Hey, I'm Amanda

Amanda Montell is a writer, linguist, and podcast host living in Los Angeles. She is the author of two critically acclaimed nonfiction books, Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism (HarperWave, 2021) and Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language (HarperWave, 2019). She is also the creator and co-host of the podcast, Sounds Like A Cult. Amanda's books have earned praise from The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Kirkus Reviews, and more. Cultish was named a best book of 2021 by NPR, was a Goodreads Choice Awards top 5 finalist, and is currently in development for television with Loveless Media and Topic Studios. Sounds Like A Cult peaked on Spotify's Top 20 list of the most popular podcasts in the USA and was named a best podcast of 2022 by Vulture, Wired, and Esquire.

Amanda is currently at work on her third book The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality, to be published by OneSignal, an imprint of Atria and Simon & Schuster, in 2024. Her other writing has appeared in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, Teen Vogue, Refinery29, and Who What Wear, where she formerly served as the Features & Beauty Editor. Amanda was born and raised in Baltimore, MD and holds a degree in linguistics from NYU. Find her on Instagram @amanda_montell.