all about canadian books (AACB) is one of our favourite author interview series. Host crystal fletcher doesn’t care if an author is a big name or the book a bestseller: she only cares that she likes the work. crystal has interviewed many of our favourite contemporary Canadian authors and brings with her to each conversation kindness, enthusiasm, and thoughtful and incisive questions—and her refreshingly raw and unfettered love of language. (Does anyone remember when she teared up during a National Poetry Month episode? As if we could adore her anymore!)
We are happy to welcome crystal to our Power Q & A series to talk about her series, and why she started it.
all about canadian books host, crystal fletcher
Q: Why did you start AACB?
A: When COVID-19 hit, I wanted to do something to help, so I began to post readings from my novel Beauty Beneath the Banyan on YouTube. I thought I’d get through a few chapters before the world returned to ‘normal.’ Well…we know how that went; I ended up reading the entire book. By then I had a small audience who looked forward to the readings and didn’t want me to stop. So, I decided to pivot to author interviews.
I was nervous about this transition—I found the technology intimidating, I felt shy about approaching authors to be a guest on the program, I was fearful authors wouldn’t want to participate because who the heck was crystal fletcher? And, I was REALLY uncomfortable being on camera.
Well…I’m SO grateful I got over it! Besides writing, I’ve found another love. I adore interviewing new and established Canadian authors who are published by Canadian independent presses (with a few Canadian biggies thrown in).
My program is called AACB (all about canadian books). It was inspired by CBC’s Randy Bachman’s Vinyl Tap: Every Song Tells a Story. I was captivated by his stories about popular Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive songs. And as a reader, I find a book even more interesting when I know the author and what inspired them to write it. Hence my AACB quest, is to discover the author’s story and the story behind their book.
Fast forward to September 2024, Season 5 of AACB has kicked-off. I have had the pleasure of interviewing 75+ new and established Canadian authors. Donna Morrisey, Susan Swan, Brad Smith, Bianca Marais, Marissa Stapley, Lucy EM Black, Hollay Ghadery, Wayne Ng, Ernie Louttit, Dr. Anita Jack-Davies, Nancy Lam, Alie and Hejsa Christensen and SO many more. To find these interviews visit (AACB).
I am in deep awe of the talent we have in our Canadian literary community and the calibre of books our small independent presses send out into the world is phenomenal. I am so proud to be a part of the CanLit community and can’t wait to be inspired by more authors this season.
More about crystal fletcher:
CRYSTAL FLETCHER is the author of "Beauty Beneath the Banyan," which was published by Inanna Publications & Educations Inc. Her manuscript "Tears from the Sea," was longlisted for the 2021 Guernica Prize for Literary Fiction. As a passionate supporter of Canadian Literature, Crystal created a YouTube channel all about canadian books (AACB).