Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud

It’s being called the beginning of the end of the Trump era. Culture critics Alyssa Mercante and David Dennis Jr. break down the cultural implications of the midterm elections – and look ahead to how things could change in the years ahead.

Also, recently the world of techno music lost one of its founding fathers: Detroit producer and deejay, Juan Atkins. Elamin is joined by Julian Chambliss to look back on Juan Atkins’ pioneering legacy and why techno music was always a playground for Black futurism.

For a lot of us, Instagram just means an endless scroll, with creators competing for our attention with a constant stream of short-form content. But now, it’s experimenting with long form content: videos that run for up to 90 minutes. What’s behind the shift? And does it reflect a growing sense of fatigue with the bite-sized content that dominates our feeds? Culture critics Kate Lindsay and Nicholas Quah join Elamin Abdelmahmoud to explore Instagram’s unexpected turn towards long-form video.

Plus, in a shocking twist even the best fanfic authors couldn’t write, the fan fiction platform Archive Of Our Own, or AO3, is down — and no one knows for how long. Reactions were emotional, to say the least, for the millions of people who access the platform regularly. CBC Books producer Bridget Raymundo sits down with Commotion host Elamin Abdelmahmoud to talk about what we know about the outage, why it came as such a shock to the fan fiction community, and what it could mean for the beloved online space going forward.

There's been an outpouring of tributes for actor Patrick Stewart after he died recently at the age of 86. He commanded the stage and screen, no matter the role, whether it was Macbeth, Jean-Luc Picard, or Professor X. Culture critic Angelica Jade Bastién and Jonathan Church, artistic director of the Stratford Festival, sit down with Elamin Abdelmahmoud to pay tribute to Patrick Stewart's long career in theatre, TV and film.

Plus, the Edmonton-based video game studio BioWare is shutting down. Kawika Guillermo joins Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud to discuss why this happened, how fans are responding, and what it all means for the video game industry in Canada.

'A Court of Shattered Harmony,' the sixth installment in Sarah J. Maas’ A Court of Thorns and Roses fantasy series, recently dropped and readers around the world flocked to bookstores for the launch. Romantasy reader Riley Yesno and book industry insider Nathan Maharaj join Elamin Abdelmahmoud to talk about how romantasy fans are bringing back the midnight book release party and how it feels like 2007 all over again.

Plus, the new Winnipeg-based comedy series 'Cool Sweepings' is the brainchild of Black Film Space Manitoba, and part of Bell Fibe’s roster of regional community programming. Comedian and content creator Marlon Palmer talks with Elamin Abdelmahmoud about why regional, community-focused shows like 'Cool Sweepings' are an important stepping stone for Canada’s local indie film and tv productions.

Culture writer Niko Stratis, music journalist Emilie Hanskamp, and rapper/author Rollie Pemberton, a.k.a. Cadence Weapon join Elamin Abdelmahmoud to discuss the new album --BLackneck -- from Canadian rap legend k-os, the bracing debut record from Vancouver punk band PISS, and Canada’s five finalists vying for a chance to represent the nation next year at the Eurovision Song Contest in Bulgaria. By the way, Canadians across the country have the chance to choose which of the five artists gets the coveted spot to represent Canada at Eurovision. Voting is open now until November 5. Cast your vote here