AI is changing the way authors write, but is every use of AI created equal? From researching to generating the words on the page, AI has entered nearly every stage of a writer’s life. But is using AI inherently unethical, or does the answer depend on what you’re asking it to do? In this episode of Authors Talking Bookish, we examine a spectrum of controversy surrounding the use of AI in order to help you determine where you stand.

SHOW NOTES:

The Spectrum of AI Adoptions: Research vs. Marketing vs. Writing vs. Brainstorming

Research (High Acceptance)

Marketing & Administration (High Acceptance)

A New Complication: AI as search engine

Drafting & Prose (Controversial)

Ethical Friction: Who owns the training material?

Author vs. AI Accusations: High-Profile Book Cancellations

Detecting AI Use

Final Ethical Questions: Where We Stand

SOURCES & LINKS

Why The Press Release Isn’t Dead, Reader Views, July 2026

AI Optimization for Authors, Author Media, May 2025

Anthropic Destroyed Millions of Print Books to Build its AI Models, ARS Technica, June 2025

Authors Guild and Plaintiffs File Motion for Summary Judgement v. Open AI and Microsoft, The Authors Guild, September 2026

$2M Crime Novel Deal Collapses Amid Questions over AI Use, Emma Loffhagen, The Guardian, July 2026

A New York Times Op Ed , Andrea Bartz, March 2026

The Authors Who Admit to Using AI: “I have absolutely no shame about it,” Annabel Nugent, The Independent, June 2026

Full Show Notes are available on our website as well as free downloads mentioned in the episode.

Authors Talking Bookish https://www.authorstalkingbookish.com

Hope Gibbs, author of Where the Grass Grows Blue https://www.authorhopegibbs.com/

Donna Norman-Carbone, author of All That is Sacred & Of Lies and Honey https://www.donnanormancarbone.com

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Aprons, sourdough, and perfectly curated kitchens may seem like harmless nostalgia, but behind the trad wife trend lies a cultural conversation about gender, identity, power, and the stories we tell ourselves about "the good life."

The trad wife movement has evolved from an obscure online term first documented in 2016 into a highly visible social media phenomenon fueled by pandemic-era content celebrating homemaking, domesticity, vintage fashion, and family life. While some view it as a return to simplicity amid rising childcare costs and burnout, others see connections to broader debates about gender roles, politics, and the idealized images amplified by influencers and popular culture—fromThe Stepford Wives to Don't Worry Darling and Ballerina Farms.

In this panel, authors Bella Ellwood-Clayton, and Elizabeth Richardson explore why the trad wife phenomenon has become such fertile ground for storytelling. Together, they'll discuss choice versus expectation, the complexities of modern relationships, social media's influence on identity, and why fiction is uniquely positioned to explore the gray areas behind one of today's most polarizing cultural trends.

SHOW NOTES:

The term and its origin

Cultural Connections

Why it's gained in popularity today

Author Panel: Bella Ellwood-Clayton and Elizabeth Richardson

Questions for the Panel

Links

Bella Ellwood-Clayton’s website Insta

Elizabeth Richardson’s Links

https://elizabethrichardsonbooks.substack.com/

elizabethrichardsonbooks.com

Full Show Notes are available on our website as well as free downloads mentioned in the episode.

Authors Talking Bookish https://www.authorstalkingbookish.com

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What happens when someone else dictates what is or is not allowed to be read?

In this episode, we explore the history and purpose of Banned Books Week, why book challenges and censorship have become increasingly common, and why the freedom to read matters to readers, writers, educators, and communities alike. We share the books that have shaped us, discuss why so many enduring classics continue to be challenged, and highlight the authors, librarians, and organizations working to protect access to diverse stories. Whether you agree with every book or not, this conversation is a reminder that stories have the power to educate, challenge, and connect us, and why preserving that choice is worth defending.

SHOW NOTES:

History

This Year

Why are we Bringing Attention to it?

Books we support and would like to address

Manifesto Library

Authors Against Book Bans

History:

Banned Books Week takes place annually, at the end of September to the beginning of October depending upon the calendar. In 1982, it originated as a call to attention to the rise in the number of books being banned across the US by Judith Krug of the American Library Association and the Association of American Publishers

This Year:

Dates: October 4–10, 2026

Theme: “Let Books Be. Protect the Freedom to Read”

Focus: Raising awareness about censorship and supporting public access to diverse ideas and stories.

SOURCES & LINKS

American Library Association https://www.ala.org/bbooks/banned

Banned Books Week https://bannedbooksweek.org/

Pen America: Banned Books https://pen.org/banned-books-week/

Manifesto Library https://www.service95.com/manifesto-library-launch

Authors Against Book Bans https://www.authorsagainstbookbans.com/

DO NOW: Create your own awareness by educating yourself, determine what you can do to promote choice in reading and the prevention of book banning.

Full Show Notes are available on our website as well as free downloads mentioned in the episode.

Authors Talking Bookish https://www.authorstalkingbookish.com

Hope Gibbs, author of Where the Grass Grows Blue https://www.authorhopegibbs.com/

Donna Norman-Carbone, author of All That is Sacred & Of Lies and Honey https://www.donnanormancarbone.com

If you found value in this content, please LIKE, SUBSCRIBE and SHARE. Thank you