This week Christina chats with Eleanor Medhurst, author of “Unsuitable: A History of Lesbian Fashion,” and the blog ‘Dressing Dykes ’ to chat about lesbian style from around the world and across time. They dig into the gender-bending styles of the Harlem Renaissance, monocles, and how queer women used their fashions to find each other. Click HERE to support Human Rights Campaign. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Jun 26, 2024•36 min
How To!’s senior editor Joel Meyer recently experienced a yard sale fail and wants to know what went wrong. He spent hours planning and organizing the items on his lawn, but when it was all said and done he barely made enough to cover the cost of lunch. Enter this week’s expert, Ava Seavey, a self-described master of garage-sale-ology and author of Ava’s Guide to Garage Sale Gold . Seavey tells host Courtney Martin some hilarious stories and insider tips for how to cash in on all your old stuff....
Jun 25, 2024•39 min
In 2021, one of the largest global law enforcement operations took place. It was all thanks to an encrypted phone service known as Anom, which was secretly run by the FBI. The program was a wild success. But did the agency take it too far? Guest: Joseph Cox, investigative reporter for 404 media and author of “Dark Wire, the Incredible True Story of the Largest Sting Operation Ever” Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all ...
Jun 16, 2024•33 min
David Plotz talks with author Sierra Greer about her new book, Annie Bot . They discuss how much discomfort Annie (a “Cuddle Bunny” type of robot) can feel, how the story of a robot is really about the right to control a body, and more. Tweet us your questions @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com . (Messages could be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Jun 15, 2024•21 min
After Lin met Dave, their lives quickly became entangled. Lin joined Dave’s small business, made much-needed improvements, and charmed Dave’s family. The two also began a romantic relationship that lasted years. When it fizzled, Lin continued working at the company—and eventually uncovered Dave’s lies, deceit, and infidelity. On this episode of How To!: Carvell Wallace welcomes Nina Renata Aron , author of Good Morning, Destroyer of Men’s Souls , to share her own experience exiting a toxic, code...
Jun 11, 2024•45 min
This week, host Ronald Young Jr. talks to writer Emma Copley Eisenberg about her new novel Housemates , which features a burgeoning friendship between two artists who decide to road trip across Pennsylvania together. In the interview, Emma explains how her nonfiction writing and her interest in history influenced this new work of fiction. She also talks about her “feast or famine” approach to productivity, her desire to document her community, and her belief that physical descriptions of people ...
Jun 09, 2024•50 min
Each week, we’ve explored wellness from different perspectives, but we haven’t talked about what it means to live a full life while grappling with the real possibility of death. Most of us hope for a full, long life with “good” health. But a serious, possibly fatal diagnosis changes everything: Our relationships with work, loved ones, and even the way we see ourselves. On this week’s episode of Well, Now we speak with author, journalist, and artist Suleika Jaouad . Many learned about her work in...
Jun 05, 2024•44 min
Paula has a big family, lots of friends, and a girlfriend she adores. For most of her life, however, she has experienced an underlying and unshakeable sense of loneliness. On this episode of How To!, Courtney Martin brings on Kristen Radtke , the writer and illustrator behind Seek You: A Journey Through American Loneliness , to talk with Paula about an emotion that’s hard to talk about—and even harder to confront. If you liked this episode, check out How To Find Your People and How To Survive a ...
Jun 04, 2024•43 min
Elissa Strauss always knew she wanted to be a mother, but she also knew she didn’t want motherhood to take over her personality. After all, she had spent years as a blogger making fun of anyone who took motherhood too seriously. She bemoaned the natural birth movement and people who made “mom friends.” Then Elissa had a son, and her view of caretaking started to shift. “I had put so much energy into figuring out how not to lose myself to caregiving,” Elissa writes in her new book, “that I comple...
Jun 04, 2024•48 min
On this episode: Zak sits down with Jessica Calarco, whose new book – Holding It Together – is out tomorrow. The two walk through the ways in which women, and especially mothers, replace a social safety net in the United States… and, more importantly, why it doesn’t have to be this way. We also dole out a round of recommendations – and for our Slate Plus listeners, we continue Zak and Jessica’s conversation and ask Jamilah and Elizabeth what they think their unpaid labor is holding together. Eli...
Jun 03, 2024•35 min
This week, Bryan dives into the world of sports to talk about the often obscured queer history of the Olympics with writer Michael Waters. Michael’s new book ‘The Other Olympians: Fascism, Queerness, and the Making of Modern Sports’ highlights the gripping true stories of pioneering trans and intersex athletes from the 1936 Olympics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 29, 2024•34 min
This week, host Ronald Young Jr. talks to June Thomas about her new book A Place of Our Own: Six Spaces That Shaped Queer Women’s Culture . In the interview, June explains what it was like to bring journalistic rigor to a world that’s close to her heart. She also discusses her pivot to full-time book writing, the importance of passing history to future generations, and her use of the phrase “queer women” to describe a group that goes well beyond that label. After the interview, Ronald and co-hos...
May 19, 2024•47 min
Emily Bazelon talks with authors Bill Wasik and Monica Murphy, about their new book, Our Kindred Creatures: How Americans Came to Feel the Way They Do About Animals . They discuss the evolution of animal treatment in America, moral duties to animals, and how to care about more animals than our pets. Tweet us your questions @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com . (Messages could be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth. Learn more about...
May 18, 2024•33 min
In this episode, Kiese Laymon (author of Long Division , How to Slowly Kill Yourself in America , and Heavy: An American Memoir ) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about how to convince your strict religious parents to let you go to an out-of-state college, whether to report a coworker’s insensitive gym behavior to HR, and how to deal with a mom who forgets to take her medication and immediately uses a racial slur. If you want more Dear Prudence, join Slate Plus,...
May 17, 2024•32 min
On this episode: Jamilah sits down with author Ruby Russell to talk about her new book, Doing It All: The Social Power of Single Motherhood . They talk about the ways that single mothers upend the patriarchy — and why that’s a good thing. Lucy, Elizabeth, and Zak also circle up for a round of triumphs and fails — including an epic saga involving a hospital in the Philippines. Join us on Facebook and email us at careandfeedingpod@slate.com to ask us new questions, tell us what you thought of toda...
May 16, 2024•42 min
For many Americans, wellness is about mitigating and navigating disease. They’re looking for reliable ways to live healthier, longer lives. But some are thinking even bigger than that and looking beyond what doctors view as the standard lifespan: 10, 20, 30, even 40 years beyond it. These people are often called “biohackers.” On this week’s episode of Well, Now we talk to someone who’s considered the “Father of Biohacking” Dave Asprey on what exactly this movement is, and whether is it feasible ...
May 15, 2024•49 min
For many, pregnancy is a time of heightened and joyful anticipation. There are doctor’s appointments, tests, preparation…All with a focus on bringing home a healthy baby. The other side of pregnancy–the complications–is not readily discussed. On this week’s episode of Well, Now we discuss all of these potential roadblocks with economist Emily Oster . In her latest book The Unexpected: Navigating Pregnancy During and After Complications , she arms patients with the data they need to advocate for ...
May 08, 2024•41 min
When Allen’s gym crush asked him—point blank—if he liked someone, he panicked. Should he tell her? What should he do if she wasn’t actually flirting with him? On this episode of How To!: Courtney Martin finds out what happened and brings in Jeff Guenther, therapist and author of the new book Big Dating Energy. (You might know him as TherapyJeff from TikTok , Instagram , or YouTube .) Jeff gives Allen the tools to flirt more authentically, stick to his non-negotiables, and lean into his self-conf...
May 07, 2024•40 min
This week, host June Thomas talks to the prolific writer Anne Lamott, whose latest book is called Somehow: Thoughts on Love . In the interview, Anne discusses the origin of her new book, the challenges of writing deeply personal memoirs, and the importance of writing groups. After the interview, June and co-host Isaac Butler discuss Anne’s “bird-by-bird” writing advice. They also talk about why they share certain personal details–and not others–in their nonfiction writing and on the podcast. In ...
May 05, 2024•54 min
On this episode of How To!: co-hosts Courtney Martin and Carvell Wallace sit down to talk about his new memoir, Another Word for Love . In the book, Carvell’s examination of his own journey becomes a reflection on how so many of us spend our lives trying to become whole again. He and Courtney discuss his approach to writing and interviewing, what it means to be seen as good (versus actually being good), and why it’s often so hard to forgive yourself. If you liked this episode check out: How To F...
Apr 30, 2024•36 min
A vital component of wellness is taking care of our mental health. But mental wellness is more than just drinking water, doing yoga, and going for a walk. Author and podcaster Allison Raskin has lived most of her life with diagnosed mental illness. By navigating her mental health journey over the years, she’s been able to find community and humor through her diagnoses, particularly by writing about her experience with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. On this week’s episode of Well, Now – navigatin...
Apr 24, 2024•40 min
This week, host Isaac Butler talks to novelist Julia Hannafin and ecologist Adam Rosenblatt. In the interview, they discuss Julia’s new novel Cascade , which includes information about sharks and other marine life that Adam helped to verify. Julia explains how factual accuracy helped to solidify and drive both the plot of Cascade and some of its emotional power. Adam talks about what the collaborative process was like for him and argues that science is more creative than people think. After the ...
Apr 21, 2024•50 min
John Dickerson talks with author David E. Sanger about his new book , New Cold Wars . They discuss how Russia and China came to reach their new levels of power, the role the Middle East and Obama Administration played in all of this, and more. Tweet us your questions @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com . (Messages could be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Apr 20, 2024•42 min
In this episode, Bassey Ikpi (New York Times bestselling essay collection, I’m Telling the Truth but I’m Lying ) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about an international sisters’ trip gone awry, a husband’s struggle to live with his wife’s mental health issues, and an uncomfortable situation between coworkers. If you want more Dear Prudence, join Slate Plus, Slate’s membership program. Jenée answers an extra question every week, just for members. Go to Slate.com/...
Apr 19, 2024•36 min
This week Bryan talks to writer Neil J. Young about his new book Coming Out Republican: A History of the Gay Right. They dig into some of the inherent contradictions of the Gay Right and the pillars of their political strategy and reveal how central whiteness and maleness is to their politic. Podcast production by Palace Shaw. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Apr 17, 2024•35 min
Patric Gagne says being a sociopath is like having an emotional learning disability. In this episode, she talks about the good and the bad of having limited access to shame and guilt, how she overcame violent compulsions, and becoming a wife and mother. Death, Sex & Money is now produced by Slate! To support us and our colleagues, please sign up for our membership program, Slate Plus ! Members get ad-free podcasts, bonus content on lots of Slate shows, and full access to all the articles on ...
Apr 16, 2024•47 min
This week, host Ronald Young Jr. talks to Linda Holmes, host of NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast and author of two novels: Evvie Drake Starts Over and Flying Solo . In the interview, Linda explains how she started her career practicing law in Minnesota before she pivoted to TV criticism. She also talks about how NPR came to take pop culture seriously, how her work as a critic informs her writing (and vice versa), and how she has gotten much better at coming up with titles for her novels. Aft...
Apr 07, 2024•48 min
For National Poetry Month, Bryan and Jules talk to multi-hyphenate writer and performer Brontez Purnell about his new book Ten Bridges I've Burnt: A Memoir in Verse . They dig into the influence of astrophysics and forgiveness on his work, and his essay on Black Gay Pornstar Gene Lamar. Podcast production by Palace Shaw. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Apr 03, 2024•43 min
For this edition of Money Talks: Are you feeling trapped in Zoom/Teams/Slack purgatory? Author Cal Newport’s book Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout has a way forward. Host Emily Peck speaks with him about how the digital office became an “invisible factory” and how you can take back control of your working life. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and an additional discu...
Apr 02, 2024•39 min
In this episode, Dan Pashman ( The Sporkful and Anything’s Pastable ) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about how to handle a person who tastes food in an unsanitary fashion and deeply annoys you while you’re trying to cook in a tiny kitchen, what to do when your dinner party invitations aren’t reciprocated, and whether two people with extremely different eating habits can have a happy life together. If you want more Dear Prudence, join Slate Plus, Slate’s member...
Mar 29, 2024•36 min
