Welcome!
Hello, I’m Emily, the journalist and editor here. I’ve been writing The Ick for four seasons. Each season addresses a different facet of the ick, and the latest installment tackles the most visceral aspect yet: DISGUST.
If you’re not already a paid subscriber, please consider these subscription tiers. All proceeds will go toward covering printing costs.
Season 4: Disgust
In season 4, I collaborated with brilliant writer friends to create a curated season around the theme of DISGUST. The season culminated in a PRINT magazine.
Order it here →
Attend the in-person reading + launch party in San Francisco, on January 16th, 2026. More details coming soon!
Season 4 contributors:
Eurydice explored the ick of motherhood and thought policing.
Jake Eaton, editor at Anthropic, wrote about misophonia and why we hate wet sounds.
etirabys analyzed the causes and origins of women’s dating icks.
Lydia Laurenson of The New Modality and Solar Light reflected on her entanglement with the neoreactionary movement.
Deepfates described on the politics of contagion.
Rhys Lindmark, author and artist behind Ada & Locke, created a comic about disgust’s evolutionary origins.
See the full season here.
Order the print magazine here →
Season 3: Social Survival Guide
In Season 3, we explored the hidden rules of human connection. With help from psychologists, linguists, and social scientists, this season created a field guide to post-pandemic etiquette.
Season 2: The 5 Senses
Instead of filtering out what makes us feel weird, out of control, or icked out—we’re turning up the volume. A season of essays and interviews dedicated to delighting in the qualia and surprising interwovenness of the senses.
Season 1: Embarrassing Stories
A series covering my most embarrassing moments from compulsive lying to almost drowning.
