Free Daily Podcast Summary
Getting Lit with Linda - The Canadian Literature Podcast: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Linda Morra
Using her expertise as a seasoned literature professor, Linda M. Morra develops provocative, timely insights about books from Canada and elsewhere to show why stories are relevant for all of us. Hosted and written by Linda Morra.
Latest Episodes
The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- 4 days ago39 min
Four (+) Equals One - Arjun Basu's The Reeds
Anyone who knows Linda also knows that she has a very passionate love-hate relationship with the city of Montreal. While one some days, she is bursting with pride for all that is wonderful about the city, on other days, she is less enthusiastic. But she’s not alone in her ardour, as the litany of authors who have been featuring Montreal in their work highlights—from Louise Penny's Grey Wolf (Minotaur Books) to Lee Lai's award-winning Cannon (Drawn & Quarterly), Montreal is a city that people love to write about. In this episode, Linda chats with another such author – Arjun Basu – about his novel The Reeds (ECW Press) – and how Montreal is featured, somewhat unobtrusively as part of the plot but also as another character in this novel. The four main characters, each perspective advancing the plot, are what Basu refers as “Four Equals One”—but Linda adds Montreal to that list.Want to know more about this novel? Check out this review in Montreal Review of Books. Producer: Linda Morra; Associate Producer; Maia Harris; Music by Raphael Krux Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- 3 weeks ago50 min
Just Friendship: An Interview with Lee Lai about Cannon
In this episode, Linda interviews Lee Lai about Cannon, the graphic novel for which Lai was shortlisted for the Carol Shields Prize (the only author on the shortlist with a Canadian connection).The friendship between the protagonist of the same name (Cannon) and Trish puts the very definition of their relationship to the test, complicated in part because Cannon is trying to be responsible to everyone around her—too much so, and the net result is that Cannon fails to advocate for herself. In this interview, Lai refers to Love in a F** Up World by the activist and educator Dean Spade, which Linda picked up after the interview. She was fascinated by Spade's question: How do we build lasting and effective resistance movements, if we are not even examining the ethics of foundational relationships like friendship? That’s the question that Lee Lai takes up. Lai isn’t dismissive or casual about friendship—it isn’t “just friendship” in that sense, but rather friendship that is fair, ethical, democratic.Other points of discussion- loving conflict (as Lee Lai says, “as the only thing that genuinely changes unsustainably bad dynamics”)- types of conflict: inner, between people, between art production and the way we see the world- Sarah Schulman, Conflict is Not Abuse (see also Ties that Bind and Let the Record Show)- chosen families and queer friendships- betrayal in friendship and unchecked expectations- Tuck Woodstock (podcaster) and the Gender Reveal podcast- Randa Abdel-Fattah's interview for the podcast, Between the Covers (David Naimon; see also Mariam Kaba's interview for this podcast)- Sheila Watson’s The Double Hook- R.F. Kuang, Yellowface- James McEvoy, Love and Friendship in the Western Tradition : From Plato to Postmodernity (2023)Producer: Linda Morra; Associate Producer; Maia Harris; Music by Raphael Krux Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- May 1, 202639 min
Puzzling Jigsaw Pieces: An Interview with Brittany Penner about her memoir, Children Like Us
Welcome back to Season 7 of Getting Lit with Linda, where we learn to love literature one book at a time!In this episode, Linda interviews the Métis writer, Brittany Penner about her memoir, Children Like Us (Random House Canada). It's elegantly written and carefully crafted, and, in spite of the book's length, Linda couldn't put it down. Linda and Brittany discuss her childhood, the Sixties Scoop , Brittany's story around being adopted , and the medical system, in Saskatchewan and Quebec, and across Canada.Here are some other highlights of their discussion:Stanford Marshellow Experiment Joyce Echaquan and the Joyce Principle Healing and empowerment Women’s reproductive health Photos in the memoir (33)The memoir’s sequel Please note the NEW!! feature of the podcast: The "Takeway" , in which all guest writers, including Brittany, will be offering one piece of advice to aspiring writers.Producer/Host/Writer: Linda Morra; Associate Producer: Maia Harris; Music: Raphael Crux. We are grateful to the Canada Council for their support for this second year of production. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- Mar 8, 20260 min
2026 - Season 7 Teaser
Announcing our seventh season! We will be somewhat delayed this year, with a start date in the late spring, but we haven't forgotten about you, our dear listeners or authors - we will begin very soon! For now, some of our future guests - specialists of the life and literature of author, Jane Rule - Marilyn Schuster (the godmother of Jane Rule Studies!), Cate Sandilands, and Amber Dean - and the team at Getting Lit With Linda would like to share their best wishes for International Women's Day!We acknowledge the Canada Council for the Arts for their support. Producer & Host: Linda Morra; Associate Producer: Maia Harris; Music: Raphael Krux. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- Jan 1, 202611 min
The Miracles of Change & Second Chances: Madeleine Thien's "Alchemy"
Why should we pay attention to scars or scar tissue? After the original injury heals and its pain recedes, should we ignore what’s left behind? In this episode, Linda mulls over these questions while considering Madeleine Thien's "Alchemy," from her collection, Simple Recipes. Don't know Thien's work? Check out her award-winning novel, Do Not Say We Have Nothing (which Linda discussed in Season 1, Episode 3) and her most recent novel, The Book of Records. She also offers her best wishes for the new year, in this, the last episode of Season 6 (2025).Writer/host/producer: Linda Morra; Associate Producer: Maia Harris; Music: Raphael Krux (The Madness of Linda). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- Dec 15, 202548 min
A Story of Unfitting: Susan Swan's Memoir, Big Girls Don't Cry
Our warmest wishes for the season – and a reminder that this is the last interview for the podcast (there may be one smaller episode at the year’s end, but not an interview), before we open up voting for this year’s GLWL awards: the author featured in your favourite episode will receive a cash prize and medal to honour their involvement.In this episode, Linda reflects on how boxes are at times about imposed limitations. "Don’t box me in," you might argue – or let’s try to think outside the box (because it’s time for a change!). And it is this -- thinking and living outside the lines (and boxes) -- that Susan Swan’s wonderful new memoir, Big Girls Don’t Cry: A Memoir About Taking Up Space (HarperCollijns), compels us to do, to locate our sense of dignity and agency, to find our sense of self-worth.Swan is the author of several novels including The Biggest Modern Woman in the World (1983), The Last of The Golden Girls (1989), What Casanova Told Me (2004), and The Wives of Bath (1993), which was made into the film Lost and Delirious . In this episode, we discuss how taking up space can be positive for women (and men too!), a means to shift beyond the conventions that have hemmed her in (and us) and to find our way out of the boxes that have contained us.Other points of discussion:the genre of the memoirMargaret Atwood and official autobiographySoren KierkegaardExecutive Producer: Linda Morra; Associate Producer: Maia Harris; Music by Raphael Krux ("The Madness of Linda") and Kevin MacLeod ("Natural Vibes"); Sound producer: Jason C. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- Dec 1, 202558 min
Ring-Side Seats in a High-Stakes Environment: Brian Stewart’s On the Ground
On a lovely fall afternoon in October, Linda drove up to possibly one of the most charming spots in Quebec, just off-island of Montreal —Hudson, on the unceded territory of the Kanien’keha:ka. Hudson has much to commend to it, but, in this instance, it was StoryFest, the annual literary program hosted through the Greenwood Centre that invites writers to come and speak to audiences there and that extends back to 2002 (yes, it’s been evolving over twenty years).Linda drove up to Hudson to interview the journalist, Brian Stewart, about his memoir, On the Ground: My Life as a Foreign Correspondent -- a perfect book for this year's theme, Getting Lit Goes Global. Stewart was, for decades, one of Canada’s most prominent television journalists, acclaimed for his foreign coverage for both CBC’s The National and The Journal. Born in Montreal (welcome back, Brian!), and originally a newspaper reporter, he went on to become foreign correspondent for CBC in London and for NBC in Frankfurt. He worked in 10 war zones, hosted the CBC foreign affairs show Worldview, and interviewed many of the historic figures of his time. In this interview and in his book, Stewart speaks of the urgency of having journalists on the ground to bear witness to what is happening across the globe and of having journalists as moral witnesses, reminding audiences of the costs globally of famine and war and environmental disaster, of the need for greater political accountability.With thanks to StoryFest organizers, Julie Gedeon and Sandy Racicot, to Larry Cool for recording sound, and to Jason C. for sound production. Linda Morra, Producer/Host; Maia Harris, Associate Producer; and Raphael Krux, Music.Just a reminder that voting opens soon for this year’s GLWL prize for best episode or author. Please do vote and honour your favourite writer represented in an episode of season 6, in 2025. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- Nov 19, 202536 min
Taking Out the Imperial Trash - Jovanni Sy's A Taste of Empire
Linda AND students of Bishop's University interview the award-winning Montreal-based playwright, Jovanni Sy, in this episode of Getting Lit With Linda. Linda considers how one of his plays in particular, A Taste of Empire (Talonbooks), obliges us confront the abuses of a system of globalization, wherein the processes involved in maximizing profit are brought to the fore. Even as the sous-chef, also named Jovanni Sy, tries to glamorize the industry of haute cuisine, we as spectators and readers must grapple with an imperialist system that undergirds it, that funnels wealth and resources from all corners of the earth to a centralized core. Linda also announces a new award, the 2025 Getting Lit With Linda prize, being launched on December 15 of this year. We are inviting our listeners to choose either their favourite writer featured in an episodes of 2025 (Season 6) or their favourite episode in which a writer in the 2025 season was featured. The writer who wins the most votes will be given the GLWL prize of the year, with a small monetary award attached. Details about this award can be found on website, gettinglitwithlinda.com. So please DO take a moment to vote for your favourite author or episode featured this year! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Get Getting Lit with Linda - The Canadian Literature Podcast summaries in your inbox
Free AI-powered daily recaps. Key takeaways, quotes, and mentions — in a 5-minute read.
Get Free Summaries →Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.
You Might Also Like
Listeners also like.
The Literary Life Podcast
A deep exploration of classic literature through slow reading, guided by experienced teachers and lifelong readers.
Reading Glasses
Two authors share practical tips and humorous advice for improving your reading habits and solving common book lover problems.
The Currently Reading Podcast
Two friends discuss recent reads and lifelong favorites with honesty and spoiler-free book recommendations.
The Shit No One Tells You About Writing
A writer and two agents share practical advice on craft, publishing, and query letters for emerging authors.
Scholarly Communication
Discusses the dissemination of research with professionals in the field.
Lisa Harper's Back Porch Theology
Conversations about faith, theology, and everyday life from a Christian perspective, exploring biblical truth with warmth and authenticity.
The Heart
Audio stories examine love, bodies, and the complexities of human relationships through intimate, experimental sound.
Rise & Roar with the Badass Lioness
Women rebuild confidence, find their voice, and step into leadership through personal growth and storytelling.
Good Life Project
Explores meaningful living through conversations with experts in science, culture, and the arts.
Let's Talk Offline
Two career experts discuss real talk on work-life balance, pay negotiation, and office relationships for early-career professionals.
The Bright Side: A Hello Sunshine Podcast
A weekly conversation exploring pop culture, wellness, and women's achievements through celebrity interviews and inspiring stories.
Bibliotequeando
Explora libros de literatura, historia y filosofía para analizar sus contextos y revelar verdades incómodas sobre el presente.
About Getting Lit with Linda - The Canadian Literature Podcast
Using her expertise as a seasoned literature professor, Linda M. Morra develops provocative, timely insights about books from Canada and elsewhere to show why stories are relevant for all of us. Hosted and written by Linda Morra.
Customized Recaps
AI-powered recaps with compact key takeaways, quotes, and insights.
Straight to Your Inbox
Get key takeaways from Getting Lit with Linda - The Canadian Literature Podcast in a 5-minute read.
Save Hours Every Week
Stay current on your favorite podcasts without falling behind.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Podzilla's Getting Lit with Linda - The Canadian Literature Podcast daily summary?
It's a free AI-powered email that summarizes new episodes of Getting Lit with Linda - The Canadian Literature Podcast as soon as they're published. You get the key takeaways, notable quotes, and links & mentions — all in a quick read.
How does the Getting Lit with Linda - The Canadian Literature Podcast podcast summary work?
When a new episode drops, our AI transcribes and analyzes it, then generates a personalized summary tailored to your interests and profession. It's delivered to your inbox every morning.
Is this an official Getting Lit with Linda - The Canadian Literature Podcast product?
No. Podzilla is an independent service that summarizes publicly available podcast content. We're not affiliated with or endorsed by Linda Morra.
Can I get summaries of other podcasts too?
Absolutely! The free plan covers up to 3 podcasts. Upgrade to Pro for 15, or Premium for 50. Browse our full catalog at /podcasts.
What topics does Getting Lit with Linda - The Canadian Literature Podcast cover?
Getting Lit with Linda - The Canadian Literature Podcast covers topics including Education, Arts, Books. Our AI identifies the specific themes in each episode and highlights what matters most to you.
Start getting Getting Lit with Linda - The Canadian Literature Podcast summaries tomorrow morning.
Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.
Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.