Joe and Mark reflect on the Re-Creative journey so far, after two complete seasons, and over forty episodes. For more information, check out the show notes for this episode. Re-Creative is produced by Donovan Street Press Inc. in association with MonkeyJoy Press. Contact us at joemahoney@donovanstreetpress.com…

"If you could write – and consume – only one of these genres of science fiction, what would you pick? Space opera. Post-Apocalyptic. Or Cyberpunk?" This is the diabolical question that Mark poses to Joe and their guest, renowned Canadian science fiction writer, Robert J. Sawyer. Everyone has an answer and it connects with the piece of art that Rob …

Joe and Mark are joined by a veritable Swiss Army Knife of writers, Mark Leiren-Young. Mark has written in multiple genres and formats, including television, animation, journalism, comedy, theater, and film. And he loves him some Spider-Man. Oh, and Kurt Vonnegut too, so you know that Mark LY gets along with both the lads like a house on fire! They…

The lads are joined by Noah Chinn, a Canadian writer of SFF, contemporary fiction and retro mysteries. (The latter two under the pen-name Noah J.D. Chinn.) Mark kicks off the podcast by asking Joe and Noah if there was anything weird happening to their hair in the 90s, which is also when the groundbreaking science fiction series, Babylon 5 ran. Noa…

Joe and Mark are joined this week by D.G. Valdron, a Canadian writer of science fiction, fantasy and non-fiction. The topic of this week's discussion is Doctor Who, in particular the expansive, creative and fascinating world of fan-produced films, plays and fiction that honor the Doctor. D.G. talks about this fandom with great affection and knowled…

Rock journalist and biographer Steve Rosen joins the lads to talk about guitar legend Edward (Eddie) Van Halen. Steve began his career in 1972 and has interviewed hundreds of recording artists over the years, including some of his favorites: Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Paul Kossoff, Peter Frampton, Steve Winwood, Brian Wilson, Pete Townshend, Keith Moon…

Joe and Mark are joined by London, Ontario author and journalist, Mark Kearney, to talk about an early pioneer of Hollywood, Al Christie. Christie went to Hollywood in 1911, when it was just a village, some fruit trees and farms. “There had been a few directors shooting in and around Los Angeles, but Christie was the first to film in Hollywood,” Ma…

Deck the halls with boughs of … horror! Joe and Mark are joined by Jeff Preston, PhD, an associate professor of disability studies at King’s University College. In addition to being a professor, Jeff is a webcomic creator, activist and co-host of the podcast Invalid Culture. “The real story of disability is being able to bend the world around you t…

The Poet Laureate of Prince Edward Island (PEI), Tanya Davis, joins the lads to talk about the 1987 musical romance, Dirty Dancing. Tanya is a poet, musician, and performance poet: “My work is very much words based and writing based,” she says. In addition to her performance work and promotion of poetry generally, Tanya takes commissions and writes…

Joe and Mark are joined by Canadian writer of futuristic and contemporary mystery/thrillers, Timothy S. Johnston. They discuss the classic 1982 science fiction horror movie, The Thing. Directed by John Carpenter and starring Kurt Russell, watching The Thing was a pivotal moment in Timonthy's life. "It was a watershed moment for me!" He'd already re…

Mark and Joe are joined by documentary film maker Teresa Alfeld. She's made two films, The Rankin File: Legacy of a Radical and Doug and the Slugs and Me. Both of the co-hosts listened to (and loved) Doug and the Slugs when the Canadian band was popular. Teresa's best friend growing up was Shea Bennett, the daughter of Doug Bennett, who was the fro…

Joe and Mark are joined by beloved and bestselling Canadian author, Terry Fallis. Terry's fiction has won the Leacock Medal for Humour twice, and his debut novel, Best Laid Plans, won Canada Reads in 2011. The annual CBC competition had a huge impact on his sales figures for that novel: more than 150,000 copies of the book to date. "Canada Reads ma…

Mark and Joe are joined by the Canadian actor, director, producer and playwright, Saul Rubinek. They have a wide-ranging and educational conversation that they launch with the question: "Who was your favorite playwright." Saul answers Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford, whom he believes (along with many others) wrote all of Shakespeare's plays…

Mark and Joe are joined by Hugo and Nebula Award winning science fiction author David Brin for a wide-ranging and fascinating discussion about the poem, his writing and his work with NASA. They also discuss how to think about the creation of sapient beings that are not human. David explains why he prefers the term sapience to sentience, and why he …

Joe and Mark are joined by Karina Bates, a potter from Omemee, Ontario. Karina takes the lads through a quick tour of what it’s like the throw pots and other ceramics on the wheel. Her work tends to be functional and purposeful. “It’s a nice feeling to have people hold up a cup you’ve made and say they enjoy having their coffee in it,” says Karina.…

Mark and Joe jump around in time with Nebula and Hugo-Award winning author Robert Charles Wilson. Written in the late 1800s, The Time Machine is one of the first books of science fiction that Robert Charles Wilson discovered. "It was obviously the work of someone who was intellectually engaged with the big discoveries of the late 19th century," say…

Joe and Mark are joined by visual artist Gerard Pas to discuss the work of Greg Curnoe. Gerard was born in The Netherlands and immigrated to Canada with his parents when he was a boy. When he was a teen, he moved back to Holland, where he steeped himself in the Dutch masters and launched his career in art. Greg Curnoe was a huge influence on Gerard…

Mark and Joe talk to poet Penn Kemp about fellow poets Harold Rhenish, Sharon Thesen, and others, and how they work in collaboration. They start with Penn’s roots in visual arts – her father was the well-regarded London painter Jim Kemp – and how it became poetry, not painting, that sparked her muse. Penn, Joe and Mark then get into a fascinating d…

On today's episode Joe and Mark talk to author Benoit Chartier about the anime film Akira. They begin with one of Mark's questions: what piece of technology frightens you? Benoit admits he isn't frightened by it, but he's annoyed by ChatGPT and other AI techs, because it may flood the market with crap books. After which they discuss one of Benoit's…

Joe and Mark join Brian Wyvill, professor of computer science, computer graphics pioneer, rock climber, mountain climber, author and amateur musician (and Joe's brother-in-law) to talk about Ludwig van Beethoven's Adagio from Sonata Pathétique and how it's featured in his writing. They also discuss software he's developing to help writers, and top …

Joe and Mark join Matt Watts, writer, comedian and actor to discuss the classic radio series The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (HHGTG). That’s right, before it was a book or a movie, the Douglas Adams classic was a radio series on the BBC. They get into the nature of writing. What it’s like working on long-form prose after spending a career writ…

To launch Joe's new book Adventures in the Radio Trade, Mark and Joe talk to two of Joe's former CBC Radio colleagues Trish Thornton and Greg DeClute. Trish worked on Morningside for many years and Greg worked with Joe in Radio Drama and on The Vinyl Cafe. In this fun, spontaneous and (as you will hear) completely unedited conversation, you'll get …

Mark and Joe talk to Frank Faulk about Mr. Joy and Woe himself, William Blake. They take a deep dive into what Blake's poetry, particularly his Songs of Innocence and of Experience, did to Faulk's view of life, the world and creation. Find out more about this episode at https://re-creative.ca/songs-of-innocence-and-of-experience/ (don't forget the …

Mark and Joe talk to Quebec author, Michèle Laframboise, about the novel that got her writing science fiction, Grass, by Sheri S. Tepper. Find out more about this episode at https://re-creative.ca/grass/ Re-Creative is a co-production of Donovan Street Press Inc. in association with Mark A. Rayner. Contact us at: joemahoney@donovanstreetpress.com…

This episode of Re-Creative is a first for the show as Joe and Mark host two guests at the same time. Celu Amberstone and Paula Johanson, both writers and educators with a love of the natural world. They both live in British Columbia. In a fascinating and evocative conversation, Paula and Celu explain how maps and music inspire their works of ficti…

This week writer and encyclopedist David Perlmutter takes Mark and Joe on a deep dive into the history of cartoons. Find out more about this episode, including the Road Runner rules, at https://re-creative.ca/powerpuff-girls/ (don't forget the hyphen!) Re-Creative is a co-production of Donovan Street Press Inc. in association with Mark A. Rayner. C…

Mark and Joe talk to author Krista Wallace about a painting that directly inspired her books, called Tunnel Vision. Check out the show notes here: https://re-creative.ca/tunnel-vision/ This is Tunnel Vision, the painting that inspired Krista: Re-Creative is a co-production of Donovan Street Press Inc. in association with Mark A. Rayner. Contact us …

Mark and Joe have an engrossing conversation with Tim Blackmore about the film Alien, especially the origin and nature of the visual elements in that film, and how the thinking behind those elements has informed wider society since. Find out more about this episode at https://re-creative.ca/alien/ (don't forget the hyphen!) Re-Creative is a co-prod…

Joe and Mark learn about The Overstory, by Richard Powers. It is a Pulitzer Prize winning novel that had a meaningful and moving impact on their guest, the writer, naturalist and limnologist Nina Munteanu. For more information about this episode and the podcast, please visit: re-creative.ca/the-overstory Re-Creative is a co-production of Donovan St…

Joe and Mark talk to John Corcelli, author of Frank Zappa FAQ, about his latest book on George Carlin. It's a fascinating deep-dive into the work, life and genius of the comedian, actor, philosopher, social commentator, and just plain funny guy George Carlin. Corcelli knows his subject exceptionally well and brings it all to the table. Check out th…

Mark and Joe revisit childhood with Canadian author Arlene F. Marks, as they discuss the painting Children's Games, by by Flemish Renaissance artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder. For more information about this episode and the podcast, please visit: re-creative.ca/childrens-games/ Re-Creative is a co-production of Donovan Street Press Inc. in associati…

Joe and Mark discuss Kurt Vonnegut's novel Cat's Cradle, Vonnegut having come up several times previously in episodes of Re-Creative. For more information about this episode, or Re-Creative, please visit: re-creative.ca/cats-cradle/ Re-Creative is a co-production of Donovan Street Press Inc. in association with Mark A. Rayner. Contact us at: joemah…

Hosts Mark and Joe discuss Director Tobe Hooper's 1985 cult classic, Lifeforce, with their guest Corey Redekop. For more information about this episode or Re-Creative, please visit: https://re-creative.ca/lifeforce Re-Creative is a co-production of Donovan Street Press Inc. in association with Mark A. Rayner. Contact us at: joemahoney@donovanstreet…

Melissa Yuan-Innes joins hosts Mark and Joe to talk about A Grimm Night by Transcen|Dance Project, an interactive theatrical experience in which audiences are welcomed, masked and set free to explore a dance version of Grimm's fairy tales. For more information about the episode and the podcast, please visit: https://re-creative.ca/a-grimm-night/ Re…

Hosts Joe and Mark talk to author Robert Chazz Chute about his work and one of his greatest influences, well-known author and screenwriter William Goldman, focussing on Goldman's novel The Color of Light. For more information about this episode and re-creative, please visit: re-creative.ca/the-color-of-light/ Re-Creative is a co-production of Donov…

Hosts Joe and Mark discuss "the Dean of American Composers" Aaron Copland's seminal composition Appalachian Spring with one third of the Arrogant Worms, Michael McCormick. For more information about episode and Re-Creative, please visit: https://re-creative.ca/appalachian-spring Re-Creative is a co-production of Donovan Street Press Inc. in associa…

Hosts Mark and Joe talk to author and former Amazing Stories editor Ira Nayman about satire; in particular they discuss Lindsay Anderson's 1973 comedy drama fantasy film O Lucky Man. For more information about this episode, including film trailers, please visit: https://re-creative.ca/o-lucky-man/ Re-Creative is a co-production of Donovan Street Pr…

Cape Breton speculative fiction writer Sherry D. Ramsey joins Mark and Joe to discuss a painting that has been “lost” to her, The Traveler. She originally saw the work in 2004 at the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History, in a show called Five Crows Silver. But she was never able to track down the artist. The painting stuck with her, though, and it…

In this episode of Re-Creative, hosts Joe and Mark talk about author and filmmaker Susan Rodgers' inspiration, the oil painting Setting Day, by award winning artist and restaurateur Scott O'Neil. And as usual the conversation just goes on from there, with at least one stunning revelation: just exactly who Susan's related to. For more information ab…

Re-Creative hosts Joe Mahoney and Mark Rayner talk to Douglas Smith about his work and about a painting that has long inspired him: Isle of the Dead by Swiss Symbolist artist Arnold Böcklin. For more information about this episode and Re-Creative, please visit: re-creative.ca/isle-of-the-dead Re-Creative is a co-production of Donovan Street Press I…

Mark and Joe host Re-Creative, a podcast about creativity in which creative people from all walks of life talk about the art that inspires them. Joe continues the conversation by introducing Mark to Canadian author D.G. Valdron's The Mermaid's Tale, a dark, compelling, and utterly original fantasy. For more information about this episode and the po…

Mark and Joe introduce Re-Creative, a podcast about creativity in which creative people from all walks of life talk about the art that inspires them. Mark gets the ball rolling by discussing the impact the original Star Wars movie had on him as a boy. For more information about this episode and Re-Creative, please visit: Star Wars: A New Hope on Re…

Hosted by Joe Mahoney and Mark A. Rayner, Re-Creative is a podcast about creativity and the works that inspire it. We talk to creative people from all walks of life, and learn from them what piece of art stokes their own imaginative fires. In this trailer, you'll catch a glimpse of what you'll hear in the episodes to come. www.re-creative.ca Re-Cre…