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!

Poetry used to shake the heavens. Now it sometimes comes glued with macaroni—or worse, dripping with self-pity. In this special Poetry Month edition of Under the Covers, Howard dives deep (and sometimes sideways) into the state of poetry today. From the poetic outpouring of pandemic isolation to Mosaic Press's half-century of publishing verses from prisons, war zones, and everywhere in between, this episode questions what counts as poetry now—and what’s just performative noise.

Can poetry still crack open the human condition, or has it been swallowed by narcissistic navel-gazing? Should we compare mythologies—or maybe just compare our COVID poems? Tune in for a conversation that’s part literary inquisition, part love letter to the power of words, and all heart. Plus: Leonard Cohen, Taylor Swift, Russian dissidents, and one unforgettable Latin radio experiment.

In this episode, Howard Aster reflects on the wild journey of publishing The Song of Leonard Cohen by Harry Rasky. From Harry's unique documentary filmmaking style to the deep, honest interviews that allowed Leonard Cohen's true self to emerge, this conversation dives into the complexities of capturing the enigmatic artist. Howard also shares the fascinating backstory of the book's creation and some rare insights into one of Cohen's tragic friendships.