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Working: How to Interview Celebrities, With Taffy Brodesser-Akner Jul 12, 2020

Show notes

This week, host Isaac Butler talks to novelist and celebrity profile writer Taffy Brodesser-Akner. In the interview, Taffy shares how she’s able to land interviews with celebrities and how she structures her pieces. She also explains why she’s a “champion advice-taker” and tells the story of how her bestselling novel, Fleishman Is in Trouble, started as a failed magazine pitch. Don’t miss her New York Times Magazine profiles of Gwyneth Paltrow and Val Kilmer.

After the interview, Isaac and co-host June Thomas discuss a couple of Taffy’s most ingenious pieces of wisdom. Check out Isaac’s profile of Nathan Lane.

Send your questions about creativity and any other feedback to working@slate.com.

And 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 Working. It’s only $35 for the first year, and you can get a free two-week trial. Sign up now to help support our work.

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Spoiler Specials: Hamilton Jul 10, 2020

Show notes

On the Spoiler Special podcast, Slate critics discuss movies, the occasional TV show, and, once in a blue moon, another podcast, in full spoiler-filled detail. For a very special LIVE episode of Spoiler Specials, Slate’s Dana Stevens was joined by Sam Adams, Rachelle Hampton and Rebecca Onion to spoil the Hamilton movie that’s streaming on Disney+. They discuss how well the show has aged, historical inaccuracies, colorblind casting, and even the ending scene that doesn’t appear on the album.

You can read Sam Adams’ dive into the ending here.

You can hear more analysis from Dana Stevens here.

You can even read Marissa Martinelli’s argument to not watch the film here.

Note: As the title indicates, this podcast contains spoilers galore.

Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and access to exclusive shows like Dana Stevens’ classic movies podcast Flashback. Sign up now to listen and support our work.

Email us at spoilers@slate.com.

Podcast production by Rosemary Belson. A huge thank you to Faith Smith and Britt Pullie for producing the Slate Live event.

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Thirst Aid Kit: Nichole’s Thirst ABCs Jul 09, 2020

Show notes

We talk about formative crushes A LOT of the show, so we decided to do a little digging… Who, exactly, was the first person to indoctrinate Nichole into the ways of long hair? Why does she seem to like a french fry of a man? Who sparked her love of wide mouths and thick eyebrows? All are questions only Prince, Al B. Sure! and Maxwell can answer… hopefully in falsetto.

In our Plus segment, we take a look at the music from pop culture that marked us. We can never forget songs from Something New, Love and Basketball, Misfits, The Best Man, Cruel Intentions, or Mrs. Fletcher. Join Slate Plus to find out why! Slate.com/thirstaidplus

As usual, you can follow us on Twitter @ThirstAidKit. Our music is by Tanya Morgan. You can find show notes, and more on our Tumblr at thirstaidkitpodcast.tumblr.com. Don’t forget to send us your drabbles by emailing thirstaidkit@slate.com.

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Culture Gabfest: Hamilton in the Trump Era Jul 08, 2020

Show notes

On this week’s episode, Steve, Dana, and Julia are joined by New Yorker staff writer Doreen St. Félix to talk about I May Destroy You. Then, Steve and Dana are joined by Isaac Butler, writer and co-host of this season of Slate’s Working podcast, to discuss the filmed version of Hamilton, now streaming on Disney Plus. Finally, the panel dives into Julia’s comfort-watch pick of the week: the 1996 disaster film Twister.

In Slate Plus, the hosts continue to talk with Isaac about Hamilton, its ending, its significance in 2020, and more.

Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Rachael Allen.

Outro Music: Smartface by Smartface

Endorsements

Dana: Scott Brick’s narration of Ron Chernow’s Alexander Hamilton.

Julia:The movie Dave.

Steve: “Wanting Wrong” by Anne Enright in the New York Review of Books.

Slate Plus members get a bonus segment on the Culture Gabfest each episode, and access to exclusive shows like Dana Stevens’ classic movies podcast Flashback. Sign up now to listen and support our work.

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Working: How Editor Tracy Sherrod is Amplifying Black Authors Jul 05, 2020

Show notes

Host Rumaan Alam talks about elevating Black voices in the book publishing industry with Tracy Sherrod, editorial director of the Haper Collins imprint Amistad Press. In the interview, Tracy explains how the predominantly white publishing industry has created barriers for Black authors over the years. She also digs into the details of her work, including the process of negotiating book deals with new authors.

After the interview, Rumaan and co-host Isaac Butler answer an ethical question from a listener.

Send your questions about creativity and any other feedback to working@slate.com.

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 Working. It’s only $35 for the first year, and you can get a free two-week trial. Sign up now to help support our work.

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Thirst Aid Kit: Hot Men In Bad Movies Jul 02, 2020

Show notes

Every movie we watch can’t be a part of the Criterion Collection, okay? Sometimes you have to suffer through a movie to gorge yourself on eye candy and that’s perfectly fine! Michele Morrone in 365 Days, Brad Pitt in Troy, Alexander Skarsgård and Djimon Hounsou in The Legend of Tarzan make the suffering worth it. Maybe?

For our Slate Plus segment, we put Bim on the Thirst Therapy couch to get to the root of why domesticity is so important in her drabbles.

As usual, you can follow us on Twitter @ThirstAidKit. Nichole is @tnwhiskeywoman and Bim is @bimadew. Our music is by Tanya Morgan. You can find show notes, and more on our Tumblr at thirstaidkitpodcast.tumblr.com. Don’t forget to send us your drabbles by emailing thirstaidkit@slate.com.

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How To!: How To Write a Bestseller with Taffy Brodesser-Akner Jun 30, 2020

Show notes

Lauren already knows the plot of her bestselling novel—the problem is she hasn’t written a word. Paralyzed by self-criticism and an earlier rejection, this former English major has spent years journaling instead of attempting the scary, difficult work of creative writing. On this episode of How To!, we turn to writer Taffy Brodesser-Akner, whose debut novel Fleishman Is in Trouble, was one of the hottest books of the year. Can she help Lauren finally put pen to paper? The first thing Lauren needs to do, Taffy says, is stop journaling, and start writing. And then keep writing: “You can't get to the good sentences if you don't write the bad ones first.” Next, find a trusted reader, not a cheerleader, to give you honest feedback. And when doubt begins to creep in again, look at the writers you admire and simply ask, “Why them and not me?”

Do you have a problem that needs a solution? 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.

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Hit Parade: Building a Herstory Edition Jun 30, 2020

Show notes

Like many media organizations at the moment, Slate is getting hit pretty hard by what's going on with the economy in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. We want to continue doing our work, providing you with all our great podcasts, news and reporting, and we simply cannot do that without your support. So we're asking you to sign up for Slate Plus, our membership program. It's just $35 for the first year, and it goes a long way to supporting us in this crucial moment.

For decades—literally since Woodstock—female musicians had battled music-industry perceptions that amassing too many of them, on the radio or on the road, was bad for business. And yet, by the ’90s, women were vital to the rise of alt-rock and hip-hop on the charts: from Suzanne Vega to Queen Latifah, Tracy Chapman to Sheryl Crow, Natalie Merchant to Missy Elliott.

Sarah McLachlan harnessed this energy into an all-woman tour she dubbed Lilith Fair. Its string of sellouts from 1997 to ’99 affirmed women’s clout in the decade of grunge-and-gangsta. But the festival was also criticized for its narrow focus and for branding “women’s music” as a genre. More than two decades later, Hit Parade assesses the legacy of Lilith on the charts and on the road—how its performers, attendees and musical descendants are helping to ensure the future is female.

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Working: Jasmine Guillory’s Romance Novels Show Realistic Characters Falling in Love Jun 28, 2020

Show notes

This week, host June Thomas digs into the romance genre with bestselling author Jasmine Guillory, who started her career as a lawyer and then went on to release five novels including Party of Two, which was released on June 23. In the interview, Jasmine talks through her writing process and shares how she was able to publish five novels in such a short period of time. She also explains why her characters don’t fit into the usual tropes of the romance genre.

After the interview June and co-host Rumaan Alam talk about the comforting nature of genre fiction.

Send your questions about creativity and any other feedback to working@slate.com.

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Spoiler Specials: Da 5 Bloods Jun 26, 2020

Show notes

On the Spoiler Special podcast, Slate critics discuss movies, the occasional TV show, and, once in a blue moon, another podcast, in full spoiler-filled detail. This week, Dana Stevens, Slate’s movie critic, is joined by Aisha Harris, writer and editor for The New York Times’ Opinion section to spoil Da 5 Bloods.

Spike Lee’s newest film follows a group of Black Vietnam War veterans as they reunite years later. The group returns to Vietnam to find the remains of Stormin’ Norman, their commander who died during the war. While they are there, they try to retrieve a lost cache of CIA gold. At first the search seems easy–too easy. But soon familial tensions, lingering PTSD, and environmental hazards start complicating the mission. How many of the remaining Bloods will make it back out of the jungle?

Plus: Dana and Aisha break down Spike Lee’s employment of numerous film techniques, including an innovative use of four different aspect ratios.

You can read Sam Adams’ review here.

You can read Matthew Dessem’s piece on the aspect ratios here.

You can also read Matthew Dessem’s piece on the real story behind the landmine scene here.

If you want to hear more analysis of Da 5 Bloods, listen to Slate’s Culture Gabfest here.

Note: As the title indicates, this podcast contains spoilers galore.

Email us at spoilers@slate.com.

Podcast production by Rosemary Belson.

Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and access to exclusive shows like Dana Stevens’ classic movies podcast Flashback. Sign up now to listen and support our work.

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