Episodes

  • Ep 7: Pages 345-404 & the Newberry Library
    Jan 15 2026

    Join us as Lark and Alex discuss the chapters "What to Make of This Arrangement?" through "An Undesirable Morbidness" and visit Chicago's Newberry Library to see two of Mary MacLane's hand-written manuscripts. You can find supplemental posts on our Tumblr page: plainbadpodcasters.tumblr.com. Find more of Richie Smith's music on Bandcamp.

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    1 hr and 47 mins
  • Ep 6: Pages 283-338 & Side Talk with Girls
    Dec 15 2025

    Join us as Lark and Alex discuss the chapters "Side Talk #1: Bo Dhillon Makes His Case" and "Side Talk #2: Harold Brookhants Makes His Case" and do a Deep Dive into the book Side Talks with Girls. You can find supplemental posts on our Tumblr page: plainbadpodcasters.tumblr.com. Find more of Richie Smith's music on Bandcamp. This episode's bibliography is Side Talks with Girls by Isabel Mallon writing as Rush Ashmore.

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    1 hr and 54 mins
  • Ep 5: Pages 227-277 & Shirley Jackson w/Esa
    Nov 15 2025

    Join us as Lark, Alex, and special guest Esa discuss the chapters "Fin de Siècle Meet Cute" through "Libbie Brookhants Takes a Bath" and do a Deep Dive into the work of Shirley Jackson and her influence on Plain Bad Heroines. You can see a photo of Harper Harper's motorcycle and other supplemental posts on our Tumblr page: plainbadpodcasters.tumblr.com. Find more of Richie Smith's music on Bandcamp. This episode's bibliography is The Haunting of Hill House and We Have Always Lived in the Castle, both by Shirley Jackson.

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    2 hrs and 9 mins
  • Ep 4: Pages 181-226 & Horror Influences
    Oct 15 2025

    Join us as Lark and Alex discuss the chapters "The (Unofficial) Chemistry Read" through "The (Real) Chemistry Read" and do a Deep Dive into two major influences on this book: the novel Picnic at Hanging Rock and the movie The Blair Witch Project. You can see a photo of the titular Hanging Rock and other supplemental posts on our Tumblr page: plainbadpodcasters.tumblr.com. Find more of Richie Smith's music on Bandcamp. This episode's bibliography is Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay.

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    1 hr and 39 mins
  • Ep 3: Pages 135-180 & Cursed Movie Productions
    Sep 15 2025

    Join us as Lark and Alex discuss the chapters "Playing Dress-Up Dinner" through "Gray Dawn, Bleak Mo[u]rning" and do a Deep Dive into two other supposedly-cursed movie productions. You can find the names of the authors Alex forgot and other supplemental posts on our Tumblr page: plainbadpodcasters.tumblr.com. Find more of Richie Smith's music on Bandcamp. This episode's bibliography is Hollywood Hex by Mikita Brotman.

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    1 hr and 18 mins
  • Ep 2: Pages 71-134 & Truman Capote
    Aug 15 2025

    Join us as Lark and Alex discuss the chapters "How to Import a Martian Into Your Contacts" through "Across Town, a Scuttle" and do a Deep Dive into the life of Truman Capote and his influence on Plain Bad Heroines. You can see Truman Capote's scandalous author photo and other supplemental posts on our Tumblr page: plainbadpodcasters.tumblr.com. Find more of Richie Smith's music on Bandcamp. This episode's bibliography is Capote: A Biography by Gerald Clarke.

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    1 hr and 38 mins
  • Ep 1: Pages 1-70 & Mary MacLane
    Jul 15 2025

    Welcome to the first episode of Plain Bad Podcasters, our podcast about emily m. danforth's exquisite 2020 novel, Plain Bad Heroines. In this episode, we summarize the chapters "An Excerpt from The Story of Mary MacLane" through "Tinseltown" and dive deep into the life and work of Mary MacLane. You can find our recreation of the Mary MacLane highball and other supplemental posts on our Tumblr page: plainbadpodcasters.tumblr.com. Find more of Richie Smith's music on Bandcamp. This episode's bibliography is The Story of Mary MacLane and Other Writings by Mary MacLane, edited by Penelope Rosemont.

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    1 hr and 18 mins