The Sunday Magazine with Piya Chattopadhyay

When COVID-19 first appeared in the US in late January 2020, the country was thought to be among the world's best-positioned to handle a pandemic. But, within a year, nearly 400,000 people would be dead and Donald Trump would be on his way out of office. In his new book, The Plague Year, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Lawrence Wright tells that story. He tells Piya Chattopadhyay about how it reached into every corner of American society and became so much more than a story about a single virus.

Dany Assaf's great-grandfather helped build Canada's first mosque in Edmonton in 1938. Assaf grew up a hockey-loving kid on the prairies and is now a globally recognized lawyer. He recently published a memoir called Say Please and Thank You & Stand in Line: One man's story of what makes Canada special, and how to keep it that way. In this personal essay, he argues that all Canadians need to collectively own the hatred that led to the events in London, Ont., so that we can come out the other side as a stronger, more inclusive nation.

At this week's G7 summit in the U.K., national leaders will discuss everything from biodiversity to governance. But the biggest priority will be bringing an end to the COVID-19 pandemic and "building back better" in its wake. Piya Chattopadhyay is joined by Natasha Lindstaedt, a professor in the Department of Government at the University of Essex, who unpacks what happened at this year's G7 and tells us why it may not be effective enough to tackle the world's biggest problems.

Host Piya Chattophadyay speaks with Bob Joseph and Maurice Switzer about what real reconciliation should look like, chats with NBA All Star Chris Bosh about his new book 'Letters To A Young Athlete', learns about an all-female Kurdish militia that took on ISIS, and discusses what it means to lose a parent with journalist Dan Robson.

The newly-named Hall of Famer joins Piya Chattopadhyay to discuss his book; what he's learned about finding purpose, on and off the court; how to be a leader while staying true to yourself; and why cooking dinner for the family is a must during the playoffs.

Piya Chattopadhyay talks with Bob Joseph and Maurice Switzer about whether we’ve actually reached a moment of national reckoning and what reconciliation should look like for citizens and their governments.

Gayle Tzemach Lemmon on the extraordinary story of how a women-led Kurdish militia became the world’s greatest hope to defeat the Islamic State

Journalist Dan Robson explores what it means to lose a parent in his new memoir, Measuring Up

Panellists Susan Delacourt, a national columnist for the Toronto Star, and Emilie Nicolas, a columnist for Montreal's Le Devoir, join Piya Chattopadhyay to discuss Quebec's move to amend the constitution, this week's vote in parliament to prevent a pandemic election, and provincial re-opening plans.

Ahead of Tuesday's results for the Governor General's Literary Awards, Billy-Ray Belcourt joins Piya Chattopadhyay to discuss his memoir A History of My Brief Body — which has been nominated for a non-fiction award — and how love and joy can be liberating practices for Indigenous people.

Host Piya Chattopadhyay hosts a political panel with Susan Delacourt and Emilie Nicolas, discusses love and joy as acts of rebellion with Billy-Ray Belcourt, hears from listeners about the cabin/camp/cottage debate, talks heartbreak and poetry with Edward Hirsch, and chats about Indigenous fishing and research with Andrea Reid.

Heartbreak is hardly something we'd go out of our way to seek, but renowned American poet Edward Hirsch argues that it's one of the most important properties of poetry. He says it makes you feel the intensity of grief, and it helps us deal with the times we're inevitably going to have our hearts broken.

Nisga'a biologist and National Geographic explorer Andrea Reid has worked with fishing communities across the globe. But it was an opportunity to learn from her own nation's practices in northern British Columbia that led to her stepping into a new local role: to help run UBC's new Centre for Indigenous Fisheries.

Last week, we dug into the origins of what Canadians call summer getaways with linguist Sali Tagliamonte. This week, listeners from across Canada chime in with their own take on the camp/cabin/cottage debate.

Guest host David Common speaks to Paul Rogers about Palestinian-Israeli peace post-ceasefire, discusses the importance of urban play for kids with Tim Gill, digs into the differences between a cabin, a camp and a cottage with Sali Tagliamonte, chats with rising Québécois literary star Kevin Lambert about his newfound success, and biologist Emily Willingham about her research into animal penises.

Israel and Hamas have reached a ceasefire, ending 11 days of widespread destruction that killed more than 250 people — including 243 Palestinians and at least 12 people in Israel. Guest host David Common talks to Paul Rogers, a Professor of Peace Studies at the University of Bradford, U.K about the prospect of long lasting peace.

Linguist Sali Tagliamonte walks us through the cultural, geographic and economic factors that have shaped the language we use when describing cabin/camp/cottage season — and what our word choices say about us and our history.

Québécois writer Kevin Lambert may only be 28 years old, but his dark novels have already made him an award-winning author. Lambert joins guest host David Common to discuss his recently translated debut novel 'You Will Love What You Have Killed' — and his newfound success.

Host Piya Chattopadhyay discusses Palestinian-Israeli violence with Gershon Belkin, 'Wuhan Wuhan' with Yung Chang, the return of handshakes with Ella Al-Shamahi, and the secret life of taxi drivers with Marcello Di Cintio.