E769 - Colin Belcourt - The Blue Hour Gospel is about the fear of living the wrong life, and the slow erasure of the self

EPISODE 769 - Colin Belcourt - The Blue Hour Gospel is about the fear of living the wrong life, and the slow erasure of the self Colin Belcourt joins the podcast to reflect on the curious alchemy between place, identity, and the quiet work of writing. Based outside Ottawa after moving from Toronto, Colin describes the unexpected ease of life beyond big-city rush hour and how his new role leading a municipal data team sits beside his creative life, where he acts as a translator between technical systems and everyday people. That juxtaposition—structured meetings by day, vulnerable page-by-page exploration by night—frames much of the conversation. Colin explains how writing became a therapeutic practice at the suggestion of a therapist and how that gentle nudge eventually unfolded into a book that processes anxiety, self-erasure, and the small, stubborn moments that shape us. He describes writing as armor that allows honesty to surface: once words are on the page, patterns emerge and hidden pressures—imposter syndrome, perfectionism, the urge to diminish one’s work—start to lose their power. Colin emphasizes the slow-burn rewards of creative work, valuing one intimate reader’s note over broad acclaim and learning to celebrate those quiet confirmations. A key thread is representation and the particular pressures of growing up gay in the nineties. Colin situates his experience—privileged but still othered—within broader community dynamics where image and assimilation often mask unresolved grief and unprocessed trauma. His book intentionally preserves ambiguity and invites readers to find themselves in the margins: characters named as variations of him embody interactions across family, strangers, lovers, and institutions. The narrative experiments with form—QR codes, recipe-like chapters, songs—to offer multiple entry points and to honor different ways readers engage with story. Colin also reflects honestly on publishing and promotion: the surprising warmth of the writing community, the raw impact of a single meaningful review, and the awkwardness of sharing work with family. He rejects easy triumphalism about social progress, noting improvements alongside persistent microaggressions and new complexities that come with greater visibility. Looking forward, Colin is already drafting a second book that expands from the self to community, exploring the liminal places where identity, expectation, and belonging blur. Key takeaway: Writing can be both a tool of self-revelation and communal repair—start small, value intimate responses, and let the slow work of reflection widen into connection. https://www.linkedin.com/in/colin-p-belcourt/ Support the show ___ https://livingthenextchapter.com/ podcast produced by: https://truemediasolutions.ca/ Coffee Refills are always appreciated, refill Dave's cup here, and thanks! https://buymeacoffee.com/truemediaca