Episodi

  • Arlene F. Marks and Children’s Games

    Arlene F. Marks and Children’s Games
    Jan 16 2026
    In this episode from the first season of Re-Creative, Mark A. Rayner and I revisit childhood with Canadian author Arlene F. Marks, as Arlene introduces us to one of her favourite paintings, Children’s Games by Flemish Renaissance artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder. You can see it pictured below. The painting shows 230 children playing 83 different games from the renaissance period. It resonates with Arlene because it’s important to her that each character she writes in her novels has their own story.As a speculative fiction writer, the painting has also helped Arlene with her world building. Naturally, a book focuses on a detail of a larger picture, but there is a whole universe outside of what she can show in a single book, or even a trilogy.Arlene has been writing since the age of 6, and has no plans to stop. A veteran teacher of the craft, she has authored two literacy programs for the classroom. Her short stories have appeared online and in print, notably in an anthology of re-imagined fairy tales, Grimmer Tales Volume One. She is also the author of the Sic Transit Terra space opera series (from Edge Publishing) and Adventures in Godhood, her first of several recent releases from our friends at Brain Lag Publishing.Arlene’s short story collection, Imaginary Friends, and her paranormal mystery Weekends Can Be Murder came out in 2022 to great reviews. A new series, The Nash’terel, launched in May with the release of The Earthborn. It will continue in November with The Bloodstone.As Arlene mentions in this episode, her newest book (as of this recording, anyway) is The Earthborn! Amazing Stories describes The Earthborn as “a light-hearted Philip K. Dick novel on steroids.” Author Ed Greenwood warns: “Buckle up, reader! You’re in for a wild ride.”Arlene lives with her husband on the shore of beautiful Nottawasaga Bay in Ontario, where she dreams of one day having a tidy, well-organized office.You can subscribe to this podcast completely for free. Paid subscriptions support Donovan Street Press Inc. and the creation of new books and podcasts.Re-Creative is a co-production of Donovan Street Press Inc. in association with MonkeyJoy Press.Contact us at: contact@donovanstreetpress.com If you don’t wish to receive the podcast (or you’re receiving too many emails from this newsletter), it is possible to manage your Substack subscription to receive only the sections you want (e.g., the Donovan Street Press newsletter, the Captain’s Away serial, the Re-Creative podcast) via your account settings. You can do so by clicking on your avatar and selecting “Manage subscription” or by directly navigating to your account page.Follow Joe Mahoney and Donovan Street Press Inc. on: Goodreads, Bluesky, Threads, Mastadon, Facebook, and Instagram Get full access to Donovan Street Press Inc. at mahoneyj.substack.com/subscribe
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    36 min
  • Lynda Williams and Edgar Rice Burrough's Tarzan

    Lynda Williams and Edgar Rice Burrough's Tarzan
    Jan 10 2026
    Re-Creative Spotlight: Lynda WilliamsIn this episode of Re-Creative, Mark A. Rayner and I dive into a fascinating conversation with author and publisher Lynda Williams, the “obscure Canadian Tolkien.” Joining us from Prince George, B.C., Lynda shares how she balances her academic background in Artificial Intelligence with her sprawling, ten-novel epic, the Okal Rel saga.We explore Lynda’s unique approach to collaboration, where she invites other writers to play in her sandbox rather than protecting her turf. We nerd out on the physics of “reality skimming” (her version of faster-than-light travel) and discuss how her universe evolved from a passion project into a collaborative literary ecosystem.For her "homework," Lynda chose Edgar Rice Burrough's Tarzan of the Apes series. We have a frank and illuminating discussion about the Victorian and colonial influences of this early 20th-century classic, and how those "larger than life" archetypes eventually seeped into—and were subverted by—Lynda’s own bioengineered cultures and dramatized philosophies.Support Our GuestLynda Williams is a powerhouse of Canadian science fiction whose work bridges the gap between hard science and epic space opera. Her ability to maintain an arc from beginning to end across ten novels has earned her a dedicated following from Germany to the Maritimes.Beyond her fiction, Lynda is a pioneer in the Canadian small-press scene and an educator who understands the intersection of technology and storytelling. Many of her co-collaborators have ensured that all aspects of the Okal Rel universe--everything from faster-than-light travel and fencing-- are grounded in scientific logic and reality.Lynda currently hosts a blog called Reality Skimming, where she continues to foster community by hosting guest posts on a wide range of intriguing themes.You can explore the vast Okal Rel universe and find all of Lynda’s work by visiting her blog at realityskimming.com or her official series hub at okalrel.org.You can subscribe to this podcast completely for free. Paid subscriptions support Donovan Street Press Inc. and the creation of new books and podcasts.Re-Creative is a co-production of Donovan Street Press Inc. in association with MonkeyJoy Press.Contact us at: contact@donovanstreetpress.com If you don’t wish to receive the podcast (or you’re receiving too many emails from this newsletter), it is possible to manage your Substack subscription to receive only the sections you want (e.g., the Donovan Street Press newsletter, the Captain’s Away serial, the Re-Creative podcast) via your account settings. You can do so by clicking on your avatar and selecting “Manage subscription” or by directly navigating to your account page.Follow Joe Mahoney and Donovan Street Press Inc. on: Goodreads, Bluesky, Threads, Mastadon, Facebook, and Instagram Get full access to Donovan Street Press Inc. at mahoneyj.substack.com/subscribe
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    50 min
  • Kurt Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle

    Kurt Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle
    Jan 3 2026
    In this episode of Re-Creative, Mark and I discuss Cat’s Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut.We talk about Vonnegut’s life, in particular his experiences during World War II; Vonnegut was captured during the Battle of Bulge and then lived through the firebombing of Dresden. We talk about how this experience shaped Vonnegut’s writing, his view of science and his humanism.Cat’s Cradle came out in 1963, before Vonnegut had the immense success of Slaughterhouse 5, which was based on his experiences in the war. Before he became well-known, Cat’s Cradle was an underground hit in the hippie movement, largely because of the pacifist message and Vonnegut’s invented religion, Bokonism.We chat about the charms of the book, the importance of the novel in Vonnegut’s canon, and how well it has aged over the decades since it was first published.The verdict: Mark and I both highly recommend this book.Support the Co-Hosts!If you’re looking for a way to support the show, the best option is to buy one of our books! We have lots to choose from between us. And then, if you like the book you’ve chosen, an even greater show of love is to review the book positively on websites like Amazon, Goodreads and LibraryThing!You can get A Time and a Place where-ever you buy your books online. Alpha Max is available everywhere too, including on Amazon and at Bookshop.org. Mark’s latest, The Gates of Polished Horn, which the Toronto Star just selected as one of its Favourite Books of 2025, is also available everywhere. You can also check out their other books on Joe’s website and Mark’s website.You can subscribe to this podcast completely for free. Paid subscriptions support Donovan Street Press Inc. and the creation of new books and podcasts.Re-Creative is a co-production of Donovan Street Press Inc. in association with MonkeyJoy Press.Contact us at: contact@donovanstreetpress.com If you don’t wish to receive the podcast (or you’re receiving too many emails from this newsletter), it is possible to manage your Substack subscription to receive only the sections you want (e.g., the Donovan Street Press newsletter, the Captain’s Away serial, the Re-Creative podcast) via your account settings. You can do so by clicking on your avatar and selecting “Manage subscription” or by directly navigating to your account page.Follow Joe Mahoney and Donovan Street Press Inc. on: Goodreads, Bluesky, Threads, Mastadon, Facebook, and Instagram Get full access to Donovan Street Press Inc. at mahoneyj.substack.com/subscribe
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    42 min
  • Christopher Sweet and Stephen King's The Dark Tower

    Christopher Sweet and Stephen King's The Dark Tower
    Dec 21 2025
    Christopher Sweet is an author from New Brunswick. I was introduced to his work by the folks behind Partridge Island Publishing when I visited their bookstore in Saint John and asked them what I should be reading. They handed me Christopher’s novella Something Sweet. I read it and was impressed. This guy can write! I thought, and reviewed it thusly:“I’m impressed. At 73 pages, this indie novella is expertly constructed and tightly written and boasts a pitch-perfect ending. It isn’t for the faint of heart, though. It contains adult situations and the author himself calls it a “gross little story” (it’s only gross at the end though).It would make an excellent X-Files episode and is reminiscent of the work of Stephen King (in the best possible sense). Can’t wait to see more from Christopher Sweet!” ~ Joe Mahoney, Shepherd.comA few months later I met Christopher at the Greater Moncton, Riverview, Dieppe Bookfair (which, while I’m on the subject, probably needs a pithier name) and discovered that he’s a pretty cool guy as well as a great writer. Other local writers have said to me, “Watch this guy. It’s only a matter of time until he’s Canada’s Stephen King.” Having compared him to the master himself, I believe it. Christopher Sweet has been, in his words, “…a freelance writer, manager, waiter, bartender, event DJ, actor, children’s entertainer, truck driver, shopkeeper, call centre operator, concierge, office assistant, barista, supply teacher, and—most recently—a campground manager.” He’s a cinephile, a bibliophile, a lover of nature, and currently resides on a campground in New Brunswick on the other side of the Miramichi with, as he puts it, “his growing tribe of people and pets on a peaceful river in New Brunswick’s Acadian Peninsula.”In this episode of Re-Creative, Mark Rayner and I talk to Christopher about, well, everything we could think of related to writing, books and publishing… including our darkest fears. We each have one! But you’ll have to listen to the podcast to discover what they are. We explore Christopher’s love for Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series, and tumble headlong down rabbit holes containing more of King’s work, including in particular The Shining. Christopher shares his thoughts on indie publishing, his own budding career in writing, and even waxes poetically about em dashes—a subject upon which the three of us agree. It’s a fun, illuminating conversation with a talent to be watched… and read. You can subscribe to this podcast completely for free. Paid subscriptions support Donovan Street Press Inc. and the creation of new books and podcasts.Re-Creative is a co-production of Donovan Street Press Inc. in association with MonkeyJoy Press.Contact us at: contact@donovanstreetpress.com If you don’t wish to receive the podcast (or you’re receiving too many emails from this newsletter), it is possible to manage your Substack subscription to receive only the sections you want (e.g., the Donovan Street Press newsletter, the Captain’s Away serial, the Re-Creative podcast) via your account settings. You can do so by clicking on your avatar and selecting “Manage subscription” or by directly navigating to your account page.Follow Joe Mahoney and Donovan Street Press Inc. on: Goodreads, Bluesky, Threads, Mastadon, Facebook, and Instagram Get full access to Donovan Street Press Inc. at mahoneyj.substack.com/subscribe
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    55 min
  • Ira Nayman on Buster Keaton and his classic silent film Sherlock Jr. (1924)

    Ira Nayman on Buster Keaton and his classic silent film Sherlock Jr. (1924)
    Dec 8 2025
    Writer and editor Ira Nayman’s latest work includes the anthology The Dance, which he edited and which includes one of his stories. (The anthology also includes one of Mark’s stories.)Ira decided to devote his life to writing humor when he was eight years old. More than fifty years later, he has had eight novels published by Elsewhen Press, he’s self-published fourteen Alternate Reality News Service collections, and he has had two dozen short stories published in various anthologies.Oh, and he was the editor of Amazing Stories magazine. Yes, THAT Amazing Stories. Also oh: he has a PhD in Communications from McGill University. Because humor comes in many forms…He’s recently celebrated the twentieth anniversary of publishing satire on the web at Les Pages Aux Folles.You can find his books online at Les Pages Aux Folles, Elsewhen Press, and Amazon. Go buy some! Buy all of them!This is Ira’s third appearance on our podcast Re-Creative — we like him that much!This time it’s to discuss the work of actor, comedian and filmmaker Buster Keaton, in particular Keaton’s stunning 1924 action/comedy Sherlock Jr., which Ira describes as “an amazing exploration of the nature of film itself” and “astonishingly smart.”A film of “multiple layers,” Sherlock Jr. was years ahead of its time in terms of conception and execution.The three of us examine the film on every level, including the amazing and dangerous stunt work, for which Keaton is justifiably famous, and the surreal nature of Keaton’s imagery, which continues to inform Ira’s own work. You can subscribe to this podcast completely for free. Paid subscriptions support Donovan Street Press Inc. and the creation of new books and podcasts.Re-Creative is a co-production of Donovan Street Press Inc. in association with MonkeyJoy Press.Contact us at: contact@donovanstreetpress.com If you don’t wish to receive the podcast (or you’re receiving too many emails from this newsletter), it is possible to manage your Substack subscription to receive only the sections you want (e.g., the Donovan Street Press newsletter, the Captain’s Away serial, the Re-Creative podcast) via your account settings. You can do so by clicking on your avatar and selecting “Manage subscription” or by directly navigating to your account page.Follow Joe Mahoney and Donovan Street Press Inc. on: Goodreads, Bluesky, Threads, Mastadon, Facebook, and Instagram Get full access to Donovan Street Press Inc. at mahoneyj.substack.com/subscribe
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    51 min
  • Michael Antman on Cherry Whip: Twentieth Anniversary Edition, and Haiku

    Michael Antman on Cherry Whip: Twentieth Anniversary Edition, and Haiku
    Dec 2 2025

    Michael Antman is the author of the novels Cherry Whip: Twentieth Anniversary Edition, Everything Solid Has a Shadow, and the recently completed novel A Distant Place of Slaughter. He is a two-time finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Balakian Award for Excellence in Book Reviewing. He is also a theatre critic, urban photographer and poet, and formerly the Global Head of Marketing for a Fortune 100 company

    This is Michael’s second appearance on Re-Creative. This time he tells Joe and Mark the origin of his love for Japanese culture. According to Michael, it all happened because he didn’t know what a “porter” was (it’s not what you think…)

    Well, that and his discovery of a six volume history of haiku:

    To Michael, haiku has always been “a wonderful diversion.” It’s a passion that Mark shares, both Michael and Mark having actually published haiku in The Mainichi Daily News.

    “A writer writes,” Michael reminds us, advice he received from fellow writer Scott Turow. “I’m a writer, that’s what I do.”

    And to prove it (not that we needed proof), he shares with us all a choice morsel of his own haiku in the episode.

    And here are four other haiku that Michael has written, one for each season:

    You can subscribe to this podcast completely for free. Paid subscriptions support Donovan Street Press Inc. and the creation of new books and podcasts.

    Re-Creative is a co-production of Donovan Street Press Inc. in association with MonkeyJoy Press.

    Contact us at: contact@donovanstreetpress.com

    If you don’t wish to receive the podcast (or you’re receiving too many emails from this newsletter), it is possible to manage your Substack subscription to receive only the sections you want (e.g., the Donovan Street Press newsletter, the Captain’s Away serial, the Re-Creative podcast) via your account settings. You can do so by clicking on your avatar and selecting “Manage subscription” or by directly navigating to your account page.

    Follow Joe Mahoney and Donovan Street Press Inc. on: Goodreads, Bluesky, Threads, Mastadon, Facebook, and Instagram



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    54 min
  • Jean-Louis Trudel

    Jean-Louis Trudel
    Nov 19 2025
    Last night I was shocked to see the following announcement on Facebook from Revue Solaris by way of author Robert J. Sawyer:Jean-Louis Trudel, one of the pillars of the Canadian literary community of imaginative literature, passed away last Sunday in Vilnius, Lithuania, where he had been in a writing residence for a few weeks.It appears to have been natural causes. He was only 57, possibly 58 years old (born in 1967).I first met Jean-Louis Trudel back around 1995 when I was working for CBC Radio-Canada in Toronto. I was working on a live afternoon current affairs show called CJBC Express when one of the producers brought in Jean-Louis as a guest for a segment on science fiction. At the time, Jean-Louis was president of a Canadian association of professional science fiction writers called SF Canada. He probably already had a bunch of short stories out, maybe novels too, and would have been teaching at the university level. Because Jean-Louis was wearing a suit, and probably because he had a beard, and almost certainly because he projected an air of scholarly maturity, I assumed he was older than me. In fact, he was a couple of years younger. I would have been about thirty; he would have been about twenty-eight.An aspiring writer working on my first SF novel, I was fascinated to meet Jean-Louis and learn about the existence of an organization like SF Canada. I continued to meet Jean-Louis Trudel several times over the next few years as he grew increasingly prominent and respected in the Canadian (and international) speculative fiction community, notably as a de facto ambassador between the French and English spef fic communities. He was always one of the smartest and most knowledgeable people in the room. Dignified, too. And pleasant.I joined SF Canada a few years later when I finally qualified on the strength of a couple of science fiction documentaries I produced for CBC Radio. I’m posting one of those documentaries here, which I made for The Arts Tonight. It happens to feature Jean-Louis Trudel along with fellow science fiction luminaries Robert J. Sawyer, Robert Charles Wilson, and Nalo Hopkinson, all talking about speculative fiction. To me, producing a documentary for CBC Radio was at least a little bit of a big deal, as I didn’t normally get to do that, even though I worked for CBC Radio. I assumed it would be somewhat of a big deal for Jean-Louis Trudel, but when I met him at a convention in Ottawa in 2019 he had no memory of it at all. I had to send him the file to convince him he’d ever been featured in a radio documentary with “the two Robs” as he put it. In retrospect it’s understandable because I’d interviewed Sawyer, Wilson and Hopkinson in person in a studio in Toronto, whereas Jean-Louis had been “piped in” via a line with a studio in (probably) either Montreal or Quebec City. It was a privilege to have met, known, and interviewed Jean-Louis Trudel. He has left behind a considerable body of work but it’s one that should have been allowed to grow even greater. We’ve lost him at way too young an age. He joins the ranks of way too many people in my life that I just assumed would always be around, would forever remain accessible, but of course that is not the way life—or death—works. My condolences to all Jean-Louis’ friends, family, colleagues and fans. Follow Joe Mahoney and Donovan Street Press Inc. on: Goodreads, Bluesky, Threads, Mastadon, Facebook, and Instagram Get full access to Donovan Street Press Inc. at mahoneyj.substack.com/subscribe
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    21 min
  • Corey Redekop and the movie Lifeforce

    Corey Redekop and the movie Lifeforce
    Nov 15 2025

    Corey Redekop was born and raised in Thompson MB, then left the north to become an actor, a waiter, a tree planter, a world traveler, a lawyer, a barista, a broadcaster, and a film editor.

    During a stint back in Thompson as the director of the Thompson Public Library, he published his first novel, Shelf Monkey, a satiric and savage comedy about the contemporary book world.

    His second book, Husk, is a darkly funny book about a newly-minted zombie’s attempts to balance family, career, and cannibalism. Redekop makes his living as a writer, librarian, and publicist. He lives in Fredericton NB.

    On this episode of Re-Creative, Mark and Joe talk to Corey about Tobe Hooper’s film Lifeforce.

    Sometime in the 80s, Hailey’s Comet reappeared in the sky. About the same time, Lifeforce appeared in theaters. Corey Redekop was never the same.

    Lifeforce was directed by the man who also made such films as Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Poltergeist. Written by the same screenwriter as Alien, Lifeforce had its critics, but Redekop has a place in his heart for the movie.

    We discuss the horror and science fiction pedigree behind the movie, including the Quatermass pictures made by Hammer Films in the UK.

    Redekop says the visual effects should have received an Oscar nomination. In some ways, he says, Lifeforce was “the most expensive Hammer film never made.” The producers insisted on a twenty minute cut to the film which made the plot hard to follow, so Redekop recommends watching the director’s cut of this classic “space vampire” film.

    You can subscribe to this podcast completely for free. Paid subscriptions support Donovan Street Press Inc. and the creation of new books and podcasts.

    Re-Creative is a co-production of Donovan Street Press Inc. in association with MonkeyJoy Press.

    Contact us at: contact@donovanstreetpress.com

    If you don’t wish to receive the podcast (or you’re receiving too many emails from this newsletter), it is possible to manage your Substack subscription to receive only the sections you want (e.g., the Donovan Street Press newsletter, the Captain’s Away serial, the Re-Creative podcast) via your account settings. You can do so by clicking on your avatar and selecting “Manage subscription” or by directly navigating to your account page.

    Follow Joe Mahoney and Donovan Street Press Inc. on: Goodreads, Bluesky, Threads, Mastadon, Facebook, and Instagram



    Get full access to Donovan Street Press Inc. at mahoneyj.substack.com/subscribe
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    43 min