GET LIT radio show and podcast signs off on 93.3 CFMU

Host and author Jamie Tennant reflects on the beginning, and the ending, of a local program that talked to Hamilton, provincial, national, and even international authors over 500 episodes spanning a decade.

After almost 10 years and 500 episodes, the GET LIT program has signed off.

The what program?

Fair question.

GET LIT is a program focused mainly on Canadian authors and poets. It aired on Hamilton’s community radio, 93.3 CFMU, and was also a tiny, translucent drop in the ever-rising podcast ocean. As a community radio show and podcast about Canadian literature, it was the dictionary definition of niche. I don’t mean “a recess in a wall,” I mean “a specialized market.” One that did not encourage ad revenue or monetization of Tik Tok.

The last episode, recorded live at the gritLIT Festival in April, aired June 18.

OK, so I didn’t make bank as the host of GET LIT. Why did I do it? To feel useful? Sure. To get my name out there? I suppose, though it wasn’t exactly an efficient method (see “drop in the ever-rising podcast ocean,” above). Because I love books? Of course. To serve the greater community good? Absolutely. Despite its modest reach, GET LIT was one of precious few platforms on which hundreds of Canadian authors were able to promote their work. I’m thrilled and humbled to have been able to provide this platform. I’m fortunate to have talked with so many brilliant minds about books, writing, publishing, parrots, manatees, Chinese history, AI, rock ’n’ roll, interdimensional demons and the culture wars in Hollywood … and whatever else our free-form conversations might include.

Though it’s not what I’d put on my mortgage application, I am an author. I was at the tender age of 45 when I decided it was time to seriously pursue publishing (I had published hundreds of thousands of words of music journalism, but certainly no works of fiction). Yet I know very few people who were published. I had no one to ask for advice, answer questions, or simply commiserate with when it came to the craft. Diving headlong into the Hamilton literary scene, I was saddled with a debilitating case of imposter syndrome and a sincere fear of being unwelcome. Who is this bald middle-aged dude who thinks he’s a writer, anyway?

What I experienced was the opposite. Successful and talented people not only gave me the time of day, they actually offered to help, they introduced me to others, and they showed me support. Gary Barwin was, at the time, sailing the high seas of books sales and awards for Yiddish for Pirates; after only meeting him twice, he appeared at my book launch. I remember thinking, why is a big shot like Barwin supporting a schmoe like me?

The reason is the word I’m going to overuse a lot here: community. All of these talented people were once newcomers. They’ve all had questions, they’ve all needed advice and beta readers and sounding  boards and people to vent with over coffees. They knew community was important, and so they welcomed me in.  I’m pretty sure they’d do that for anyone.

Did I mention the Hamilton literary community is the best? It’s the best.

So what could I do in return? Buying flowers for every lit-adjacent person in Hamilton seemed like an inefficient way to say “thank you.” My day job, however, involved microphones and recording studios. My part-time job involved interviewing artists. I’d done both for decades. What if I started a radio show about books?

GET LIT E01 aired on my birthday, November 2016. The aforementioned Gary Barwin was the first guest, followed the next week by Madeline Thien, who had just released Do Not Say We Have Nothing. A strong start.

And my own writing community expanded outward. In giving back to Hamilton writers, I began serving the community on a provincial, then national, then (extremely limited but nevertheless) global level. I went form-fishing for interviews to a towering TBR stack of books. GET LIT became an important fixture in the local and, indeed, Canadian book scene. In a world where no one wants to review books, where authors rarely get to talk about their work at length, GET LIT seemed to find its groove. Or page, as it were.

Ninety-five per cent of the time, the show necessitated reading a book a week. To do an interview without reading the work felt like cheating (I know, I know, it’s the age of AI, I should take my Flock of Seagulls mix tape and go home). The thing is, it wasn’t just being old-fashioned, it was being prepared and, moreover, respectful of authors and poets.  As a guest on GET LIT you weren’t being interviewed by a reporter, you were having a discussion with a reader. The difference is immeasurable.

GET LIT was not, of course, entirely altruistic. I did not expand my financial portfolio, or buy a Lexus, but I did get some free books (if only I earned some free bookshelves). I explored modern Canadian literature extensively, which improved both my reading and my writing. I’ve met acclaimed authors and had heartfelt conversations. Some of the show’s guests have become my friends, or my readers. Sometimes, it even got me gigs. If I didn’t host GET LIT, would I have interviewed astronaut Chris Hadfield in front of a sold-out crowd at the Playhouse? Probably not.

Giving up this show has been difficult. GET LIT is a major conduit between myself and my community, but it’s only a conduit, not an artery; it’s important, but not critical. There are other ways to connect, support and engage with the literary world, and I look forward to exploring them. In the meantime, GET LIT E500 is my thesis defense. The never-ending PhD in modern Canadian literature is finally finished (does this mean I’m now qualified to teach? Alas, no.)

New ideas are bubbling under the waterline, and hopefully they will surface in 2027. In the meantime, there are about 50 early episodes of GET LIT to post, so I can taper off gradually. There are manuscripts to edit, novels to write, and books to choose to read. I am thankful for every single person who guested or listened or assisted in any way. You’re proof that the community I speak of exists.

Your community exists, too, whatever it might be. Not everyone has a recording studio next door, but all of us have a voice. Speak up for, engage with, champion your community, whether it’s birders or knitters or Habs fans or environmental activists or D&D enthusiasts. After all, each other is all we got. That’s terrible grammar, but it’s the truth.

All 500 episodes of GET LIT are available on most major podcasting platforms and at jamietennant.ca.

Jamie Tennant is program director at 93.3 CFMU and a frequent music contributor to HAMILTON CITY Magazine.