The Sunday Magazine

Dr. Jen Gunter is known as the internet’s resident gynecologist for good reason. Famed for taking down those who peddle misinformation and pseudoscience, Dr. Gunter is applying her signature feminist lens to menstruation in her new book, Blood. She joins Piya Chattopadhyay to break down reproductive anatomy, and why our longstanding period of menstrual shame should be replaced with science and evidenced-based research.

Host Piya Chattopadhyay speaks with The Globe and Mail's Alexandra Posadzki about the battle to control Rogers and how telecom is being reshaped in Canada more broadly, Dr. Jen Gunter debunks menstruation myths, The Washington Post's Toluse Olorunnipa unpacks the wild week in American politics, and sports journalist Morgan Campbell recounts his experience growing up Black in Canada with a family that has deep American roots. Find more at at https://www.cbc.ca/sunday

Journalist Jon Ronson has made a career out of challenging orthodoxies and examining the fringes of society, from people who've been publicly shamed, to the American military’s exploration of paranormal tools, and the porn industry. In the newest season of his BBC podcast Things Fell Apart, he tackles the culture wars and how they exploded during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. Ronson joins David Common to talk about his journalistic approach, and why he thinks curiosity should trump ideology in storytelling.

This week on The Sunday Magazine, guest host David Common speaks with Arif Lalani and Bessma Momani about the week in global conflict from the Middle East and Ukraine, podcaster Jon Ronson talks about how COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns helped fuel culture wars, Dr. Bachir Tajaldin reflects on the recovery effort one year after the devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria, CBC Calgary's Jason Markusoff breaks down Alberta's new gender policies for children and youth, and culture critic Aisha Harris discusses the intersection of identity and entertainment. Find more at at https://www.cbc.ca/sunday

From layoffs to lack of trust, the main narrative about the news media for years now has been one of doom and gloom. But Ira Glass has bucked the trend. The host and creator of This American Life hasn't just thrived on public radio – he's also helped kick off a profit-turning age of podcasting. With his venerable show approaching its 30th anniversary, Glass speaks with Piya Chattopadhyay about his audio legacy, the key to good storytelling, and what he would tell aspiring journalists looking to enter the fray in these turbulent times.

Host Piya Chattopadhyay speaks with Susan Delacourt and Matt Gurney about what awaits MPs as they return to Parliament, This American Life host Ira Glass reflects on his audio legacy, CBC News foreign correspondent Chris Brown brings us the latest on the Israel-Hamas war, law professor Richard Moon outlines the legal landscape of protest in Canada, and journalist Vincent Bevins talks about what makes street movements succeed and fail. Find more at at https://www.cbc.ca/sunday

About a month after Russia's war in Ukraine began, artist Sasha Skochilenko walked into a St. Petersburg grocery store and began sticking anti-war messages on the shelves. The act of protest landed her in Russian detention and charged with spreading "false information" about the Russian military. Julia Pagel has followed her journey through the justice system during wartime with Skochilenko's loved ones, who've been advocating for the artist throughout. She shares that story in Sasha's Message, a documentary produced by CBC's Audio Doc Unit.

Host Piya Chattopadhyay speaks with John Ibbitson, Brad Lavigne and Raisa Patel about the challenges and chances marking the road ahead for the NDP, international relations expert Guy Ziv breaks down the relationship between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the country's security community, global politics expert Yascha Mounk talks about the risks democracies will face in the coming year, and our Sunday Documentary explores crackdowns on anti-war protest in Russia. For more, visit https://cbc.ca/sunday.

Fei Fei Li is known in scientific circles as the "Godmother of AI." The Stanford University computer science professor's groundbreaking work teaching computers to "see" and recognize vast data sets laid the groundwork for generative artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT that are taking the world by storm now. She joins Piya Chattopadhyay to mull over the philosophy and wonder of AI, as well as the growing concerns around it... and to reflect on her journey – from growing up in tough economic circumstances in the United States after emigrating from China, to being at the forefront of a scientific revolution.

Host Piya Chattopadhyay speaks with the University of Ottawa's Thomas Juneau about the U.S.-U.K. strikes on Houthis in Yemen, we break down the genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, 'Godmother of AI' Fei Fei Li reflects on her groundbreaking work, and investigative journalist Hilke Schellmann unearths how AI is being used to help guide hiring decisions. For more, visit https://cbc.ca/sunday.

In the latest edition of our monthly challenge That's Puzzling!, Piya Chattopadhyay competes against one familiar voice and one clever listener in a battle of brain games devised by puzzle master Peter Brown. Kicking off the new year with a brand new challenge are Bonita Moore, from Shediac, N.B., and the newly-retired host of CBC Radio's Tapestry, Mary Hynes.

Host Piya Chattopadhyay speaks with The Economist's Middle East correspondent Gregg Carlstrom about rising tensions in the region, our monthly brain game That's Puzzling! returns, economist Jim Stanford forecasts Canada's economic prospects for 2024, and cognitive scientist Maya Shankar explores how we can all weather change better. For more, visit https://cbc.ca/sunday.

One of the biggest entertainment stories of 2023 was one the world's biggest entertainment companies turning 100. Disney has endured through the decades with its beloved characters, theme parks and technological innovations. As it caps off its centennial, The Sunday Magazine producer Pete Mitton explores how the humble animation studio came to dominate the world’s imagination… and whether the figurative castle it’s built can withstand the changing world around it for another 100 years.

Host Piya Chattopadhyay speaks with political scientist Bessma Momani and former Canadian diplomat Arif Lalani about the global events that shaped 2023, The Sunday Magazine producer Pete Mitton explores Disney's hold on the world's imagination as the company turns 100, The New Yorker staff writer Susan Orlean talks about what animals can teach us about being human, and Pulitzer Prize-winning science journalist Ed Yong reveals the wild world of animal senses.

Author and illustrator Oliver Jeffers has inspired a fanbase of kids around the world with his books like How to Catch a Star, The Day the Crayons Quit and Lost and Found. Now, Jeffers is back with a vibrant new book for all ages, which explores the history of humankind and his dreams for a better future. It's called Begin Again, and Piya Chattopadhyay recently spoke with him about it on stage at the Toronto Reference Library's Bram and Bluma Appel Salon.

Host Piya Chattopadhyay speaks with Paul Rogers about prospects for peace amid global conflict, author and illustrator Oliver Jeffers shares his vibrant visions for the future, Marion Nestle talks about her pioneering role in food politics, Canadian writers unwrap the narratives folded into dumplings, and top chefs Yotam Ottolenghi and Noor Murad extoll the virtues of your kitchen pantry. For more, visit https://cbc.ca/sunday.

Deafblind people are leading a language revolution, and John Lee Clark has written its manifesto. Over the last decade, the poet, author and scholar has been on the frontlines of Protactile – a touch-based language developed and used primarily by people with hearing and vision loss. Clark joins Piya Chattopadhyay, along with interpreter Halene Anderson, to talk about his book Touch the Future, trace the evolution of Protactile, and outline the barrier of distantism that he says keeps deafblind people at an arm's length from the rest of society. A transcript of this conversation is available at https://cbc.ca/1.7060008

Host Piya Chattopadhyay speaks with columnists Susan Delacourt and Matt Gurney about the foreign policy debates and domestic crises defining federal politics, deafblind poet and activist John Lee Clark traces the evolution of Protactile language, global affairs analyst Michael Bociurkiw takes stock of the state of the war in Ukraine, technology columnist Taylor Lorenz looks back on the year's biggest moves in the digital world, and we mark the 10th anniversary of the r/AmItheAsshole Reddit forum. For more, visit https://cbc.ca/sunday.

In 2016, Toronto journalist and journalism professor Adrian Ma received a special gift from his uncle while visiting Hong Kong – a bottle of whisky distilled in 1952, and released 25 years later to mark Queen Elizabeth's Silver Jubilee. Since then, the whisky enthusiast has grappled with how to honour such a meaningful present and precious piece of whisky history. Ma takes us on a journey to Scotland to discover more about the bottle's story while he contemplates whether to save, drink or sell it, in a documentary produced by CBC's Audio Doc Unit.

Host Piya Chattopadhyay speaks with Dartmouth College government professor Stephen G. Brooks about American influence on the world stage amid global crises, our Sunday Documentary follows journalist Adrian Ma's dilemma over a special bottle of whisky, child solider-turned-artist and peace activist Emmanuel Jal shares his insights on conflict and trauma, Stacy Lee Kong, Clifton Cremo, and Chris Turner riff on some of the stories that got people talking this week. Plus: A Christmas story from comedian and satirist Rick Mercer. For more, visit https://cbc.ca/sunday.

In the latest edition of our monthly challenge That's Puzzling!, Piya Chattopadhyay competes against one familiar voice and one clever listener in a battle of brain games devised by puzzle master Peter Brown. Playing along this month are thirteen year old Moss Martin in Colchester County N.S, and host of CBC kid's The Studio K Show, Tony Kim.

Host Piya Chattopadhyay speaks with Doctors Without Borders Canada executive director Joseph Belliveau about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Middle East expert and former Israeli diplomat Joshua Krasna breaks down the dilemmas facing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the Israel-Hamas war continues, our Sunday Documentary explores one man's fight to change the law preventing him from getting justice in Newfoundland, our monthly brain game That's Puzzling! returns, and Nobel Peace Prize-winning journalist Maria Ressa warns of disinformation's threat to democracy. For more, visit https://cbc.ca/sunday.

It can be difficult to talk to kids about what's happening in the world – especially when it involves civil unrest, illness and death. But Tomson Highway wants to make it a little easier. The renowned Cree author, musician and playwright joins Piya Chattopadhyay to discuss his new musical children's book, Grand Chief Salamoo Cook is Coming to Town!, and explains why bringing laughter to dark situations can sometimes be the best medicine.

Host Piya Chattopadhyay speaks with The Economist's Gregg Carlstrom about the latest in the Israel-Hamas war, Cree writer Tomson Highway explains the importance of laughter in dark times, The Atlantic's Amanda Mull explains how the tools that should make us more informed shoppers are actually leaving us more confused, Kathryn Harrison and Simon Dalby analyze Canada's climate commitments and the intersection between climate change and conflict, and Rachel O'Dwyer explores what the rise of tokens tells us about money. For more, visit https://cbc.ca/sunday.

She has two Olympic golds and four podium finishes at the World Championships. But Caster Semenya can no longer compete in elite competition, all because of what's long defined the middle distance runner more than her athletic achievement: her gender. Semenya has higher testosterone levels than average women, which has made her a lightning rod in conversations around gender in sports for years. Now, she's telling her own story in a memoir called The Race to Be Myself. She joins Piya Chattopadhyay to talk about being the subject of debate in public and how she's keeping up her fight for all women to be respected and included in sports.

Host Piya Chattopadhyay speaks with Palestinian Canadian Suzan Harb about her family's harrowing journey out of Gaza, science journalist Jay Ingram projects how we'll live in the future, Sam Adler-Bell explores the rise of "statementese" online, champion runner Caster Semenya reflects on being at the centre of debates around gender in sports, Deborah Lyons and Amira Elghawaby talk about the rise of antisemitism and Islamophobia since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. For more, visit https://cbc.ca/sunday.