Black horror writer Tananarive Due fell in love with the spectacle of horror when she was a little kid. But it was only after she was well into her horror writing career that she discovered that the genre can provide not just entertainment but healing. Tananarive talks to Anita about why she believes horror can help folks process real-world fears and trauma, using her most recent award-winning book “The Reformatory” as a case study.  

Meet the guest:

- <a href="https://www.tananarivedue.com/">Tananarive Due</a> is an educator and the author of several horror novels, including "<a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Reformatory/Tananarive-Due/9781982188344?utm_source=author_post&amp;utm_medium=author_social&amp;utm_campaign=the_reformatory&amp;utm_content=">The Reformatory</a>"

<a href="https://www.wunc.org/show/embodied/2026-10-27/horror-black-novel-author-movie-healing">Read the transcript</a> | Review the podcast on your preferred platform

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Please note: This episode originally published February 26, 2026.

Update: Tananarive Due's latest novel, "<a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Mazywood/Tananarive-Due/9781668075142">Mazywood</a>," is available now.

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Dig into the underdiscussed corners of the human experience. Each week, host Anita Rao leads intimate conversations with people unafraid to question what we think we know about identity, relationships and health.Follow the show on Instagram at @embodiedwunc and on Bluesky at embodiedwunc.bsky.social. You can find Anita on Bluesky at asrao.bsky.social.