When the poet and writer Kaveh Akbar likes something, he really likes it. As a high school student, he got hooked on poetry. In college, it was alcohol. This week, Kaveh talks to Anna Sale about the factors that led to his sobriety, and he explains exactly how he manages a life that’s full of healthy, wonderful obsessions as well as problematic ones. Kaveh’s critically acclaimed novel Martyr! is now available in paperback. You can read about his temporary fixation on collecting basketball cards ...
Feb 11, 2025•49 min
On this week’s show, Dan Kois sits in for Dana Stevens. First, the hosts discuss One of Them Days , a new buddy comedy starring Keke Palmer and SZA that’s quickly becoming a critical darling — and a box office success. Then, they dive into Asura , Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Netflix show that’s about the dynamics between three sisters and is “totally uninterested in the rhythms of a TV show.” Finally, it’s time to explore the “manosphere.” The trio dissected a deftly reported package f...
Jan 29, 2025•1 hr 7 min
On this week’s show, the hosts dive into A Complete Unknown , director James Mangold’s surprisingly charming Bob Dylan biopic that’s all about fame and what it looks like to be adjacent to it. Then, the three explore Dick Wolf’s latest project: On Call , a half-hour cop procedural set in Long Beach, California that’s streaming on Prime Video. Finally, the trio remembers David Lynch, the iconic, singular filmmaker who passed away last week at the age of 78. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, th...
Jan 22, 2025•1 hr 21 min
Emily Bazelon talks with author Yael van der Wouden about her debut novel, The Safekeep . They discuss why Yael chose a queer love story, how Yael’s own Dutch and Jewish heritage influenced her writing, the history of dispossession after World War II, 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/ad...
Jan 18, 2025•34 min
Bryan Lowder talks with writer and scholar Lucas Wilson about his new book, Shame Sex: Survivors’ Stories of Conversion Therapy. They chat about Wilson’s experience navigating same-sex attraction while on an evangelical path, experiencing conversion therapy, and the complicated relationships he experienced along the way. He also shares powerful stories from other survivors and explores the enduring harm of these practices, offering a poignant look at resilience, shame, and healing. Learn more ab...
Jan 08, 2025•45 min
In this Money Talks: Jane Marie has spent years reporting on the tangled web of multi-level marketing companies, or MLMs, with her podcast The Dream and dives even deeper in her new book, Selling the Dream: The Billion-Dollar Industry Bankrupting Americans . In this episode, she sits down with Emily Peck to discuss their origins, their appeal to American women, and their extremely questionable business practices. Want to hear that discussion and hear more Slate Money? Join Slate Plus to unlock w...
Jan 07, 2025•44 min
Slate Political Gabfest host David Plotz talks with author David Greenberg about his new book, John Lewis: A Life . They discuss how Lewis went from marching with Martin Luther King, Jr. to an iconic career as a politician, Lewis’s commitment to non-violence, how Greenberg uncovered never-before-seen documents, 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 ...
Dec 21, 2024•39 min
Ten years ago, Chaz Ebert talked to us about grief and loss as she was mourning the 2013 death of her husband, movie critic Roger Ebert. Her deep sense of connection to Roger continued after he was gone, including, she described, hearing his voice and feeling like they were still in conversation. When Chaz talked about this a decade ago, though, she was skittish about sharing too much about their ongoing communication, nervous that it would sound too out there. No longer. When we talked just a f...
Dec 17, 2024•48 min
This week, Bryan Lowder chats with Michael Andor Brodeur, author of Swole: The Making of Men and the Meaning of Muscle , to unpack the complex intersections of fitness, masculinity, and queer identity. From the sweaty intimacy of the gym to the charged symbolism of muscle, Brodeur examines how bodies become sites of desire, power, and transformation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 04, 2024•42 min
A sizable number of pregnancies end in a loss, whether to miscarriage, still-birth or abortion. But until very recently, discussions of these losses were kept out of public—and policy—conversations. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Colleen Long and Rebecca Little, co-authors of the book, “ I’m Sorry for My Loss: An Urgent Examination of Reproductive Care in America .” They share their own stories of pregnancy loss, and what they learned about the range of experience from ...
Nov 22, 2024•49 min
Political Gabfest host Emily Bazelon talks with author Stephanie Gorton about her new book, The Icon & The Idealist . They discuss racism and prudishness in the early suffragist movement, how eugenics played a role in the birth control movement, and how two different women fought each other, despite wanting the same things. 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 ...
Nov 16, 2024•34 min
How do women gain social influence? Understanding this is crucial because research shows they often face unique challenges in having their voices heard and their expertise recognized, even in highly qualified fields like medicine. The consequences of this could be dire, both for female patients and their healthcare providers. On this week’s episode of Well, Now, Kavita and Maya talk with psychologist Alison Fragale about the science behind effective social influence. Her new book is Likeable Bad...
Nov 13, 2024•52 min
In this Money Talks: how did Victoria’s Secret go from hot to not? Emily Peck is joined by Lauren Sherman and Chantal Fernandez, authors of Selling Sexy: Victoria’s Secret and the Unraveling of an American Icon to discuss the origins of the ubiquitous bra retailer, its role in the rise of fast fashion, and how the brand successfully reflected the culture–until it suddenly didn’t. Want to hear that discussion and hear more Slate Money? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll...
Nov 12, 2024•52 min
Hormones influence everything from mood and energy levels to fertility and long-term health. Yet for many, hormonal health remains shrouded in mystery. When women do seek guidance from their OBGYNs, they’re often told birth control is the only option for treating hormone-related issues like PCOS and endometriosis. But that wasn’t going to cut it for Alisa Vitti . On this week’s episode of Well, Now Kavita and Maya tackle hormonal health with the FLO Living CEO and see what other options are avai...
Nov 06, 2024•50 min
This week’s show is unapologetically long, deep, and hopeful. Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Yale history professor Timothy Snyder to talk about his new book, On Freedom , and to have the audacity to re-imagine freedom on the precipice of an election that could turn the United States hard right into tyranny. Next, Dahlia is joined by Rick Hasen, Director of the Safeguarding Democracy Project at UCLA Law School, for a gut-check about how the election might go, legally speaking, and a reminder that ...
Nov 02, 2024•1 hr 17 min
Neil deGrasse Tyson’s life-long love of science led him to astrophysics and a career as the nation’s premiere voice on making science accessible for all. On today’s episode of A Word, he joins host Jason Johnson for a conversation about the new edition of his book, Merlin’s Tour of the Universe, Revised and Updated for the Twenty-First Century: A Traveler’s Guide to Blue Moons and Black Holes, Mars, Stars, and Everything Far . They also discuss the science in pop culture, the political history o...
Nov 01, 2024•43 min
Nearly half of states – 24 and Washington, D.C – have legalized recreational marijuana. As more people report regularly using it, physicians are seeing patients with alarming side effects related to their cannabis use. On this week’s episode of Well, Now Kavita and Maya sit down with internist and pediatrician Dr. Brittany Tayler to better understand these conditions and who could most likely get them. If you liked this episode, check out: Psychedelics’ Long Strange Trip to the Doctor’s Office W...
Oct 30, 2024•39 min
This week, author and podcaster Kendra Adachi explains how she took perfectionism and strict time-management way too far and was forced to radically change her ways. Her new book is called The Plan: How to Manage Your Time Like a Lazy Genius , and it aims to be what most time-management books aren’t: flexible, kind, and applicable to people with busy schedules and loved ones to care for. To learn more about Kendra’s 13 Lazy Genius principles, check out this episode of her podcast: 13 Principles ...
Oct 29, 2024•51 min
In this Money Talks: the man who would bet billions on a coin toss. Host Felix Salmon chats with Lionel Barber, whose new book Gambling Man: The Secret Story of the World’s Greatest Disruptor, Masayoshi Son reveals how the man who backed Alibaba became the world’s biggest maverick investor, throwing fortunes at enterprises that could either succeed spectacularly or go down in flames. Podcast production by Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth. Want more Slate Money? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonu...
Oct 29, 2024•38 min
Candice Lim is joined by Meghan Keane, the founder of NPR’s Life Kit and the author of Party of One: Be Your Own Best Life Partner . We’re approaching “cuffing season,” a viral term that demarcates those colder months when everyone in your life suspiciously couples up. While it’s bred a whole economy of cozy, staying in vlogs and soft (or hard) launches, what happens to those who choose not to cuff up this season — or ever? On today’s episode, we’re talking about what it really means to choose y...
Oct 26, 2024•51 min
Puberty is changing, and we’re not talking about developing Adam’s apples and growing hair in new places. It starts earlier and lasts longer. Regardless of when this necessary stage of life starts, youth and their adults need support going through it. On this week’s episode of Well, Now puberty expert Vanessa Kroll Bennett discusses the biggest ways puberty has changed for today’s youth and how best to navigate it. She’s co-host of the podcast This Is So Awkward with Dr. Cara Natterson and co-au...
Oct 23, 2024•52 min
In a very special election season Money Talks: Trump was never that good at business. How did he fake it till he made it? New York Times reporters Russ Buettner and Susanne Craig explain in their book Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father’s Fortune and Created the Illusion of Success. They speak with host Emily Peck to discuss Trump’s early business missteps, the right-place-right-time happenstances that made him a reality star, and whether or not he might actually have talent…if o...
Oct 22, 2024•47 min
Political Gabfest host John Dickerson talks with author Dan Harris about his re-released book, 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, And Found Self-Help That Actually Works – A True Story in light of the looming November 5 vote. They discuss the steps to coping with election anxiety, how to benefit from group dynamics (instead of letting the doom-scrolling get to you), and more. Tweet us your questions @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com...
Oct 19, 2024•49 min
You’re nervous. We’re nervous. As we stop for gas with almost two weeks to go before November 5th, we’re kicking the tires of American democracy to see if it’s roadworthy. On this week’s show, Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Matthew Seligman, one of the authors of How to Steal a Presidential Election , to examine the legal avenues available to Donald J Trump and his band of merry lawyers to subvert the presidential election. Seligman answers Amicus listeners’ most common election question: Can MAGA...
Oct 19, 2024•1 hr 9 min
We live in a weight-obsessed world, and children are not immune. From the moment a child is born, their weight and height are tracked and recorded. Then throughout their development, these metrics are used as one of the main factors to determine their health. But as the Health at Every Size (HAES) philosophy continues to gain traction for some adults, is there use for it as a part of growing children’s well-being, too? On this week’s episode of Well, Now Maya and Kavita speak with pediatric diet...
Oct 16, 2024•49 min
For this Money Talks, it’s time to turn the rat race into a rat walk on the beach. Brigid Schulte, author of Over Work: Transforming the Daily Grind in the Quest for a Better Life , speaks with about America’s toxic relationship with labor in which employees at all levels are underpaid, under-rested, and over-hustled. They discuss what America can learn from work cultures in other countries and what it will take to achieve the four-day workweek. In this Money Talks: The pandemic wrecked global s...
Oct 15, 2024•48 min
In this episode long-time friend of the show June Thomas sits down with the editor of The Queer Arab Glossary, Marwan Kaboour. The glossary is the first published collection of Arabic LGBTQ+ slang and covers a wide range of dialects across the arab world. Marwan details how he decided to organize the glossary and what the words reveal about queer culture. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oct 09, 2024•38 min
On this episode: Elizabeth, Lucy and Zak are joined by author, speaker, and soccer superstar Abby Wambach. We’ll talk about her new book, The Wolfpack Way , and what it means to raise a little leader. We also slip in a quick conversation about what it’s like to blend families and become a “bonus mom.” And then, if you’re joining us for the Plus Playground — out now in your podcast feed — Abby answers the hosts’ kids’ questions, and it is precious . Join us on Facebook and email us at careandfeed...
Oct 07, 2024•44 min
The majority of Latino voters have historically backed Democrats. But former President Donald Trump has polled very strongly around Latino Americans, despite villifying immigrants from Latin America. And several high profile leaders of the American far right are Latino. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson discusses the issue with Paola Ramos. She is an award-winning journalist, political analyst, and the author of Defectors: The Rise of the Latino Far Right and What It Means for America....
Oct 04, 2024•38 min
GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, WeGovy, Mounjaro and others revolutionized weight loss and chronic weight management. But what does it feel like for the patients who take them? On this week’s episode of Well, Now Kavita and Maya talk with journalist and author Johann Hari . Over the course of a year, Johann dived into the research and history behind GLP-1 drugs and how they became the latest and most effective way to lose weight. All the while, he was also taking Ozempic himself. His latest book Magic...
Oct 02, 2024•56 min
