“I feel like the trick to writing about yourself is to not write about yourself. You are the sort of prism, or you know, the observational tank through which something is passing” – Sloane Crosley.

From her much-loved essay collections, I Was Told There Would Be Cake, How Did You Get This Number and Look Alive Out There, to her bestselling novel, The Clasp, Sloane Crosley’s acerbic humour and observational wit has garnered her critical and popular acclaim.

Now, in her second novel Cult Classic, Crosley takes readers on a surreal journey through New York City as a woman runs into a former boyfriend, then another ex, and then another … until it seems all of Manhattan is filled with the ghosts of romance past.

In this episode, Sloane Crosley joins host Jaclyn Crupi to discuss Cult Classic, modern romance, and whether happy endings are possible in an age when the past is ever at your fingertips.

Sloane Crosley appeared in partnership with Adelaide Writers’ Week and Sydney Opera House’s All About Women festival.

The event was supported by the Melbourne City Revitalisation Fund, a Victorian Government and City of Melbourne partnership.

This event was recorded on Thursday 9 March 2023 at the Wheeler Centre.

The bookseller for this event was Hill of Content Bookshop.

Featured music is Diffuser by Shiruky.