Our boy JDO has resurrected to share the sauce on how he’s found the ultimate cure for writer’s block. We also give a syllabic breakdown on what’s coming up for Agitator: more craft talk, getting into the nuts and bolts of publishing and printing and marketing books. We also talk about the value of a niche audience and the dangers of networking with writers. And then we talk Trump and corrosive ideology. Subscribe for free or pay for access to more episodes, essays, Agitator Films, and more at patreon.com/agitator More on our books and the Broken River crew at brokenriverbooks.com Follow Kelby on X @KelbyLosackBRB and IG @kelby.losack Follow JDO on IG @brbjdo

Jared Klickstein was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1989 to heroin-addicted parents. He spent his teenage years outside of Oakland, California after being adopted by his aunt and uncle. He attended UC Santa Cruz where he got addicted to heroin himself, dropped out, and spent nearly ten years chronically homeless and addicted around the country. After a notorious run on Skid Row in Los Angeles and a subsequent jail sentence, he sobered up in 2018, wrote Crooked Smile, and currently resides in Oakland, California. He works as an independent journalist. ABOUT THE BOOK: “Darkly humorous” is an understatement when it comes to this poignant tale of addiction, homelessness, incarceration, and eventually, redemption. Jared Klickstein, the child of two heroin addicts who eventually became addicted himself, takes readers on a raw and personal journey from his unsettling and secretive childhood in the suburbs to the slums of Skid Row. Through tales of violence, relapse, and deep inner struggle, Klickstein provides a harrowing account of his personal encounter with near-death—including what he calls dying in “slow motion.” But this story is not just about one man’s life—it’s about the hundred’s of thousands of homeless and drug-addicted Americans who are on the streets right now. It’s about those who need help the most, and what can be done to address the growing addiction and homelessness problems we face. In this moving memoir, Klickstein offers a fresh take and solutions to both epidemics, providing firsthand experience and insight into what policies should be put in place to mitigate the suffering. Crooked Smile recounts one man’s escape from a hellish life—and carves a valuable path for others. BUY CROOKED SMILE: https://www.amazon.com/Crooked-Smile-Escape-Homelessness-Addiction/dp/B0CWZ1GHLW FOLLOW JARED KLICKSTEIN: X @JaredKlickstein / IG @jklickst JARED ON RARE CANDY: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSWnvG9WDWA&list=PL_l2JbkrREkTf-zpvFcIJYVedpg7FQcV3 CROOKED SMILE DISCUSSED ON MATT & SHANE: https://www.reddit.com/r/JoeRogan/comments/1d58qsz/mssp_shane_gillis_and_matt_mccusker_discussed_my/ SUBSCRIBE TO AGITATOR: patreon.com/agitator

Charlene Elsby is a philosophy doctor and former professor whose books include Hexis, Affect, Psychros, Agyny, Musos, Letters to Jenny Just After She Died, Bedlam, The Devil Thinks I'm Pretty, and Violent Faculties. Her essays have appeared in Bustle Books and the LA Review of Books. https://charleneelsby.com/ Using her torture porn/mad scientist philosophical horror novel Violent Faculties as a springboard, we explore a wide range of questions, such as "What separates humans from other species?," "Why is philosophy an undervalued study in academia?," "What is the soul?," "Do we desire to hurt each other?," "Who came first: us or God?," and so much more. Really dug this conversation. Enjoy and keep it going in the comments. patreon.com/agitator