A new anthology series 'Bread Alone: What happens when we run out of working-class writers?' edited by Kate Pasola begs the question: who gets to have a career in writing? And how does that inform the kinds of working class narratives that get published? Niko Stratis, Deborah Dundas and Catherine Hernandez join Elamin Abdelmahmoud to chat about being a working class writer in Canada, the value of labour in creative industries, and how not to sell out while trying to make ends meet.

A new musical by the legendary Cree playwright Tomson Highway is on stage in Ottawa. Theatre critic Aisling Murphy and Alessia Passafiume with the Canadian Press, join Elamin Abdelmahmoud to talk about Rose -- and why a production that was written almost 35 years ago, feels more relevant than ever today.

Plus, the Goo Goo Dolls song 'Iris' was released 28 years ago. But it has enjoyed a massive resurgence in 2026 thanks to these viral 90's nostalgia reels where people share old pictures of themselves on social media. Music journalist Annie Zaleski explains how a grubby punk band from Buffalo wound up crafting one of the definitive power ballads of our time, and what its current popularity says about how we view the ‘90s.

A play about the children’s author Roald Dahl opened to rave reviews on Broadway – it delves into his antisemitic views, which were exposed by journalist Michael Coren more than 40 years ago. Michael saw “Giant” in New York – he tells Elamin Abdelmahmoud about his original interview with Dahl, what it’s like seeing it come to life on stage, and how he treats the author’s work now.

Plus, the new dark comedy miniseries ‘Bait’ imagines a world where a British Pakistani Muslim actor is up for contention as the new James Bond. Vulture’s Roxana Hadadi talks with Elamin Abdelmahmoud about why she feels this show could only have been made by Riz Ahmed, who wrote, created and stars in the series.