The Creative Nonfiction Podcast with Brendan O'Meara

Episode 463: Leah Sottile on Building Scenes, Sagging Middles, and the Fever Dream of the American New Age


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"It's kind of a mix of reporting to the very last minute to put off writing, and then when I have to write, having a panic attack, and then, like, booking a hotel room for a week and not leaving that room. This is the thing I have done until I figure it out," says Leah Sottile, in a live event at Gratitude Brewing.

She is the author of Blazing Eye Sees All: Love Has Won, False Prophets, and the Fever Dream of the American New Age (Grand Central). She's also the author of When the Moon Turns to Blood, an Oregon Book Award Finalist.

Leah is a freelance journalism whose work has appeared in The Atavist Magazine, the Washing Post, High Country News, and Outisde. She's the creator of the podcasts Hush, Burn Wild, and Bundyville. 

In this podcast we talk about:

  • The work of John Vaillant (See  Ep. 376(
  • How writing this book made Leah crazy
  • How New Ageism and Far Right Extremism overlap
  • Sagging Middles
  • And not re-victimizing sources
  • And much more…

Learn more about Leah at leahsottile.com and follower her on Instagram @leah.sottile.

Podcast Specific Substack at creativenonfictionpodcast.substrack.com.

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Show notes: brendanomeara.com

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The Creative Nonfiction Podcast with Brendan O'MearaBy Brendan O'Meara

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