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Recent Episodes
S10E14 Sharon Bala on the absurdity of so-called Good Guys
Nathan Maharaj spoke with novelist Sharon Bala, author of the award-winning 2018 novel, The Boat People. Her new book is called Good Guys. It's about a nearly bankrupt international aid charity…
S10E13 Natalie Zina Walschots on good bosses and bad guys [encore]
This week we're bringing you a conversation Michael Tamblyn had in 2021 with Natalie Zina Walschots about her extremely fun novel called Hench. It's about a world where superheroes are out there…
S10E12 Why Chanda Prescod-Weinstein sees hope in cosmic curiosity
Nathan Maharaj spoke with physicist Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, author of the 2021 book The Disordered Cosmos, a highly personal reflection on the human and inherently flawed practice of scientific…
S10E11 Booktalking - All about Shy Girl and whether AI in publishing is more like plutonium or salt
Hosts Michael Tamblyn and Nathan Maharaj dove deep on the controversy around the book Shy Girl, which was cancelled by its publisher who alleged it was largely AI-generated. Links on Shy Girl: The…
S10E10 How Heather Marshall brings readers into places of the past
Michael Tamblyn spoke with novelist Heather Marshall. She is a writer of historical fiction, including her 2022 debut bestselling novel Looking for Jane and 2024's with The Secret History of Audrey…
S10E9 Why Rainbow Rowell's Cherry Baby had to be her sexiest book yet
Nathan Maharaj spoke with novelist Rainbow Rowell. She's the author of books including Eleanor & Park, Fangirl, as well as the novel Slow Dance, which she discussed on the show in 2024. Rainbow…
S10E8 Tara Gereaux on finding the words for an unspoken identity
Nathan Maharaj spoke with Tara Gereaux, author of the novel Saltus and the novella Size of a Fist. Her new book is called Wild People Quiet. Set in 1946, it's the story of Florence, or Mrs. Banks as…
S10E7 How Eliana Ramage set her sights on the stars for her debut novel
Michael Tamblyn spoke with Eliana Ramage, author of To the Moon and Back. It's a novel about Steph, a young Cherokee woman who from the earliest age is obsessed with space and space travel, dreaming…
S10E6 George Newman on getting good at bad ideas—so great ideas can happen
Nathan spoke with George Newman, psychologist and associate professor at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. His new book is How Great Ideas Happen: The Hidden Steps Behind…
S10E5 Leanne Toshiko Simpson on self-care and writing a prize-winning rom-com
Joined by a live audience in Kobo's intimate event space, Michael Tamblyn spoke with novelist Leanne Toshiko Simpson, author of Never Been Better and winner of the 2025 Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer…
S10E4 Booktalking - Publishers wannabe booksellers, the book business's third rail, dark matter sales data, and more
Hosts Michael Tamblyn and Nathan Maharaj caught up on the latest private equity-fueled mergers & acquisitions, what we're not talking about when we're talking about the money made from books,…
S10E3 Dan Rubinstein on finding community on waterfronts
Host Nathan Maharaj spoke with Dan Rubinstein, author of Water Borne: A 1,200-Mile Paddleboarding Pilgrimage. In it he tells the story of his journey via stand-up paddleboard through waterways around…
S10E2 Souvankham Thammavongsa on writing a woman at the centre of her own story
Host Nathan Maharaj spoke with poet and novelist Souvankham Thammavongsa. Her first poetry collection Small Arguments was published in 2003, and in 2020 her first short story collection How to…
S10E1 Eric Smith and Andrew Bricker on 30 years of the Toronto Raptors
Host Nathan Maharaj spoke with sports broadcaster Eric Smith and writer Andrew Bricker, who together are the authors of We the Raptors: 30 Players – 30 Stories – 30 Years. It is a snackable feast of…
S9E24 MORE of the best books we read in 2025
Following our last episode all about the best books we read in 2025, host and producer Nathan Maharaj connected over Zoom with even more Kobo staffers—as well as Kobo in Conversation co-host Michael…
S9E23 The best books we read in 2025
It's no spoiler to say that Kobo is full of avid readers. So every year we get together to share the best books we read in the past year. Some of the books are new. Some are very old. All were…
S9E22 Miriam Toews on her new memoir, and the surprising truth of good comedy
Michael Tamblyn spoke with Miriam Toews, author of many novels including A Complicated Kindness, All My Puny Sorrows, and Women Talking, to name just a few. Her latest book is a memoir called, A…
S9E21 Charlotte McConaghy found fear on the Wild Dark Shore
Nathan Maharaj spoke with the novelist Charlotte McConaghy. Her latest book is Wild Dark Shore. It's the story of the Salt family, the stewards of a vast seed bank on a remote island that's in danger…
S9E20 Julian Brave NoiseCat on storytelling in the trickster tradition
Nathan Maharaj spoke with the Oscar-nominated filmmaker and journalist Julian Brave NoiseCat. He co-directed the 2024 documentary Sugarcane which investigated abuses at a residential school in…
S9E19 Mona Awad on returning to the world of Bunny
Nathan Maharaj spoke with novelist Mona Awad. Her debut book, 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl was a Giller Prize finalist. Its follow-up Bunny was set in an Ivy League creative writing program and…
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Kobo in Conversation has published 176 episodes since December 2018, covering topics in Arts, Books.
Kobo in Conversation is currently highly active with new episodes every 2 weeks. Average episode length is 45m.
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