The Blue Hour: Fall Conversations 2026
A fall of live radio conversations from UBC, exploring the philosophy of art, evolutionary biology, loneliness and belonging, genomics and cancer, constitutional law, biodiversity and rewilding, Haida art and storytelling, and innovations in sustainable materials.
Hosted by Farha Guerrero, The Blue Hour is a live, in-studio conversational ideas show on CiTR 101.9 FM at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada.
Tuesdays at 2 p.m. PT
Listen live and afterwards on CiTR 101.9 FM, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.
Recent interviews, podcasts, and transcripts can be found on The Hour Is Blue.
Tuesday, October 6
Dr. Dominic McIver Lopes
University Killam Professor, Department of Philosophy, UBC
The philosophy of art, aesthetic experience and value, images and perception, digital and computer art, and the place of art in human life.
Tuesday, October 13
Dr. Sally Otto
University Killam Professor, Department of Zoology, UBC
Evolutionary biology, genetics, sexual reproduction, the evolution of genomes, and how organisms adapt, or fail to adapt, to a changing world.
Tuesday, October 20
Dr. Kimberley Brownlee
Professor and Canada Research Chair in Ethics and Political and Social Philosophy, UBC
Loneliness and belonging, social human rights, human relationships, freedom of association, civil disobedience, and our obligations to one another.
Tuesday, October 27
Dr. Marco Marra
University Killam Professor, Department of Medical Genetics and Michael Smith Laboratories, UBC
Genomics, cancer, precision medicine, the Human Genome Project, and how understanding the human genome is transforming the diagnosis and treatment of disease.
Tuesday, November 3
Dr. Joel Bakan
Professor, Peter A. Allard School of Law, UBC
Constitutional law, socio-legal studies, legal theory, economic law, corporate power, and the relationship between law, corporations, and democracy.
Tuesday, November 10
Dr. Kai Chan
Professor, Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, UBC; Canada Research Chair in Re-Wilding and Social-Ecological Transformation
Biodiversity, rewilding, ecological restoration, environmental ethics, the relationship between people and nature, and transforming societies and ecosystems for a better future.
Tuesday, November 17
Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas
Haida visual artist and author, creator of Haida Manga
Haida art and storytelling, the meeting of Indigenous and Asian artistic traditions, formline and visual narrative, cultural identity, and the relationship between art, history, and environmental responsibility.
Tuesday, November 24
Cecilia N. Cancellara
PhD Candidate, Chemical and Biological Engineering, UBC
Sustainable cellulose nanomaterials, colloid science and engineering, transforming forestry biomass into high-value materials, and bringing sustainable technologies from the laboratory to the marketplace.
Looking ahead to winter
See The Blue Hour: Winter Conversations 2026/27 schedule for the next series of guests and conversations.
Recent interviews, podcasts, and transcripts can be found on The Hour Is Blue blog.
Learn more about The Blue Hour on CiTR 101.9 FM.