Friday Special Blend
Friday June 26th, 2026 with Susan Johnston. Gianluca Petti. Sarah Gelbard.
Temporary Palaces

In our first hour, Jeff Miller joins Susan and guest host Sarah Gelbard to talk about his novel Temporary Palaces (House of Anansi, 2026), which captures Ottawa’s punk scene across 2001 and 2011 through squats, shows, and intimate living-room listening sessions. We explore how the book blurs autobiography and fiction, renames and remaps real city spaces, and honours the ephemerality at the heart of punk. The conversation delves into DIY culture, housing activism and the seven-year squat, the emotional legacy of youth idealism, and why believing that a better world is possible still matters. Music by Kepler, Bad Missionary, The Johnnies, Three Penny Opera, Resin Scraper, Shotmaker, and Forx. For more information on Temporary Palaces, check out the House of Anansi Page: https://houseofanansi.com/products/temporary-palaces?srsltid=AfmBOor-U3uyZIBkNzzGMrzMJDP5m6N60YOZ6crAwAQqpyqHK7DHzaCT. More information on Sarah Gelbard's work is available at Gelbard.ca