Elle 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!

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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 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

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

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

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

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