Best Eleanor Walk Podcasts (2024)

1
The Seagrove Sessions-Episode 27. Doris: Growing up in Leith and in the newly built Craigour. 18:52

3h ago18:52

18:52

As evocative as ever, this is the third episode of Doris's stories. This time she talks about the big family move from Primrose Street in Leith to the new corporation housing at Craigour in the early 1950s. From the rarity of seeing a car on the street to wandering the countryside around Craigour- a scheme that only consisted of a few streets in th…

1
Heather O'Neill: How motherhood and artistry intersect in the bestselling writer's life and work 23:52

2d ago23:52

23:52

Heather O'Neill is an icon in Canadian literature who has won a ton of awards. And now she has a new novel. It’s called The Capital of Dreams and it’s about the influence of art and literature on our lives. It follows 14-year-old Sofia as she hunts for her mother’s lost manuscript during the chaos of war. Heather speaks to Mattea Roach about her la…

1
Kaveh Akbar: Finding meaning in sobriety and writing his bestseller, Martyr! 29:30

5d ago29:30

29:30

Iranian American writer Kaveh Akbar and his novel Martyr! are everywhere these days. Martyr! made the New York Times bestseller list and several summer reading lists, including Barack Obama's. Drawing on Kaveh's own experience with addiction and recovery, it's about Cyrus, a 20-something Iranian American poet who’s in the early years of sobriety. C…

1
Introducing Bookends with Mattea Roach 1:45

6d ago1:45

1:45

When the book ends, the conversation begins. Mattea Roach speaks with writers who have something to say about their work, the world and our place in it. You'll always walk away with big questions to ponder and new books to read. Beginning Sept. 8 on CBC.

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Madeleine Thien interviews Eleanor Wachtel on the final Writers & Company episode 52:42

12d ago52:42

52:42

For the conclusion of Writers and Company, the tables are turned and author Madeleine Thien interviews Eleanor Wachtel. Recorded at the Blue Metropolis International Literary Festival in Montreal last spring, Thien speaks with Eleanor about her early life in Montreal, memorable moments from her career and more. They also look back on Eleanor's conv…

1
Ali Smith on ghost stories, activism and the cyclical nature of time 51:59

19d ago51:59

51:59

The Scottish author reflects on the stories she grew up with, the influence of feminism and how time moves in circular patterns. Ali Smith has been shortlisted for the Booker Prize four times. Her 2014 novel How to Be Both won the Women's Prize for fiction and the Costa Book Award for novel. She spoke with Eleanor Wachtel in 2018 about the first tw…

1
Sarah McCammon on Exvangelicals 1:08:36

21d ago1:08:36

1:08:36

Text us your questions! Welcome to Season 5! We're joined by Sarah McCammon, a National Political Correspondent for NPR and author of The Exvangelicals, an insightful and empathetic look at the stories of those who have left white American evangelicalism. Sarah is also an exvangelical herself, so she has a unique perspective that blends both person…

1
Peter Eisenman on pushing the bounds of modern architecture and transforming influence 52:44

26d ago52:44

52:44

The American architect, known for challenging the idea of form, reflects on his life and the experiences that shape his work, from his days as a lieutenant in the Korean War to his time studying in Europe. He founded the Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies and is the author of several books on architecture and design, including Lateness. P…

1
The Seagrove Sessions- Episode 26. More memories from Daisy. Leith and Edinburgh. 18:43

29d ago18:43

18:43

More vivid memories from Daisy. From the 1930s, 40's and 50's. The broad pavement at Henderson Street, Leith. The nearby men's homeless hostel and the broo( Labour exchange). The streets and wynds of Leith. She takes us up toon, to Edinburgh, by tram. Taking her pram, bought out of the window of Patrick Thomson's store. She remembers her nursery sc…

1
Danzy Senna's darkly comic take on racial identity 54:47

1M ago54:47

54:47

The American novelist draws on her experience growing up in an interracial family in her edgy, prize-winning fiction. Raised with an acute black consciousness, during a time when "'mixed' wasn't an option; you were either black or white," Senna brings an awareness — and astute analysis — of class, race and identity to all her writing. She spoke wit…

1
The Seagrove Sessions- Episode 25. Daisy- A memory walk round bygone Leith 19:00

1M ago19:00

19:00

Daisy's ability to remember names of people and where they lived is amazing. She is talking about over 80 years ago. This second episode with Daisy is a trip down the memory lanes of Leith. From Great Junction Street to Leith Links. To The Eldorado dancehall to the Kirkgate, where legend has it you could buy anything from a needle to an anchor. Suc…

1
Francine du Plessix Gray on growing up the daughter of a great Russian beauty 52:13

1M ago52:13

52:13

Novelist and biographer Francine du Plessix Gray reflects on the fascinating lives of her parents in her memoir, Them, which follows their journey from the artistic Russian émigré community of 1930s Paris to the top of New York's high society. The memoir won the 2006 National Book Critics Circle Award for autobiography. Francine du Plessix Gray was…

1
Prolific and daring author Joyce Carol Oates on her childhood, widowhood and concerns about American society 52:20

2M ago52:20

52:20

Born during the Depression in Lockport, New York, Joyce Carol Oates started writing as a teen and has since written more than one hundred books, many of them portraying the darkness of American society. Her writing has earned her virtually every major American literary prize, as well as Montreal’s Blue Metropolis Grand Prix in 2012. After accepting…

1
Amitava Kumar on India, the U.S. and the indelible imprint of the immigrant experience 52:20

2M ago52:20

52:20

The Indian journalist and novelist writes stories that are autobiographical and revealing. Kumar joined Eleanor Wachtel in 2018 to talk about his book Immigrant, Montana - a mix of fiction, memory, politics and the pursuit of romance. Kumar's new novel is called My Beloved Life.

1
The Book of Belonging: An Interview w/ Mariko Clark and Rachel Eleanor 1:20:10

2M ago1:20:10

1:20:10

Text us your questions! How do we grow and steward our children's spirituality when we've deconstructed so much of the spirituality that we were raised with? And even if we figure that out, how do we guide and encourage our kids on their spiritual journeys when there are so few quality resources and books that don't get all cheesy and cringe? We ar…

1
Edna O'Brien: from Ireland's outcast to celebrated icon 52:22

2M ago52:22

52:22

Even though Edna O’Brien left Ireland more than 50 years ago, the texture and atmosphere of the country continue to permeate her work. Her first seven books were banned or suppressed in Ireland. In fact her debut novel, The Country Girls, was burned in her home parish for depicting the ambitions and sexual desires of young women. Today, O'Brien is …

1
Laurie Anderson on language, story and losing her archives to Hurricane Sandy 52:33

2M ago52:33

52:33

In 2018, Eleanor Wachtel went to New York City to interview one of North America's most renowned and daring creative pioneers, Laurie Anderson. The multimedia artist and musician had just published her retrospective book, All the Things I Lost in the Flood, inspired by the devastation of Hurricane Sandy in 2012, which destroyed Anderson's archive o…

1
The Seagrove sessions-episode 23. A Seagrove Centre singalong. 10:00

2M ago10:00

10:00

Some of our favourite songs at Seagrove. Our favourite visiting musician and singer Stevie Q starts us off with The Northern lights of Old Aberdeen and I belong to Glasgow. Ricky gives us The Cappy Club song. No doubt remembered by many people who attended The Capitol Cinema in Leith as children. Margaret talks about dancing at Fairleys and Violet …

1
The Bible, Evangelicalism, and Propaganda with Scott Coley 1:17:21

2M ago1:17:21

1:17:21

Text us your questions! Good, Bible-believing Christians should just automatically be Republicans. Everybody knows this. Have you heard that sort of argument or been led to believe that this is just the "biblical" way? If so, that probably means you've been given a hearty serving of propaganda. Our friend and philosopher Scott Coley wrote Ministers…

1
The Seagrove Sessions- Episode 22. Daisy: Leith stories from 1930s and 40s. 23:19

2M ago23:19

23:19

Fantastic Leith tales from Daisy, born in 1931. From low flying German planes and a bomb dropping on Largo Place to the shops and business on the streets of her childhood. She tells us about her father being lost, presumed dead, at Dunkirk. Her first job as a cashier at Leith Provident COOP and working for Graham Tiso in the the early days of his o…

1
Tony Kushner on his evolution as a storyteller, from Angels in America to The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide 52:04

3M ago52:04

52:04

This week, for Pride season, the Oscar-nominated playwright and screenwriter Tony Kushner. Known most recently for his movie collaborations with Steven Spielberg, including Lincoln, Westside Story and The Fablemans, Kushner's breakout hit was his epic play Angels in America, the winner of multiple Tonys and a Pulitzer Prize, among many other awards…

1
Claire Messud on the stories and secrets of a French Algerian family in The Last Life 50:58

3M ago50:58

50:58

This week, American Canadian novelist Claire Messud. Throughout her career and in her new book, This Strange Eventful History, one of TIME’s most anticipated of 2024, Messud draws on her own family's history, especially that of her French Algerian father. In 2001 she spoke with Eleanor about her novel The Last Life, which traces three generations o…

1
Biographer Nicholas Murray reflects on Kafka's life — this month is the 100th anniversary of his death 52:57

3M ago52:57

52:57

In honour of the centenary of the death of Franz Kafka, one of the most influential writers of the 20th century, Eleanor Wachtel revisits her 2005 conversation with one of his biographers, Nicholas Murray.

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Pastors Behaving Badly with Sheila Gregoire 59:26

3M ago59:26

59:26

Text us your questions! Evangelical megachurch pastors saying cringe things is nothing new, right? However, there's a point when cringe turns destructive and abusive. That's what this episode is about. Dallas/Ft. Worth megachurch pastor Josh Howerton said some very ugly and destructive things, and then doubled down with a weak (plagiarized) apology…

1
Vanilla Fudge - Keep Me Hanging On, Eleanor Rigby 18:24

3M ago18:24

18:24

Two great songs from the group Vanilla Fudge

1
Jenny Erpenbeck, winner of the International Booker Prize 2024, on The End of Days and personal transformations 53:32

3M ago53:32

53:32

Germany's Jenny Erpenbeck is the winner of the International Booker Prize 2024 for her novel Kairos, translated by Michael Hofmann. She spoke with Eleanor Wachtel, who chaired the International Booker Prize jury, in 2015 about The End of Days, an imaginative story that spans the 20th century through the eyes of a character who lives multiple versio…

1
Hari Kunzru on race, politics and the blues 53:29

3M ago53:29

53:29

The British born author moved to New York in 2008 to write a book set in sixteenth-century India. But he was drawn to write about America, focusing on life in the city and the Mojave Desert in his two novels White Tears and Gods Without Men. Hari Kunzru spoke with Eleanor Wachtel in 2017 from New York…

1
God, Goodness, and Choice: A Conversation with Bruce Reyes-Chow 1:02:53

3M ago1:02:53

1:02:53

Text us your questions! We speak with Bruce Reyes-Chow about his recent book Everything Good about God Is True, a primer on what it means to choose faith in the midst of a bleeding world and an often broken church. We discuss the Christian ethic of loving enemies, listening, having compassion across ideological division, embodying faith in the publ…

1
How using her imagination saved Scottish author Jackie Kay 52:32

4M ago52:32

52:32

Jackie Kay’s adoption as a baby, and investigation into her birth parents — a Nigerian father and Scottish mother — give her an original take on Scotland and cultural identity. Jackie Kay talked about her uncomfortable discoveries upon meeting her birth parents, as well as her two books, Wish I Was Here and Darling: New and Selected Poems, when she…

1
Q&A Bonus Episode: Corporate Deconstruction 47:58

4M ago47:58

47:58

Text us your questions! Jeff Cook is back with us to dive deeper into deconstruction, inspired by our interview with Keri Ladouceur, the Executive Director of the Post-Evangelical Collective. We discuss the nature of deconstruction, its corporate, personal, and ethical dimensions, and what it implies about what's next. And because we're nerds, we a…

1
Alice Munro on writing about life, love, sex and secrets 52:31

4M ago52:31

52:31

In 2004, just before she won the Scotiabank Giller Prize (for the second time) for her story collection, Runaway, Alice Munro met Eleanor Wachtel at a restaurant near the author's home to discuss her new book, her interest in writing about infidelity and sex and her life growing up in Wingham, Ontario. The acclaimed Canadian short story writer, and…

1
Recovering Enchantment in a Secular Age: Interview with Richard Beck 1:24:06

4M ago1:24:06

1:24:06

Text us your questions! Psychologist and author Richard Beck joins us to discuss his recent book Hunting Magic Eels: Recovering an Enchanted Faith in a Skeptical Age. Richard is an engaging critic of some forms of contemporary "disenchanted" spirituality. He's also a fun dialogue partner and a good sport, who was willing to roll with Kyle's annoyin…

1
Chance, fate and fiction: looking back at American novelist and filmmaker Paul Auster 55:51

4M ago55:51

55:51

Paul Auster spoke with Eleanor Wachtel about his novel Oracle Night, the ways in which reality and fiction blend and how coincidences shape our lives at the Blue Metropolis Literary Festival in Montreal in 2004. The writer of The New York Trilogy, Leviathan and 4 3 2 1, among many other books, was best known for his postmodernist fiction and meta-n…

1
Looking back on American sculptor Richard Serra and how he became the Man of Steel 52:51

4M ago52:51

52:51

From his childhood in San Francisco's sand dunes to sitting in French cafes with Philip Glass and Samuel Beckett, Richard Serra reflects on his life and work during a 2011 conversation with Eleanor Wachtel. Best known for his evocative and monumental steel structures, you can find Serra's sculptural works all over the world, including his piece Tit…

1
Is American Democracy in Danger? Interview with David Gushee 1:17:34

4M ago1:17:34

1:17:34

Text us your questions! David Gushee is back on the show to discuss his book Defending Democracy from Its Christian Enemies, an erudite, timely, and disturbing take on American democracy, its struggles with authoritarianism, and its place on the global political stage. We discuss such questions as: How are government and morality related? What does…

1
Poet Raymond Antrobus on hearing, seeing and grieving through verse 59:13

5M ago59:13

59:13

This week on Writers and Company, British poet Raymond Antrobus. Antrobus spoke with Eleanor Wachtel in 2019 about his collection, The Perseverance, which explores his complicated relationship with his late father and growing up deaf.

1
Colm Toibin on the unspoken and powerful dynamics between mothers and sons 53:25

5M ago53:25

53:25

This week, Irish novelist Colm Toibin discusses his short story collection, Mothers and Sons, which explores the unspoken and shifting dynamics in these relationships. Toibin is the author of Brooklyn, which was made into an Oscar-nominated feature film starring Saoirse Ronan, as well as Nora Webster, The Magician and more. His latest novel, Long I…

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Making Sense of Negative Theology: Peter Rollins, Part 2 1:28:50

5M ago1:28:50

1:28:50

Text us your questions! Believe it or not, this is our 100th episode! And what better way to spend it than diving back in with Peter Rollins, a guest who is unusually suited to the regular themes of our show, while also throwing some wrenches into pretty much everything we do. :-) Picking up with where we left off in Part 1, we explore the sense in…

1
Alice Oswald on poetry, nature and the shedding of identity 52:42

5M ago52:42

52:42

To celebrate poetry month, a conversation with one of England’s greatest living poets, Alice Oswald. Winner of the 2017 international Griffin Poetry Prize for her book Falling Awake, Oswald's work explores the relationship between human life and the natural world. Her latest title, Nobody, is a book-length poem inspired by Homer’s Odyssey.…

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The Seagrove Sessions- Episode 21. Gilbert: tales from Leith to Lerwick 16:10

5M ago16:10

16:10

Although born and brought up in Leith Gilbert spent many a happy school holiday on Shetland. Both his parents were from the island. We hear about life on a croft and shearing the sheep. He tells us of the trade in eggs from the Shetland to Leith- his father was an egg merchant. We hear about his time as a joiner and the condition of housing in Edin…

1
The beautiful, melancholy world of Anita Desai 58:17

5M ago58:17

58:17

This week on Writers and Company, Anita Desai — one of India's most celebrated and successful writers. Over the course of her career, which spans five decades, Desai has written several novels and has been nominated for the Booker Prize three times. Eleanor Wachtel spoke to her on stage at Montreal's Blue Metropolis International Literary Festival …

1
Disillusionment, Pyrotheology, and the Death of God: Peter Rollins, Part 1 1:05:38

5M ago1:05:38

1:05:38

Text us your questions! Break out your dictionaries folks, this one got in the weeds a bit. But if you're familiar with Peter Rollins, you're probably not too surprised by that. Peter is a philosopher, public intellectual, and self-described anti-guru who writes and speaks extensively about concepts like the death of God, negative theology, "pyroth…

1
James Runcie on the beauty, sorrow and genius of Johann Sebastian Bach 59:17

6M ago59:17

59:17

James Runcie's novel, The Great Passion, imagines a year in the life of Johann Sebastian Bach, culminating with the first performance of his St. Matthew Passion in Leipzig, Germany during Easter 1727. Told through the eyes of a fictional, 13-year-old student, it explores the man behind the legendary composer: an ambitious working musician and fathe…

1
The Seagrove Sessions- Episode 20. Agnes and Eleanor. Portobello, Edinburgh and Lanarkshire 14:52

6M ago14:52

14:52

Agnes and Eleanor give us their memories of childhood. Playing hide and seek in a scrapyard, taking on the notorious waves in Portobello outdoor pool, getting in to picture house with jeelie jars and long, happy summers at Forth in Lanarkshire. Agnes's widowed mum who worked hard to keep house and Eleanor's who had a rather grim sense of humour and…

1
How Hisham Matar's writing reflects life under dictatorship and the pain of his father's abduction 56:00

6M ago56:00

56:00

This week, two conversations with the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir The Return. In 2011, Libyan British author Hisham Matar spoke with Eleanor Wachtel about his childhood living under Gadhafi’s dictatorship and the search for his father, a political dissident who was imprisoned. Then, from 2020, Matar reflects on his memoir The Return…

1
Is Your Theology Too Small? A Conversation with Trey Ferguson 1:27:47

6M ago1:27:47

1:27:47

Text us your questions! Trey Ferguson of the New Living Treyslation and Three Black Men podcasts joins us to discuss his new book Theologizin' Bigger: Homilies on Living Freely and Loving Wholly. We talk about the Bible, the difference between "theologizin'" and theology, the racial dynamics of deconstruction, why evangelicals are so obsessed with …

1
Irish writers Michael Collins, Claire Keegan, Colum McCann and Nuala O'Faolain reflect on home and away 52:32

6M ago52:32

52:32

This week on Writers and Company from the Archives, Irish authors Michael Collins, Claire Keegan, Colum McCann and Nuala O'Faolain. They spoke with Eleanor Wachtel in 2003 onstage at the Victoria Literary Arts Festival.

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The Seagrove Sessions-Episode 19. Jeanette part 3. Elder Street, Piershill and Rankins fruit shop. 17:50

6M ago17:50

17:50

It's part three from Jeanette. We hear about her first flat on the wrong side of Elder Street, the side that was being demolished for the St James shopping centre. That's the one before the present the new one. Then we hear all about life on Piershill Square West. This is Jeanette so they are lively tales, told in an earthy way. Yes there is sweari…

1
Is There a Soul? 1:06:32

6M ago1:06:32

1:06:32

Text us your questions! In this episode, Kyle and Randy discuss the philosophy of the soul and its implications for religious belief, the lived experience of faith, and even ethics. Kyle is a materialist, which means he thinks humans are physical objects, and Randy leans towards dualism, which involves belief in a soul or non-physical part of a hum…

1
Randy Quit 1:01:12

7M ago1:01:12

1:01:12

Text us your questions! ... drinking. This is a more personal episode for us, particularly for Randy. As you know, we like alcohol around here, especially whiskey. In this episode, we chat about that and the presence it's had on our podcast and in our lives. Can we have a "healthy relationship" with alcohol? What does that look like? How does that …

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