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Working: Consuming Art like an Artist Jul 13, 2023

Show notes

For this week’s episode of Working Overtime, hosts June Thomas and Isaac Butler peel back the layers of great art. Whether it’s books, movies, essays, or paintings, creative work can be broken apart and used as inspirational ammunition for your own output. Through dog-earing novels, overloading a Notes app, or treating yourself to an ‘Artist Date,’ there are countless ways to consume creativity and store it for your own work.

Do you have a question about creative work? Leave a message at (304) 933-9675 or email us at working@slate.com.

Podcast production by Kevin Bendis and Cameron Drews.

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Culture Gabfest: A Raunchy Joy Ride Jul 12, 2023

Show notes

This week, Slate writer and editor Dan Kois fills in for Julia. The panel begins by breaking down Joy Ride, Adele Lim’s raunchy first feature about four Chinese-American friends. Then, the panel dives into the second season of the reality show Claim to Fame. Finally, they examine the commodification of storytelling, inspired by Parul Sehgal’s essay “The Tyranny of the Tale” for The New Yorker.

In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel discusses pickleball, America’s fastest growing sport.

Email us at culturefest@slate.com.

Endorsements:

Dana: “They Don’t Want Us and We Don’t Need Them” – David Roth on the drama surrounding GQ’s David Zaslav story and the depressing state of media for Defector.

Dan: Patrick deWitt novels – Specifically, the Canadian novelist’s latest, The Librarianist.

Stephen: Diary of a Foreigner in Paris – Curzio Malaparte recounts his return to postwar Europe and his complex relationship with fascism.

Outro music: “Backwards” by Staffan Carlen

Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Kat Hong.

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. You’ll also be supporting the work we do here on the Culture Gabfest. Sign up now at Slate.com/cultureplus to help support our work.

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ICYMI: Has Black Twitter Found A New Home? Jul 12, 2023

Show notes

On today’s episode, Candice Lim is joined by Slate culture writer Nadira Goffe to dive into her piece about Spill, the latest Twitter alternative to hit the streets. But first, they parse out the chaos surrounding Keke Palmer and Jonah Hill, whose respective relationship drama entered public discourse over the past week.

This podcast is produced by Se’era Spragley Ricks, Daisy Rosario, Candice Lim and Rachelle Hampton.

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Hear Me Out: You Need To Care About Meghan Markle Jul 11, 2023

Show notes

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… royal pains.

The British Royals are far from the imperial power they once were. Whether you love the institution, hate it, or simply don’t care, it’s hard to deny that it feels like an artifact of another time.

Which is perhaps why Meghan Markle’s arrival on the scene – and subsequent departure, with Prince Harry at her side – threw so many people for a loop. Meghan continues to receive racist, sexist, and downright fabricated harassment from the public, and particularly the tabloids… and so do the people who defend her.

Kristen Meinzer, culture critic and host of The Daily Fail, joins us again to explain why we need to care about Meghan — and defend her.

If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can email the show: hearmeout@slate.com

Podcast production by Maura Currie

You can skip all the ads in Hear Me Out by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/hearmeoutplus for just $15 a month for your first three months.

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Hang Up: The End of the New York Times Sports Department Jul 11, 2023

Show notes

Josh Levin and Stefan Fatsis are joined by the Washington Post’s Ben Golliver to discuss Victor Wembanyama’s NBA Summer League debut. The Athletic’s C. Trent Rosecrans also joins to talk about baseball stars Elly de la Cruz, Ronald Acuña Jr., and Shohei Ohtani. Finally, legendary New York Times sports columnist Robert Lipsyte comes on to talk about the demise of the Times sports department.

Wembanyama (5:45): What happened with Britney Spears? And what about his iffy debut?

MLB (29:46): A look at the game’s most exciting players.

New York Times (51:06): A Times legend on what comes next for the paper’s sports section.

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Working: The Writers Behind One of the Best Shows on TV Jul 09, 2023

Show notes

This week, we're airing an encore presentation of our interview with Hannah Bos and Paul Thureen, writers and creators of the HBO series Somebody Somewhere, which just finished airing its second season on HBO. In the interview, Hannah and Paul discuss their close collaborative relationship and share some of the creative practices they developed with their theater company, The Debate Society. Then they talk about the development and writing process behind Somebody Somewhere, which is set in rural Kansas and stars actor and cabaret singer Bridget Everett, who grew up there.

After the interview, hosts Isaac Butler and June Thomas talk about the effectiveness of writing exercises and the difficulty of describing one’s own creative processes.

In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Hannah and Paul explain why they chose not to include any details about the pandemic in Somebody Somewhere.

Send your questions about creativity and any other feedback to working@slate.com or give us a call at (304) 933-9675.

Podcast production by Cameron Drews.

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—you’ll also be supporting the work we do here on Working. Sign up now at slate.com/workingplus to help support our work.

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What Next TBD: Is Your Son Watching Andrew Tate? Jul 09, 2023

Show notes

Andrew Tate’s gross mix of self-help, toxic masculinity and misogyny captured the minds of young boys on the internet. It also led to indictments in Romania on human trafficking and rape charges.

Guest: Lisa Miller, contributing editor at New York magazine.

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 TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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ICYMI: How Reddit Turned On Its Creator Jul 08, 2023

Show notes

On today’s episode, Candice Lim is joined by Slate business and tech writer Nitish Pahwa to break down the recent controversy surrounding Reddit CEO Steve Huffman. In May, Huffman announced Reddit would be charging third-party apps, bots and companies for using the site’s Data API. Redditors erupted in protest, with many popular subreddits going dark to signal their opposition to the move. The protest was effective, but where does Reddit go from here?

This podcast is produced by Se’era Spragley Ricks, Daisy Rosario, Candice Lim and Rachelle Hampton.

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A Word: Trouble the Waters Jul 07, 2023

Show notes

It can take years for a water crisis in a predominantly Black city or town to make national news. But contaminated water often harms communities for generations. Beyond the ongoing health threats, dirty water can stifle business and economic development, driving down educational achievement, property values and investment. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by journalist Adam Mahoney who has reported extensively on how undrinkable water in hurting Black communities across the rural south.

Guest: Reporter Adam Mahoney of Capital B News

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for $15 for your first three months.

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Dear Prudence: I Hate My Fiancé’s Mustache—but He Refuses to Get Rid of It. Help! Jul 07, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, Meredith Goldstein (advice columnist and features writer for The Boston Globe) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer readers’ dilemmas about commitment, wedding locations, and whether you’re allowed to make demands about your partner’s facial hair.

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/prudieplus to sign up. It’s just $15 for your first three months.

Podcast production by Se’era Spragley Ricks and Daisy Rosario, with help from Brandon Nix.

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