Q: The Podcast From Cbc Radio

The comedian Taylor Tomlinson grew up in a religious household, so her very first stand-up performances were on the Christian comedy circuit. But after she got fired from a church gig because of a joke she told, she started branching out her comedy. Now, she’s one of the biggest comics in the world, the host of “After Midnight” on CBS, and she’s just released her latest comedy special, “Have it All.” Taylor joins Tom Power to talk about her early stand-up days and what it’s like being the only woman currently working in late-night television.

Ryan Ofei is a Canadian artist who grew up singing in the church, but due to feeling like an outsider, he abandoned his passion for Christian music in favour of R&B. After a near-death experience made him re-evaluate his life and values, Ryan found his way back to writing about his relationship with God, and since then has gone on to win a Grammy for his work. He joins Tom Power to talk about his debut album, “Restore,” and why he wants to make Christian music a little bit more accessible.

The comedian Fortune Feimster is back with a new Netflix comedy special, “Crushing It,” which debuts today. In this conversation with Tom Power, Fortune tells us how she discovered her passion for comedy, how Chelsea Handler gave her her first big break in Hollywood, and what she thinks about being described as a “joyful” comedian.

The Quebec singer-songwriter Klô Pelgag has gone through some big changes since being shortlisted for the Polaris Music Prize in 2021. She wrote her latest album, “Abracadabra,” after becoming a mother for the first time, which completely changed her relationship to music and the world. Klô joins Tom Power to discuss how she’s rediscovering herself as an artist. Plus, she sets up a song called “Lettre à une jeune poète” and talks about the challenges of being a francophone musician in Canada.

John Adams (Nixon In China, Doctor Atomic) is a Pulitzer and Grammy-winning composer who’s one of the biggest living names in the world of opera and classical music. He’s helped give opera a more contemporary lens by steering his work toward big political events in modern history. His latest opera, “Girls of the Golden West,” looks at the California Gold Rush, and it was recently nominated for two Grammys. John joins Tom Power to discuss his decades-long career in music, his Pulitzer Prize-winning composition inspired by 9/11, and what role he thinks classical music can play when it comes to telling contemporary stories.

The actor Allan Louis has stepped into the role of Henry Higgins in the beloved Broadway musical “My Fair Lady,” which is on now at the Shaw Festival in Ontario. Allan took over the role from another actor earlier this fall. He joins Tom Power to talk about his transition from understudy to leading man, and how the character of Henry Higgins changes when a Black actor takes on the role.

The Mohawk artist Shelley Niro was inspired to professionally pursue art after seeing prints of Norval Morrisseau's work on the wall at her dentist’s office. Now, she has two prestigious Canadian contemporary art awards under her belt (the Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts and the Scotiabank Photography Award) and she’s celebrating her first major career retrospective, “500 Year Itch,” at the Vancouver Art Gallery. Shelley joins Tom Power to talk about the show, how her work uses pop culture and satire to puncture stereotypes about Indigenous people, and how she developed her unique sense of humour.

Jeremie Albino is one of the most soulful voices in Canada right now. He grew up in Scarborough, Ont., but spent many years in rural parts of Ontario and Quebec, where he focused on his dual passions for farming and music. While he still has a green thumb, music kind of won out in the end. His new album, “Our Time in the Sun,” was produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys who brought in some of Nashville’s best musicians to help out. Jeremie sits down with Tom Power to talk about the record and to set up his song “So Many Ways To Say I Love You.”

The American fashion designer Anna Sui helped create and define the styles that we now associate with ‘90s fashion. Widely regarded as a visionary and a trailblazer, Anna is known for her incredibly thoughtful yet whimsical designs that draw inspiration anywhere from Pre-Raphaelite art to Agatha Christie novels to coral reefs. She joins Tom Power to discuss some of her career highlights from that golden era, her lasting influence on the ‘90s aesthetic, and her new collaboration with Fluevog Shoes.

Three years after the release of her acclaimed debut album, “Anything Can’t Happen,” the Canadian singer-songwriter Dorothea Paas has returned with a brand new record, “Think of Mist.” She sits down with guest host Talia Schlanger to set up a song from the album.

For the last two decades, the artist and author Oliver Jeffers has created children’s books, such as “How to Catch a Star” and his latest book “Where to Hide a Star,” that have become staples in homes around the world. Oliver joins Tom Power to talk about his new book and how growing up amid the conflict in Northern Ireland gave him his life's mission to change the stories we tell.

When you read about a global climate summit in the news, you probably don't see a lot about Jenga. But at this year’s UN Biodiversity Conference (also known as COP16), the Canadian artist Benjamin Von Wong unveiled a provocative large-scale art installation called “Biodiversity Jenga,” which really got people thinking about climate change. Some of Benjamin’s past work includes giant skulls made of electronic waste and a massive structure made of drinking straws. His work is accessible, whimsical and in-your-face. Benjamin talks to Tom Power about his latest installation, his “clickbait approach” to activist art, and why he believes art is a key player in the survival of our planet.

More than 20 years ago, Paris Hilton started building an entertainment empire that went hand in hand with her reputation for being a ditzy blonde heiress. But that wasn’t her true self — it was a character she played in public as a trauma response. Now, she’s dropped the character and is showing the public the real her. In this conversation with guest host Talia Schlanger, Paris opens up about her mental health struggle and the abuse she faced at a boarding school for troubled teens. Plus, she talks about making her return to music with her new album, “Infinite Icon,” and reuniting with Nicole Richie to celebrate 20 years of “The Simple Life.”

Tokyo Police Club started as a high school band in an Ontario suburb, but it didn’t take long for them to become Canadian indie rock darlings. Now, after nearly 20 years together, Tokyo Police Club is calling it quits. Dave Monks and Graham Wright from the band sit down with Tom Power to tell us how they’re feeling as they head into their final shows this week.

The actor Henry Winkler spent 11 seasons playing The Fonz on “Happy Days,” and for much of that time, he was struggling with an undiagnosed learning disability. He only realized he had dyslexia at age 31, when his stepson was diagnosed. Now, Henry is a prolific children’s author who’s helping kids who have trouble with literacy. He joins Tom Power to talk about the latest book in his “Detective Duck” series, the shame he felt as an actor who struggled with reading, and what happens when you admit you need help.

At this year’s Cannes Film Festival, the director Payal Kapadia won the prestigious Grand Prix award for her debut narrative feature, “All We Imagine as Light.” It’s one of the buzziest films of the year and the first Indian film in 30 years to compete at Cannes. The story centres around three women who are each living and working in Mumbai. Though they’re all financially independent, they’re not free from the expectations of what it means to be women in a patriarchal society. Payal joins guest host Talia Schlanger to talk about making a film that celebrates female friendship, how she addressed some of her own biases against women in the film, and how she feels about it not being selected to represent India at the next Oscars.

Malcolm Washington knows a thing or two about legacy. As the youngest son of Denzel and Pauletta Washington, he grew up in a movie-making family of actors, directors and producers. Now, Malcolm is entering the family business with his debut feature film, “The Piano Lesson,” which is an adaptation of the revered August Wilson play of the same name. It’s about what we pass on from one generation to another and the legacy we leave. Malcolm sits down with Tom Power to discuss his directorial debut, how he personally connected with the story’s themes of legacy, and what it’s like to carve out your own path when your father is a truly legendary actor.

Whether you call it naan, roti, lavash or tortilla, flatbread represents our cultures and traditions, showing us how food can unite us across borders. It's for that reason that the Canadian artist Sameer Farooq believes that flatbread belongs in a museum. His latest project, “Flatbread Library,” is a large-scale sculpture that indexes flatbread from different regions, sourced from bakeries around Toronto. Sameer sits down with Tom Power to tell us how a trip to Pakistan sparked the idea for the project, why bakers are the best sculptors, and how “Flatbread Library” challenges what we typically see in museums.

As a cinematographer, director and producer, Barry Sonnenfeld (Men in Black, The Addams Family, Get Shorty) has done a lot in the world of film and TV. Last month, he released his second memoir, “Best Possible Place, Worst Possible Time,” which is full of candid stories from his blockbuster career. Barry joins Tom Power to share some of those Hollywood stories, including the unique challenges of directing Michael Jackson on “Men In Black II” and the time he fired Donald Trump off of a Macy’s commercial. Plus, he tells us why he became a Canadian permanent resident in 2016.

Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas is a Haida artist who’s considered the father of Haida manga — a distinct style that combines the traditional art of his culture with contemporary Japanese comic book storytelling. His work explores themes of cultural identity, environmentalism and colonialism, while making it accessible in the graphic novel form. Michael sits down with guest host Talia Schlanger to discuss Haida manga and his new exhibit, “Diaries After a Flood,” which is on now at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Toronto.