In this episode of Queer Talker, host Ben Cicchetti sits down with Seth Insua, debut author of Human, Animal and talented artist, for a thoughtful conversation about queerness, creativity, and finding belonging.

Seth shares how a childhood obsession with Pinocchio shaped his creative spirit, how growing up queer in a homophobic all-boys school influenced his search for authenticity, and the inspiration behind his acclaimed novel. He reflects on themes of masculinity, non-belonging, and the power of perspective that run through his writing, as well as the influence of queer icons like Russell T Davies.

From exploring why queerness and horror are so intertwined, to the importance of finding your people and embracing mistakes, this episode offers both intimate insight into the mind of a writer and universal lessons on living authentically.

Chapters

00:00 Queer Panic Game: Rapid Fire Questions

04:13 Influential Queer Media: Movies, TV Shows, and Books

07:20 Childhood Reflections: Growing Up Queer

10:05 Writing Process: Obsession and Creativity

13:25 Authenticity: Discovering and Embracing Queer Identity

16:14 Inspiration Behind 'Human, Animal': A Multifaceted Story

20:16 Exploring Family Dynamics in Dairy Farming

23:44 The Journey of Self-Discovery and Belonging

26:24 Researching Perspectives: Understanding Different Narratives

30:04 Challenging Traditional Masculinity

33:09 Finding Common Ground in Divisive Times

36:36 The Intersection of Art and Writing

41:51 Advice for the Younger Generation

Connect with Ben Cicchetti:

Website - https://www.queertalker.com 

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/bencicchetti/

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@BenCicchetti

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@bencicchetti

Connect with Seth Insua

Website - https://www.sethinsua.com/ 

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sethinsua 

Buy Human, Animal - https://linktr.ee/seth.insua