Candice Lim is joined by Slate senior editor Rebecca Onion to talk about their love of romance novels. The romance genre grew rapidly this past year, becoming the fastest-growing category of fiction and generating over $1.4 billion in sales revenue. Partly thanks to Goodreads and BookTok, romance novels are getting into the hands of younger, more outspoken and vocal readers. But recent scandals, including last year’s Hockey BookTok disaster, question the limits of literary thirsting and ask whet...
Jan 03, 2024•32 min
On this episode, The Outward hosts break down the million dollar takeover ad on X for Prager University’s documentary Detrans: The Dangers of Gender Affirming Care. NBC reporter Jo Yurcaba joins Bryan, Christina, and Jules to tackle the misdirections and anti-trans agenda of the documentary and take a look at the transphobic shifts on the social media platform. Email us at: [email protected] Podcast production by Palace Shaw. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 30, 2023•32 min
On today’s episode brought to us Slate’s Outward, hosts Jules Gill-Peterson and Bryan Lowder, are joined by advice expert Danny Lavery to talk through some relationship issues. They share their thoughts on expectations around divorce as queer people, low self-esteem, and why shaming someone over hygiene might not be a bad idea. If you have a question or need some advice, email us: [email protected] Podcast production by Palace Shaw Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adch...
Dec 29, 2023•40 min
In this episode, Rachelle Hampton and Candice Lim are joined by writer, comedian and Glamorous Trash host Chelsea Devantez to break down this watershed year of celebrity memoirs. The trio crowns the best and the worst titles, dissect what separates a good memoir from a great one, and reveal the shocking figure who has appeared in way more memoirs than you’d expect. This podcast is produced by Se’era Spragley Ricks, Daisy Rosario, Candice Lim and Rachelle Hampton. Learn more about your ad choices...
Dec 28, 2023•47 min
John Dickerson talks with author Christine Coulson about her new book, “One Woman Show.” They discuss the moment that inspired Coulson to tell a story in museum wall labels, her 25-years working at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and why restraint can be an artist’s best friend. Tweet us your questions @SlateGabfest or email us at [email protected]. (Messages could be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth. Learn more about your ad c...
Dec 23, 2023•45 min
On this week’s episode of The Waves, we say goodbye by contemplating a key word of the podcast - feminism. Slate senior producer Cheyna Roth and original Waves host June Thomas discuss what feminism means, the historical problems with the word, who should get to call themselves feminist, and so much more. Endorsements and Discussed in Episode: A Place of Our Own by June Thomas Between Two Wars by Cheyna Roth In Defense of Lean In Feminism on The Waves We Were Once a Family by Roxanna Asgarian Wh...
Dec 21, 2023•40 min
Before 1990, there had never been a documented case of a patient getting HIV from a health care worker. Kimberly Bergalis changed that. Her claim that she’d been infected by her dentist would captivate and terrify the country. And the dentist, David Acer, would be made into a villain without America ever knowing who he really was. This episode was written by Kelly Jones and Josh Levin, One Year’s editorial director. One Year’s senior producer is Evan Chung. This episode was produced by Kelly Jon...
Dec 21, 2023•56 min•Season 6Ep. 5
In September, Brittany Watts had a miscarriage at her home in Ohio. Prosecutors are now charging her with “abuse of a corpse,” a felony that could result in up to a year in prison. When does a miscarriage become a felony? And could the anti-abortion movement be using this case as a step towards achieving “fetal personhood”? Guest: Mary Ziegler, law professor at UC Davis and author of Roe: The History of a National Obsession. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slat...
Dec 20, 2023•24 min
Jules, Bryan, and Outward regular Danny Lavery share year end Prides and Provocations. The hosts cover everything from risk-taking bottoms in government and infamous grifters to powerful organizers who are giving us hope for 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 20, 2023•42 min
Earlier this week, the Texas Supreme Court said Kate Cox couldn’t have an abortion.Cox’s doctors had diagnosed the fetus with Trisomy 18, an almost certainly fatal genetic condition. On top of that, there were concerns about whether or not Cox would be able to have children again in the future if she continued with this pregnancy. None of this was enough for nine judges in Texas to allow Cox to have an abortion. Cox’s story isn’t unique. Amanda Zurawski almost died after a Texas court said she c...
Dec 16, 2023•1 hr 1 min
In recent years, several states and localities have passed “crown” laws, statutes that keep employers from discriminating against African Amercans for wearing their hair in natural styles. That’s because, historically, having straight hair has often been a requirement for professional advancement for Black women in particular. But there is more science emerging that connects chemical relaxers with cancer. In today’s episode of A Word, reporter and cancer survivor Victoria St. Martin speaks with ...
Dec 15, 2023•29 min
Kate Cox’s fight to abort her pregnancy and save her fertility in Texas says a lot about America’s post-Roe, fractured approach to reproductive rights. Guest: Selena Simmons-Duffin, health policy correspondent at NPR. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatne...
Dec 14, 2023•29 min
On this week’s episode of The Waves, why can’t the feminists all get along? Slate senior producer Cheyna Roth is joined by Danielle Kurtzleben, NPR political correspondent and author of the Substack, This F**king Job. They dig into what went wrong with Sheryl Sandberg’s book Lean In, why it wasn’t all completely wrong, and how to stop giving anti-feminists the ammo they need to attack. In Slate Plus: We’re talking May December! If you liked this episode, check out: We See Dead Girls Podcast prod...
Dec 14, 2023•30 min
On this week’s episode of The Waves, we’re bringing out the dead girls. Everywhere you look in popular culture there seems to be a new movie, TV show or true crime documentary detailing the mystery of yet another woman’s death. At least, that was how author and guest Alice Bolin saw things when she wrote her book Dead Girls in 2018. She sits down with Slate senior producer Cheyna Roth to unpack what has - and hasn’t - changed in dead girl culture (from Twin Peak’s Laura Palmer to our persistent ...
Dec 07, 2023•36 min
This week, the Outward hosts discuss Fellow Travelers, a new historical drama from SHOWTIME that takes us into gay D.C during the Lavender Scare of the 1950’s. Bryan, Christina, and Jules dive into the sex and the sexual politics of the show and answer the most important question, were people really that hot in the 1950s? Pride and Provocations: All the Only Ones Your Kid is Trans. You Live in Texas. There Are No Good Options LaundryTok with Melissa Pateras Gay Agenda The Risk it Takes to Bloom ...
Dec 06, 2023•47 min
Allison is on the hunt for her next hobby. One that’s satisfying. One that she can stick with. One that will fit into her family’s very busy schedule. Except…maybe she’s thinking about that last part all wrong. On this episode of How To!, Courtney Martin brings on Eve Rodsky, author of Fair Play and Find Your Unicorn Space. Eve argues that drawing—and defending—boundaries for individual, creative pursuits is necessary for living a fulfilled life. She’ll share how to balance domestic labor in ord...
Dec 05, 2023•43 min
Last week, former UN ambassador and South Carolina governor Nikki Haley scored a coveted endorsement from Charles Koch’s political advocacy group. She’s passed Ron DeSantis in the polls—and now, she’s the top, non-Trump Republican candidate for president. But is there any hope of winning over Trump voters—or is this a race to be the candidate who steps in if the former president goes to jail? Guest: Alexandra Ulmer, reporter at Reuters covering the 2024 U.S. presidential race, with a focus on Re...
Dec 05, 2023•26 min
Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor died Friday at the age of 93. Amicus host Dahlia Lithwick is joined by former O’Connor clerk and renowned First Amendment scholar RonNell Andersen Jones to talk about the Justice’s trailblazing career, her judicial philosophy, and the combination of humility and strength that marked her time on the court, and away from it. Later in the show, Dahlia celebrates the joyous return of Mark Joseph Stern to share some big announcements AND to discuss SEC...
Dec 02, 2023•1 hr 2 min
On this week’s episode of The Waves, with the emergence of streaming more Americans are becoming fans of Japanese anime. Within that media, viewers can see wide ranges of LGTBQ+ representation and gender presentation that often isn’t found in American animation. But like American media, not all of these representations are as nuanced as they should be. Host Vic Whitley-Berry is an avid anime fan, and they sit down with journalist Princess Weekes on femme representation in Japanese anime. In Slat...
Nov 30, 2023•35 min
On this episode, The Outward hosts break down the million-dollar takeover ad on X for Praeger University’s documentary Detrans: The Dangers of Gender Affirming Care. NBC reporter Jo Yurcaba joins Bryan, Christina, and Jules to tackle the misdirections and anti-trans agenda of the documentary and take a look at the transphobic shifts on the social media platform. Read Molly Olmstead's piece for Slate on Praeger University Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nov 29, 2023•31 min
This week, host June Thomas talks to casting director and producer Logan Clark, whose credits include reality TV series like American Idol, The Masked Singer, and the excellent HBO reality series Legendary. In the interview, Logan explains how and why he got into reality show casting and what the job entails. Then he talks about the casting process for Legendary and the importance of featuring members of underrepresented groups on reality TV. After the interview, June and co-host Isaac Butler di...
Nov 26, 2023•43 min
On today’s episode brought to us by Slate’s The Waves, we’re digging into the Bravo network. From Below Deck to Selling Sunset to Vanderpump Rules, the Bravo TV network is a reality television behemoth that has made millions on the backs of its female cast members. But is it actually good for women? ICYMI founding host Rachelle Hampton and culture writer Shamira Ibrahim discuss the current Bravo era, how much of Bravo belongs to famous producer Andy Cohen, why cast members can’t rely on a reunio...
Nov 25, 2023•40 min
Hot flashes, fatigue, and vaginal dryness were some of Katie’s first clues that her body was changing. Half the population will experience menopause, yet misinformation still abounds—with doctors ill-prepared to talk to patients about this major life transition. On this episode of How To!, journalist Susan Dominus joins us to share the knowledge she gained from working on her viral magazine piece, “Women Have Been Misled About Menopause.” She explains why women’s pain has been ignored for so lon...
Nov 23, 2023•49 min
On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… thanks, but no thanks. Americans are anxiously awaiting their Thanksgiving celebrations this week – for many, with some trepidation. Polls suggest we all know we don’t want to talk about politics around the table… but that most of us will anyway. With keeping the peace at the front of many minds — and civility always at the front of ours — our guest this week proposes an alternative: be a little bit of a jerk, if you need to. And, if you can… it’s okay to avoid...
Nov 21, 2023•42 min
On this week’s episode of The Waves, Gerry’s down to two women and two potential fantasy suites. How sweet do things actually get? Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry and Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery. Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to [email protected]. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and exclusive content on many shows—yo...
Nov 17, 2023•39 min
On this week’s episode of The Waves, we’re digging into the Bravo network. From Below Deck to Selling Sunset to Vanderpump Rules, the Bravo TV network is a reality television behemoth that has made millions on the backs of its female cast members. But is it actually good for women? ICYMI founding host Rachelle Hampton and culture writer Shamira Ibrahim discuss the current Bravo era, how much of Bravo belongs to famous producer Andy Cohen, why cast members can’t rely on a reunion to tell their st...
Nov 16, 2023•40 min
This week, guest host Danny Lavery talks with self-appointed lesbian pop culture expert Kira Deshler to dive into the lively queer subculture within the Taylor Swift fandom, and their quest to liberate her. From there they explore the relationship between queer fans and their often straight pop icons. Songs mentioned: Tim I Wish You Were Born a Girl by Of Montreal Pink Triangle by Weezer Johnny Are You Queer? By Josie Cotton Email us at: [email protected] Podcast production by Palace Shaw...
Nov 15, 2023•39 min
Hot flashes, fatigue, and vaginal dryness were some of Katie’s first clues that her body was changing. Half the population will experience menopause, yet misinformation still abounds—with doctors ill-prepared to talk to patients about this major life transition. On this episode of How To!, journalist Susan Dominus joins us to share the knowledge she gained from working on her viral magazine piece, “Women Have Been Misled About Menopause.” She explains why women’s pain has been ignored for so lon...
Nov 14, 2023•48 min
On this week’s episode of The Waves, we get the first Women Tell All episode of The Golden Bachelor. Waves recap co-hosts Cheyna Roth and Laura Stassi have some thoughts for Gerry. Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry and Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery. Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to [email protected]. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across ...
Nov 10, 2023•43 min
On this week’s episode of The Waves, what’s it like to be an indie musician? Slate senior producer Cheyna Roth is joined by singer and songwriter Dessa. They dig into her newest album and how she has benefited from and been hurt by being a woman in the music industry. Later in the show they explore the breakup song - and all the gendered expectations that go along with writing one. In Slate Plus: What do a dentist, neuroscientists, and puppeteers all have in common? They’ve worked with Dessa. If...
Nov 09, 2023•39 min