In Volume Six: Chapter Thirteen we welcome Amsterdam-born, Kingston Ontario-based Writer, Poet, Author, and Essayist Sadiqa de Meijer. She is the author of two acclaimed poetry collections — Leaving Howe Island, finalist for both the Governor General’s Award for English-language Poetry and the Pat Lowther Memorial Award, and The Outer Wards, a finalist for the Raymond Souster Award. She is also the author of two nonfiction collections: the Governor General’s Award–winning alfabet / alphabet: A Memoir of a First Language, and her newest book, In the Field, now available from Palimpsest Press. Sadiqa is also the current Poet Laureate for Kingston, Ontario. This is her first appearance on the program.

In our conversation, Sadiqa traces her creative history back to childhood — from immigrating from the Netherlands to Canada at age twelve, and how those early linguistic and cultural shifts shaped both her worldview and her writing. She reflects on experiencing marginalization as a person of color in Dutch society, the challenges of immigration, and the humility and attentiveness those experiences instilled in her as an artist.

We talk about the deep imaginative life she had as a child: disappearing into books, being surrounded by storytelling, and how the desire to transform the private experience of reading into “conversation” was her earliest pull toward writing. She discusses discovering poetry in elementary school, becoming more intentional about her craft in high school and university, and the moment writing shifted from something she loved to something that felt essential — a part of her identity.

We go deep into her award-winning nonfiction book alfabet / alphabet, where she examines losing — and later reclaiming — her mother tongue, Dutch. Sadiqa discusses how language shapes memory, how certain emotions exist differently in different languages, and why writing this book was personally necessary. She also speaks about the difference between the inward resonance she privileges in poetry and the slightly more outward-facing awareness she brings to her essays.

Contact Sadiqa:
Instagram: @sadiqademeijer Website: sadiqademeijer.com

Recorded Spoken Word Performances Featured Include:

Jasmine Mans – You Gon' Get This Work
Instagram: @poetjasminemans Website: jasminemans.com

Bianca Phipps – Born To Embody It
Instagram: @biancaphipps

Lady Brion – I Talk Black
Instagram: @ladybspeaks Website: ladybrion.com

Javon Johnson – The Shotgun
Instagram: @javonism

Rudy Francisco – Honesty
Instagram: @rudyfrancisco Website: iamrudyfrancisco

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In Volume Six: Chapter Twelve of the Program, we welcome Melissa Powless Day — a London, Ontario–based educator, writer, poet, and author. She serves as Chair for Western University’s Indigenous Writers Circle, is a Visiting Cultural Teacher for the London District Catholic School Board, and is currently completing her PhD in Indigenous Education at Western University. A Pushcart Prize nominee, she’s the author of the 2023 chapbook Secondhand Moccasins — shortlisted for the bpNichol Chapbook Award — and her debut full-length poetry collection, A Bow Forged From Ash, released through Palimpsest Press.

In our conversation, Melissa reflects on the past few months of sharing her new collection with readers and communities across Canada, and what this season has meant for her as a creative. We discuss her reclamation journey and the importance of lineage — from the influence of her mother and grandmother, to the deeper meaning of pride in being a proud Indigenous woman. She shares how her sense of heritage began to shape her voice as a writer, the role music played in her artistic growth, and how ’90s artists like Mary J. Blige, Brandy, and Tupac Shakur helped her see parallels between Indigenous and African-American experiences through art and storytelling.

We also talk about community, identity, and transformation — from her experiences in gaming and creative technology to the deliberate and deeply personal process of creating A Bow Forged From Ash. Melissa opens up about her writing process, the emotional high of publication, and the lessons learned from navigating both the joy and the business of bringing her work into the world. Finally, she discusses the reclamation of her name, the legacy of the Sixties Scoop, and how her creative work continues to be a powerful act of rewriting, healing, and self-discovery.

Contact Melissa:
Instagram: @mel_schnarr

Recorded Spoken Word Performances Featured Include:

Ajanae Dawkins – For the Blonde Girl and the Classroom of Ghosts
Instagram: @moonsatdusk Website: ajanaedawkins.com

Ephraim Nehemiah – Afrofuturistic Fairy God Being
Instagram: @ephraimnehemiah

Ayana Albertson – Her Rights
Instagram: @untouchableyann

Crystal Valentine – Black Privilege
Instagram: @crystalvalentine94 Website: iamcrystalvalentine.com

Matt Capone – Learned with Love
Instagram: @matt__capone

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In Volume Six: Chapter Eleven of The Program, we welcome a Hamilton, Ontario–based educator, writer, poet, essayist, composer, and musician Gary Barwin. With a BFA and BA from York University and a PhD in Music Composition from SUNY Buffalo, Barwin has built a career that refuses to stay in one lane. He’s the author of more than thirty books and chapbooks—including Yiddish for Pirates, winner of the 2017 Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour and the Canadian Jewish Literary Award for Fiction, and shortlisted for both the Scotiabank Giller Prize and the Governor General’s Award. His newest collaboration, Muttertongue—co-authored with Toronto Poet Laureate Lillian Allen and friend of the podcast Gregory Betts—is a bold fusion of both poetry and sound.

In our conversation, Gary and I trace the through-lines of a life shaped by movement, music, and story. We talk about his family’s journey—from Lithuania to South Africa, through Northern Ireland, and finally to Canada—and how those histories reflects through his creative work. We discuss his grandfather’s influence, the man who first took him seriously as a writer, and the way family narratives—of exile, resilience, and humor—continue to surface in his art.

We also explore Hamilton’s quiet but powerful role in his creative life, how writing and music speak the same emotional language, and why he believes creativity isn’t something that fades—it deepens. Gary discusses the leap from poetry to prose when writing Yiddish for Pirates, what that process taught him about discipline and discovery, and what it felt like to have that debut novel embraced so widely after decades of writing poetry and composing music.

Finally, we dig into Muttertongue—how the collaboration with Allen and Betts came together, what it means to work at the intersection of sound, text, and visual poetry, and how they hope audiences experience the project as both a book and an album.

Contact Gary
Website: garybarwin.com Instagram: @garybarwin

Recorded Spoken Word Performances Featured Include:

King Yaw – Poetry Service
Instagram: @kingyaw_

Terisa Siagatonu – Note To Self
Instagram: @terisasiagatonu Website: terisasiagatonu.com

Gabrielle Smith – Black Bird
Instagram: @bygabriellesmith

Nelle Divine – Dont Fall In Love With A Healer
Instagram: @iamnelledivine

AkeemJamaal Rollins – Suicide Note
Instagram: @keemyjam

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