Cassandra Neyenesch, author of A LITTLE BIT BAD

Cassandra Neyenesch, author of A LITTLE BIT BAD

From Writers on Writing by Barbara DeMarco-Barrett and Marrie Stone

May 26, 2026 · 58 min

About this episode

Cassandra Neyenesch discusses her debut novel A Little Bit Bad and her journey as a writer transitioning from journalism to fiction.

Cassandra Neyenesch is a Brooklyn-based writer, activist, and curator. Cassandra’s reviews and cultural pieces have appeared in The Guardian, Brooklyn Rail, HuffPost, Public Books, The International Herald Tribune, and Art in America. She has a recent story in the New Yorker and her debut novel A Little Bit Bad was published in June. I love this novel. Literary, with plot—a mystery runs through it but you’d never call it a mystery. Ron Charles, former Washington Post book reviewer reviewed A Little Bit Bad on his substack page. Cassandra joins me to talk about what kept her going when the going got tough and she had five novels in the drawer,, the crossover from journalism to fiction, why she converted to an outliner, landing the ending, the trend of older novelists, especially women, getting published, and more. For more information on Writers on Writing and to become a supporter, visit our Patreon page. For a one-time donation, visit Ko-fi. You can help out the show and indie bookstores by buying books at our bookstore on bookshop.org. It’s stocked with titles by our guest authors, as well as our personal favorites. And on Spotify, you’ll find an album’s worth of typewriter…

People in this episode

Hosts: Barbara DeMarco-Barrett, Marrie Stone

Guest: Cassandra Neyenesch

Topics covered

  • writing
  • fiction
  • journalism
  • novel publishing
  • literary activism

Keywords

  • Cassandra Neyenesch
  • A Little Bit Bad
  • writing process
  • journalism
  • novel
  • literary activism
  • older novelists

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Guardian, Brooklyn Rail, HuffPost, Public Books, The International Herald Tribune, Art in America

Books & works: A Little Bit Bad

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