Uncanny Women

KJ Brantley
  • 5.0 (4)
  • Books

Uncanny Women is a horror podcast featuring honest, year-round conversations with women and gender-diverse authors and filmmakers shaping the genre today. Hosted by horror writer and SoCo Women in Horror Festival founder KJ Brantley, each episode explores an author's lived experiences behind the work and how personal, cultural, and emotional truths take shape through horror. Thoughtful and intimate these conversations center the voices that continue to redefine what horror can be. Subscribe, Like, & Follow for all of the latest women in horror! Follow Uncanny Women: Instagram: @uncannywomenpodcast Follow SoCo Women in Horror for announcements and annual event info: Instagram: @womeninhorrorfestivalco TikTok: @socowomeninhorrorfest Follow Host & Horror Author, KJ Brantley: Instagram, Threads, TikTok: @authorkjbrantley

Episodes

  1. 6d ago

    EP. 6 | Angela Sylvaine — Lost Girls, Making Readers Feel, & Horror as Therapy

    In this episode of Uncanny Women Podcast, KJ Brantley sits down with Angela Sylvaine, Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of Frost Bite, Cold Snap, The Dead Spot: Stories of Lost Girls, and Chopping Spree—and a self-proclaimed “cheerful goth.” Angela shares how she found her way to horror after beginning her writing career in her thirties and gradually learned to trust the voice and instincts that made her work distinctly her own. She and KJ talk about the pressure writers often feel to prove their work is sufficiently serious or literary, and the freedom that comes with recognizing that horror can be funny & quirky, emotionally honest, and deeply meaningful all at once. Their conversation shifts to the ’90s-inspired worlds of Frost Bite and Cold Snap, where humor and familiar pop culture references help tell stories about real fears, loss, and uncertainty...and of course, cults. Angela talks about how her childhood shaped both her upbeat personality and the darker themes in her writing, and why strength, especially the strength of women and girls, keeps showing up in her work. KJ and Angela also discuss the more unsettling emotional territory of The Dead Spot: Stories of Lost Girls, the catharsis of female rage, and the assumptions people sometimes make about women who write violent or macabre fiction. Angela considers why her future work may be angrier, how horror allows writers and readers to face injustice without looking away, and why the horror community itself is often far more well-adjusted than you might expect. Angela Sylvaine’s Woman in Horror Book Pick: With Friends Like These by V.S. Lawrence Angela Sylvaine’s Books Mentioned in This Episode: Frost Bite Cold Snap The Dead Spot: Stories of Lost Girls Chopping Spree Other Books and Authors Mentioned in This Episode: With Friends Like These by V.S. Lawrence My Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix The Troop by Nick Cutter Hell Hath No Sorrow Like a Woman Haunted by RJ Joseph Gwendolyn Kiste RJ Joseph Connect with Angela Sylvaine: Instagram: @angela_sylvaine Website: angelasylvaine.com About the Host, KJ Brantley: KJ Brantley is an Indigenous-mixed, autistic horror and dark fiction author whose work explores motherhood, feminism, identity, neurodivergence, trauma, and psychological horror. Drawn to the intersection of entertainment and social commentary, she crafts stories that are both unsettling and emotionally resonant. She is the host of Uncanny Women Podcast and founder and organizer of the SoCo Women in Horror Fest. She is currently the President of the Women in Horror Arts and Media Association. KJ lives in Colorado with her husband, two toddlers, and an ever-growing stack of spooky books. Learn more at WomenInHorrorFestival.com.

  2. Jul 9

    EP. 5 | Hailey Piper — Destroying What We Love, Emotional Horror, and Reading More Women

    In this episode of Uncanny Women Podcast, KJ Brantley sits down with Hailey Piper, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Queen of Teeth, Teenage Girls Can Be Demons, No Gods for Drowning, This Movie Doesn’t End the Way We Want, and She Isn’t Herself Tonight, among many more. Hailey discusses her two upcoming releases, including the cursed-film horror of This Movie Doesn’t End the Way We Want and the emotional, strange, alien-abduction spiral of She Isn’t Herself Tonight. Together, they explore horror as a genre of emotion, the integrity of art, grief, cosmic horror, queer women in horror, and the ways fear can help us sit with discomfort instead of looking away. The conversation also dives into No Gods for Drowning, motherhood, worldbuilding, complicated characters, writing cityscapes and large-scale settings on the page, letting emotion guide narrative logic, the expectations placed on women writers, and why reading horror by women and marginalized authors expands what the genre can be. Hailey also shares her recent favorite written by a woman in horror. Hailey Piper's Woman in Horror Book Picks: Sleep Alone by J.A.W. McCarthy: https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9798897320103 Hailey Piper's Books Mentioned in this Episode: Queen of Teeth: https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781946335418 Game in Yellow: https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781668077085 No Gods for Drowning: https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781967846160 She Isn't Herself Tonight: https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781668077122 This Movie Doesn't End the Way We Want: https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781835411483 Other Authors Mentioned in this Episode: RJ Joseph Connect with Hailey Piper: Instagram / Bluesky: @haileypiperfights Website: haileypiper.com About the Host, KJ Brantley: KJ Brantley is an indigenous-mixed, autistic horror and dark fiction author whose work explores motherhood, feminism, identity, neurodivergence, trauma, and psychological horror. Drawn to the intersection of entertainment and social commentary, she crafts stories that are both unsettling and emotionally resonant. She is the host of The Uncanny Women Podcast and founder and organizer of the SoCo Women in Horror Fest. She is currently the President of the Women in Horror Arts and Media Association. KJ lives in Colorado with her husband, two toddlers, and an ever-growing stack of spooky books. Learn more at WomenInHorrorFestival.Com

  3. Jun 23

    EP. 4 | CJ Leede — From Maeve Fly to Headlights: Grief and the American Landscape

    In this episode of Uncanny Women Podcast, KJ Brantley sits down with CJ Leede, author of Maeve Fly, American Rapture, and Headlights. CJ reflects on the acclaim that followed the release of Maeve Fly and what it's been like navigating the expectations that come with a breakout debut. Together, they discuss how religion and grief have each shaped her work, the emotional power of body horror, and the ways America's cultural and physical landscapes finds its way into her fiction. The conversation explores writing flawed, unapologetic women, writing a MMC with emotional depth, the influence of place on storytelling, horror publishing, how she researched Colorado for her latest book, and the inspiration behind Headlights. CJ also shares her latest favorites written my women in horror. Books by CJ Leede Mentioned Maeve Fly: https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781250857859 American Rapture: https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781250857927 Headlights: https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781250857965 Books & Authors Recommended in This Episode Kiss, Slay, Replay by Rachel Harrison: https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9798217188574 Cranberry Cove by Hailey Piper: https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9798988128632 Game in Yellow by Hailey Piper: https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781668077085 Connect with CJ Leede Instagram / Threads / Bluesky: @ceejthemoment

  4. May 30

    EP. 3 | V.S. Lawrence — Female Friendships, Religious Horror, and '90s Nostalgia

    In this episode of Uncanny Women Podcast, KJ Brantley sits down with V.S. Lawrence, prolific indie horror author of 80s Ghosts, With Friends Like These, and the upcoming Just Us Here. Together, they discuss women's friendships in horror, growing up as '90s kids, religious upbringing and religious horror, cults, nostalgia, and the ways our childhood and life experiences shape the stories they tell. V.S. also shares how her own experiences with isolation and illness influenced her recurring themes of friendship and found family. They also talk about indie publishing, horror community, book festivals, gothic horror, and the books and women in horror authors they think more readers should discover. Books by V.S. Lawrence Mentioned80s Ghosts https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9798223965145With Friends Like These https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9798224335930Just Us Here (coming July, 2026) https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9798233648779Books & Authors Recommended in This EpisodeThe Auctioneer by Joan Sampson https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781948405706Trifles by Susan Glaspell https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781420970067When the Reckoning Comes by LaTanya McQueen https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9780063035041Work by A.C. Hessenauer, including the upcoming Going to the SixWork by Candace NolaWork by Red Lagoe Please see the Uncanny Women Podcast affiliate store at Bookshop.org for full list of books featured with each episode: https://bookshop.org/lists/books-featured-on-uncanny-women-podcast Connect with V.S. LawrenceWebsite: V.S. Lawrence: https://vslawrence.com/Instagram: @vslawrence.author

  5. May 17

    EP. 1 | Sara van Os — Survival Skills, Opera Drag, and Why Women Are Better

    In the debut episode of Uncanny Women Podcast, KJ Brantley sits down with author Sara van Os to discuss horror, wilderness survival, queer identity, and the strange confidence that comes from watching far too much Naked and Afraid. Together, they dive into van Os’s debut novel Decomposition Book, writing deeply flawed characters, survival narratives, and women in horror fiction. The conversation also explores: writing protagonists with OCDopera and performancegender presentationSara’s writing processwriting women with agencywhy Sara believes she would absolutely survive Naked and Afraid If you enjoy dark humor, survival horror, and conversations about women writing horror on their own terms, this episode is for you. Books and Authors Mentioned in This EpisodeFollow Sara van OsInstagram: @saramcclarinet https://www.instagram.com/saramcclarinet/ By Sara van OsDecomposition Book Purchase Here: https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781335001894 Books Mentioned in the ConversationInto the Wild by Jon Krakauer Purchase Here: https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9780385486804 Wilderness of Girls by Madeline Claire Franklin Purchase Here: https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781638932826 The Grace Year by Kim Liggett Purchase Here: https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781250145451 Follow Uncanny Women Podcast Instagram: @uncannywomenpodcast https://www.instagram.com/uncannywomenpodcast Follow Host, KJ Brantley Instagram: @authorkjbrantley https://www.instagram.com/authorkjbrantley Threads: @authorkjbrantley https://www.threads.com/@authorkjbrantley TikTok: @authorkjbrantley https://www.tiktok.com/@authorkjbrantley Follow the SoCo Women in Horror Festival Instagram: @womeninhorrorfestivalco https://www.instagram.com/womeninhorrorfestivalco TikTok: @socowomeninhorrorfest https://www.tiktok.com/@soco.women.in.horror

  6. May 15

    EP. 2 | R.J. Joseph — Literary Splatterpunk and Being the Monster

    In this episode of Uncanny Women Podcast, KJ Brantley sits down with Shirley Jackson and Stoker Award-nominated author, editor, and scholar R.J. Joseph to discuss horror through the lens of history, identity, monstrosity, and the Black lived experience. Together, they explore Joseph’s acclaimed collection Hell Hath No Sorrow Like a Woman Haunted, her upcoming collection My Monsters Ain't Like Yours, the idea of literary splatterpunk, Blackademic scholarship, motherhood in horror, and the lasting influence of Beloved on horror literature and storytelling. The conversation also dives into: horror as historical reckoningthe monstrous feminineBlack womanhood in horrorthe intersections of academia and genre fictionhow horror reflects real-world trauma and violencewhy monstrosity can be a powerful literary lens Books, Stories, and Authors Mentioned in This EpisodeFollow R.J. JosephWebsite: https://www.rjjosephwrites.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rjjosephwrites/ Threads: https://www.threads.com/@rjjosephwrites By R.J. JosephHell Hath No Sorrow Like a Woman Haunted Paperback: https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781990082184 Hardcover: https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781990082191 My Monsters Ain't Like Yours https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781967911448 “Screams from the Bayou” https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781970383027 Other Books MentionedProgeny by Kenya Moss-Dyme https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9798330337644 Beloved by Toni Morrison https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9780525659273 The Dead Spot https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781958598276

  • 6 Episodes

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Uncanny Women is a horror podcast featuring honest, year-round conversations with women and gender-diverse authors and filmmakers shaping the genre today. Hosted by horror writer and SoCo Women in Horror Festival founder KJ Brantley, each episode explores an author's lived experiences behind the work and how personal, cultural, and emotional truths take shape through horror. Thoughtful and intimate these conversations center the voices that continue to redefine what horror can be. Subscribe, Like, & Follow for all of the latest women in horror! Follow Uncanny Women: Instagram: @uncannywomenpodcast Follow SoCo Women in Horror for announcements and annual event info: Instagram: @womeninhorrorfestivalco TikTok: @socowomeninhorrorfest Follow Host & Horror Author, KJ Brantley: Instagram, Threads, TikTok: @authorkjbrantley

Information

  • Creator
    KJ Brantley
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    6
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 KJ Brantley
  • Show Website
    Uncanny Women