Babe Cave

About Babe Cave

Welcome to Babe Cave, where creative conversations are honest, funny, and anything but boring. Inspired by Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own, host Amanda Polick—cookbook and food memoir coach, storyteller, and recovering improv actor—takes you behind the scenes of writing and publishing without the elitist BS. With over 20 years of storytelling experience, Amanda has helped writers land Big 5 book deals, see their work in outlets like Food52 and Edible Communities, and craft stories only they can tell. She's worked with Michelin-Starred chefs, produced 300+ live segments at Time Inc., and knows the food and publishing worlds inside and out. Now, she's bringing that expertise and her trademark truth-telling to the mic. Each week, expect solo deep dives into the messy realities of creative life, unfiltered interviews with authors who actually say what they think, and real-world advice for writers ready to stop playing small. Think of it as the writing club you always wanted, minus the pretentious conference vibes. Whether you're writing your first cookbook, wrestling with imposter syndrome, or dreaming of a food memoir that's uniquely yours, Babe Cave is your curated playlist of what actually matters. Come for the writing insights, stay for the laughs, stories, and a little rock-and-roll spirit. Perfect for: writers, authors, cookbook and food memoir creators, and creative entrepreneurs. Mature language and topics included—listen at your own discretion. Questions? Visit amandapolick.com

Publisher

Amanda Polick

Category

arts · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

3 Oct 2017

Latest episode

7 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

131 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   7 Oct 2026

   The Yesteryear Episode

   Season five kicks off with Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke, and people are still mad about it. So, obviously, it had to be the first thing Amanda Polick talked about. Amanda is joined by longtime friend of the show, Jacque, to talk about the novel that set the internet on fire this year. Natalie is a trad-wife influencer who wakes up in 1855 and has to actually live the life she's been selling online. It's weird, it's uncomfortable, and it made both of them furious in the best way. They get into trad-wife culture, the manosphere, unlikable women, and why the people who hate this book might be proving its point. Amanda also shares what it was like to watch a real trad-wife speak at a conference this year, and how disorienting it was to not nod along with everyone else in the room. Also in this episode: Why Natalie not having a redemption arc is actually the whole point The misinformation and performance baked into influencer culture — on and off the page The twist, the ending, and Caro's response to a very unhappy reader in her Instagram comments Jacque's wild plot theory that sends Amanda screaming If you read it and had feelings, this one's for you. If you haven't read it yet, consider this your sign. Spoiler warning: this episode discusses major plot points and the ending of Yesteryear. Resources mentioned: Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke, Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, James by Percival Everett, A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift, The End of the Story by Lydia Davis, House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski, Caro Claire Burke's Marie Claire Australia interview Find Amanda: @amandapolick | amandapolick.com (https://www.amandapolick.com/) Free 1-hour cookbook masterclass: Writing Gold

2. 

   27 May 2026

   The Analog Summer Episode

   Season four is a wrap, and Amanda is taking the summer to go analog. After eight months of taking on too much and being chronically online — including a day job that is literally social media marketing — she is ready to step back, create some white space, and remember what life felt like before the algorithm. This episode is part season finale, part personal manifesto, part permission slip. In this episode: Why she's calling it an analog summer and what that has everything to do with becoming a better writer The advice Brand Builders Group gave to one of their clients about splitting attention across too many channels — and why it landed so hard What she wants season five to look like, including bringing back the book club and having the audacity to invite more guests The Annie F. Downs book that might be her whole summer reading plan Disposable cameras, needlepoint, a record player she needs to replace, and the whimsy she's been missing in her own home Why being present, having real conversations, and actually living your life is research — whether you know it or not She's not disappearing. She's just going to be where her feet are for a while. See you in season five. Perfect for: anyone who's been a little too online lately and needed someone to say it out loud. Find Amanda: @amandapolick | amandapolick.com

3. 

   20 May 2026

   The Film Adaptation Episode

   Books are having a moment on screen, and Amanda has thoughts — including that Greta Gerwig is going to direct her novel someday. Greta doesn't know this yet. Hollywood has spent years refusing to greenlight anything without existing IP, which sounds like bad news until you realize that existing IP is exactly what a published book is. This episode is about why that matters for writers right now, and what it actually looks like when a book becomes a film. In this episode: The Yesteryear deal: four studios bidding, 15 publishers competing, Anne Hathaway attached — and why that kind of buzz starts with the book What the self-described Book Whisperer of Hollywood says changed after Harry Potter and Twilight, including her advice to screenwriters to write the book first How options work, why most of them never become movies, and why that's not necessarily the tragedy it sounds like What you're actually giving up when you sign those rights over, and why having a good agent in the room matters more than people think Why the size of your fictional world determines whether it's a film or a TV series What Claire Cook said about showing up on the Must Love Dogs set to cheer, not to give notes — and why letting go of the book is part of the deal The thing she keeps coming back to: AI can't write from the depths you can. Hollywood needs original stories. So does everyone else. Perfect for: fiction writers who've pictured their book on a screen and wanted to know how that actually happens. Find Amanda: @amandapolick | amandapolick.com

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

5 ratings

Contact Babe Cave

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.