Leanne Toshiko Simpson on self-care and writing a prize-winning rom-com
Release Date: 02/18/2026
LIVE from Ever After, with Julia McKay & Kristine Winters
Kobo in Conversation
In the spirit of "Christmas in July," we're presenting a special live episode of Kobo in Conversation from the Toronto International Festival of Authors' inaugural Ever After, the romance book festival. This was recorded back in November 2025, and though it deals with some extremely seasonal themes, we don’t mind a little Christmas in July and we thought you might be into it as well. For a session called "Snowflakes and Sparks," Michael Tamblyn spoke with authors Marissa Stapley and Karma Brown writing under their pen names Julia McKay and Kristine Winters, about what...
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Patrick Radden Keefe on London's dark descent
Kobo in Conversation
Michael Tamblyn spoke with Patrick Radden Keefe, who has been writing for the New Yorker since 2006 and is the author of nonfiction bestsellers including and . His latest book is . They were joined by an intimate studio audience.
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Jowita Bydlowska speaks about her accidental expertise in shame
Kobo in Conversation
Nathan Maharaj spoke with the novelist and journalist Jowita Bydlowska about her new book . It’s a frank, unflinching recounting of the years following the publication of her first book, the memoir . And it’s a thoughtful, fearless meditation on the concept of shame.
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Summer Reading 2026
Kobo in Conversation
For this special bonus episode of , producer and co-host Nathan Maharaj was joined by one of Kobo's booksellers (and frequent contributor), Deandra Lalonde. They sort through the buzziest books to take along to the beach, the books landing in the next few weeks that you won't want to miss, and how best to bring a little Hollywood into your summer reading this year. Books mentioned: by Caro Claire Burke by Ann Patchett by Carley Fortune From 2023: by Alice Oseman by Liane Moriarty by Jenny Jackson by Homer by Rasheed Newson by Solvej Balle And check out dozens more...
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Sharon Bala on the absurdity of so-called Good Guys
Kobo in Conversation
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 called Children of the World, and how their stumbling into the good graces of an A-list celebrity raises a lot of money, and a lot of questions about who the good guys really are. You can watch their conversation too:
info_outline![Natalie Zina Walschots on good bosses and bad guys [encore] show art](https://assets.libsyn.com/content/202326390?height=50&width=50)
Natalie Zina Walschots on good bosses and bad guys [encore]
Kobo in Conversation
This week we’re bringing you a conversation Michael Tamblyn had in 2021 with Natalie Zina Walschots about her extremely fun novel called . It’s about a world where superheroes are out there saving the day in super ways, while villains, who are a lot like you and me, run organizations bent on taking over the world while also trying to keep scores up on Glassdoor. Natalie’s just released a sequel to Hench, and it’s called . [From 2021:] We learned about some of the fantastical worlds Natalie enjoyed exploring as a young reader "often for sheer escapism," as well as the...
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Why Chanda Prescod-Weinstein sees hope in cosmic curiosity
Kobo in Conversation
Nathan Maharaj spoke with physicist Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, author of the 2021 book , a highly personal reflection on the human and inherently flawed practice of scientific inquiry and her career as a Black Jewish scientist. Her new book is . In it she explains to readers, what's really going on with quantum cats? what does a light-swallowing black hole actually look like? what can we learn about quantum theory from the Afrofuturist jazz musician Sun Ra? —and a whole lot more.
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Booktalking - All about Shy Girl and whether AI in publishing is more like plutonium or salt
Kobo in Conversation
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 video from January 2026 that seems to have led to Shy Girl's cancellation: Publishing news journalist Alexandra Alter on the controversy over the cancellation of Shy Girl: Publishing industry analyst Thad McIlroy on what NYT omitted from their piece: Two very "inside baseball" overviews of what happened: What might be the last extant page on any of Hachette's sites...
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How Heather Marshall brings readers into places of the past
Kobo in Conversation
Michael Tamblyn spoke with novelist Heather Marshall. She is a writer of historical fiction, including her 2022 debut bestselling novel and 2024’s with . Heather Marshall’s new book is . It’s the story of a young journalist’s quest to expose the cruelty and corruption of the Mercer Women’s Prison from the inside, the women she meets there, and a police detective trying to uncover a secret 30 years later.
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Why Rainbow Rowell's Cherry Baby had to be her sexiest book yet
Kobo in Conversation
Nathan Maharaj spoke with novelist Rainbow Rowell. She’s the author of books including , , as well as the novel , which she discussed on the show in 2024. Rainbow Rowell’s new book is the novel . It’s about a woman named Cherish, who everybody calls Cherry, at a moment in her life when her marriage seems to have ended and she’s figuring out what comes next.
info_outlineJoined 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 Prize. Never Been Better is the story of a group of three friends who met in a psych ward, but time has passed and now two of whom are about to get married while the third tries to figure out whether to swallow her feelings or let it all out.
Leanne Toshiko Simpson on self-care and writing a prize-winning rom-com