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Sick Sad Lit

Jen Eastwood

Sick Sad Lit is a podcast for readers and writers who love digging into the dark, messy, and provocative corners of contemporary fiction, as well as exploring the emergence of "Good for Her" as a literary genre.Through candid conversations with authors who push boundaries, we explore themes of alienation, identity, mental health, and the creative process behind bold, unforgettable storytelling.It’s part literary deep dive, part late-night chat—intelligent, unfiltered, and a little unhinged.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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17 episodes
Avg 1 hr 8 min
English

Episodes 17

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S2 · E8
Nov 19, 2025 · 1 hr 35 min
Agustina Bazterrica on Culture, Craft, and Confronting Violence Through Fiction
How structure, intention, and cultural context shape unforgettable horror
S2 · E7
Nov 12, 2025 · 1 hr 18 min
Torrey Peters on Writing While the World Burns
Exploring collapse, connection, and the strange hope buried inside disaster.
S2 · E6
Nov 5, 2025 · 1 hr 31 min
Lauren McQuistin on Sobriety, Self-Reinvention, and No Lost Causes Club
A conversation about agency, emotion, and learning to feel everything without falling apart.
S2 · E5
Oct 29, 2025 · 1 hr 23 min
Eliza Clark on True Crime, Female Rage, and Writing the Uncomfortable Truth
Exploring how literature, media, and morality collide in stories that dare to empathise with the monstrous.
S2 · E4
Oct 22, 2025 · 1 hr 26 min
R. O. Kwon on Writing What Terrifies You
Exploring fear, faith, and the emotional labour of crafting stories that demand everything.
S2 · E3
Oct 8, 2025 · 1 hr 10 min
Bora Chung on horror, revenge, and writing ghost stories for a broken world
From Cursed Bunny to Midnight Timetable, a conversation about stories that turn rage into resistance.
S2 · E2
Oct 1, 2025 · 1 hr 15 min
Inside the Mind of Ottessa Moshfegh: Alienation, Obsession, and Writing the Unlikeable
A conversation about writing outsiders, confronting taboos, and storytelling as liberation.
S2 · E1
Sep 24, 2025 · 1 hr 32 min
Mona Awad Returns to the Bunny-Verse: On Fairy Tales, Transformation, and the Power of Storytelling
From Bunny to We Love You, Bunny: Exploring surrealism, satire, and the art of creation.
S1 · E8
Jul 9, 2025 · 1 hr 17 min
Mariana Enriquez on The Ghosts of Buenos Aires, Horror, History & Rebellion
From Buenos Aires to folklore and rebellion—inside the gothic world of a literary horror icon.
S1 · E7
Jul 2, 2025 · 46 min
Ling Ling Huang on Speculative Fiction, Identity, and the Dark Side of Beauty
From Natural Beauty to Immaculate Conception, we explore the intersections of technology, creativity, and self-worth in speculative fiction.
S1 · E6
Jun 25, 2025 · 47 min
Emma Van Straaten on Writing Mixed Race Identity, Female Rage, and Obsession in ‘This Immaculate Body’
A deep dive into the writing process, character development, and the personal experiences that shaped one of the most unsettling debuts in contemporary fiction.
S1 · E5
Jun 18, 2025 · 54 min
Anna Dorn on Scent, Storytelling, and Writing Women Who Refuse to Behave
A conversation about Perfume and Pain, queer fiction, creative inspiration, and why unlikeable characters make the most honest protagonists.
S1 · E4
Jun 11, 2025 · 1 hr 13 min
Lucy Rose on Folklore, Feminism, and Feeding the Hunger in The Lamb
A Conversation on Unruly Women, Rural Horror, and Literary Risk
S1 · E3
Jun 4, 2025 · 1 hr 9 min
Sarah Rose Etter on Magical Realism, Capitalism, and Writing Through Collapse
How dark fiction, emotional labor, and surreal storytelling help make sense of a broken world.
S1 · E2
May 28, 2025 · 50 min
Gretchen Felker-Martin on Horror, Publishing, and Finding Power in the Grotesque
From Manhunt to Cuckoo, we explore the power of horror literature to challenge readers — and why the best fiction often comes from the margins.
S1 · E1
May 21, 2025 · 1 hr 4 min
Chuck Tingle on Queer Horror, Absurdity, and Why Love Is Real
From Tinglers to terror: Chuck Tingle on storytelling, catharsis, and cosmic weirdness.
May 11, 2025 · 49 sec
Sick Sad Lit Podcast Trailer
Welcome to Sick Sad Lit — a podcast about the books that get under your skin. Host Jen Eastwood talks with the writers behind today’s most unsettling, unforgettable fiction: horror, gothic, surreal, and literary works that explore obsession, identity, rage, the body, and the bizarre. This is a space for complicated characters, experimental form, and authors who aren’t afraid to get weird — or honest. If you’ve ever called a book “unhinged” as a compliment, this show is for you. Season One premieres 22 May NZST. Subscribe now and get ready to spiral. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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