

The Sunday Magazine
CBC
CBC Radio’s The Sunday Magazine is a lively, wide-ranging mix of topical long-form conversations, engaging ideas and more. Each week, host Piya Chattopadhyay takes time for deep exploration, but also makes space for surprise, delight and fun.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Aug 6, 2025 • 27min
What lessons the atomic bombings of Japan hold for today's nuclear world
August marks 80 years since the United States dropped two atomic bombs on the Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing an estimated 210,000 people. Setsuko Thurlow, who survived that day, shares her experience and her message for us all amid today's nuclear tensions. Then, Megan Williams speaks with historian and journalist Garrett Graff and national security analyst Joe Cirincione about how this event paved the path to our current nuclear world, and where things may go next.

Aug 3, 2025 • 1h 37min
Canada-U.S. trade, Legacy of the atomic bombings of Japan, Palestinian statehood, Trans-Canada Highway
Guest host Megan Williams speaks with senior economics lecturer Moshe Lander and Canadian Global Affairs Institute vice president Colin Robertson about Canada's options without a Trump trade deal in place, we reflect on the legacy of the atomic bombings of Japan with survivor and nuclear disarmament advocate Setsuko Thurlow, historian Garrett Graff and national security analyst Joe Cirincione, Canada's former ambassador to Israel Jon Allen and former adviser to the Palestine Liberation Organization Diana Buttu discuss Canada's plan to recognize Palestinian statehood, and automotive journalist Mark Richardson uncovers the stories that paved the Trans-Canada Highway.Discover more at https://www.cbc.ca/sunday

Jul 30, 2025 • 23min
Is private life disappearing before our eyes?
Questions surrounding the line between private and public lives were among the many raised earlier this month when a video of a tech CEO and his company's HR manager embracing at a Coldplay concert went viral. In her book Strangers and Intimates, cultural historian Tiffany Jenkins explores the relatively short history of the notion of a private life. She joins David Common to explain how the phenomenon came to be, the value she thinks it holds, and why she fears it may be disappearing as technology continues to erase the line between private and public.

Jul 27, 2025 • 1h 38min
Hockey culture, Private life, Canadian politics, Nathan Law
Guest host David Common speaks with CBC Sports senior contributor Shireen Ahmed and The Athletic senior writer Dan Robson about the broader implications of the world junior sexual assault case for hockey culture, cultural historian Tiffany Jenkins explores the rise and potential fall of private life, The Economist’s Rob Russo and The Toronto Star’s Rob Benzie look at the state of Canada-U.S. trade negotiations and federal-provincial relations, and Nathan Law reflects on his unlikely journey to activism and what he makes of the prospects for democracy in Hong Kong.Discover more at https://www.cbc.ca/sunday

Jul 23, 2025 • 23min
Are we 'cooked'? How social platforms are shaping the evolution of language
If "unalive," "seggs" and "rizz" are all foreign-sounding words to you... perhaps you're not fluent in algopeak. That refers to the way language is being shaped by algorithms, censorship and the relentless drive to go viral. For the latest instalment of Word Processing, our ongoing look at language, linguist and influencer Adam Aleksic tells Piya Chattopadhyay about how online culture is transforming the way we speak and communicate in unprecedented ways – and whether we're simply all "cooked."

Jul 20, 2025 • 1h 40min
Indigenous consultation, Social media and language, Jasper wildfire legacy, Animals and death
Host Piya Chattopadhyay speaks with Atikameksheng Anishnawbek First Nation Chief Craig Nootchtai and columnist and professor Niigaan Sinclair about the bigger meaning of consultation with Indigenous communities, linguist and influencer Adam Aleksic breaks down the way online culture is shaping language, journalist Matthew Scace looks at the legacy of the Jasper, Alta. wildfire, and philosopher Susana Monsó offers death lessons from the animal kingdom.Discover more at https://www.cbc.ca/sunday

Jul 16, 2025 • 24min
How disability prepared one woman for parenthood
When disability upended Jessica Slice's world, her life grew richer in unexpected ways. The writer found herself with newfound perspective and skills that made her feel uniquely equipped to become a mother. She shares her reflections on disability culture and parenthood in her new book.

Jul 13, 2025 • 1h 30min
NDP leadership, disability and parenthood, Canadian housing, Vince Carter documentary
Host Piya Chattopadhyay speaks with former federal NDP candidate Joel Harden and political strategist Jordan Leichnitz about the future of the NDP, we look at parenting with a disability through the eyes of author Jessica Slice, researcher Carolyn Whitzman and real estate expert Romana King explain why intervention is needed in the Canadian housing market, and Adrian Ma brings us a documentary exploring how Vince Carter helped put Canadian basketball on the map.Discover more at https://www.cbc.ca/sunday

Jul 9, 2025 • 37min
Stephen Fry says Odysseus is a hero for our times
As a child, Stephen Fry says he was obsessed with the gods and heroes of ancient Greek myth the way other boys were obsessed with comic books or football players. Today, the actor, author and director's enthusiasm for those stories is undiminished. Fry joins Piya Chattopadhyay to talk about his epic project of reimagining and retelling these timeless tales for a modern audience – including his fourth and final book in the series, Odyssey – and why he believes its hero, Odysseus, remains a hero for our times.

Jul 6, 2025 • 1h 32min
Canada's trade relationships, Wither the signature?, Stephen Fry, Canadian symbols
Host Piya Chattopadhyay speaks with The Globe and Mail's Paul Waldie and Kelly Malone from The Canadian Press about tensions facing Canada's trade relationships, The Sunday Magazine's Pete Mitton looks at what's lost when physical signatures are replaced by digital analogues, actor and raconteur Stephen Fry explores why ancient Greek myths still have great resonance in our modern world, and as the beaver marks 50 years as an official symbol of Canada, we consider what our national markers say about us.Discover more at https://www.cbc.ca/sunday