In this episode, Marty Gervais, aka poet, publisher, and a central figure in Canadian literary life, joins us for a conversation that covers more than 50 years of writing, editing, and building literary community.

From the handmade days of independent presses to today’s tumultuous digital landscape, Marty reflects on what’s changed (and what hasn’t). We also talk about his new book, The Shape of Disappearing Letters, and how losing his eyesight reshaped his relationship to language, memory, and imagination.

It’s thoughtful, funny, and sometimes a little unexpected. Because as Marty reminds us, it’s not the facts people remember…it’s the stories.

Get your copy of Marty’s book here: https://mosaicpress.ca/products/the-shape-of-disappearing-letters

What’s publishing like when AI is everywhere, Amazon decides what people see, and attention spans are… oh, shall we say…microscopic?

Howard Aster, publisher of Mosaic Press, shares his take after trips to the Frankfurt and Guadalajara book fairs. From AI panic to poetry, small markets to formula-driven books, he gives a candid, globe-trotting look at where publishing is headed…and almost lets slip the “secret” to keeping an independent press alive for 50 years.

This episode covers it all: Books, risk, creativity, and why small presses matter more than ever.

In this episode of Under the Covers, we sit down with award-winning author, poet, and former Ottawa Poet Laureate Cyril Dabydeen, whose new collection Forgotten Exiles just won third prize in the prestigious Guyana Prize for Literature.

We explore the enduring power of the short story and why it continues to challenge and captivate writers around the world. Cyril shares his three pillars of strong storytelling and reflects on the ways memory, imagination, and empathy shape his work.

Along the way, we hear about tree planting in Northern Ontario, how memory becomes muse, and why Margaret Atwood’s friends may have seen themselves in her fiction.

Hosted by Mosaic Press Publisher Howard Aster and Amy, this episode celebrates Cyril, the craft of writing, and the power of the literary imagination.

Order your copy of Forgotten Exiles HERE!