Esbat: A Bookish Podcast

Cat Voleur talks about the found footage subgenre with Elle and Regi, including found file books and her upcoming novel, Revenge Arc. They talk about why the genre appeals, the films they’ve seen, the best and worst of the genre, how they got into it and the early days of internet horror with creepypastas, Marble Hornets and more. With a special (brief) guest appearance from Rich, Elle’s partner. You can follow Cat on Twitter, @cat_voleur and us @EsbatBookish, along with hosts @elleturpitt and @regicwrites Please note, this episode contains discussions around a variety of found footage films, though does not go into detail regarding films such as The Poughkeepsie Tapes and Megan is Missing. There are also references to WWII and Vietnam. 

The full Esbat music - intro and outro - created by Annie on the Run (long time friend of the podcast Joanne Askew). Annie on the Run is a singer songwriter, featured on BBC Introducing and Indie Music Women. Alternative. Sad Indie. Find more information on Annie on the Run at annieontherun.com. EP The Summer is Dead is out now, and keep an eye out for a special song to be released for Pride 2023.

Elle and Regi discuss one of their favorite topics - fanfiction! They get into how they started, the kind of things they’ve read, what they love about fanfic and how it helped both grow as writers. Follow us on social media, @EsbatBookish and our hosts, @elleturpitt and @regicwrites Please note, this episode contains discussions surrounding Harry Potter, problematic creators, and occasions where fanfic can cross a line. This episode contains mentions of dead dove genres, Harry Potter/JKR, toxic fandoms and some associated issues

Welcome to Esbat: A Bookish Podcast. A snippet of just some of the wonderful guests we've had on recently. Music by Annie on the Run. Follow the podcast on Twitter @EsbatBookish

Elle and Regi are joined by three of the Calling Darkness cast - S.H. Cooper, Desdymona Howard and Dan Zappulla. They talk about the jacket, why it’s so special, what makes Calling Darkness great, and reveal some behind the scenes facts, as well as discussing future projects on the horizon. You can follow Calling Darkness on Twitter, @CallingPod, S.H. Cooper @MsPippinacious, Desdymona Howard @desdymona and Dan Zappulla @danzappulla. We regret to inform you The Jacket currently has no social media presence. But don’t forget to follow us too @EsbatBookish, @elleturpitt, and @regicwrites. To the best of our knowledge this episode does not contain triggering content, but please feel free to reach out if there’s anything you feel should be highlighted.

Elle and Regi are joined by author Katherine Silva to discuss the novel All the Birds, Singing. They discuss isolation, the woods and nature-focused, rural settings in horror, as well as messy female MCs and the use of trauma in horror. You can follow Katherine on Twitter, @katherinesilva_ and follow us @EsbatBookish, @elleturpitt, and @regicwrites. TW/CW: murder, trauma, abusive relationships, domestic abuse, animal death

JM Sedlock joins Elle and Regi to talk about The Haunting of Hill House. They discuss the book's queer representation, the film & TV adaptations, the way mental health is used in the book and the possible inspirations from Shirley Jackson’s life, as well as the name ‘Eleanor’ which Elle has lots of thoughts on! Spoiler alerts for the book and adaptations, including the Netflix series. Check out Mine the anthology, and follow JM @jmsedlockwrites, and follow us @EsbatBookish, @elleturpitt, and @regicwrites. TW/CW: mental health, mental illness, suicide, parental trauma, domestic abuse

Jamie Zaccaria sits down with Elle and Regi to discuss lesbian vampires. From Carmilla to Daughters of Darkness and beyond, they talk the rise of films in the 70s and 80s, the closeness of women and girls, and what vampires represent about sexuality. Check out Jamie’s website, and follow us @EsbatBookish, @elleturpitt, and @regicwrites, and don’t forget to pick up a copy of Lavender Speculation, coming 2023. TW/CW: abuse, abusive relationships, sexism

Elle and Regi are joined by Ariel Powers-Schaub in a discussion of The Chalk Man, C.J. Tudor’s debut novel. They talk about the possible influences on the book, the Satanic Panic and video nasties, and Stephen King. Follow Ariel on Twitter @Ari_Hellraiser, and follow us @EsbatBookish, @elleturpitt, and @regicwrites TW/CW: abortion, pedophilia, age inappropriate relationships, suicide, sexual abuse, historic abuse, alcoholism, religious abuse, grooming

We have another bonus episode just in time for Christmas, with special guests Dee and Dai from Divination Hollow. We talk Christmas, the differences between Christmas in the US and UK, tradiations, books, films and more, with a Christmas trivia quiz. We do not recommend this episode for younger ears, due to conversations regarding Santa Claus. Follow Divination Hollow @divinationblog, and our contributors Dee (@SirenofScience) and Dai (@PrepareToDai). You can follow us on Twitter@EsbatBookish, Elle @ElleTurpitt and Regi @Regicwrites Content Warnings: grief, surgery, medical issues, (“Sleigh Bells” downloaded from Freesounds and used under a Creative Commons License)

Elle and Regi talk about the last year, their podcast journey, the media they’ve consumed and their plans for 2023. They talk books, TV shows, films, graphic novels, webcomics and more for their last episode of season one. You can follow us on Twitter@EsbatBookish, Elle @ElleTurpitt and Regi @Regicwrites

Elle and Regi discuss The Death of Jane Lawrence with academic Vicky Brewster. They get into the Gothic, Bluebeard, Dark Academia and the media that really terrifies them. Follow Vicky on Twitter @VProofreader. You can follow us on Twitter@EsbatBookish, Elle @ElleTurpitt and Regi @Regicwrites Content Warnings: Medicine, war, death, bombings, blood, PTSD, Claustrophobia

Elle talks to Hannah O’Flanagan about Mexican Gothic, discussing the Gothic, the Weird, and the themes being tackled in the genre today. Follow Hannah on Twitter @HannahOFlanaga1. You can follow us on Twitter@EsbatBookish, Elle @ElleTurpitt and Regi @Regicwrites Content Warnings: colonization, gender, race, white feminism, mental health, abuse

Join us for a very special bonus episode this Halloween, where we talk to Divination Hollow contributors Dee, Kayla and Dai about Halloween, including traditions, costumes, and what we love about spooky season. Follow Divination Hollow @divinationblog, and our contributors Dee (@SirenofScience), Kayla (@poultroyofperil) and Dai (@PrepareToDai). You can follow us on Twitter@EsbatBookish, Elle @ElleTurpitt and Regi @Regicwrites Content Warnings: death, Aberfan disaster, cannibalism, trapped children, shipping off/ ostracizing students who had behavioral issues, teen pregnancies, dead baby jokes

Morgan Payne (Diversity in Horror) joins Elle and Regi to discuss Transmuted, and dig into gender dysphoria and body dysmorphia, fatphobia, the difficulties surrounding medical care, and toxic parents. Follow Morgan @diversityhorror on Twitter and Instagram, and check out http://diversityhorror.blogspot.com/. You can follow us on Twitter@EsbatBookish, Elle @ElleTurpitt and Regi @Regicwrites Content Warnings: gender dysphoria, body dysmorphia, fatphobia, experimental surgery, self-harm, medical mistreatment, toxic parents, mentions of pregnancy and related complications, racism in healthcare, end of life care, depression/mental health.

Elle and Regi, two women just gettin’ bi, talk about their favourite LGBT+ books and TV shows in this episode, discuss the importance of LGBT+ history, the issues around representation, and why First Kill definitely should not have been canceled (according to Elle). You can follow us on Twitter@EsbatBookish, Elle @ElleTurpitt and Regi @Regicwrites Content Warnings: Section 28, erasure of history, bi erasure, homophobia/transphobia/biphobia, Misogynoir

Elle and Regi talk to writer and zinester Eve Harms about Ottessa Moshfegh’s Lapvona, exploring society, reality, parasocial relationships and more. **We apologize for technical issues affecting this episode - part of the discussion was unfortunately lost around 40 minutes in, but not too much!** Follow Eve on Twitter @eveharmswrites, and follow us @EsbatBookish, @elleturpitt, and @regicwrites. Content Warnings: gore including eyes, cannibalism, drought, child death, cults, religion,  substance abuse

Author, signer/songwriter and creator of Esbat’s intro and outro music Joanne Askew joins Elle and Regi to talk about Becky Chambers’ A Psalm for the Wild-Built. More discussions about robots and droids, navigating the world, making connections, different types of Sci-Fi and lesbian planets. Joanne Askew’s novella Sloth and EP Summer is Dead are both available now. Listen until the end to get more of a taste of Joanne’s music with Deep Green. You can follow us on Twitter@EsbatBookish, Elle @ElleTurpitt, Regi @Regicwrites and Joanne @J_Askew_Author Content Warnings: Covid, munchausens by proxy/child abuse & child murder

With Elle out ill, Zeenovos joins Regi to discuss the fantastic and entirely too relatable series Murderbot Diaries, primarily focusing on book 5, Network Effect, all by Martha Wells. During the discussion, Regi learns that Murderbot is ace and that robots in general are excellent LGBTQ+ representation and that not all sci-fi is difficult to get into. Sometimes, all you need is an incredibly relatable robot protagonist. You can follow us on Twitter @EsbatBookish, Elle @ElleTurpitt, Regi @Regicwrites and Zeenovos @Pixelladium. Be sure to check out Zee's shop, too: https://pixelladiumcreations.bigcartel.com/ Content Warnings: Unreliable narrator, murder, sexuality, working a job that you absolutely despise

Olivia White talks about The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enríquez, translated by Megan McDowell, leading to discussions of translations, history presented through fiction, the type of history we’re not taught at school, and a bit about Goat Valley Campground, too. Elle gets to say a few Welsh words. You can follow us on Twitter @EsbatBookish, Elle @ElleTurpitt, Regi @Regicwrites and Olivia White @horrolivia. Content Warnings: Argentinian Disappeared, military coup, death, body horror, child death, Facism/Nazis, Colonialism