion of Ukraine, Sarah Lawrynuik wanted to take a look back at what the Canadian Armed Forces did there and how the training it provided has affected the country's ability to hold off Russian advancements. 

It’s the long view on a story that is still developing and a war everyone hoped could be avoided. Lawrynuik is a journalist who has written for Foreign Policy, the Toronto Star, and New Scientist.

In this episode:

Sarah Lawrynuik talks about her family and where her interest in covering Eastern Europe and Ukraine comes from.

She then describes witnessing Russia’s recent invasion from Canada and contacting her sources in Ukraine as the war progressed.

Lawrynuik then talks about her desire to travel back to Ukraine and how hard it is to know that there is little she can do to help (something many of her sources describe feeling as well).

Finally, Lawrynuik describes why she wants to go back to Ukraine as a journalist when she gets the chance.

Links:

What Impact Did Canada’s Military Have on Ukrainian Resistance?

Credits:

This episode of The Deep Dive was produced by Simran Singh and Angela Misri and edited by Angela Misri. Thanks so much to Sarah Lawrynuik for joining us this week.

Music for this podcast is provided by Audio Jungle. Our theme song is “This Podcast Theme” by Inplus Music. Additional music includes “Stay Cool” by Loops Lab and “Spring Thaw,” “Virtutes Instrumenti,” and “An Upsetting Theme” by Kevin MacLeod.

Spring Thaw by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4409-spring-thaw

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

An Upsetting Theme by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3362-an-upsetting-theme

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Virtutes Instrumenti by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4590-virtutes-instrumenti

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Bridging the distance between being a mom and being an artist can feel impossible at times. A new anthology edited by Stacey May Fowles and Jen Sookfong Lee explores “the fraught, beautiful, and complicated relationship between motherhood and creativity.”

This week at thewalrus.ca, we excerpted Teresa Wong’s essay about her portrait series based on her toddler’s tantrums. It’s one of twenty essays in the new collection Good Mom on Paper: Writers on Creativity and Motherhood. 

Teresa Wong is a writer-in-residence at the University of Calgary and the author of Dear Scarlet: The Story of My Postpartum Depression. Stacey May Fowles is an award-winning journalist, essayist, and novelist, the author of four books, and the editor of four anthologies. Jen Sookfong Lee was a columnist for CBC Radio One, has taught fiction at Simon Fraser University, and co-hosts the literary podcast Can’t Lit with Dina Del Bucchia.

In this episode:

First we hear from Fowles and Lee about where the idea for this anthology came from and why they work well together as co-editors.

Then Fowles and Lee describe the guidance they gave to the twenty authors in the collection, and Wong talks about the process of pitching and developing her essay.

As Wong’s editor, Fowles discusses what drew her to Wong’s writing and to this essay in particular.

Wong finishes by describing the absolute worst tantrum she has ever witnessed.

Links:

• Screaming and Watercolours: I Turned My Toddler’s Tantrums into Art

Credits:

This episode of The Deep Dive was produced by Simran Singh and Angela Misri and edited by Angela Misri. Thanks so much to Stacey May Fowles, Jen Sookfong Lee, and Teresa Wong for joining us this week.

Music for this podcast is provided by Audio Jungle. Our theme song is “This Podcast Theme” by Inplus Music. Additional music includes “Stay Cool” by Loops Lab and “Oh My,” by Patrick Patrikilous and “Umbrella Pants” by David MacLeod.

Umbrella Pants by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4559-umbrella-pants

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Since COVID-19, we have all become more aware of death. We are bombarded with data on a weekly basis, watching charts and calculating deaths, all while trying to function in our daily lives. But our anxieties around death are not new, even if this pandemic is bringing them front and centre. What’s new is that everyone is talking about death rather than just those directly affected by it.

In this atmosphere, writer David Swick became fascinated by a unique postsecondary degree program in thanatology—the study of death—and by the students that feel compelled to dive deep into what is often a taboo subject. Swick is an assistant professor at the University of King’s College, in Halifax, where he teaches journalism ethics.

Credits: This episode of The Deep Dive was produced by Simran Singh and Angela Misri and edited by Angela Misri. Thanks so much to David Swick for joining us this week. 

Music for this podcast is provided by Audio Jungle. Our theme song is “This Podcast Theme” by Inplus Music. Additional music includes “Stay Cool” by Loops Lab, “Podcast Intro” by Inplus Music, “Shores of Avalon” by Kevin Macleod, and “Scandinavianz” by Skydancer.

Screen Saver by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5715-screen-saver

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Comfortable Mystery by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3531-comfortable-mystery

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Shores of Avalon by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4349-shores-of-avalon

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Organ donation is complex for many reasons: not only is it often an emotional decision that has to be made during a family’s time of grief, but many factors have to align for a recipient to receive the organ from a donor. And, in Canada, with its vast geography, getting organs to those in need before it’s too late becomes even more difficult. 

Karin Olafson explains why so many donated organs can’t be used, how two Canadian doctors are working to ease the logistical strain on the donation process, and why she decided to look into this issue in the first place. Olafson is a Vancouver-based writer who focuses on health, science, and fitness. 

Credits:

This week’s episode of The Deep Dive was produced and edited by Angela Misri and Sheena Rossiter. 

Thanks so much to Karin Olafson for joining us this week. 

Music for this podcast is provided by Audio Jungle. Our theme song is “This Podcast Theme” by Inplus Music. Additional music includes “Stay Cool” by Loops Lab, “Podcast Intro” by Inplus Music, “Young Ballad” by Serge Quadrado, and “Screen Saver” and "Comfortable Mystery” by Kevin MacLeod.

Screen Saver by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5715-screen-saver

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Comfortable Mystery by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3531-comfortable-mystery

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Links:

• How Two Doctors Are Hacking the Transplant System
• When Sports Fans Change the Game
• The Walrus Talks: What’s Next (Toronto)

Season 1, Episode 14 

How Photography Helps Rawi Hage Tell Stories

This week we dive into the world of fiction, and we’re in conversation with award-winning writer Rawi Hage. Born in Beirut, he lived in Lebanon through the civil war in the 1970s and then immigrated to Canada in 1992. His work has been translated into more than thirty languages, and you might know him for acclaimed novels such as De Niro’s Game, Cockroach, and Beirut Hellfire Society. 

Hage recently released his first collection of short stories, Stray Dogs. In the May issue of The Walrus, we featured the story “The Wave.” Hage recently sat down with Jessica Johnson, the editor-in-chief at The Walrus, to talk about his latest book, being a political writer, and identity. 

In this episode:

Rawi Hage talks about writing short stories and finding inspiration in photography. 

Hage then discusses writing about marginalized people. 

He also describes becoming disillusioned with traditional photography—or at least of his place in it.

Hage talks about the local aesthetics of photography and the intersections between photography and the written word.

Finally, Hage talks about why he needs distance from his work and the nature of human beings to move between victim and victimizer.

Links:

• Hear more about JS Rutger’s story about housing inequality: thewalrus.ca/podcasts-the-deep-dive-s1e2/
• Read an excerpt from Rawi Hage’s new short story collection: thewalrus.ca/the-wave/
• thewalrus.ca/im-not-your-kind-of-muslim/
• thewalrus.ca/ok-ok-blue-jays/
• spoon-tamago.com/2022/04/13/koenji-writing-cafe/

Credits:

Thanks for joining us on this week’s episode of The Deep Dive. It was produced by Sheena Rossiter and myself with editing help from Simran Singh.

Thanks so much to Rawi Hage for joining us this week and to Jessica Johnson for doing the interview.

Music for this podcast is provided by Audio Jungle. Our theme song is “This Podcast Theme” by Inplus Music. Additional music includes “Stay Cool” by Loops Lab, “Podcast Intro” by Inplus Music, “Floating Cities” by David MacLeod, and “Oh My” by Patrick Patrikios. 

Floating Cities by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3765-floating-cities

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Season 1, Episode 13

Like health care, child care is the purview of Canada’s provincial and territorial governments, which is why it’s a small miracle that the federal government has put together twelve separate deals with provinces and territories to provide $10-a-day daycare. (Quebec already had child care available for less than $10 a day.) 

For our May cover story, Sadiya Ansari wrote about moving abroad and noticing that people approach family planning differently when child care is less of a financial burden. In Germany, parents were legally guaranteed a subsidized child care spot in 2013, and this policy change has allowed the government to shift its focus from affordability to quality of care. Ansari is an award-winning writer and journalist based in Berlin.

In this episode:

Ansari talks about the difference it makes to a society when child care is a legal right, comparing living in Canada to living in Germany.

She then explains why people who don’t have children should still care about the child care system.

Ansari goes on to talk about how women are disproportionately affected by child care responsibilities and costs.

She then talks about her recent Article Club discussion and where she is hoping this conversation leads, speculating on the larger impacts of Canada’s new child care policy and whether politics will affect its staying power.

Ansari then shares what she is currently reading.

Finally, we check in on what we're talking about this week at The Walrus.

Links:

Child Care Revolution: What Canada Can Learn from Germany

Additional Links:

• There Goes the Neighbourhood
• The Unpopularity of Female Politicians Has Everything to Do With Sexism

Facebook @thewalrus

Twitter @thewalrus 

Instagram @thewalrus

Looking to get in touch about the podcast? You can reach us at web@thewalrus.ca. 

Credits:

Hosted and produced by Mihira Lakshman and Angela Misri, with editing by Angela Misri.

Music provided by Audio Jungle. Our theme song is “This Podcast Theme” by Inplus Music Additional music: “Stay Cool” by Loops Lab; “Podcast Intro” by Inplus Music; “Both of Us” by Madirfan; “Oh My” by Patrick Patrikios; “Young Ballad” by Serge Quadrado

Meditations on the COVID-19 Beard

Season 1, Episode 12

You may have noticed an increase in facial hair over the past two years, and Sean Wetselaar says that’s not surprising. According to his research, it’s not just the fashion of the times that drives our choices about shaving but also the politics and traumas of the day.

Wetselaar is a manager of scripts and content at The Score Esports, where he helps cover everything from competitive gaming to internet memes. He’s also a freelance writer based in Paris, Ontario.

In this episode:

Wetselaar talks about his own choices when it comes to growing facial hair during a pandemic and why he made different choices while in lockdown.

He then gets into the research part of his story, looking at the care that has to go into maintaining facial hair.

The history of how and when trends in facial hair happened fascinated Wetselaar.

He then describes the influence of professional pressures as it relates to facial hair and the changing trend that emerged in the 2010s.

Wetselaar then shares what he is currently reading right now.

Finally, we check in on what we're talking about this week at The Walrus.

Links:

• Live Bearded on YouTube
• Gillette
• Millionaire’s Shortbread via Sugar Spun Round
• Chocolate chip cheesecake bars via Pillsbury.com
• The Walrus Talks Video Room

Facebook @thewalrus

Twitter @thewalrus 

Instagram @thewalrus

Looking to get in touch about the podcast? You can reach us at web@thewalrus.ca. 

Credits:

Hosted and produced by Sheena Rossiter and Angela Misri, with editing by Angela Misri.

Music provided by Audio Jungle. Our theme song is “This Podcast Theme” by Inplus Music Additional music: "Stay Cool" by Loops Lab, "Podcast Intro" by Inplus Music, and "Umbrella Pants" by Kevin Macleod.

Private Reflection by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4241-private-reflection

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Protofunk by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4247-protofunk

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Umbrella Pants by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4559-umbrella-pants

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Why Are People Getting Deported During a Pandemic? 

Season 1, Episode 11

When the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic, Canada announced the suspension of most deportations. Then, despite its own advisories warning that international travel during a pandemic is a major risk, Ottawa lifted its moratorium on deportations in late November 2020. The federal government has since deported thousands of people during the pandemic.

Isabel Macdonald is an independent journalist and researcher living in Montreal. She spoke with public health experts and asylum seekers to examine why these deportations are happening and the added dangers of doing them in the time of COVID-19.

In this episode:

Macdonald talks about how Canada justifies deporting people during a pandemic. 

She then goes over the numbers of how many people are getting deported and explains why this data is difficult to access. 

Macdonald then breaks down the statistics to explain which nationalities have been deported most during the pandemic.  

Then she goes into the case of Jatinder Singh, a truck driver who was deported to India during the pandemic. 

She explains why Singh had been seeking asylum in Canada in the first place and how difficult it can be to claim asylum in Canada generally.  

And then she discusses the harm done by deporting people during a pandemic.

Macdonald then shares what she is currently reading right now.

Finally, we check in on what we're talking about this week at The Walrus.

Links:

• Why Is Canada Deporting Front Line Workers in the Middle of a Pandemic? 

Additional Links:

• I Am the Type of Man Who Gets into Fist Fights—and Likes It
• Careers at The Walrus
• Seeing Red  
• 
  

Facebook @thewalrus

Twitter @thewalrus 

Instagram @thewalrus

Looking to get in touch about the podcast? You can reach us at web@thewalrus.ca. 

Credits:

Hosted and produced by Sheena Rossiter and Angela Misri, with editing by Sheena Rossiter

Music provided by Audio Jungle. Our theme song is “This Podcast Theme” by Inplus Music Additional music: “Stay Cool” by Loops Lab; “Podcast Intro” by Inplus Music; “Leaving Home,” “With Regards,” and “Inspired” by Kevin MacLeod, provided by Film Music; and “Skydancer” by Scandinavian. 

With Regards by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4636-with-regards

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Inspired by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3918-inspired

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Leaving Home by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4708-leaving-home

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Season 1, Episode 10

Have you ever noticed that there is an inordinate amount of sweets in films directed by women? Writer Heather O’Neill has. In her latest essay for The Walrus, “Let Her Eat Cake: The Subversive Power of Women Feasting,” she delves into the world of women indulging to explore this fixation on sweet treats. 

Through a series of personal vignettes, O’Neill weaves the story of her own relationship with food into her analysis of feast-focused films both contemporary and classic.

Heather O'Neill is an award-winning novelist and essayist. Her works include Lullabies for Little Criminals and The Lonely Hearts Hotel. Her most recent novel is When We Lost Our Heads. 

In this episode:

O’Neill explains what inspired her to write an essay about women feasting. 

She then talks about why she chose these particular films to focus on. 

She then discusses what food has meant in her own life and how her relationship with food changed once she moved out and grew into adulthood.

Then O’Neill speaks about the problematic diets and trends of the 1990s, when “Heroin Chic” was all the rage.

O’Neill then talks about how popular culture has since shifted, with the recent body positivity movement, but how women still have trouble accepting their own bodies.

She then speaks about eating at food banks with her young daughter when she was in her early twenties.   

O’Neill then discusses what food means to women’s lives.

We then hear about what O’Neill is reading right now. 

Finally, we check in on what we're talking about this week at The Walrus.

Links:

• Let Her Eat Cake: The Subversive Power of Women Feasting

Additional Links:

• Nicholas Hune-Brown Wins 2022 Canadian Hillman Prize for Journalism
• Emily Baron Cadloff’s TikTok video
• Viral Symptoms: The Rise of Mental Health Diagnosis Videos on TikTok

Facebook @thewalrus

Twitter @thewalrus 

Instagram @thewalrus

Looking to get in touch about the podcast? You can reach us at web@thewalrus.ca. 

Credits:

Hosted and produced by Sheena Rossiter and Angela Misri, with editing by Sheena Rossiter

Music provided by Audio Jungle. Our theme song is “This Podcast Theme” by Inplus Music Additional music: “Stay Cool” by Loops Lab; “Podcast Intro” by Inplus Music; “Protofunk” and “Private Reflection” by Kevin MacLeod, provided by Film Music; “Skydancer” by Scandinavianz; “Dark Eyes” by Teddy and Marge, provided by the Free Music Archive.

Private Reflection by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4241-private-reflection

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Protofunk by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4247-protofunk

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Additional sources: Fellinious, Masguita, and ABC News on YouTube 

COVID-19 Two Years On

Season 1, Episode 9

It was a moment that most people won’t forget any time soon. Just over two years ago, COVID-19 was declared a pandemic. It was on March 11, 2020, when Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director general of the World Health Organization, took to the microphone at a press conference in Geneva to make this declaration—saying that this was the first time a coronavirus had sparked a pandemic. 

Most of us were stunned, and our lives would be forever changed. The world seemingly went into lockdown overnight, masks and hand sanitizer became common accessories in most households, and the term social distancing became part of our vocabulary. Now, two years into the pandemic, many of us are still wondering: When will it end? 

This week, we’ll be speaking with Dan Werb, an award-winning writer and epidemiologist whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Salon, The Believer, and The Walrus, among other places. His latest book, The Invisible Siege: The Rise of Coronaviruses and the Search for a Cure, chronicles the emergence of coronavirus science across multiple epidemics. And we recently ran an excerpt of it at thewalrus.ca. 

In this episode:

Werb talks about how long this pandemic is expected to last (and whether it will ever end). 

Werb then talks about global vaccine inequity. 

He then explains why he decided to write a book about the history of human coronaviruses and how scientists have studied them and tried to stop them. 

He then talks about the scientists who have been researching coronaviruses for decades and how they have come to the forefront of popular culture during this pandemic.

Then, he speaks about the danger of the COVID-19 misinformation that has been spreading during this pandemic. 

And he explains the market incentives to create vaccines and the importance of funding public science.  

Werb then shares what he is currently reading right now.

Finally, we check in on what we're talking about this week at The Walrus.

Links:

• A Nineteenth-Century Pandemic May Be a Window into Coronaviruses 

Additional Links:

• Ask a Refugee Expert: How Will War in Ukraine Impact Immigration?
• The Walrus Leadership Forum: Technology and Treatment
• The Walrus Talks at Home: Youth and the Climate Crisis

Facebook @thewalrus

Twitter @thewalrus 

Instagram @thewalrus

Looking to get in touch about the podcast? You can reach us at web@thewalrus.ca. 

Credits:

Hosted and produced by Sheena Rossiter and Angela Misri, with editing by Sheena Rossiter

Music provided by Audio Jungle. Our theme song is “This Podcast Theme” by Inplus Music Additional music: “Stay Cool” by Loops Lab; “Podcast Intro” by Inplus Music; “Ethereal Relaxation,” “Impact Prelude,” and “Screen Saver” by Kevin MacLeod, provided by Film Music. 

Impact Prelude by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/7565-impact-prelude

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Screen Saver by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5715-screen-saver

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Ethereal Relaxation by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/8719-ethereal-relaxation

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Additional sources: Global News, The World Health Organization, and Late Night with Seth Meyers on YouTube.

The Tangled Politics Keeping a Uyghur Man in Limbo

Season 1, Episode 8

This week we’ll hear from Annie Hylton. For the March/April issue of The Walrus, Hylton takes a look at the complex case of Ayoob Mohammed. 

Mohammed is Uyghur—a largely Muslim, Turkic-speaking ethnic group that has faced persecution in China. Recently, Canada’s Parliament labelled China’s treatment of Uyghurs “genocide.” 

While escaping from China in 2001, Mohammed found himself in Afghanistan on the eve of 9/11. In the chaos that ensued, he was sold for bounty to US forces and sent to Guantánamo Bay.

US officials maintained that Mohammed was a member of the Eastern Turkistan Independence Movement, allegedly a Uyghur terrorist group, though this may have been part of an attempt to secure China’s support for the war on terror.

Hylton takes listeners through Mohammed’s long journey from his birthplace in China to Guantánamo Bay to Albania, where he remains after two rejected attempts to join his family in Canada.

Hylton is an independent investigative journalist and writer from Saskatchewan who is now based in Paris, where she is an associate professor at Sciences Po. She won a gold National Magazine Award for her 2020 long-form feature “Searching for Mackie,” which was published in The Walrus. 

In this episode:

We hear Hylton discuss Uyghur culture and the persecution the group has faced in China.

Hylton talks about Ayoob Mohammed and his early life in Xinjiang. 

She then explains how 9/11 threw the region into turmoil and led to Mohammed being imprisoned at Guantánamo Bay. 

She then talks about how she came across and reported Mohammed’s story. 

Hylton then shares what she is currently watching right now. 

Finally, we check in on what we're talking about this week at The Walrus.

Links:

• Endless Exile: The Tangled Politics Keeping a Uyghur Man in Limbo 

Additional Links:

• How can I help Ukraine? Resources and tips for Canadians
• Article Club 
• My Son Peed Onscreen in a Zoom Call, and Other Tales of a Working Parent

Facebook @thewalrus

Twitter @thewalrus 

Instagram @thewalrus

Looking to get in touch about the podcast? You can reach us at web@thewalrus.ca. 

Credits:

Hosted and produced by Sheena Rossiter and Angela Misri, with editing by Sheena Rossiter

Music provided by Audio Jungle. Our theme song is “This Podcast Theme” by Inplus Music Additional music: “Stay Cool” by Loops Lab; “Podcast Intro” by Inplus Music; “Lightless,” “Floating Cities,” “Shores of Avalon,” and “Comfortable Mystery” by Kevin MacLeod, provided by Film Music. 

Lightless Dawn by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3982-lightless-dawn

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Floating Cities by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3765-floating-cities

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Shores of Avalon by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4349-shores-of-avalon

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Comfortable Mystery by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3531-comfortable-mystery

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Additional sources: Global News on YouTube.

How the Pandemic Has Changed the Bra 

Season 1, Episode 7

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many predicted that the bra was fast-tracked for extinction. Instead, past styles were largely retired in favour of more comfortable options. What does the change mean? 

From tight-laced corsets to push-ups, the idea that bras aren’t supposed to be comfortable has been around for over a century. But, as people increasingly dress for themselves, we’ve begun to reconsider the purpose of our undergarments.

This week on The Deep Dive, Sheena Rossiter speaks with writer Nicole Schmidt, an associate editor at The Walrus, about how the pandemic has changed the bra. Prior to joining The Walrus, Schmidt was an assistant editor at Toronto Life. She has written for Maclean's, the National Post, Yahoo, and Vice.

Toronto-based illustrator Kate Traynor also speaks about her illustration for this story. Traynor’s work has been featured in publications such as Broadview, Quill and Quire, and Reader's Digest.

In this episode:

We hear why Schmidt wanted to work on a feature about how the pandemic has changed the bra. 

We learn the full history of the bra: from its first appearance in ancient Greece to the corset to the WonderBra. 

Schmidt then tells us about a popular TikTok challenge where women are cutting up their old padded bras to make bralettes, and some more new trends in bras.  

She then talks about the rise in smaller and newer brands for women’s underwear during the pandemic.

Then we hear from Kate Traynor about her inspiration for the story’s illustration. She describes how she drew from her own experience with bras to arrive at the final illustration.

Finally, we check in on what we're talking about this week at The Walrus.

Links:

• Underwire Under Fire: How the Pandemic Changed the Bra 
• Hope You’re Well 

Additional Links:

• Chrystia Freeland Wants to Fix the Twenty-First Century
• Embedded with the .01 Percent
• How to Train a Ukrainian Soldier 

Facebook @thewalrus

Twitter @thewalrus 

Instagram @thewalrus

Looking to get in touch about the podcast? You can reach us at web@thewalrus.ca. 

Credits:

Hosted and produced by Sheena Rossiter and Angela Misri, with editing by Sheena Rossiter

Music provided by Audio Jungle. Our theme song is “This Podcast Theme” by Inplus Music Additional music: “Stay Cool” by Loops Lab; “Podcast Intro” by Inplus Music; and “Investigations” and “Umbrella Pants” by Kevin MacLeod, provided by Film Music. 

Investigations by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3924-investigations

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Umbrella Pants by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4559-umbrella-pants

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Additional Sources: Marsonfurs, Micheal Levy, and “Rosie the Riveter” by the Four Vagabonds from Glamour Daze on YouTube. 

Correction March 3, 2022: This interview references an NPR article which stated that 28,000 pounds of steel—enough to build two battleships—were saved after women were asked to stop buying corsets during the First World War. In fact, 28,000 tons of steel were saved, enough to build at least one battleship. The Walrus regrets the errors.

Confessions of a Bitcoin Widow 

Season 1, Episode 6

Jennifer Robertson met her husband, Bitcoin entrepreneur Gerald Cotten, on Tinder. As their relationship flourished, so did Cotten’s company, QuadrigaCX, and the twentysomethings soon became wealthy beyond their wildest dreams.

Then, at age thirty, Cotten suddenly died. Overnight, their dream life became Robertson’s worst nightmare. Cotten possessed the only keys to the online vaults where his customers’ investments were supposedly stored.

No one knew where to find $215 million belonging to more than 76,000 investors. “Part of me felt as though our life together had been a dream, the best dream you could ever imagine, and now it was time to wake up," says Robertson. "But to what?"

This week, Sheena Rossiter is in conversation with Jennifer Robertson. Robertson is a former HR specialist and property manager whose life was turned upside down in the Quadriga scandal. And, in her new book with journalist Stephen Kimber, Bitcoin Widow: Love, Betrayal and the Missing Millions, she shares her side of the story for the first time.

In this episode:

We hear how Jennifer Robertson met Gerald Cotten, the founder of QuadrigaCX, and what their life together was like before Cotten died. 

We learn how Robertson was kept in the dark about what was happening inside Quadriga.

Robertson then explains how Cotten died in India and why she waited a month to announce his death. 

She then talks about how her life has changed since Cotten’s death and how she feels like a scapegoat in the scandal. 

Then Robertson speaks about why she decided to write her book and whether she thinks the Quadriga debacle will follow her for the rest of her life.  

Finally, we check in on what we're talking about this week at The Walrus.

Links:

• Confessions of a Bitcoin Widow: How a Dream Life Turned into a Nightmare 

Additional Links:

• North Korea’s Mysterious Cryptocurrency Ambitions
• Will Cryptocurrency Be Alberta’s Next Big Boom?
• Is Canada Broken?

Facebook @thewalrus

Twitter @thewalrus 

Instagram @thewalrus

Looking to get in touch about the podcast? You can reach us at web@thewalrus.ca. 

Credits:

Hosted and produced by Sheena Rossiter and Angela Misri, with editing by Sheena Rossiter

Music provided by Audio Jungle. Our theme song is “This Podcast Theme” by Inplus Music Additional music: “Stay Cool” by Loops Lab and “Podcast Intro” by Inplus Music. “Moment” by Serge Quadrado, “Piano Moment” by Zakhar Valaha, provided by Pixabay.

Additional Sources: CBC and CTV

How to Save Dying Gay Bars 

Season 1, Episode 5

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a difficult time for bars and nightclubs, many of which have had to shutter. But it’s been especially hard for gay bars, which have acted as safe spaces for the queer community for decades.

Gay bars have been suffering a slow, drawn-out death for years. Skyrocketing rental prices, diminished interest, and a shrinking economy have forced many queer spaces—including some legendary historic ones—to call it quits.

This week, Angela Misri speaks with writer KC Hoard, whose work has appeared in the Globe and Mail, the National Post, Broadview Magazine, CBC Arts, and Xtra Magazine. And Sheena Rossiter speaks with Tim Singleton, an artist, designer, and illustrator from Toronto whose work has appeared in the Washington Post, HuffPost, Adweek, and more.

In this episode:

We hear how important gay bars are to the queer community.

We learn how gay bars have acted as safe spaces from which queer communities can flourish.

KC Hoard explains why these bars are starting to die off.

We learn about other queer community spaces that have popped up during the COVID-19 pandemic and some potential solutions to the crisis facing queer spaces. 

Then Sheena Rossiter speaks with Tim Singleton, who illustrated KC Hoard’s story on the decline of gay bars.

Finally, we check in on what we're talking about this week at The Walrus.

Links:

• It's a Drag: Many Gay Bars Are Closing, But We Can Still Save Them

Additional Links:

• Hope You’re Well. 
• Objectivity Is a Privilege Afforded to White Journalists
• The Walrus Wins Gold at the Canadian Online Publishing Awards

Facebook @thewalrus

Twitter @thewalrus 

Instagram @thewalrus

Looking to get in touch about the podcast? You can reach us at web@thewalrus.ca. 

Credits:

Hosted and produced by Sheena Rossiter and Angela Misri, with editing by Sheena Rossiter.

Music provided by Audio Jungle. Our theme song is “This Podcast Theme” by Inplus Music. Additional music: “Stay Cool” by Loops Lab; “Every Morning,” Drone Trace Background,” The Introvert,” “Turn the Lights On,” and “Piztey” provided by Pixabay; and “Podcast Intro” by Inplus Music.

The Evolution of Workout Videos

Season 1, Episode 4

In early 2021, as gyms remained shuttered and wet weather made walks almost unbearable, Carine Abouseif found herself reaching for the nostalgia of the home workout—and she isn’t alone. Many Canadians have gravitated to home workouts over the past year. And market research suggests that this revival isn’t just a pandemic blip. Some former gym goers say they’re never going back, and many of those that do want to return plan to keep YouTube instructors in their fitness repertoire.

As part of a new digital series on wellness, Abouseif dives into the return (and evolution) of home workout videos. While the VHS tapes of workouts past touted trimmer waists and sculpted calves, today’s fitness regimes promise something much more vague: strength.

This week, Angela Misri speaks with Carine Abouseif, a features editor at The Walrus, about her article on the history and revival of the home workout. Before joining The Walrus, Abouseif edited news and features at the Globe and Mail, and her writing has also appeared in Maisonneuve and This Magazine.  

In this episode:

We hear about what inspired Abouseif’s story on the home workout.

We learn about the evolution of home workout videos from Jack LaLanne to Jane Fonda and Richard Simmons.

We dig into the current trend in YouTube workout challenges.

After that, we hear what Abouseif is listening to right now.

Finally, we check in on five things we’re talking about this week at The Walrus.

Links:

• Feeling the Burn: The Workout Video from Jane Fonda to Peloton
• Black History Month stories

Additional Links:

• When Being Healthy is Unhealthy 
• What Does it Mean to Have a Healthy Body?

Facebook @thewalrus

Twitter @thewalrus 

Instagram @thewalrus

Looking to get in touch about the podcast? You can reach us at web@thewalrus.ca. 

Credits:

Hosted and produced by Sheena Rossiter and Angela Misri, with editing by Shayne Giles.

Music provided by Audio Jungle. Our theme song is “This Podcast Theme” by Inplus Music. Additional music “Stay Cool” by Loops Lab, "Every Morning" provided by Pixabay, and “Podcast Intro” by Inplus Music.

Additional audio clips from Chloe Ting, Top Cat, Jack LaLanne Official, Richard Simmons, and Yoga with Adrienne on YouTube.

Season 1, Episode 3

Can Weed and Pro Sports Coexist?

The 2022 Winter Olympics are about to start in Beijing, and there has been a lot of attention paid to these games already, from the strict COVID-19 protocols that will be in place to concerns over China’s human rights record. But there’s one issue that comes up at nearly every Olympic Games: drug testing. 

In a few memorable cases, athletes have been penalized after testing positive for cannabis—a drug that normally isn’t considered performance enhancing. Attitudes toward cannabis have changed dramatically over the past couple of decades, but less so for professional athletes. It’s been twenty-four years since Canadian snowboarder Ross Rebagliati won gold at the 1998 Winter Olympics, in Nagano, Japan, only to be temporarily stripped of his medal hours later, after testing positive for marijuana. Now that cannabis is legal in several parts of the world, can weed and sports finally coexist? 

This week, we hear from Alex Cyr, who recently wrote about the relationship between professional sports and weed. He’s a freelance writer whose work has appeared in the Globe and Mail and Toronto Life. Sheena Rossiter speaks with Cyr about his story on how the world of sport is reconciling its relationship with cannabis.

In this episode:

We hear about why Cyr decided to write about professional sports and its relationship with weed.

We hear about the case of American 100-metre sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson. 

Then we hear about the case of Ross Rebagliati and Cyr’s interview with the former Olympian.

After that, we hear about what Cyr is watching right now.

Finally, we check in on five things we’re talking about this week at The Walrus.

Links:

• Athletes Are Getting Burned by Weed Rules. Is the Sports World Out of Touch? 
• For the Love of the Game 
• The Sports Collectible Market Is Booming. Is It about the Money or the Memories?
• Why Olympians Are Struggling to Get Sponsorships



Additional Links:

• Punching Nazis Won’t End Fascism
• Links to stories about Black History Month 

Facebook @thewalrus

Twitter @thewalrus 

Instagram @thewalrus

Looking to get in touch about the podcast? You can reach us at web@thewalrus.ca. 

Credits:

Hosted and produced by Sheena Rossiter and Angela Misri, with editing by Shayne Giles.

Music provided by Audio Jungle. Our theme song is “This Podcast Theme” by Inplus Music. Additional music “Stay Cool” by Loops Lab, “Podcast Intro” by Inplus Music, and “Unreleased Demo” provided by Pixabay.

Additional audio clips come from TSN, The Young Turks, the International Olympic Committee, Leno, and LetsRun.com on YouTube.

Season 1, Episode 2

Canada’s Encampment Crisis

As housing inequality rises across the country, many Winnipeg residents have been left without a place to call home. In the grips of winter, they live without permanent shelter at bus stops and riverside camps. What failures led us here, and what’s being done to make change?

This week, we hear from the Justice Fund Writer-in-Residence, Julia-Simone Rutgers. She’s a writer, journalist, essayist, and sometimes poet. She’s written daily news for the Winnipeg Free Press and StarMetro Halifax, and her work has also appeared in the Globe and Mail, the Coast, and the Discourse.

Rutgers is the first writer-in-residence at The Walrus, and over the next several months, she’ll be investigating housing issues in Winnipeg as just part of the housing crisis that Canada faces as a whole. Sheena Rossiter speaks with Rutgers about her upcoming investigative piece on the housing crisis, its causes, and its impacts.

In this episode:

We hear about Rutgers’s work thus far, her conversations with unhoused Canadians, and the underlying factors causing the housing crisis.

After that, we hear about what Rutgers is reading, watching, and listening to right now.

Finally, we check in on five things we’re talking about this week at The Walrus.

Links:

• Scenes from Canada’s Housing Crisis
• Trying to Make Ends Meet in Vancouver
• Why It’s Impossible to Buy a House

Additional Links:

• Why Is Canadian Architecture So Bad?
• Challenging the Himalayas: Obsession and Danger in the Parvati Valley

Facebook: @thewalrus

Twitter: @thewalrus 

Instagram: @thewalrus

Looking to get in touch about the podcast? You can reach us at web@thewalrus.ca. 

Credits:

Hosted and produced by Sheena Rossiter and Angela Misri, with editing by Shayne Giles.

Music provided by Audio Jungle. Our theme song is “This Podcast Theme” by Inplus Music. Additional music “Stay Cool” by Loops Lab, “Podcast Intro” by Inplus Music, and “Your Favourite Place” provided by Pixabay.