Culture Gabfest

Emily Bazelon talks with author Vanessa Hua about her new historical fiction book, Forbidden City. The novel tells the story of sixteen-year-old revolutionary Mei who becomes a dancer in Chairman Mao’s inner circle. Emily and Vanessa talk about Vanessa’s inspiration for the novel, the complicated dynamics between Mei and Chairman Mao, and whether we’ll hear more from Mei.  Tweet us your questions @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages could be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s been a great run, but Madison is leaving ICYMI for new ventures. On today’s show, Rachelle interviews Madison about her time working on ICYMI, her own internet habits, and her first online scams. Plus, they’ve got a round of High Speed Downloads, perhaps the greatest one ever recorded, so get ready to be shocked and astonished in the best way. This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, Madison Malone Kircher, and Daisy Rosario. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week’s Spoiler Specials takes on Nope, the latest from horror auteur Jordan Peele. Note: As the title indicates, this podcast contains spoilers galore. Read Dana’s review here. Email us at spoilers@slate.com. Podcast production by Kevin Bendis and Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Georgia, award-winning hip hop artist Young Thug and rapper Gunna are awaiting trial on multiple charges, and prosecutors used some of their lyrics in their indictment. Is that fair game, or an attack on free speech? On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by ACLU attorney Stephanie Willis to talk about the broader implications of the case, and ways that artists are learning to protect themselves. Guest: Attorney Stephanie Willis Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for just $1 for your first month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior editor of Jurisprudence, Nicole Lewis is joined by Susan Matthews, Slate’s executive editor and host of Slow Burn: Roe v. Wade. Earlier this month, a story about a 10-year-old girl seeking an abortion after she was raped went viral, and Nicole and Susan dive into how themedia’s handedthe story, before questioning how news outlets should handle the influx of first-person abortion narratives in a post-Roe world.  In Slate Plus, is asking Vice President Kamala Harris to not be so public-facing, feminist?    Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus, Daisy Rosario, and Alicia Montgomery.  Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s show, Madison and Rachelle open up the mailbag to answer some more listener questions. They’ve got people wondering about a giant frog army on TikTok, Christy Carlson Romano doing sponcon cameos, dubious hygienic practices, and more. This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, Madison Malone Kircher, and Daisy Rosario. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This month, Christina Cauterucci, Jules Gill-Peterson, and Bryan Lowder talk about two very different health stories. In the Thots & Queries segment they respond to a listener who has questions about the ethics of moving to another country in an age of Supreme uncertainty. Then they talk with Harun Tulunay, a London-based sexual-health advocate, about his experience with monkeypox. He has been sharing his experiences with the disease, including the challenges of receiving a correct diagnosis. In New York City, the rollout of the monkeypox vaccine program was a disaster. Then they are joined by journalist Io Dodds to discuss her recent piece for the Independent: “ ‘Never Ask Permission’: How Two Trans Women Ran a Legendary Underground Surgical Clinic in a Rural Tractor Barn.” (Note, Jules was interviewed for the piece.) Items discussed in the show: Conjuring Kesha, on Discovery + “ ‘Never Ask Permission’: How Two Trans Women Ran a Legendary Underground Surgical Clinic in a Rural Tractor Barn,” by Io Dodds, in

This week, author, poet, and host of the podcast This Is Good for You, Nichole Perkins, fills in for Julia as the panel begins by digging into Apple TV+’s new series Loot. Then, the panel explores sex and sexuality in the film Good Luck to You, Leo Grande. Finally, the panel is joined by science writer and editor, Jaime Green, to break down the meaning of NASA’s new Webb Telescope images—her new book The Possibility of Life title comes out in April. In Slate Plus, the panel discusses their relationship to plot. Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Endorsements Dana: A supplement to the segment on the Webb Telescope: a simple website that takes the images and places them in context to each other for scale. Nichole: The 2012 romance novel A Lady Awakened by Cecilia Grant, which centers a recent widow who needs to provide an heir to keep her wealth. Steve: Kris Kristofferson’s song “Help Me Make It Through the Night”: including the covers by John Doe and The Sadies and Sammi Smith. Podcast production by Cameron Dr

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss the opening weekend of the world track and field championships. They also talk about why the Angels are so bad in spite of Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout and the Nationals’ Juan Soto dilemma. Finally, Puck’s Julia Ioffe joins for a conversation about Brittney Griner’s detention in Russia.   Track (4:07): Why an American hurdler got a raw deal.   Baseball (25:02): Is Juan Soto crazy to turn down $440 million?   Griner (44:43): Should we be more pessimistic about her fate?   Afterball (1:04:43): Stefan on the Amarillo Sod Poodles. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, host June Thomas talks to Sarah Clifford, an animal trainer who worked on the new FX series The Old Man, starring Jeff Bridges and some very talented rottweilers. In the interview, Sarah explains why rottweilers–instead of pit bulls or malinois–were chosen to be Jeff Bridges’ co-stars on the show. Then she gets specific about how she trained the dogs to display a range of behaviors and emotions. After the interview, June and co-host Karen Han compare the on-set treatment of animal performers to the on-set treatment of human actors.    In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, June asks Sarah if there are any animals that can’t be trained.  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

Recently, it seems like our phones won’t stop buzzing with texts and phone calls about our expired car warranties or supposed IRS delinquency. On today’s show, Rachelle and Madison discuss their own recent brushes with scams, a recent piece in the Washington Post about how scams take more than an economic toll on us, and why none of us should feel bad if we get taken in by them. This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, Madison Malone Kircher, and Daisy Rosario. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Persistent Russian missile strikes since February and an ongoing blockade have silenced Odesa’s normally busy port—but not its 19th century opera house. Performances now end with a singing of the Ukrainian national anthem. Guest: Ekaterina Tsymbalyuk, a soloist at the Odesa Opera. 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After the so-called-but-not-really “death” of disco, dance music in the 1980s moved to its own beat. There was synthpop, electro, hi-NRG and house. But the scrappy genre that seemed to pull it all together was called freestyle—a breakbeat-tempo, Latin-flavored genre fortified with dizzying, proudly synthetic beats. Freestyle grew out of the clubs and streets of New York and Miami and briefly dominated ’80s dance-pop. Freestyle’s flagship artists were only medium-level stars: Shannon. Exposé. Lisa Lisa. Stevie B. Nu Shooz. Sweet Sensation. But these acts—most especially their yearning, floridly romantic, rhythmically hectic songs—punched above their weight on the charts and even affected the hits of superstars from Madonna to Duran Duran, Whitney Houston to Pet Shop Boys. Join Chris Molanphy as he defines the byways of this bespoke dance genre and traces how it bridged the disco era into the hiphop era. Podcast production by Kevin Bendis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week’s January 6th congressional hearings offered an in-depth look at the Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers, and other violent extremist groups that organized the insurrection. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson discusses the issues with counter terrorism expert Malcolm Nance, who has spent years chronicling the rise of white supremacist and other American political extremist movements. His new book is “They Want to Kill Americans: The Militias, Terrorists, and Deranged Ideology of the Trump Insurgency.”   Guest: Analyst Malcolm Nance Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for just $1 for your first month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior producer Cheyna Roth is joined by Amira Rose Davis, professor, historian, and co-host of the feminist sports podcast Burn It All Down to talk about Brittney Griner. The WNBA superstar has been detained by the Russians for months. Cheyna and Amira talk about how Russia treats its women athletes like superstars (until they don’t), while in America it takes weeks for people to really notice when a star WNBA player is missing. Later in the show, they discuss the impact of having Brittney Griner out of the league and Amira recommends WNBA players to watch.  In Slate Plus, the fascinating (and feminist!) history of cheerleaders.  Recommendations: Amira: Formula 1 racing, including Netflix’s Formula 1: Drive to Survive and F1 romance novels like the Fast and Hard series.  Cheyna: Jana Schmieding for her roles on Hulu’s Reservation Dogs and Peacock’s Rutherford Falls.    Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus and Alicia Montgomer

For this edition of Working Overtime, hosts Isaac Butler and Karen Han hear from a poet in rural Montana who wants to feel more connected to poetry communities in big cities. Isaac and Karen offer tips for how to make connections with people online, and they also discuss some of the benefits of being a rural writer living outside of the urban literary bubble. Do you have a question about creative work? Call us and leave a message 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

This past week Doja Cat started fighting with Stranger Things star Noah Schnapp, and Cardi B beefed with the gossip blog the Shade Room. On today’s show, Madison and Rachelle break down what’s really going on in these two fights, and how the Shade Room became a toxic behemoth of internet gossip. Plus, they talk about Beanie Feldstein bowing out of Funny Girl on Broadway, and what it means now that Lea Michele is taking the stage. This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, Madison Malone Kircher, and Daisy Rosario. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, New York Times columnist and Slate graduate Jamelle Bouie fills in for Julia as the panel begins by taking on Thor: Love and Thunder with staff writer at The Atlantic and co-host of the podcast Blank Check, David Sims. Then, the panel feels the heat with the new documentary Fire of Love. Finally, the panel ranks their favorite content streaming services. In Slate Plus, the panel discusses movie cliches they’d rather do without. Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Endorsements Dana: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, the new-ish series on Paramount+. Jamelle: A re-watch of Universal Soldier, and then: Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning. Steve: “Opus 40,” an art installation built out of the earth in the Catskills. Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Nadira Goffe. Outro music is "Death Dance" by Luftmensch"Death Dance" by Luftmensch. 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, an

Joel Anderson, Josh Levin, and Ben Mathis-Lilley discuss their proposals for fixing college football. Josh then speaks with Ben Rothenberg about Novak Djokovic’s Wimbledon win over Nick Kyrgios. Finally, Joel, Josh, and Ben assess the rising stars of NBA Summer League.   College football (3:26): How will the sport reshape itself in the next five years?   Tennis (27:01): Wimbledon got the final it deserved.   Summer League (53:07): What to make of the Chet Holmgren experience.   Afterball (1:09:07): Josh on the Summer League record for most points in a single game. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, host June Thomas talks to Eliot Laurence, creator of the witchy supernatural series Motherland: Fort Salem. In the interview, Eliot discusses Motherland’s unique premise, its queer characters, and his decision to include tons of storylines and plot details.  After the interview, June and co-host Karen Han discuss supernatural premises, the “kill your gays” trope, and being an introverted boss.  In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, June asks Eliot about a specific piece of magic in Motherland.  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 to our sponsor, Atlassian Work Check Thanks also to A