Weird Kids Wanted: Creative Writing Senior & Alum Pick up Steam
August 20, 2019
“Our goal is to create a world free from boring, commercialized, and mainstream media. A world just for us,” Zoe Darazsdi (Creative Writing ’20) stated in an article recently featured on The Aspergian. And she and Miyuki Okamura (Creative Writing ’19) are doing just that with Weird Kids Wanted.
Darazsdi and Okamura recognized that people like them weren’t represented in mainstream media very often — or if they were, they manifested in unhealthy tropes, stereotypes or glorifications — and the pair decided to embark on a podcasting journey in an effort to effect change, with guidance from the Corzo Center for the Creative Economy. As creative writers, the two chose podcasting as a platform because they consider it another form of storytelling, and a more digestible one in today's world.
Weird Kids Wanted covers all things from films and books to relevant social topics and takes form in a conversation between two unique and talented individuals inspired by the likes of My Favorite Murder and Food Psych. Themes of recovery, mental wellness and social justice surface in every episode amidst critiques and media recommendations, which makes for a thought-provoking and witty listening experience. What’s more — the two support independent bookstores and have created a form on their site where anyone can submit to their ever-evolving log of indie shops across the country.
The podcast is quickly gaining traction with new followers and positive feedback from around the globe. "It's a lot of effort on our part for minimal reward," Okamura noted, "but it's also resulted in some unexpectedly good outcomes." This fall, the podcast is hosting some exciting public events, including a live-recording of an episode at A Night of Microtomes & Sequential Salami Zine Fest, and a panel discussion on speculative fiction at a Novel Idea. Over time, Darazsdi and Okamura hope to write a book and take the podcast on tour.
In addition to working with Okamura on Weird Kids Wanted, Darazsdi recently attended the Juniper Summer Writing Institute, a prestigious writing workshop at University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Her attendance was supported by the School of Critical and Professional Studies and the President's Fund for Excellence. Her article “Finding Adult Autistic Women in the Media: A Unicorn Hunt,” which discusses Weird Kids Wanted, was published on The Aspergian here.
Upcoming Events:
Live Recording: Sept. 6, 6–9pm, Fireball Printing, 2644-48 Coral St.
Panel Discussion: Nov. 9, 5–8pm, A Novel Idea, 1726 E Passyunk Ave.
Listen to the podcast on Spotify, iTunes, and Google Play