In this first episode of Season 6 of Getting Lit With Linda, the host – Linda Morra – begins with a few important announcements: GLWL is now being supported by the <a href="https://canadacouncil.ca/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Canada Council for the Arts</a>! With that support, we have a "special" season that we're calling GETTING LIT GOES GLOBAL. It means we are emphasizing books or topics that take on international proportions or have international repercussions. Getting Lit With Linda will now also feature an annual prize – more of that in future episodes. And we have a new team on board, featuring Maia Harris (Associate Producer), James Healey (Sound Producer), Aki Barabadi (Marketing Consultant), and Raphael Krux (Music). Linda begins her discussion with a consideration of <a href="https://archive.org/details/angerforgiveness0000nuss" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Martha Nussbaum’s Anger and Forgiveness</a>, to mull over what to do with our anger (and specifically feminist anger, 21:00). Her guest, <a href="https://www.theandreawarner.com/about/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Andrea Warner</a> points the way in her fresh and accessible book, <a href="https://www.theandreawarner.com/books#/we-oughta-know-2024/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">We Oughta Know</a>. Warner tells us what we should know, but don’t – that is, she tells us about how much the women she is examining – <a href="https://www.celinedion.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Celine Dion</a>, <a href="https://www.shaniatwain.com/#/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Shania Twain</a>, <a href="https://alanis.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Alanis Morissette</a>, and <a href="https://www.sarahmclachlan.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sarah McLachlan</a> -- did to work past gendered biases in the music industry to achieve international fame. Warner reminds us that we need to understand and confront not just misogyny (18:00), and the male gaze (19:00), but also internalized misogyny (16:20), and that we ought to know is how to develop solidarity and love for all of us. And, even when we mess up, we need to remember we are all works in progress (16:40). Andrea Warner has her own podcast, <a href="https://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/popthis" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Pop This!</a>, and has published other books, including <a href="https://www.theandreawarner.com/books#/the-time-of-my-life-dirty-dancing/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Time of My Life</a>, and <a href="https://www.theandreawarner.com/books#/the-time-of-my-life-dirty-dancing/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Rise Up and Sing: Power, Protest, and Activism in Music.</a> We also speak about the following:<ul><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJPO7Wl3Xpg" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sabrina Carpenter's Christmas special, A Nonsense Christmas </a></li><li><a href="https://vehiculepress.com/shop/girls-interrupted-how-pop-culture-is-failing-women-by-lisa-whittington-hill/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Lisa Whittington Hill's Girls Interrupted: How Pop Culture is Failing Women</a> (Vehicule Press) and gender inequality in music representation (15:00)</li><li><a href="https://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/Miss_Piggy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Miss Piggy's anger </a>(22.50)</li><li>Celine Dion's <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/music/read/can-we-take-a-moment-to-appreciate-c%C3%A9line-dion-s-instagram-1.4995910" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">VERY AWESOME CANARY YELLOW POWER SUIT</a></li></ul>

What We Oughta Know ... About Powerful, Internationally-Recognized  & Accomplished Women

Happy International Women's Day - this is our Teaser for Season 6, in which a special guest joins Linda Morra to share our International Women's Day wishes with you, the listeners of Getting Lit With Linda!

Season 6: Happy International Women's Day Wishes + Teaser

n this 78th episode and the final one of season 5, Linda offers the “Nine Days of Christmas” with nine different book recommendations for the holidays.&nbsp;Who makes the cut? Well, we could say you need to listen to find out, but we want you to find the books easily, so here they are with their links: Alice Zorn’s <a href="https://freehand-books.com/product/colours-in-her-hands/?srsltid=AfmBOopCHv7nFPs5BX7XywgfHfflNZ3uK4j5AEuzT4BV-z9RQGzYp4T3#tab-description" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Colours in her Hands</a>&nbsp;(Freehand Books), Téa Mutonji’s <a href=" https://arsenalpulp.com/Books/S/Shut-Up-You-re-Pretty" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Shut Up You’re Pretty </a>(VS Books, Arsenal), Katherena Vermette’s <a href="https://katherenavermette.com/real-ones/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Real Ones</a> (Hamish Hamilton), Ian Williams', <a href="https://www.ianwilliams.ca/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">What I Mean to Say </a>(Anansi), Sarah Polley's <a href=" https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/688129/run-towards-the-danger-by-sarah-polley/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Run Towards the Danger: Confrontations with a Body of Memor</a>y (Penguin), Suzette Mayr’s <a href=" https://chbooks.com/Books/T/The-Sleeping-Car-Porter" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Sleeping Car Porter </a>(Coach House Press), Derek Webster’s <a href=" https://vehiculepress.com/shop/national-animal-by-derek-webster/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">National Animal (</a>Véhicule Press), Sue Goyette's <a href=" https://www.wlupress.wlu.ca/Contributors/G/Goyette-Sue" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">A Different Species of Breathing </a>(WLUP),and Bart Vautour’s <a href="https://atlanticbooks.ca/books/the-truth-about-facts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Truth About Facts</a> (Invisible Publishing) Other References: <ul><li><a href="http://www.tanismacdonald.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Tanis MacDonald</a></li><li><a href="https://www.gettinglitwithlinda.com/episodes/feminist-killjoys-an-interview-with-erin-wunker" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Erin Wunker, Season 61</a></li><li><a href="https://www.textileartist.org/textile-artist-judith-scott-uncovering-innate-talent/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Judith Scott</a></li></ul> The entire team at Geting Lit With Linda wishes you a wonderful, restful holiday - we will be back in the New Year with some important developments! Stay tuned! &nbsp;

The Nine Days Of/Before Christmas - and the Final One of Season 5

Linda writes an open letter to Ivan Coyote, in response to their book, <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/671051/care-of-by-ivan-coyote/9780771051739" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Care Of: Letters, Connections, and Cures (published by McClelland &amp; Stewart during the pandemic). </a>This important volume of letters is extraordinary and, while we're no longer in the throes of a pandemic, it remains as relevant as ever. With references to WB Yeat's poem "The Second Coming" and <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/culture/annals-of-inquiry/why-so-many-people-are-going-no-contact-with-their-parents" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">an article by Anna Russell that appeared in The New Yorker</a>, this episode highlights the vital contribution this book makes - and it's more than just a pineapple.

"But I'm Holding a Pineapple" - An Open Letter to Ivan Coyote

In this episode, Linda converses with Jenny Haysom (2.48) about her novel <a href="https://houseofanansi.com/products/keep" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Keep (published by Anansi).</a> Featuring three main characters, the narrative is driven by the conflict that emerges when Harriet, an elderly poet, is diagnosed with the onset of dementia and must face selling her house -- and the two home stagers, Eleanor and Jacob, tasked with emptying it of its contents. Both Eleanor and Jacob are drawn into Harriet's world and the questions around what we keep, what we throw away, and what we value and why. It becomes clear why Haysom refers to this Victorian-esque novel as "a ghost story without ghosts." The discussion also turns toward Haysom's literary debut as a poet and her collection Dividing the Wayside (4.15, <a href="https://palimpsestpress.ca/books/dividing-the-wayside/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">published by Palimpsest Press</a>) and the difference between writing poetry and writing novels (4.32).

A Ghost Story Without Ghosts: Jenny Haysom's Keep

A bilingual episode/un épisode bilingue. Linda opens with her delight about having won the <a href="https://podnews.net/press-release/women-in-podcasting-awards" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Women in Podcasting Awards in Education</a> - she effusively thanks her listeners!eWhat kinds of books haunt us and why? In this episode, Linda considers <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/156126/monkey-beach-by-eden-robinson/9780676973228" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Eden Robinson's Monkey Beach </a>and <a href="https://www.harpercollins.ca/9781443465489/bad-cree/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jessica Johns' Bad Cree</a>, but ultimately picks a book that thoroughly haunted her - <a href="https://editionslibreexpression.groupelivre.com/products/qimmik?variant=44016768123137" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Michel Jean's Qimmik (published by Libre Expression, not yet translated into English</a>). Author of <a href="https://houseofanansi.com/products/kukum?srsltid=AfmBOorAO5IsS5v6WngIUam-ObWvUGpQQ574PSzukhrSIDBuooK5Bhhr" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Kukum (House of Anansi) </a>and editor of <a href="https://mtlreviewofbooks.ca/reviews/amun/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Amun:A Gathering of Indigenous Voices</a>, Jean addresses one of the legacies of a colonial past not frequently addressed. Set in Nunavik, the novel traverses two time periods--that are connected in ways that are completely unexpected and deeply moving. Quels types de livres nous hantent et pourquoi ? Dans cet épisode, Linda choisit un livre qui l'a profondément hantée : <a href="https://editionslibreexpression.groupelivre.com/products/qimmik?variant=44016768123137" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Qimmik de Michel Jean (publié par Libre Expression, pas encore traduit en anglais</a>). Auteur de <a href="https://houseofanansi.com/products/kukum?srsltid=AfmBOorAO5IsS5v6WngIUam-ObWvUGpQQ574PSzukhrSIDBuooK5Bhhr" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Kukum (House of Anansi) </a>et rédacteur en chef d'<a href="https://mtlreviewofbooks.ca/reviews/amun/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Amun:A Gathering of Indigenous Voices</a>, Michel Jean aborde l'un des héritages d'un passé colonial qui n'est pas souvent traité. Situé au Nunavik, le roman traverse deux périodes qui sont reliées de façon tout à fait inattendue et profondément émouvante.

Haunted by a Colonial Past - Michel Jean's Qimmik

Linda opens with a word of thanks to her listeners who voted--because she is now a Finalist for the <a href="https://womeninpodcasting.net/awards/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Women in Podcasting Awards</a>. This episode features an interview, which was live at <a href="https://toronto.thewordonthestreet.ca/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Word on the Street </a>in Toronto, with the writer of Mi'kmaq and settler descent, who published a novel, The Berry Pickers and, most recently, her short story collection, <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/772196/waiting-for-the-long-night-moon-by-amanda-peters/9781646222599/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Waiting for the Long Night Moon</a> (both published by <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/731248/the-berry-pickers-by-amanda-peters/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">published by Random House</a>). It is a joyful and animated conversation, with an audience that was warm and supportive.

What I Was Meant to Do - An Interview with Amanda Peters

Linda speaks with <a href="https://www.corinnachong.com/bad-land.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Corinna Chong about her novel, Bad Land</a>, published by <a href="https://arsenalpulp.com/Books/B/Bad-Land" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Arsenal Pulp Press </a>and long-listed for the Giller Prize. Chong, originally from Calgary, lives in Kelowna, B.C. where she teaches English and fine arts at Okanagan College. She published her first novel,&nbsp;Belinda's Rings, in 2013. In her opening remarks, Linda explains why she sees the protagonist and main narrator, Regina, as … well, kind of “brat.” She's a fascinating, messy, and lovable character who has buried her life--and the secrets around that life--in the home in which she and her brother, Ricky, were raised ... until he shows up with his daughter, Jez, with a new secret of their own. The tensions that are produced open wide the secrets by the novel's end, revealing both the beauty and violence that have haunted Regina for years. &nbsp;Other sources of discussion or references include:<ul><li>Henry James’ What Maisie Knew (14.45)</li><li>Aristotle (16:10)</li><li>Nabokov, Lolita (18.30)</li><li>Sinclair Ross, As For Me and My House (18.30; 19:30)</li><li>Unreliable narrators (18:50)</li><li>the geode (and archeology (25:25)</li></ul> And a final reminder! Please vote for us in the W<a href="https://womeninpodcasting.net/getting-lit-with-linda/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">omen's Podcasting Awards!</a> Only a few days left!

An Unconventional Love Story in a Brat Summer: Corinna Chong’s Bad Land

An Interview with Daniela Vlaskalic

Linda considers the persistence of present-day misogyny, then speaks with <a href="https://www.playwrightscanada.com/Authors/V/Vlaskalic-Daniela" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Daniela Vlaskalic about her co-written play, The Drowning Girls</a>, which features the women who were victims of a turn-of-the-century serial killer. It was such a famous case, even Agatha Christie mentioned it in one of her novels. To set the stage - pun intended - for this play, Linda outlines the legal and historical situation for women in Canada - obtaining<a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/wartime-elections-act" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> the right to vote was a bare minimum</a>., but even <a href="https://www.bankrate.com/mortgages/history-of-women-and-mortgages/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">getting bank accounts and mortgages were an ordeal </a>up until only a few decades ago. It's not so surprising that this history informs the present moment, when, for example, <a href="https://canadianwomen.org/the-facts/the-gender-pay-gap/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">women still make less in terms of pay than men</a> and disparaging remarks are being made about single women who have cats in the United States. (Linda is not afraid to mention that she has two cats - Pinky and Moe.) She also briefly alludes to <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/women-and-the-law" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">women and legal matters</a>, including her <a href="https://psac-ncr.com/canadian-womens-history/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">right to get a divorce</a>.

Breathing Life into the Drowning Girls

Learning to love literature together,  one book at a time.

Using her expertise as a seasoned literature professor, Linda M. Morra develops provocative, timely insights about books from Canada and elsewhere to show why stories are relevant for all of us. Hosted and written by Linda Morra.

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