Talk Your Lit Podcast

Retail Gothic

TNae Wilcox joins the show to talk consumerism and the dangers of excessive online shopping in her latest short story, Happy Friend Day.

About guest

TNae Wilcox writes horror and suspense for readers who find comfort in the unsettling. She spent her early years writing long-winded birthday cards that only her grandmother wanted to read. A Michigan-based author and reader enthusiast, she previously worked behind the scenes with indie writers, helping bring their stories into the world before focusing on her own work.

She is the author of Not a Violent Bone & Other Stories, and a maker of apparel and merch for fans of the horror community.

Topics discussed

Content warning: This episode contains strong language and mature themes. Listener discretion is advised.

During the show, we discuss:

• Capitalism
• Consumerism
• Excessive online shopping
• Challenges of adult friendship
• The dangers of instant gratification with next-day shipping

Connect with TNae

• Instagram
• TikTok

Buy her books

• Happy Friend Day
• Not a Violent Bone & Other Stories

Support the podcast

• Contribute to the Ko-Fi
• Send a message

Serialized Horror

Sylvester Barzey joins the show to talk about Caribbean gothic and his next in-progress project, He Who Preys.

About guest

Sylvester Barzey is an award-winning horror and fantasy author who grew up in the Bronx, NY, and was later transplanted to Bethlehem, GA. A military veteran with a passion for all things horror, Sylvester’s goal is to shine a spotlight on Black characters within the horror/fantasy genres.

Topics discussed

Content warning: This episode contains strong language and mature themes. Listener discretion is advised.

During the show, we discuss:

• The Caribbean gothic
• Writing the apocalypse
• Serializing his latest project, He Who Preys
• Caribbean Heritage in the diaspora
• Building community with BIPOC writers

Connect with Sylvester

1. Instagram
2. Substack
3. TikTok

Buy his books

• Shop Dead Store

Support the podcast

• Contribute to the Ko-Fi
• Send a message

Witchcraft and the Caribbean

Chanel Harry joins the show to talk about the Caribbean gothic, Black witches and tease about her next upcoming release.

About guest

 Chanel Harry has been writing horror for most of her life and has published eight horror books that will scare the socks off of you. If you don't wear socks, they will scare the skin off. Although a native New Yorker, she now lives somewhere in the Deep South with her son, husband, mother, and brother, trying to find something fun to do outside of watching horror movies.

Topics discussed

Note:  You may notice a bit of echo as we had some challenges with audio quality while recording.

Content warning: This episode contains mature themes. Listener discretion is advised.

During the show, we discuss:

• The Caribbean gothic
• Caribbean folklore creatures
• Working as an indie writer
• Caribbean Heritage in the diaspora
• Building community with BIPOC writers

Connect with Chanel

Instagram

Buy her books

• Amazon

Support the podcast

Contribute to the Ko-Fi

Send a message

Lost in isolation

Eirinie Carson discusses the complexities facing Black mothers in predominantly white spaces in her maternal gothic book, Bloodfire, Baby.

About guest

Eirinie Carson is a Black British writer living in California. She is a mother of two children and sits on the boards of both The Writers Grotto and Mesa Refuge. Her work has appeared in LitHub, Mother Magazine, The Notre Dame Review, Mortal Mag, Electric Literature, The Sonora Review and others. She was the NEA Distinguished Fellow at the Hambidge Center. She and her work have been supported by the Virginia Center for Creative Arts, Hedgebrook and the Wassaic Project. Eirinie contributes to her local paper, The Argus Courier, via a column, Eirinie Asks. A short story, "One Last Thing," was Highly Commended by the 2025 Bridport Prize.

Topics discussed

Content warning: This episode contains strong language and mature themes. Listener discretion is advised.

Note: Matrescence is discussed through the lens of Black women. All birthing people and experiences are welcome and celebrated on this show.

During the show, we discuss:

• Navigating motherhood while Black
• Breaking cycles
• Generational trauma
• The Caribbean Gothic
• Building community with BIPOC writers

Connect with Eirinie

Instagram

Buy her books

• Bloodfire, Baby

Support the podcast

• Contribute to the Ko-Fi
• Send a message

Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting a Black-woman- creator!

Terrible women & the monsters who love them

Roslyn shares how horror, romance, and folktale blend together in her novel, Hemorrhage of Us.

About guest

Roslyn Reed is an adult horror, romance, and speculative fiction author. Her work centres on character-driven stories, feminine rage, body horror, and the terror of falling in love. There is nothing she loves more than writing about terrible women and the monsters who adore them.

Topics discussed

Content warning: This episode contains strong language and mature themes. Listener discretion is advised.

During the show, we discuss:

• Her writing and creative journey
• Feminine rage beyond societal norms
• Subverting expected tropes
• Crafting narratives for underrepresented voices
• Embracing imperfection in writing and publishing

Connect with Roslyn

Instagram

TikTok

Substack

Buy her book

A Hemorrhage of Us

Support the podcast

Contribute to the Ko-Fi

Send a message

Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting a Black-woman- creator!

Why do some stories remain hidden, and who decides which stories are told?

A nuanced discussion with Ezra Claytan Daniels about dealing with racism, privilege, and struggling with identity in Mama Came Callin'.

About guest

Ezra Claytan Daniels is a mixed-race (Black/white) American multidisciplinary artist. Creator of the award-winning graphic novels Upgrade Soul (Oni Press) and BTTM FDRS (Fantagraphics Books), his work has been featured on the Criterion Channel, at Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art, SXSW, and is in the permanent collection of the Whitney Museum. Ezra's short story, "Pressure", was included in Jordan Peele's NYT Bestselling horror anthology, Out There Screaming, published by Random House. Ezra currently resides in Los Angeles, where he writes for film and television, including Doom Patrol for HBO Max, Severance for Apple TV+, and the upcoming remake of Wes Craven's The People Under the Stairs for Monkeypaw Productions. His upcoming graphic novel, Mama Came Callin', with illustrator Camilla Sucre, will be released in 2026 from HarperCollins Books.

Topics discussed

Content warning: This episode contains strong language and mature themes. Listener discretion is advised.

During the show, we discuss:

• Uncovering unsettling truths about racial violence
• Using privilege for good
• Uplifting new voices
• Chosen family and community as tool for liberation

Connect with Ezra

Instagram

Buy his books

• Mama Came Callin'
• Out There Screaming
• Upgrade Soul

Support the podcast

• Contribute to the Ko-Fi
• Send a message

Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting a Black-woman- creator!

From Ancient Texts to Writing Horror

Dramatic orchestral music. Supernatural characters. The intensity of writing music.

Kailee Pedersen breaks down how opera has shaped her forthcoming novel, The Minimalist.

About guest

Kailee Pedersen writes haunted, unsettling speculative fiction. She graduated with a BA in classics from Columbia University, specializing in ancient Greek. Kailee was adopted from Nanning, China and grew up in Nebraska, where her family owns a farm. She is the author of the queer poetry chapbook Pastorale and the novel Sacrificial Animals, which was named one of the New York Public Library’s Best Books of 2024 and a finalist for Best Horror at the 2025 Libby Book Awards. When not scribbling down her next book, you can catch her studying opera performance at the Mozarteum University, playing video games, or working as a software engineer in New York City. The Minimalist is her second novel.

Topics discussed

During the show, we discuss:

• The Gothic and the Classics
• Her writing and creative journey
• BIPOC and Queer representation in publishing
• Building craft outside of the institution
• Gothic in Sacrificial Animals
• Balancing writing with a career
• Building resilience in writing and publishing

Connect with Kailee

• Bluesky: @kaileepedersen.bsky.social
• Instagram: @kailee_pedersen
• Threads: @kailee_pedersen
• Twitter: @KaileePedersen

Buy her books

• Pre Order: The Minimalist
• Purchase: Sacrificial Animals

Support the podcast

• Contribute to the Ko-Fi
• Send a message

Disclaimer: Shownotes may contain affiliate links which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting a Black-woman- creator!

What if horror by BIPOC authored wasn’t limited to heritage months and was centred every week.

Talk Your Lit Podcast is a new bookish podcast featuring BIPOC creatives and writers. Join me, Nailah, each week, as we discuss dark fiction including horror, thriller, and crime, through interviews and round table discussions. New episodes drop every Monday. Subscribe so you don’t miss any episodes.