Working

Latest Episodes:

In Baltimore: How Does a Public Defender Work? May 02, 2017

Show notes

On this season of Working, we visit the city of Baltimore, to talk to people about their jobs there. We're hoping to learn about how the city informs their work, and how they are shaping Baltimore itself, by working.

Jenny Egan defends children in juvenile court, trying to keep them from getting locked up. She tells us about earning the trust of her clients, researching their cases, and the satisfaction of winning trials.

In a Slate Plus Extra, Egan tells us about how she first fell in love with Baltimore and decided to move to the city she now calls home. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.

Email: working@slate.com

Twitter: @Jacob_Brogan

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Baltimore: How Does a Neurosurgeon Work? Apr 21, 2017

Show notes

When Harry Mushlin operates on a brain, he feels his patient's selfhood in his hands. Mushlin is a neurosurgery resident with the University of Maryland currently practicing pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Medical Center and operating on victims of violence at UMD's Shock Trauma Center. He spoke with us about working on the human brain, the trying hours of neurosurgery, and seeing Baltimore through the lens of the operating room.

Then in a Slate Plus Extra, Mushlin tells us about working in the shadow of Baltimore's most famous neurosurgeon, Dr. Ben Carson. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.

Email: working@slate.com

Twitter: @Jacob_Brogan

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Baltimore: How does a Yarn Dyer Work? Apr 13, 2017

Show notes

Karida Collins names her yarn colors after Baltimore neighborhoods at her Neighborhood Fiber Company. Karida tells us about how she got started dying yarn, walks us through the full dying process at their studio, and tells us about how she tries to weave connections with Baltimore's wider community.

In a Slate Plus Extra, Collins tells us about her own knitting projects and the special qualities that make a friend or family member "knit-worthy." If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.

Email: working@slate.com

Twitter: @Jacob_Brogan

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Baltimore: How Does Crime Novelist Laura Lippman Work? Apr 05, 2017

Show notes

On this first episode, crime novelist Laura Lippman tells us about how she first got started writing fiction, how she approaches writing and revising her books, and why she's tired of arguing about the validity of genre novels. She loves Baltimore despite its problems, and the city infuses her books, including the Tess Monaghan detective series.

In a Slate Plus Extra, Lippman tells us about her connection to the progenitor of detective novels Edgar Allan Poe, another Baltimore citizen. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.

Email: working@slate.com

Twitter: @Jacob_Brogan

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The "How Does a Labor Organizer Work?" Edition Mar 09, 2017

Show notes

This season on Working, we’re speaking to individuals employed in fields potentially imperiled by the Trump presidency. These are the stories of people doing difficult but important jobs—jobs that may get much more difficult and much more important in the years ahead.

Between the rise of so-called "Right To Work" states and increasing deregulations, labor unions are facing increasing challenges. David Mott organizes health care workers with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). Mott spoke with Jacob Brogan about how he charts out workplaces, identifies and develops leaders, and evades management to help build and strengthen unions.

Then, in a Slate Plus Extra, Mott brings out his guitar and tells us how he uses music as an organizing tool. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.

Email: working@slate.com

Twitter: @Jacob_Brogan

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The "How Does a Satirist Work?" Edition Feb 28, 2017

Show notes

Alexandra Petri writes humorous spins on the news for the Washington Post She spoke to Jacob Brogan about what it's like to make satire in an increasingly absurd news climate.

Then, in a Slate Plus extra, Petri tells us about Emo Kylo Ren, a parody account she made imagining the villain of Star Wars: The Force Awakens as a petulant teenager. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.

Petri's blog "ComPost": https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/compost/

Email: working@slate.com

Twitter: @Jacob_Brogan

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The "How Does a Psychotherapist Work?" Edition Feb 22, 2017

Show notes

Shane'a Thomas helps LGBTQ youth work through depression, anxiety, and other mental illness. She spoke to Jacob Brogan about a typical day of sessions, how she helps patients get what they want out of their therapy, and how the recent political climate is affecting her work.

Then, in a Slate Plus extra, Thomas tells us how she feels about armchair attempts to "diagnose" Donald Trump from afar. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.

Email: working@slate.com

Twitter: @Jacob_Brogan

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The "How Does a Pollster Work?" Edition Feb 13, 2017

Show notes

Recently, Donald Trump tweeted that "any negative polls are fake news," so we wanted to understand some of the work that goes into polling. In this episode of Working, Pollster Jim Gerstein of GBA Strategies tells Jacob Brogan about how he uses surveys and focus groups to help his clients understand and influence America. In a Slate Plus Extra, Gerstein tells us how he got some of his earliest experience in polling in Israel.

Email: working@slate.com

Twitter: @Jacob_Brogan

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The "How Does a Librarian Work?" Edition Feb 06, 2017

Show notes

University of Pennsylvania Librarian Laurie Allen is working with a collective of scientists, students, professors, programmers, and librarians on the Data Refuge project, archiving environmental data before it has the opportunity to disappear in government transition. She spoke with Jacob Brogan about her work with the Data Refuge Project, and about her career as a librarian. Allen detailed how her work has evolved as digital technology has progressed and about how she tries to keep her work connected to scholarship and helping students, even as the times change.

Then, in a Slate Plus extra, Allen tells us about a special project she worked on with the Penn Environmental Humanities Lab featuring stories and information from Philadelphia's Schuykill River. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.

Email: working@slate.com

Twitter: @Jacob_Brogan

Learn more about Data Refuge: http://www.ppehlab.org/

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The "How Does a CIA Analyst Work?" Edition Jan 30, 2017

Show notes

Since his election, Trump has been dismissive of the intelligence community, reportedly neglecting briefings and sometimes even insulting the efforts of its members. We wanted to understand what it means to actually work in that secretive world. And while we couldn’t, for obvious reasons, get an active intelligence officer to talk to us, we did score the next best thing. Our guest this week is Aki Peritz, who worked as an intelligence analyst for the C.I.A., focusing for much of his time there on counterterrorism. He talks to Jacob Brogan about what that job actually involved, and about the importance of getting things right. He also tells us about everything from office culture at the CIA to the burden of secrecy. And, of course, he shares some thoughts about Trump.

Then, in a Slate Plus extra, Peritz tells us about Hunted, the reality TV show that he’s working on now. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.

Email: working@slate.com

Twitter: @Jacob_Brogan

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.