Sarah Rose Etter on Magical Realism, Capitalism, and Writing Through Collapse

In this week’s episode of Sick Sad Lit, I talk to acclaimed author Sarah Rose Etter about writing through collapse.

We discuss the surreal underworld of The Book of X, the capitalist despair of Ripe, and how she balances a demanding day job with emotionally intense, boundary-pushing fiction. Sarah opens up about grief, burnout, abortion rights, and why she believes surrealism is one of the most potent tools writers have for making sense of a world that feels increasingly senseless.

We also dive into:

• Why she writes for a short attention span
• Crafting characters in emotional crisis
• What it means to resist under late capitalism
• The dark absurdity of the “girlboss” era
• And why, sometimes, it’s okay to write badly

🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts

🖤 Read The Book of X and Ripe if you haven’t already (you won’t regret it).

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