The Current

The Current for Jan. 19, 2021

Today on The Current: Poisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny returns to a Moscow jail cell; coping with loneliness in the pandemic; and Nalo Hopkinson on the "joyful" responsibility of being a leading Black voice in sci-fi writing.
Matt Galloway is the host of CBC Radio's The Current. (CBC)

Episode Transcript

Today on The Current:

After being poisoned and sent abroad for emergency medical treatment last year, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny this week returned to Moscow — and a jail cell. We talk to Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Russian opposition politician who also survived poisoning attempts; and journalist Catherine Belton, author of Putin's People: How the KGB Took Back Russia and Then Took On the West.

Then, the pandemic has left many people feeling isolated and lonely. We talk to Danita Steinberg in Toronto and Marci Stepak in Montreal, who have been dealing with these feelings in lockdown. Plus, we hear from Vancouver journalist Peg Fong, who explores the effects of loneliness on our mental health in her podcast Alone Together.

And science fiction writer Nalo Hopkinson recently became the first Black woman to win a prestigious lifetime achievement award from Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America. She hopes the honour will encourage more marginalized voices in the science fiction and fantasy communities to pursue their writing, and win the respect they deserve in the field.