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After winning 23 Grand Slam singles titles, four Olympic gold medals, and over $100 million in prize money, this month Serena Williams announced the end of her professional tennis career. While her on-court accomplishments and longevity put her in the sporting pantheon, her cultural impact is just as remarkable.
Guest: Amira Rose Davis, assistant professor of Black studies at the University of Texas Austin and co-host of the feminist sports podcast Burn It All Down.
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This week, Evan Chung tells the story of the American teachers who competed for an unprecedented prize: a spot on the January 1986 launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger. Three of the finalists describe the grueling selection process and the tragedy that killed one of their own.
One Year is produced by Evan Chung, Sophie Summergrad, Sam Kim, Madeline Ducharme, and Josh Levin.
Derek John is Sr. Supervising Producer of Narrative Podcasts and Merritt Jacob is Sr. Technical Director.
Slate Plus members get to hear more about the making of One Year. Get access to extra episodes, listen to the show without any ads, and support One Year by signing up for Slate Plus for just $15 for your first three months.
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The realm of fan fiction is a wild, magical place to be, especially if that fan fiction is set at Hogwarts. On today’s episode, Rachelle and Madison talk about All the Young Dudes, an extensive Harry Potter fan fiction that has inspired a fandom all its own, and just how that fandom came to be. But first, they chat about National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and spend time listening to the first line of some listeners’ NaNoWriMo novels.
Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis, Daniel Schroeder, and Derek John.
This episode originally ran on November 20, 2021.
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The Department of Justice announced this month that they were investigating allegations that leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention mishandled sexual abuse accusations for decades. How have abusers exploited the church’s decentralized structure and notions of forgiveness to avoid accountability, and how have church teachings about sexuality and “purity culture” allowed the abuse to continue?
Guest: Robert Downen, reporter at the Houston Chronicle.
Jules Woodson, co-Founder & COO of Help;Hear;Heal, a nonprofit providing therapy funding for survivors of sexual abuse.
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/whatnextplus to help support our work.
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This week, Dana and Julia hold down the fort in Steve’s absence while Slate’s book critic, Laura Miller, fills in as a third host. First, the panel breaks down the Neil Gaiman adaptation that no one thought would happen, The Sandman. Then, the panel discusses the new installment in the Predator franchise: Prey. Finally, supplemented by Laura’s great piece on the author, the panel attempts to answer: Who is Colleen Hoover?
In Slate Plus,the panel discusses pairs of notable people that they’d like to see in conversation with one another.
Email us at culturefest@slate.com.
Endorsements
Dana: Pulling a Julia with a food endorsement: Off-Script’s Samin-Nosrat-inspired thyme pistachio pesto.
Julia: More Summer Strut afterglow: “I Wish That I Could See You Soon” by Herman Dune.
Laura: The New Zealand comedy series, Wellington Paranormal, which is a spin-off of the original What We Do in the Shadows film. Specifically: season 4 episode 3, “The Coolening.”
Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Nadira Goffe.
Outro music is "Forbidden Love" by OTE.
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Danny Lavery welcomes Carey O’Donnell, a writer and comedian, who also co-hosts Sexy Unique Podcast.
Lavery and O’Donnell tackle two letters. First, from someone who’s worried that his boyfriend’s family of origin is trying to re-enter his life. Another letter writer is wondering how to be patient with an old friend who keeps crossing the line. Plus, a listener update!
Slate Plus members get another episode of Big Mood, Little Mood every Friday: sign up now!
Need advice? Send Danny a question here.
Email: mood@slate.com
Production by Phil Surkis
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Despite its fraught history of botched executions, the state of Oklahoma is preparing to begin a 29 month execution spree this week. 25 dates have been set for men with severe mental illness, personal histories of childhood abuse, inadequate legal representation, or claims of innocence. Though these inmates have been deemed "the worst of the worst," activist nun Sister Helen Prejean implores the world to look at fuller pictures of their lives, and seek out an alternative to the death penalty.
Guest: Sister Helen Prejean, anti-death penalty activist and author of Dead Man Walking, The Death of Innocents, and River of Fire.
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/whatnextplus to help support our work.
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When Clare decided on a resolution for the year, she was looking for a new challenge. Instead of running a marathon like her partner, Clare—who “talks for a living”—decided to go completely silent. She signed up for a silent retreat. But as it approached, she wondered how she could possibly go an entire week without speaking. On this episode of How To!, we bring on Daniel Thorson of the Monastic Academy in Vermont and host of the podcast, Emerge. Daniel has spent over a year of his life in silent meditation, including a 75 day silent retreat at the beginning of the pandemic. He says his first silent retreat was the worst experience of his life — just what Clare wanted to hear — but there’s a reason he kept going back.
If you liked this episode, check out: How To Quiet the Chatter in Your Head and How To Sleep with Headspace’s Andy Puddicombe.
Do you have a burning question? 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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Josh Levin, Stefan Fatsis, and Vinson Cunningham are joined by Defector’s Maitreyi Anantharaman to discuss the WNBA playoffs. Dion Wright also joins to explain what it was like to guard LeBron James. Finally, they talk about Isiah Thomas’ “No Crime Day,” the subject of the first episode of Slate’s One Year: 1986 podcast.
WNBA (2:48): CanSue Bird lead the Seattle Storm to a fifth title?
Dion Wright (23:39): Howit felt to go viral for going up against one of the greatest of all time.
No Crime Day (42:20): A conversation about basketball and athlete activism in the 1980s.
Afterball (1:05:56): Stefan on the agony and ecstasy of watching Pete Carril’s Princeton teams.
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As part of a stunt to protest the Biden administration’s immigration policies, the governors of Texas and Arizona have been sending bus-loads of migrants to DC and New York without any support. Immigrant advocate groups are scrambling to take care of these people, who were vulnerable well before being used as political props.
Guest: Murad Awawdeh, Executive Director at New York Immigration Coalition & NYIC Action
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/whatnextplus to help support our work.
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