Podcast: Interview with Author Monica Hughes (1982)

I think there's no excuse for hiding things [from children]. I've never believed in fairy tales, in the sense of fairy tale as a disguise for reality. I love fairy tale as fantasy, as an expression of creative joy . . . but not for hiding reality.

– Monica Hughes, in conversation with Kevin Courrier (1982)

From 1981 to 1989, I was assistant producer and co-host of the radio show On the Arts, at CJRT-FM (today Jazz 91.1) in Toronto. With the late Tom Fulton, who was the show's prime host and producer, we did a half-hour interview program where we talked to writers and artists from all fields. In 1982, I sat down with English-Canadian children's and young adult author Monica Hughes.

Born in Liverpool in 1925, Monica Hughes spent her childhood in Cairo, London, and Edinburgh before moving to Canada in 1952. She was the author of over 40 books, including her award-winning Isis Trilogy (1980-1982) and Invitation to the Game (1990). At the time of our conversation, her ninth book, Hunter in the Dark, hads just been published. Her last published work was The Maze, in 2002. Monica Hughes passed away in 2003, at the age of 77.

– Kevin Courrier

Here is the full interview with Monica Hughes as it aired on CJRT-FM in 1982.

Kevin Courrier is a freelance writer/broadcaster, film critic and author (Dangerous Kitchen: The Subversive World of Zappa, Randy Newman's American Dreams, 33 1/3 Captain Beefheart's Trout Mask Replica, Artificial Paradise: The Dark Side of The Beatles Utopian Dream). Courrier teaches part-time film courses to seniors through the LIFE Institute at Ryerson University in Toronto and other venues. His forthcoming book is Talking Out of Turn: A Collection of Reviews, Interviews and Remembrances currently being assembled on Blogger. 

Tom Fulton was the host and producer of On the Arts for CJRT-FM in Toronto for 23 years, beginning in 1975.