Bothered Stories: Smut Talks

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...