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

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

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

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

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

In their second host-only episode, Elle and Regi talk about the media they’ve been consuming. Regi’s a fan of the Shudder found-footage documentary and gives recommendations for that and some podcasts. Elle shares her thoughts on Men, Women, and Chainsaws and has a couple of new fantasy/romance recommendations.

You can follow us on Twitter @EsbatBookish, Elle @ElleTurpitt, and Regi @Regicwrites.

Content Warnings: Transphobia, homophobia, perceived discrimination, classism, ableism, internet predators, sexual assualt, death of children, trafficking, eugenics, racism

AK Faulkner joins Elle and Regi to talk about JK Pendragon’s To Summon Nightmares. A novella that packs a punch, and leads to a proper good rant, as well as topics of horror, LGBT+ representation in horror, and the MCU’s strange tactic of presenting villains who…have some very good ideas, actually.

You can follow us on Twitter @EsbatBookish, Elle @ElleTurpitt, Regi @Regicwrites and AK Faulker @PoopRaven.

Content Warnings: Transphobia, Gender dysphoria/transmedicalism, homophobia, death/gore, domestic abuse, discussions of guns & US gun culture, police, nazism

Elle, Regi, and Sandra Ruttan discuss Lore, by Alexandra Bracken, touching on retellings, the gods in the modern day, and how YA novels can be just as, if not more, brutal than their adult fiction counterparts.

You can follow us on Twitter @EsbatBookish, Elle @ElleTurpitt, Regi @Regicwrites and Sandra via @dark_dispatch

Content Warnings: Violence/murder, sexism and misogyny, biogtry

The first host only episode! Elle and Regi try something different, and discuss a wider topic - Retellings! Spoiler: They love them! Whether it’s playing Hades or watching O Brother, Where Art Thou? and, of course, reading the wide variety out there, they can’t get enough! Featuring a brief, special appearance from Elle’s other half…

You can follow us on Twitter @EsbatBookish, Elle @ElleTurpitt, and Regi @Regicwrites.

Content Warnings: Kidnapping/abduction/rape

Discussions of racism on the podcast with Heather picking Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark, a book in which the KKK summon literal demons, as if they weren’t evil enough already. You can follow us on Twitter @EsbatBookish, Elle @ElleTurpitt, Regi @Regicwrites, and follow Heather @HSquared_13.

Content Warnings: Racism: blatant and microaggressions, trafficking/kidnapping

Elle, Regi and Dai discuss Alison Rumfitt’s Tell Me I’m Worthless. In this episode, they talk about the current hostility in the UK towards trans people, as well as touching on other topics explored in the books, including fascism and racism. You can follow us on Twitter @EsbatBookish, Elle @ElleTurpitt, Regi @Regicwrites, and follow Dai @PrepareToDai.

Content Warnings: anti-Semitism, fascism, racism, rape, self-harm, suicide, transphobia, trauma, cults, murder of a sex worker.

Laurel picked Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado to discuss. Elle, Regi and Laurel talk about the use of body horror in fiction, especially in regards to women’s bodies, as well as folklore and urban legends and how Machado uses these to emphasize the inherent horror in being a woman. You can follow us on Twitter @EsbatBookish, Elle @ElleTurpitt, Regi @Regicwrites, and follow Laurel Hightower, @HightowerLaurel.

1. Content Warnings: Childbirth/gynaecological trauma, allusions to fatphobia or ED and the struggle with misogyny and weight, grooming/assault.

Elle and Regi sit down with author S.H. Cooper to discuss Laurel Hightower’s Whispers in the Dark. They discuss the portrayal of women in fiction, as well as how Hightower conveys a blended family unit and why it’s so effective. You can follow us on Twitter @EsbatBookish, Elle @ElleTurpitt, Regi @Regicwrites, and follow S.H. Cooper @MsPippinacious