Bothered Stories: Smut Talks

Friends to Lovers, Grumpy Sunshine, Himbo, Black Cat. . . what are all these reading tropes and why do we love them? First Dates and Soulmates podcast hosts and verified romance reading experts Meg Casebolt and Nikki McNight join us to break down the world of tropes. Whether you’re a smut newbie or a seasoned romance reader, this episode will help you understand why you’re drawn to certain stories...

Reed Amber is a trailblazing force in sex worker advocacy, sex education, and ethical porn. She’s co-creator of the multi-award winning podcast Come Curious, and she brings that same shame-free, no-holds-barred dialogue to Smut Talks. We dive into: Reed’s journey from porn obsession to performer to producer, and how the industry has changed since she started What ethical porn means, how it’s pract...

Sexologist Chloé Ellert joins us to talk about the nervous system, arousal, recovering from sexual trauma and how smut can play a role. Creator of the Smut-Scent Method and founder of Her By Chloe, she helps women re-connect to themselves and feel safe exploring their sexuality. In this episode, she explains: How cortisol and desire interact in the nervous system, and why understanding this is so...

Danielle from Openly Committed joins us to explore non-monogamy, including her own 16-year journey in an open relationship and what alternative relationship structures can offer. She unpacks the history behind monogamy, and explains how laws governing women as the property of men stand at its roots. Plus, Danielle and Allison explore why the “chosen one” is so prevalent both as a cultural obsessio...

Why does burlesque matter? In this episode, burlesque performers and hosts Diva Darling and Mx. Eden dive deep into their craft, unpacking the ways burlesque subverts patriarchal norms about what is sexy and who gets to take up space. Diva explains how she loves to give the audience “confusion boners” and Eden leaves us with a whole new image of Winnie the Pooh. This conversation touches on:  What...

Toni Nagy and Seraphina Supernova are touring the world with Grape Culture , a groundbreaking tragic comedy show that forces the audience to reckon with what they’ve coined our “culture of domination without consent,” aka the culture we all live in. And they make a lot of dick jokes, because comedy is a thruway to the heart. In this episode, we discuss: What "grape culture" actually mean...

As part of our Pride series, queer sex educator and journalist Gabrielle Kassel shares how sex education has evolved in the last decade, how it shapes our understanding of desire, and how to think about terms like sexuality and queer. She dives into the “Weird Girl” smut that she enjoys (spoiler: more body fluids, please) and how erotica can be a tool for language and self-discovery. In this episo...

Why are readers obsessed with MM romance? Beloved authors Lucy Lennox and Clare London join us to explore the genre’s rising popularity and why gay romance resonates so deeply. We discuss:   What draws women to MM stories: the gender stereotypes women shed when both protagonists are male, the appeal of seeing men portrayed as emotionally engaged partners, and the double standard inherent in scruti...

What actually goes into creating great erotica? In this behind-the-scenes episode, we sit down with the Chief Editor of Bothered Stories to unpack the full journey—from submission to final story. We get into how pieces are vetted, what separates a good story from a standout one, and the editorial decisions that shape what gets published. We also dive into the craft itself: what makes a sex scene h...

Angelina M. Lopez, bestselling author of After Hours on Milagro Street , joins us to talk about the impact of “ferocious love stories”—her emotionally rich, deeply sexy romances that center Latina heroines, legacy, anger, and joy. In this conversation, we explore: How pleasure and resistance fuel each other in politically volatile times What makes a sex scene actually hot (hint: it’s not the mecha...

What makes Heated Rivalry work so well—and why has it resonated so deeply with audiences? In this roundtable discussion, we dig into the cultural, emotional, and narrative forces behind Heated Rivalry : what this romance offers that other stories don’t and why audiences are increasingly drawn to stories that aren’t afraid to center smut. Joined by bestselling and award winning romance and erotica...

Hear our founder's take on what you can expect from this podcast and Bothered Stories. We'll be bringing on leading voices to dive into smut, desire, the patriarchy--aka the cultural forces that shape this space. We'll also be elevating the artists behind all these beautifully written, hot-as-hell stories and hearing them discuss the genre, their writing process, and why these stories...