Q: The Podcast From Cbc Radio

Nikki Giovanni carved out a revolutionary legacy during the civil rights era with poems that uplifted the experiences of Black Americans. On Monday, she died at age 81, following her third cancer diagnosis. We revisit Tom Power’s conversation with the iconic poet from earlier in the year when she discussed her involvement in the birth of hip-hop, why artists should go to space, and how she packed a club full of 100 people that included guests like Morgan Freeman and Nina Simone. 

The British-Turkish writer Elif Shafak has written over a dozen novels, many of which have been translated to nearly 60 languages. She’s often credited as being the most-read female novelist in Turkey. Elif joins Tom to talk about the importance of water in her latest novel There are Rivers in the Sky, the transformational power of literature, and what being prosecuted for her work has taught her about freedom of expression. 

Toronto rapper Clairmont the Second talks to Tom about his experience of loss and paranoia on his brand new album “They Said it Would Rain,” and how despite the challenges he’s faced in recent years, his record ends in triumph. 

Canadian folk musician Valdy has been making music and criss-crossing the country for over 50 years. Valdy has 16 albums to his name, sold over half a million records and received the Order of Canada and two Junos. Valdy joins Tom in the Q studio to talk about his iconic 1972 hit “Rock and Roll Song,” what keeps him playing almost 200 shows per year at the age of 79 and his political and social activism.

Patrick Nichols has been photographing Toronto’s hip-hop artists for decades. His latest photo, “A Great Day in Toronto Hip Hop,” features 103 key players from the scene captured all in one place. It’s just been put on display in the Art Gallery of Ontario’s new exhibit, “The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century.” Patrick sits down with Tom Power to talk about the photograph, trading in a turntable for a camera, and his life in photography and hip-hop.

Margo Martindale is no stranger to playing dangerous women, whether it be a KGB agent on “The Americans” or the matriarch of a crime family on “Justified.” She now turns her talents to another dangerous woman: Ruth Landry, a maple syrup farmer in rural Quebec who decides to pull an $18 million maple syrup heist in “The Sticky,” a new series based on a true story. She tells Tom Power about how she used her childhood in rural Texas to inspire her portrayal of Ruth and what it was like to speak French.

When Michael Ross Albert recently bought a condo in Toronto, he realized that the dream of homeownership is more like a nightmare. The Canadian playwright was inspired by his own and his friends’ experiences of homeownership to write his new play, “The Bidding War.” The dark comedy chronicles several Torontonians trying to purchase the “last nice home” in the city. He joins Tom Power in the Q studio to discuss why our senses of hope and ambition get wrapped up into the search for a home and the current housing crisis that so many Canadians are facing.

When Scottish actor Alan Cumming read the script for the Canadian movie “Drive Back Home,” he really connected to the character of Perley, a New Brunswick-born ad man living in Toronto in the 1970s. Despite the obvious differences, the character, like Alan, was abused by his father when he showed early signs of his queerness. Alan joins Tom Power to chat about what it’s like to act out scenes so close to home, in a land very far from his own. 

Julian Taylor is back with a new album, “Pathways.” The Toronto singer-songwriter needed to go inward to make this new album, writing songs about the realities of being a musician and reflecting on his experiences of being dropped by a label when he was younger. Julian drops by the Q studio to tell Tom Power about his ups-and-downs in the music industry, what was on his mind when making the new album, and to set up a song.

The comedian Taylor Tomlinson grew up in a religious household, so her very first stand-up performances were on the Christian comedy circuit. But after she got fired from a church gig because of a joke she told, she started branching out her comedy. Now, she’s one of the biggest comics in the world, the host of “After Midnight” on CBS, and she’s just released her latest comedy special, “Have it All.” Taylor joins Tom Power to talk about her early stand-up days and what it’s like being the only woman currently working in late-night television.

Ryan Ofei is a Canadian artist who grew up singing in the church, but due to feeling like an outsider, he abandoned his passion for Christian music in favour of R&B. After a near-death experience made him re-evaluate his life and values, Ryan found his way back to writing about his relationship with God, and since then has gone on to win a Grammy for his work. He joins Tom Power to talk about his debut album, “Restore,” and why he wants to make Christian music a little bit more accessible.

The comedian Fortune Feimster is back with a new Netflix comedy special, “Crushing It,” which debuts today. In this conversation with Tom Power, Fortune tells us how she discovered her passion for comedy, how Chelsea Handler gave her her first big break in Hollywood, and what she thinks about being described as a “joyful” comedian.

The Quebec singer-songwriter Klô Pelgag has gone through some big changes since being shortlisted for the Polaris Music Prize in 2021. She wrote her latest album, “Abracadabra,” after becoming a mother for the first time, which completely changed her relationship to music and the world. Klô joins Tom Power to discuss how she’s rediscovering herself as an artist. Plus, she sets up a song called “Lettre à une jeune poète” and talks about the challenges of being a francophone musician in Canada.

John Adams (Nixon In China, Doctor Atomic) is a Pulitzer and Grammy-winning composer who’s one of the biggest living names in the world of opera and classical music. He’s helped give opera a more contemporary lens by steering his work toward big political events in modern history. His latest opera, “Girls of the Golden West,” looks at the California Gold Rush, and it was recently nominated for two Grammys. John joins Tom Power to discuss his decades-long career in music, his Pulitzer Prize-winning composition inspired by 9/11, and what role he thinks classical music can play when it comes to telling contemporary stories.

The actor Allan Louis has stepped into the role of Henry Higgins in the beloved Broadway musical “My Fair Lady,” which is on now at the Shaw Festival in Ontario. Allan took over the role from another actor earlier this fall. He joins Tom Power to talk about his transition from understudy to leading man, and how the character of Henry Higgins changes when a Black actor takes on the role.

The Mohawk artist Shelley Niro was inspired to professionally pursue art after seeing prints of Norval Morrisseau's work on the wall at her dentist’s office. Now, she has two prestigious Canadian contemporary art awards under her belt (the Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts and the Scotiabank Photography Award) and she’s celebrating her first major career retrospective, “500 Year Itch,” at the Vancouver Art Gallery. Shelley joins Tom Power to talk about the show, how her work uses pop culture and satire to puncture stereotypes about Indigenous people, and how she developed her unique sense of humour.

Jeremie Albino is one of the most soulful voices in Canada right now. He grew up in Scarborough, Ont., but spent many years in rural parts of Ontario and Quebec, where he focused on his dual passions for farming and music. While he still has a green thumb, music kind of won out in the end. His new album, “Our Time in the Sun,” was produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys who brought in some of Nashville’s best musicians to help out. Jeremie sits down with Tom Power to talk about the record and to set up his song “So Many Ways To Say I Love You.”

The American fashion designer Anna Sui helped create and define the styles that we now associate with ‘90s fashion. Widely regarded as a visionary and a trailblazer, Anna is known for her incredibly thoughtful yet whimsical designs that draw inspiration anywhere from Pre-Raphaelite art to Agatha Christie novels to coral reefs. She joins Tom Power to discuss some of her career highlights from that golden era, her lasting influence on the ‘90s aesthetic, and her new collaboration with Fluevog Shoes.

Three years after the release of her acclaimed debut album, “Anything Can’t Happen,” the Canadian singer-songwriter Dorothea Paas has returned with a brand new record, “Think of Mist.” She sits down with guest host Talia Schlanger to set up a song from the album.

For the last two decades, the artist and author Oliver Jeffers has created children’s books, such as “How to Catch a Star” and his latest book “Where to Hide a Star,” that have become staples in homes around the world. Oliver joins Tom Power to talk about his new book and how growing up amid the conflict in Northern Ireland gave him his life's mission to change the stories we tell.