Q: The Podcast From Cbc Radio

The acclaimed Toronto singer-songwriter Charlotte Day Wilson is back with her second studio album, “Cyan Blue.” She sits down with Tom to talk about the record and how she almost became a professional hockey player before she decided to pursue music instead.

The Canadian composer Ari Kinarthy always dreamed of scoring a film, but he never expected it to be a film about his own life. The new documentary “Ari’s Theme” unfolds his remarkable story as someone living with type two spinal muscular atrophy — a rare genetic condition that progressively weakens the muscles in the body. Ari talks to Tom about the music he made for the film and why he wants it to be his legacy.

Emily Henry is an internationally bestselling author credited with cracking the modern romance novel, especially for Gen Z and millennials. Three of her books, including her breakout hit “Beach Read,” are being turned into movies. But these stories aren’t your stereotypical bodice rippers. Emily joins Tom to share her recipe for the perfect love story, why she’s tired of people looking down on the romance genre, and why she still believes in love.

In Christian Sparkes’s new psychological thriller, “The King Tide,” a young girl with mysterious powers washes ashore a remote island community in Newfoundland. But after her powers go dormant, the once peaceful community devolves into violence. Christian joins Tom to talk about the film and why he was interested in exploring the darker side of his home province.

The Toronto-based sketch comic Laura Ramoso has amassed more than one million followers on TikTok and Instagram for her hilarious impressions of her German mom and Italian dad. Laura talks to Tom about her audition to Juilliard as a dramatic actor, how she found sketch comedy, and the joy of returning to the stage in her new one-woman show, “Frances.”

The textile artist Hangama Amiri is known around the world for making masterpieces out of fabric. A lot of that fabric is from a home she was forced to leave. Hangama was seven years old when the Taliban seized control of Kabul in 1996. Years later, after fleeing Afghanistan and settling in Canada with her family, she started stitching together her memories of home. Hangama talks to Tom about her work, the Afghan store where she buys her materials, and what home means to her these days.

Richard Thomas is best known for playing John-Boy on the ‘70s drama series “The Waltons.” Now, he’s playing one of literature and film’s most beloved characters, Atticus Finch, in Aaron Sorkin’s touring production of “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Richard talks to Tom about taking on this much-loved role, why he thinks the story is so timeless, and why he doesn't mind if you shout out “Goodnight, John-Boy” at curtain call.

Justin Peck is a celebrated choreographer who loves Sufjan Stevens’s music. He loves it so much that he’s collaborated with the musician twice. Their latest project is a Broadway dance musical called “Illinoise,” which is based on Sufjan’s seminal album “Illinois.” Justin joins guest host Talia Schlanger to tell us what the album means to him and how he transformed it into a theatre-dance production.

The Grammy-winning musician St. Vincent, also known as Annie Clark, is back with a new album, “All Born Screaming.” Her last album, “Daddy’s Home,” was a wild trip through the ‘70s that explored her relationship with her father after his release from prison. But with “All Born Screaming,” she says she’s ready to let the music speak for itself. St. Vincent talks to Tom about the record, working with Dave Grohl, and where she’s at in her continuing evolution.

Caitlin Cronenberg established herself as a photographer, but now she’s following in the footsteps of her famous father, David Cronenberg, by directing her first feature film. “Humane” is a darkly comedic horror thriller that takes a dystopian look at eco-catastrophe — and in keeping with the family tradition, it involves a lot of blood. Caitlin joins Tom to talk about the film, her career in photography, and how she’s been addressing the elephant in the room: her last name.

Maya Rudolph has been a comedy staple on our screens for decades. She’s impersonated everyone from Donatella Versace to Beyoncé as a cast member on “Saturday Night Live,” and she’s played memorable characters in comedies like “Bridesmaids” and “Sisters.” Now, Maya is back as the divorced billionaire Molly Wells in the second season of her hit Apple TV+ show “Loot.” Maya tells Tom why she was interested in the world of the mega-rich, how she ended up on “SNL” even though her agent told her not to audition, and why she says comedy and music are cousins.

Michael Mabbott and Lucah Rosenberg-Lee are the directors of a new documentary about the late American R&B singer Jackie Shane. Jackie was a Black trans woman who became popular in Canada after moving to Toronto in the 1960s. She released a single called “Any Other Way” that charted across the country, but in the 1970s, she became a recluse and disappeared from the public eye. Michael and Lucah join Tom to discuss their film “Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story” and how an unreleased song was discovered in Jackie’s house after she passed.

Jimbo the Drag Clown got a taste of revenge last year. After getting eliminated from the first season of “Canada's Drag Race,” she returned to win Season 8 of “RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars.” In the midst of her North American tour, Jimbo sits down with Tom to tell us about her drag beginnings, how she uses her training as a clown to take her performances to the next level, and why everything she does is for the “unseen, beautiful weirdos” who relate to her.

The Canadian actor Sophie Nélisse (Yellowjackets) stars in the new film “Irena’s Vow,” which tells the story of Irena Gut, a Polish nurse during World War II. Irena becomes a German army major's housekeeper and risks her life to hide a dozen Jewish people within the major's home. Sophie joins Tom in studio to talk about the film, what it means to her, and what her training as an elite gymnast gives her as an actor.

Considered one of the world’s greatest living poets, Nikki Giovanni carved out a revolutionary legacy during the civil rights era with poems that uplifted the experiences of Black Americans. Decades later, Nikki’s writing and interviews have grown increasingly personal, offering insight into her childhood, health struggles and thoughts on growing older. She shares her story in the new documentary, “Going To Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project.” Nikki tells Tom about being involved in the birth of hip-hop, why artists should go to space, and how she packed a club of 100 people, including guests like Morgan Freeman and Nina Simone.

For his debut feature film, “In Flames,” the Pakistani Canadian filmmaker Zarrar Kahn pulls inspiration from his experience living in Karachi as a child. The film is about a mother and daughter who are trying to survive in Karachi as they deal with the challenging reality — and often horror — of living in a patriarchal society. Zarrar speaks with Tom about the film, what it was like confronting his childhood memories, and where his idea for the story originally came from.

After more than two years since the series debut of “We're All Gonna Die (Even Jay Baruchel),” the Canadian actor, writer and director Jay Baruchel is still worrying about humanity’s demise. Ahead of the Season 2 premiere of the award-winning docuseries, Jay joins Tom in studio to talk about his fear of death, how a children’s bible made him cry, and why he’s always loved Canada.

Alexandre Hamel is a French Canadian former international-level figure skater and one of the artists with Le Patin Libre (Free Skate) — the world’s first and only contemporary ice skating collective. He talks to Tom about forming the Montreal-based collective as a place for rebel skaters to explore the idea of ice skating as art, and why he wants to push the boundaries of ice skating outside of a competitive environment.

Noah Kahan is one of the most successful singer-songwriters in the world right now, but it wasn’t that long ago that he was writing his latest album, “Stick Season,” while isolated on a Vermont farm during the peak of the pandemic. Now, he’s considered the next big thing in music. Noah joins Tom in studio for a conversation about writing the album that would change his life, the power of tapping into his authentic self, and how he’s protected his mental health while on this crazy ride. 

In the three years since Cadence Weapon won the Polaris Music Prize, the Canadian rapper has been working on his new album, "Rollercoaster,” which comes out today. For this record, he was thinking about renegotiating our relationship with the internet and our phones. Cadence Weapon (a.k.a. Rollie Pemberton) chats with Tom about “Rollercoaster” and why he’s decided to adjust his screen time.