Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud Canadian literary festivals are having urgent conversations, and Rosalia is redefining global pop stardom
Nov 5, 2025
Leslie Hurtig, Artistic Director of the Vancouver Writers' Festival, and Stephanie Domet, Director of the Afterwards Literary Festival, dive into the vital role of literary festivals in fostering cultural conversations and empathy. They discuss the impact of major book releases like Margaret Atwood's memoir and explore innovative programming around themes like Canadian sovereignty. Music journalist Reanna Cruz then analyzes Rosalia's upcoming album, LUX, celebrating its orchestral pop and multilingual artistry, and her ambition to redefine global pop stardom.
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Episode notes
Festivals As Deliberative Spaces
- Literary festivals create rare public spaces to hold and explore conflicting ideas through live dialogue.
- These events help audiences reframe topics and gain new perspectives by watching experts disagree constructively.
Stories Build Collective Capacity
- Stephanie Domet argues festivals foster creativity, empathy, and shared problem-solving during intense global challenges.
- She frames story-driven conversations as tools that help communities prepare for collective action.
Local Energy, Potential Global Reach
- Leslie Hurtig believes festivals have measurable local impact by energizing audiences and modeling empathetic storytelling.
- She suggests broadcasting festivals more widely to amplify that needle-moving effect.
