In 2005, I received a stack of found, hand-written letters between two (stupid?) young women and their (long-suffering?) landlord. That gift would send me on a fifteen-year search for the truth. It was a comedic investigation that demanded some pretty complex interrogation: Who owns a story? How honest is our nostalgia? What does it mean to be a difficult woman? How do we engage in sexism and patriarchal gender roles? And, of course, does gas smell like avocados? And are allegations made by alligators?
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In 2005, I received a stack of found, hand-written letters between two (stupid?) young women and their (long-suffering?) landlord. That gift would send me on a fifteen-year search for the truth. It was a comedic investigation that demanded some pretty complex interrogation: Who owns a story? How honest is our nostalgia? What does it mean to be a difficult woman? How do we engage in sexism and patriarchal gender roles? And, of course, does gas smell like avocados? And are allegations made by alligators?
WARNING: This contains general spoilers about the scope of the Karen & Ellen Letters story. We talk around how the investigation ends, without giving away exact or detailed information.
Stephanie Sabin is a writer for WYDaily.com. More than that, she's a dear friend. And The Karen & Ellen Letters played a very significant role in both Stephanie's career and our friendship. Stephanie was a superfan of the podcast in its initial run; and now we're discussing it in depth, for the first time, since that initial investigation ended. We look at how the listening experience has changed, how society and culture have changed, and how these letters and their reality have changed us.
This is a Studio BOTH/AND production: www.truecrimebullshit.com / www.bothand.fyi For an ad-free experience: www.patreon.com/studiobothand
The Karen & Ellen Letters
In 2005, I received a stack of found, hand-written letters between two (stupid?) young women and their (long-suffering?) landlord. That gift would send me on a fifteen-year search for the truth. It was a comedic investigation that demanded some pretty complex interrogation: Who owns a story? How honest is our nostalgia? What does it mean to be a difficult woman? How do we engage in sexism and patriarchal gender roles? And, of course, does gas smell like avocados? And are allegations made by alligators?
