Slate Culture Feed

Latest Episodes:

Slate Money Goes to the Movies: It’s a Wonderful Life Apr 12, 2022

Show notes

Welcome to Slate Money Goes to the Movies, a miniseries in which Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and a different guest each week discuss popular business-themed movies.

Author and algorithmic auditor Cathy O’Neil joins Felix and Emily to talk about the 1946 Christmas classic, It’s a Wonderful Life. They talk about whether Jimmy Stewart is too entitled to be this upset, the banks of the 1940s, and the finances of heaven.

Email: slatemoney@slate.com

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hang Up: Remembering Dwayne Haskins Apr 11, 2022

Show notes

Vinson Cunningham, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss the death of quarterback Dwayne Haskins. Slate’s Jim Newell also joins to discuss Tiger Woods’ dramatic return at the Masters. Finally, they assess the Los Angeles Lakers’ terrible season.

Dwayne Haskins (1:29): How should we talk about athletes who die young?

Tiger Woods (24:57): What comes after his miraculous comeback?

Lakers (47:58): What went so horribly wrong?

Afterball (1:08:17): Stefan on major leaguers who went for 7-for-7 in a single game.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Working: How Artist and Writer Lauren Redniss Creates Visual Nonfiction Apr 10, 2022

Show notes

This week, host Isaac Butler talks to artist and writer Lauren Redniss, whose latest piece of visual nonfiction is Oak Flat: A Fight for Sacred Land in the American West. In the interview, Lauren first explains why she uses both art and text together in her work. Then she shares her reporting process for Oak Flat and describes how she landed on the book’s narrative structure.

After the interview, Isaac and co-host June Thomas discuss Lauren’s fluid artistic style and the importance of structure in nonfiction.

In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Lauren talks about trying her hand at children’s books.

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 benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Big Mood, Little Mood—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on Working. Sign up now at slate.com/workingplus.

Thanks Avast.com!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

ICYMI: Why Etsy Sellers Are Going on Strike Apr 09, 2022

Show notes

In February, Etsy emailed its sellers to announce that it would be taking a larger cut of their money, even while announcing in the same email that the company’s profits were up. A group of sellers reacted to this increase by starting a movement for sellers to strike on April 11-April 18, 2022. On the show today, Rachelle and Madison explain how we got to this standoff and what the strikers’ demands are, and then speak with an Etsy seller about the news, the experience of banding together with other sellers, and whether or not she’ll even be returning to the site once the strike is finished.

Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Waves: Prepping for Doomsday, Feminist Edition. Apr 07, 2022

Show notes

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate staff writers Rebecca Onion and Lili Loofbourow are talking about the prepper community. Is it all toxic masculinity? Is there already a space for women in the community, or do they have to carve their own space? They dig into Lili’s piece on the schism in the prepper reddit community and explore the gender dynamics of a culture that ranges from coupon clipping to hoarding guns. They also discuss Rebecca Onion’s 2016 piece on what prepper fiction reveals about American virtues.

In Slate Plus: Martha Stewart was in the news for an Instagram post about her dead cat. Is her empire feminist?

Recommendations:

Rebecca: The PBS series Sanditon.

Lili: Wearing men’s sweatpants.

Thanks Avast.com!

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Working: Routines and Rituals Apr 07, 2022

Show notes

For this week’s episode of Working Overtime, host Isaac Butler helps co-host June Thomas adjust to life as a freelancer. With boundless free time comes the need for new routines to maintain creative muscles and stay on task.

Then the hosts examine routines more broadly. Can lighting a candle set the perfect writing mood? Can a fresh drink and an hour of solitary reflection summon your muse? Joan Didion thought so.

Do you have any creative routines or rituals? Do you find them hard to develop? Share your thoughts with us at (304) 933-9675 or email us at working@slate.com.

Podcast production by Kevin Bendis and Cameron Drews.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

ICYMI: How Is TikTok’s Grammy-Winning Bridgerton Musical Legal? Apr 06, 2022

Show notes

This Sunday, the Unofficial Bridgerton Musical took home a Grammy. But how was it allowed to compete in the first place? On the show today, Rachelle is joined by our producer, Daniel, to discuss why the Grammys have become so internet-focused, and how the Bridgerton musical sprang from TikTok. Then, Rachelle speaks with University of Colorado law professor Kristelia Garcia about the legal issues that the musical’s creators might need to resolve after their win, and if Netflix can now call Bridgerton a Grammy-award-winning series.

Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Culture Gabfest: The Godfather Is Great, but Is It Cake? Apr 06, 2022

Show notes

This week, the panel begins by revisiting the iconic film The Godfather in celebration of its50th anniversary. Then, the panel answers the question Is It Cake? as they cut into Netflix’s newest hit. Finally, the panel is joined by Associate Professor of Music Theory at the University of Memphis, Jeremy Orosz, to discuss forensic musicology and what counts as musical plagiarism—which he wrote about for Slate, using Dua Lipa’s “Levitating” lawsuit as a case study.

In Slate Plus, the panel discusses reverse thematic aversions, or “thematic kinks.”

Email us at culturefest@slate.com.

Endorsements

Dana: For all the videophiles out there, The Coppola Restoration of The Godfather from 2008, which includes all three parts of the trilogy.

Allegra: New sad girl indie rocker, Leanna Firestone, and her album Forward / Slashwhich speaks to your inner teen. More specifically, the song “Google Translate / poppies.”

Steve: Julius Aglinskas’ albumDaydreamer, which he did with avant-garde experimental music collective, Apartment House.

Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Nadira Goffe.

Outro music is "You Know What I Want" by Staffan Carlen

Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts, a bonus segment in each episode of the Culture Gabfest, full access to Slate's journalism on Slate.com, and more. Sign up now at slate.com/cultureplus.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hang Up: Happy Carolina, Sad Carolina Apr 05, 2022

Show notes

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss Kansas’ win over North Carolina’s in the men’s basketball title game, and the Athletic’s Chantel Jennings joins to talk about South Carolina’s win over UConn for the women’s title. Finally, they talk about Eric Church, and when it’s OK for sports to trump social and professional obligations.

NCAA men (2:21): How the Jayhawks turned it around against the Tar Heels.

NCAA women (22:16): How the Gamecocks steamrolled the Huskies.

Eric Church (46:47): Was he wrong to cancel a concert to go to the Final Four?

Afterball (1:06:51): Josh on a crazy two months in pro tennis.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How To Start Writing (w/ Anna Quindlen & John Dickerson) Apr 05, 2022

Show notes

You’ve probably heard about the importance of journaling, putting thoughts on paper to help process the daily vicissitudes of life. But it’s easy to stall once you see a blank page or get self conscious about what exactly you’re writing. On this episode of How To!, we bring together Anna Quindlen, bestselling novelist and author of the new book Write For Your Life, and John Dickerson, co-host of Slate’s Political Gabfest, CBS News reporter, author and veteran journaler. They share their wit and wisdom on how to start writing about your personal life — and how to keep it going amid all the distractions. (And stay tuned after the credits for an exclusive sneak peek of Anna Quindlen’s next novel).

If you liked this episode, check out “How To Write a Bestseller” and “How To Get Your Book Published.”

Do you have a problem that needs solving? Send us a note at howto@slate.com or leave us a voicemail at 646-495-4001 and we might have you on the show.

Thanks Avast.com!

Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now at slate.com/howtoplus.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected