Shows
Esbat: A Bookish PodcastFound File & Footage with Cat VoleurCat 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...
2023-05-291h 14Esbat: A Bookish PodcastEsbat Theme by Annie on the RunThe 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.
2023-05-2200 minEsbat: A Bookish PodcastCoven Conversations: FanfictionElle 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
2023-05-1553 minEsbat: A Bookish PodcastSeason 2 TrailerWelcome 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
2023-05-0800 min
Esbat: A Bookish PodcastCalling Darkness SpecialElle 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...
2023-05-011h 32Esbat: A Bookish PodcastAll the Birds, Singing with Katherine Silva
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
2023-04-1755 minEsbat: A Bookish PodcastThe Haunting of Hill House with JM SedlockJM 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, parent...
2023-04-031h 12Esbat: A Bookish PodcastLesbian Vampires with Jamie ZaccariaJamie 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
2023-03-201h 01Esbat: A Bookish PodcastThe Chalk Man with Ariel Powers-SchaubElle 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
2023-03-0852 minEsbat: A Bookish PodcastThe Chalk Man with Ariel Powers-SchaubElle 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
2023-03-061h 01Esbat: A Bookish PodcastBonus Episode: Christmas SpecialWe 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...
2022-12-241h 16Esbat: A Bookish PodcastCoven Conversations: 2022 WrapElle 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
2022-12-0547 minEsbat: A Bookish PodcastThe Death of Jane Lawrence with Vicky BrewsterElle 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
2022-11-211h 00Esbat: A Bookish PodcastMexican Gothic with Hannah O'FlanaganElle 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
2022-11-0758 minEsbat: A Bookish PodcastBonus Episode: Halloween with DHR Contributors Dee, Kayla and Dai!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
2022-10-311h 02Esbat: A Bookish PodcastTransmuted with Morgan PayneMorgan 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.
2022-10-2457 minEsbat: A Bookish PodcastCoven Conversations 3: LGBT+ RecommendationsElle 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
2022-10-1051 minEsbat: A Bookish PodcastLapvona with Eve HarmsElle 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
2022-09-2649 minEsbat: A Bookish PodcastA Psalm for the Wild-Built with Joanna AskewAuthor, 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, m...
2022-08-281h 07Esbat: A Bookish PodcastNetwork Effect (Murderbot Diaries #5) with ZeenovosWith 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...
2022-08-1552 minEsbat: A Bookish PodcastThe Dangers of Smoking in Bed with Olivia WhiteOlivia 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
2022-08-0159 minEsbat: A Bookish PodcastCoven Conversations: Current ObsessionsIn 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
2022-07-1851 min
Esbat: A Bookish PodcastThe Man With No Shadow with Hannah SelectorElle and Regi are joined by Hannah Selector to discuss Bonnie Quinn’s The Man With No Shadow. They dive into internet folklore, liminal spaces, new internet horror and old urban legends.
You can follow us on Twitter @EsbatBookish, Elle @ElleTurpitt, Regi @Regicwrites and Hannah Selector @hannahselector, and check out her website hannahselector.com
2022-07-0450 minEsbat: A Bookish PodcastTo Summon Nightmares with AK FaulkerAK 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
2022-06-201h 30Esbat: A Bookish PodcastLore with Sandra RuttanElle, 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
2022-06-061h 06Esbat: A Bookish PodcastRetellingsThe 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
2022-05-2349 minEsbat: A Bookish PodcastRing Shout with Heather HoodDiscussions 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
2022-05-091h 05Esbat: A Bookish PodcastTell Me I’m Worthless with Dai BaddleyElle, 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.
2022-04-251h 04Esbat: A Bookish PodcastHer Body and Other Parties with Laurel HightowerLaurel 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.
Content Warnings: Childbirth/gynaecological trauma, allusions to fatphobia or ED and the struggle with misogyny and weight, grooming/assault.
2022-04-111h 01Esbat: A Bookish PodcastWhispers in the Dark with S.H. CooperElle 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
2022-03-281h 04Esbat: A Bookish PodcastIntroductionElle and Regi talk about their intentions with the podcast, why they started it, and what sort of things they’ll be discussing. You can follow us on Twitter @EsbatBookish, Elle @ElleTurpitt, and Regi @Regicwrites. If you are interested in reading Elle and Regi’s work, A Woman Built By Man is available in paperback and Kindle now!
2022-03-1414 min