Author Haley Mlotek on Romance, Divorce, and the Stories We Tell About Both

Camilla Blackett originally hails from Reading in the UK but is now based in Los Angeles. Camilla started her career as one of the “teenage consultants” writing for the original UK production of Skins before making the move to LA in 2012, where her screenwriting career quickly skyrocketed. Camilla and I have been friends for many years and I thought it would be interesting to share some insight into the life of a successful writer in LA. We discussed why the Hollywood trade union strikes of 2023 set an important precedent for the creative industries at large; how streaming changed the landscape of TV writing; why LA and London offer the ideal dual bases for a creative life, and the advice Camilla gives to anyone hoping for their big break in her industry. - @phoebelovatt @phoebelovattpubliclibrary @thecamillard  

Deep Reading lists for each episode can be found at phoebe.substack.com - Deep Read #33 is a conversation with the writer, editor, and organiser Haley Mlotek. Haley is the author of a new book titled, ‘No Fault: A Memoir of Romance and Divorce’, which is both a social and cultural history of divorce and a personal account of Haley’s own experiences. We discussed the cultural canon of 'divorce stories', being vulnerable on the page, 'abolishing the family', the social fabric of Montreal, and much more.  - @phoebelovatt @phoebelovattpubliclibrary @haleymlotek    

Deep Reading lists for each episode can be found at phoebe.substack.com - Nathalie Olah is a writer, cultural critic, and the author of 'Bad Taste: Or the Politics of Ugliness'. We discussed how complex hierarchies of taste shape our visually saturated era, the commercialisation of the professional class, and the search for beauty in a spiritually ugly world (plus much more). - @phoebelovatt @phoebelovattpubliclibrary @nathalieolah

My guest today is the LA-based health coach Daphne Javitch, founder of the platform Doing Well. We talked about her definition of optimum health (and the people she thinks embody it), why wellness is essentially a time management issue, and how we can think about wellbeing communally as well as personally. Plus: simple tips for feeling better in 2025. Please note that this conversation was recorded before the LA wildfires broke out.  - Deep Reading lists for every episode can be found at phoebe.substack.com - @phoebelovatt @phoebelovattpubliclibrary @doingwell

Deep Reading lists for each episode can be found at phoebe.substack.com - Deep Read #30 is a conversation with Céline Semaan, a Lebanese-Canadian artist, designer, writer, and the founder of Slow Factor, the environmental and social justice non-profit. Céline recently published her first book, A Woman is A School. Part memoir, part cultural anthropology, A Woman Is a School tells Céline’s story as a war survivor and child refugee, and creates an archive for the powerful Indigenous knowledge and wisdom of the Global South. - @phoebelovatt @phoebelovattpubliclibrary @theslowfactory @celinecelines

Deep Reading Lists for each episode can be found at phoebe.substack.com - Today's guest is renowned brand expert Ana Andjelic, author of the forthcoming book 'Hitmakers: How Brands Influence Culture'. Ana and I talked about personal branding, marketing in visual culture, and what she considers the biggest brand hits and misses of 2024. - @andjelicaaa @phoebelovatt @phoebelovattpubliclibrary  

Deep Reading Lists for each episode can be found at phoebe.substack.com - My guest today is Marcelo Gutierrez, a world-renowned make-up artist and author of the recently published book, 'Nothing Precious'. We spoke about how he learned to see the world through artists' eyes, his creative community in NYC, and his favourite make-up look of all time (among many other things). - @marcelogutierrez @phoebelovatt @phoebelovattpubliclibrary         

My guest today is Clemence Poles, a creative director, photographer, curator, and the founder of Passerby – an online magazine and community that celebrates the women who pass us by. Passerby features the cool creative women in New York, LA, and London, yes – but it also platforms the scientists, archivists, nurses and lawyers whose stories are rarely shared, much less celebrated. Clemence and I talked about our changing notions of success, the current saturation of curation culture, and the return of gatekeeping, among many other topics. I hope you enjoy the conversation. - @phoebelovatt @phoebelovattpubliclibrary @clemencepoles passerbymagazine.com

Deep Reading Lists for each episode are available at phoebe.substack.com - Today’s Deep Read is a conversation with Leigh Patterson, editorial director and founder of the Moon Lists. Among many other things, Leigh and I spoke about why, in our attention economy, creating a ritual around the details of our daily existence is so valuable: if we are incapable of choosing where our focus lies, who will ultimately decide for us? - @phoebelovatt @phoebelovattpubliclibrary @themoonlists    

Deep Reading Lists for each episode are available at phoebe.substack.com - My guest today is Lucy Jones, author of the massively successful  Matrescence: On the Metamorphosis of Pregnancy, Childbirth and Motherhood. In this very vulnerable episode, we discuss hypnobirthing, maternal mental health, and the neoliberal optimisation of motherhood (plus so much more). - @phoebelovatt @phoebelovattpubliclibrary @lucyfjones