Welcome, dear friends, to the library. Each episode finds me loitering in a library with a special guest in a location of their choosing. We comb the stacks and have a chat about passions, practices, and possibilities, letting the story unfold as it will. You’re encouraged to read between the lines because it’s going to be a real page turner… Welcome to The Library Loiterers. --- Ahhhhh, today we find ourselves at Canada’s largest reference library and home to over 4 millio

It has become a Talk Paper Scissors tradition to feature the incredible work of up-and-coming typeface designers in this space (check out Episode 026 with Veronika & Mary-Anne, Episode 113 with Nate & Sarah and Episode 146 with Nicole & Cameron, Episode 191 With Max & Cecilia, Episode 258 with Paulina & Darrab, and Episode 277 with Ivana & Mahrukh). This work was born in the Advanced Typography course I teach at Toronto Metropolitan University. After reviewing many submission

I love a beautiful book about typography (who doesn’t?!) and this one, that we’re about to get into, is a BEAUT! Our guest today is Elliot Jay Stocks and I am obsessed with his other book (Universal Principles of Typography) and use it as the textbook in my intro to typography class (it’s really, really good) and I couldn’t wait to chat with him about his new book, available around the world now! Elliot is a designer and author, known in typographic circles for his work as th

The First Things First manifesto was originally published in 1964 by designer Ken Garland and signed by 21 other designers, photographers, and students who believed in the ethos of his message. While I won’t read the entire manifesto (as it’s protected by copyright) I will read a passage that will help you gain an understanding of what it’s all about: “We do not advocate the abolition of high pressure consumer advertising: this is not feasible. Nor do we want to take any of t

Welcome, dear friends, to the library. Each episode finds me loitering in a library with a special guest in a location of their choosing. We comb the stacks and have a chat about passions, practices, and possibilities, letting the story unfold as it will. You’re encouraged to read between the lines because it’s going to be a real page turner… Welcome to The Library Loiterers. --- Our story begins in the early days of the 21st century. I, Diana Varma, was a young teen and em

Please close your eyes. Now think back to a typical day in high school. That might have been in the distant past or perhaps more recently. What was it like? What did you spend your days doing and learning about? What did your classrooms look like and what did the system look like? Feel like? For most of us in traditional high school environments, the structure of school—whether a mostly positive or negative experience—probably looked pretty similar. A teacher at the front of

I’m really, really excited for you to hear today’s conversation with author, Kate Robson, about the magic of using metaphor. This is episode 301, and as I’ve been inching closer towards the 300 episode mark, I’ve been thinking a lot about how this podcast has evolved and how I might describe it using metaphor. Here’s my best try… This podcast has become a space not unlike a community garden . I collect the necessary components, tend to space, plant seeds that allow for great

"This is the conclusion of a successful semester, where concept, creation, and distribution plans came together. Professor Diana welcomes the class for a final reflection and listening party, handing hosting duties over to Shana and Alex. This episode is a celebration of the creative energy poured into the course, covering everything from the development of a central concept to planning final distribution strategies. The discussion explores the powerful concept of "class citi

"On this episode of Lights Microphone Podcast, we sit down with Winnie Liao, a multilingual creator navigating the world of podcasting outside the default English-speaking bubble. Winnie brings us inside the reality of building content in a different language, carving out space for cultural identity, and pushing back against the idea that creativity only counts when it fits the dominant market. She shares the story of starting her show in Mandarin in Taiwan, the unexpected de

“If you want to grow your podcast, you need to stop thinking like a social media star and start thinking like a librarian. This week, we are honoured to have Jordan Blair, Podcast Producer for Buzzsprout and host of the Buzzcast, joining us to talk about the core mechanics of making your show grow. Jordan brings us inside the world of podcast distribution, breaking down why platforms are search engines, not recommendation feeds. You will learn the single most useful metric fo

"If you're stuck in the planning phase, you're losing the game. The secret to success in any venture, especially podcasting, is fast feedback and radical adaptation. This is 100 Ways to Make 100K, and this week, host Javon Martin is going behind the scenes of his own show. For over 70 episodes, Javon has been on a relentless hunt to find 100 different paths to generating $100,000 per month. In this special session, Javon reveals the brutal, yet necessary, truth about what it

Quick Summary - Show Notes Nick Thorburn (the musician behind The Unicorns and Islands ) talks with host Shana about creating one of the most recognizable pieces of podcast music ever: the theme song for Serial. The whole thing happened almost by accident. A friend made a connection, and Nick treated it like any other freelance gig. He listened to the pilot episode, got inspired by the dark, true-crime vibe, and cranked out a library of music in one weekend. He had zero clue

“ Welcome to Ctrl+Alt+Narrate , the show that explores the diverse journeys behind digital media creation. But what happens when the creators become the story? In this episode, host Alex flips the camera around to interview the brilliant team that brings the show to life: Sneesha, Alisha, and Victoria. Together, they dive deep into the production process of " Ctrl+Alt+Narrate ," covering everything from managing a massive post-production backlog to the learning curve of hosti

Hello Everybody! The next 6 weeks of this podcast, we’re doing something a little different. I can’t wait for you to hear what’s to come. In the Fall 2025 semester, I had the great fortune of teaching my first for-credit course in podcasting. Since I started Talk Paper Scissors in 2019, I’ve informally helped and consulted on a number of projects in the space, but I had never (until now!) planned a full curriculum, thinking through what I would’ve loved to know when I was fi

Welcome back - I’m so glad you’re here. This is the first episode in a 3-part guest lecture series, speaking with a diverse range of design and typography pros from across North America! This episode features type designer and educator, Leo Vicenti . Leo is an Assistant Professor of Communication Design at Emily Carr University of Art + Design in Vancouver whose research approaches indigenous language preservation, revitalization, and the return of these languages to everyda

It has become a Talk Paper Scissors tradition to feature the incredible work of up-and-coming typeface designers in this space (check out Episode 026 with Veronika & Mary-Anne, Episode 113 with Nate & Sarah and Episode 146 with Nicole & Cameron, Episode 191 With Max & Cecilia, and Episode 258 with Paulina & Darrab). This work was born in the Advanced Typography course I teach at Toronto Metropolitan University. After reviewing many submissions, with work scaffolded thro

Yes, I do love printing and design, typography and branding, books and publishing. I feel grateful that I get to chat with so many...