the Mentally Oddcast

Pat Green and WLF talk consent and allyship, why grammar nazis kinda suck, plotters versus pantsers, why we need storytellers, and inspiration.

TW for discussions of religious abuse, suicide, and sexual assault.

TW for discussion on DV, SA, and suicide. 

This week, discussion with Pandem Buckner includes Disney, horror movies, consent, shelter work, and the fact that there are no white people in the bible. Also rage toward education, depression, ADHD, and we accidentally invent the concept of propaganda. Find more from Pandem Buckner here. 

Amanda Morin is a special education and accessibility advocate who specializes in neurodiversity-affirming learning environments. We talk horror movies, labels vs stigma and the value of diagnoses. Also depression vs burnout, the "crip trope" and her work with Noggin. Fina Amanda at www.amandamorin.com

Season four kicks off with actor and editor of Resilient Brainforest (and a bunch of other stuff) Jonathan Harford. We talk about how ADD has affected our creative projects--and how we navigate the pitfalls now. Plus AI, how horror and comedy are more alike than we notice. Wednes talks lesbian lizards and learns about Cookie Clicker, Exquisite Monster, and a movie called Krisha. 

This week's guest is neither a horror guy nor neurodivergent. He lends his perspectives on TV production, neurotypical creativity, the early days of the internet, and Elon Musk. There's a live song, and a spirited discussion on whether or not suffering is required to make impactful art. Also The Last Broadcast, psychedelic therapy, and a Mad Lib.

Find more from Vann Weller here.

See The Last Broadcast here.

Find a complete transcript of this episode here. 

Sumiko Saulson is a Bram Stoker Award® Finalist for Poetry for The Rat King (2022, Dooky Zines) and Melancholia (2024, Bludgeoned Girls Press). Elgin Award Nominee (2022). 2018 Afrosurrealist Writers Award, and 2021 Ladies of Horror Readers Choice Award winner. Their novel Somnalia: The Metamorphoses of Flynn Keahi is available on Mocha Memoirs Press.

This week, we talk scary movies, church v state, aliens, magical thinking, and whether neo-pronouns are as new as they say. Also demons, The Rat King, and movies that made us realize we were bi. 

Tamara Thorne's first novel was published in 1991, and since then she has written many more, including international bestsellers Brimstone, Haunted, Bad Things, Moonfall, and Eternity. A lifelong lover of ghost stories, she is currently working on several collaborations with Alistair Cross, including the next installment in The Ravencrest Saga, as well as The Spiral Sea, the next Old Wives’ Tales novel.

To learn more about Tamara and her books, visit her website. 

We talk Bette Davis movies, dads, cowardice, Don jr, writing partners, and polytheism. Also Bezos and journalism, that time the eggs were mad at me, why I'm still writing about Don jr, coping strategies, and Kung Fu panda. 

David Kempf has written over fifty short stories, many with horror themes. He’s won several writing awards and is a frequent contributor to the British website Masters of Horror U.K. He has written two children's books, four plays, two short story collections, and produced several short films and audio drama podcasts. David was a contributing author to More Modern Myth-makers (from Crystal Lake Publishing) where he interviewed some of the top names in horror. He's also had several of his short stories featured on Dead Airwaves, a horror story podcast. David also contributed to the poetry book Venomous Words, which made the preliminary ballot nomination for the Bram Stoker Awards.

We talk Salem's Lot, shark movies and their ripoffs, the plusses and minuses of AA, living with tourettes, magic and magic movies, getting more than you bargained for, the Psycho franchise, and Tales from the Crypt.

Chapin Lennon is an activist and advocate who lives with dwarfism and is trans-masc. They are especially passionate about disability history and representation.  We talk Peter Dinklage and Billy Barty, fetishists, representation--and what to do should some maniac treat you as if you're "good luck." Plus Foul Play, The Greatest Showman, and The Station Agent.

A full transcript of this ep can be found here.

Alistair Cross was born in the western United States and began penning his own stories by the age of eight. First published in 2012, Alistair has since released several more novels. In 2012, he joined forces with international bestselling author, Tamara Thorne, and as Thorne & Cross, they write the successful Gothic series, The Ravencrest Saga. Alistair is currently at work on the seventh book in his bestselling Vampires of Crimson Cove series as well as an upcoming release in the Ravencrest Saga with Tamara Thorne.

We talk fiction, cookies, moms, bullies, sobriety, police, UHC, stalkers, addiction, and sobriety. Also, the Ravencrest Saga, the value of community, and why we love technology. An unedited transcript of this episode can be found here.