Kat Ex Machina Podcast

In chronological order! And yes, I’m an audiobook guy, in case you didn’t know. All of these were borrowed from the public library through the Libby app. Thank you, libraries! I love you!

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For this week’s newsletter, I have the delight of sitting down to interview a friend of mine, which is always a different dynamic than meeting someone for the first time in a Q&A context. We’ll talk about his creative process, how he feels about audience interpretations of his work, and how he got inspiration from the music of Sparks.

Kat Spada: Zantino Bustos, thank you for talking with me today.

Zantino Bustos: Thanks for having me, I’m excited to be here.

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Spoiler alert: This post discusses the series finales of the Outlander TV show and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

Last week, the television adaptation of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series concluded. Shortly after the finale aired, I had to go outside and stand in my front yard, letting the night air cool my face, and take some deep breaths. When my tears fell, though, it wasn’t really because of how moved I’d been by the conclusion of the story. It was that sudden realization that something was over, something that had been around when my dad was still alive.

This wasn’t the first time the ending of a TV show has washed over me with a bigger grief. In fact, I wrote about this in 2023, after the finale of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. So I’m resharing that essay here, now that I’m on Substack. That show may be further in the rear view, but the sentiments remain the same…

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To take your vitamins. But not those ones, this brand is more bio-available. Don’t go overboard; too much can be worse than none at all.

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I was in my mid-twenties when an ophthalmologist explained to me that I only see out of one eye. It illuminated so much I’d never understood about my own face, that had worn eyeglasses, contacts, and adhesive patches ever since I was three.

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Today, instead of aiming for some in-depth takeaways from the commitment to community and consistency, I’m going to share some memes. Each week, I pick from my folder of saved images bearing inspiration for writers, and post one to remind my friends of the weekend’s scheduled session. They’ve carried us through these past two years of showing up for ourselves, and for that I am grateful!

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At a performance art show featuring drag lip syncing, public exhibitionism, and ren faire cosplayers, I finally met Annie Jay. I’ve heard her name for years, working with and hosting a podcast with her roommate. But as soon as we started chatting, I knew we’d get along. A public librarian who’d been disillusioned with the entertainment industry, she was kind enough to agree to have our get-to-know-me conversation on the record, so I could share her story with you fine newsletter folks as well!

Read (or listen to) our conversation as we talk about leaving film & TV work, the challenges and misunderstandings of social services provided by public librarians, and the joys of programming for the younger generation of library patrons.

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I got pretty self-conscious writing this whole essay about listening to myself read my own writing out loud. If you want, you can even listen to the audio voiceover of this post to further press a fingernail into the cringe of it all…

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It was Valentine’s Day this weekend, and I don’t want to miss the opportunity to get romantic about the people who sit at their computers at least once a week and write with me in little Zoom windows.

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Content note: This conversation about preserving books and archival material includes discussions of historical racism.

I am so excited for another installment of my series interviewing booksellers. Typically, I’d hate to schedule an interview with someone whose store I hadn’t personally visited already, but I was eager to talk to the people behind Rare Books L.A., the semiannual festival of antique and unusual book finds that’s coming to Pasadena on February 21 and 22.

Brad and Jen Johnson are also the owners of Johnson Rare Books & Archives with a brick and mortar location at The Book Shop in Covina, California.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katexmachina.substack.com/subscribe