Local Color and Cultural Representation: A Round-up on HBO’s ‘Mare of Easttown’

I’m going to do another round-up of writing I think is worth it on a current #crime thing. This week, everyone is talking about HBO’s Mare of Easttown, with Kate Winslet in the lead, surrounded by a fantastic cast, including Jean Smart as Mare’s mom, Julianne Nicholson as Mare’s best friend Lori, and Guy Pearce … Continue reading Local Color and Cultural Representation: A Round-up on HBO’s ‘Mare of Easttown’ →

What I’m Reading: May Update

Whoops, looks like I had a busy April and did not do a reading update. I'm still working my way through Sierra Crane Murdoch's Yellow Bird and Louise Erdrich's The Round House. Both of these books navigate the complicated and blurred lines between federal, state, and tribal jurisdictions and traditions. One is non-fiction and the … Continue reading What I’m Reading: May Update →

An Interview with an MFM Facebook Group Admin

I’ve talked a bit about the style and content of the popular true crime comedy podcast, My Favorite Murder, launched in 2016 by Georgia Hardstark and Karen Kilgariff (see here, here, and here). The show is a significant milestone in the true crime economy. It re-circulates stories already established as true crime morbid worthy, and … Continue reading An Interview with an MFM Facebook Group Admin →

The ‘gateway body’ and crime narratives: trafficking in white feminism

When reading Tanya Horeck’s Justice on Demand earlier this year, a reference to something called “the gateway body” caught my interest. Horeck’s book, which I reviewed here, is a media-studies look at true crime in the current post-tv, serialized and digitally-networked era. One chapter in that book focuses on the way popular true crime series, … Continue reading The ‘gateway body’ and crime narratives: trafficking in white feminism →

How important is DNA collection after all? A look at Sameena Mulla’s ‘Violence of Care’

Earlier this month I posted a reading list that I’ve been working on, which included Sameena Mulla’s The Violence of Care. I want to focus on one particular chapter from that book that really resonated with some other things I’ve been reading and re-watching, namely the Netflix mini-series Unbelievable and the nonfiction reporting the series … Continue reading How important is DNA collection after all? A look at Sameena Mulla’s ‘Violence of Care’ →

Book Review: ‘Justice on Demand: True Crime in the Digital Streaming Era,’ by Tanya Horeck

I want to point to a fascinating and thoroughly researched study of true crime media. Tanya Horeck’s Justice on Demand: True Crime in the Digital Streaming Era (2019) takes a media studies approach to examining the current trends in popular digital media platforms that use the true crime genre as a framing or delivery device … Continue reading Book Review: ‘Justice on Demand: True Crime in the Digital Streaming Era,’ by Tanya Horeck →

Netflix’s “The Ripper” and Joan Smith’s ‘Gender-Critical’ Influence

When I set out to write about the new "Yorkshire Ripper" documentary series, I didn't expect to end up writing about TERFs. And yet, here we are. Netflix released The Ripper at the end of 2020, a limited true crime docu-series about the so-called “Yorkshire Ripper” who terrorized the West Yorkshire community, committing at least … Continue reading Netflix’s “The Ripper” and Joan Smith’s ‘Gender-Critical’ Influence →

Making an Appeal: Uterish

I came across a blog and newsletter project recently that I just want to point to in appreciation. [Note: this is the first in a post category I'm dubbing "Making an Appeal" (get it?!), which is to highlight the projects (sites, podcasts, other goings on) I come across that are relevant to this blog's topic … Continue reading Making an Appeal: Uterish →

I’m Listening to “My Favorite Murder” from the Beginning (Part One)

The first episode (in 2016) of the My Favorite Murder podcast drops many truths about the appeal of True Crime, especially for women. I wasn’t following this podcast closely prior to this blog project, but I’ve been aware of it. I know it’s one of the most popular podcasts, period, never mind in the true … Continue reading I’m Listening to “My Favorite Murder” from the Beginning (Part One) →