Culture Gabfest

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

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. S

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

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

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

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

This week, the panel begins by revisiting the iconic film The Godfather in celebration of its 50th 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 / Slash which speaks to your inner teen. More specifically, the song “Google Translate / poppies.” Steve: Julius Aglinskas’ album Daydreamer, which he did with avant-garde experimental music collective, Apar

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

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-fre

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. Shazna Nessa of The Wall Street Journal joins Felix and Emily to talk about the 1963 Bengali film, The Big City. They talk about how the feminist themes resonate today, what makes it an “art house” film, and why the ending seems like a low point, but doesn’t feel like one.   Email: slatemoney@slate.com Podcast production by Cheyna Roth Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, host Karen Han talks to artist and designer Dan-ah Kim, whose work includes the picture book The Grandmasters Daughter and multiple graphic design projects for film and television. In the interview, Dan-ah discusses her traditional style of working and explains how she adapted her work to the picture book form. Then she talks about her graphic design work for the HBO series The Gilded Age. After the interview, Karen and co-host Isaac Butler discuss martial arts and the difficult work of balancing personal projects with a day job.    In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Dan-ah talks about dabbling in the world of fashion design.  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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

April Fool’s Day is every brand’s favorite holiday. Social media and PR teams get to make all the jokes their marketing department can come up with and face few repercussions. But it’s not all fun and games. On the show today, Rachelle and Madison talk about what nonsense the brands are up to this year, why we’re so easily taken in by internet hoaxes, and how skepticism can harden into something darker. Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The early ’70s was a great time for R&B queens on the charts: Roberta Flack. Dionne Warwick. Patti LaBelle. Chaka Khan. They had come through the ’60s—Dionne as a smooth pop-and-B star, Patti as a girl-group frontwoman, Roberta as a cabaret pianist—and found themselves in a new decade with limitless possibilities. Flack turned folk songs into chart-topping, Grammy-winning R&B. Warwick shifted from Brill Building pop to Philly soul. LaBelle threw her insane voice at rock, funk and glam. And a relative newcomer, Rufus frontwoman Chaka Khan, followed in their footsteps, commanding the band and converting to disco, then electro. By the ’80s, all four women were ready for a major chart victory lap. Join host Chris Molanphy as he traces four parallel careers that expanded the definition of soul from the ’60s through the ’80s and beyond. These soul sisters, flow sisters, bold sisters…killed us softly, walked on by and were, finally, every woman. Podcast production by Kevin Bendis. Host Chris Molanphy Learn more a

On this week’s Spoiler Specials, Slate’s movie critic Dana Stevens is joined by Slate’s Jeffrey Bloomer and Dan Kois to spoil Deep Water.  The film opens with marital unease between Vic Van Allen (Ben Affleck) and his wife Melinda (Ana de Armas). Melinda has constant flirtations that Vic moodily tolerates … until he doesn’t.  Note: As the title indicates, this podcast contains spoilers galore. Email us at spoilers@slate.com. Podcast production by Cleo Levin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris Rock is back on tour, days after Will Smith struck him and won his first Oscar in the same night. While the Academy strongly condemned Smith, several Black stars and writers have publicly defended him, or even applauded him for standing up for his wife. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson talks with entertainment journalist Chris Witherspoon about how race is playing out in the debate over what happened, and what should happen next. Guest: Chris Witherspoon, entertainment journalist and founder/CEO of @PopViewers.  Podcast production by Sam Kim 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, the co-host of Slate’s internet culture podcast ICYMI, Rachelle Hampton sits down with Slate associate editor and romance author, Marissa Martinelli to talk about romance novels and, of course, the television show Bridgerton. In the first half, they dig into the longstanding race and gender politics at play within the romance writing community and gatekeeping, why we need more Short Kings and Fat Women in romance, and of course…Fabio. Then they get into the Netflix phenomenon, Bridgerton and talk about the problematic dynamics the show didn’t sort out when it “solved” racism, why making Daphne pretty ruined season one for Rachelle, and how season two kinda, sorta, almost cured some of the problems of season one.   In Slate Plus, are corsets feminist?  Recommendations: Marissa: The romance novel book club podcast, Hot and Bothered.  Rachelle: Season one of Netflix’s Virgin River.    Further Reading: Dangerous Books for Girls by Maya Rodale “Inside the List” by Gregory Cow

On Sunday night, Will Smith slapped Chris Rock during the Oscars live broadcast after Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith. As soon as the internet figured out the slap wasn’t a bit, Twitter was deluged with takes. On today’s episode, Madison and Rachelle discourse about the discourse, discussing the neverending online take machine, how media narratives are shaped, and why we were all wondering if the slap was even real. Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, the panel begins by breaking down everything that went down during the weirdest Oscars ever. Then, the panel is joined by author, professor, and Slate’s pop critic, Jack Hamilton, to discuss Adam McKay’s over-stylized docudrama about the 1980s Lakers, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty. Finally, the panel is joined by Slate senior writer Mark Joseph Stern to discuss Disney CEO Bob Chapek and his response to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill. In Slate Plus, the panel discusses Oscars fashion. Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Endorsements Dana: Bill McGlaughlin’s syndicated five-week-long series on WFMT public radio, Latin Carnival. McGlaughlin sits at the piano while he DJs, guiding us through a journey of Latin carnival music from the Middle Ages to current day. Listen before it expires! Julia: Two pieces of great Oscars coverage from the LA Times. FIrst: Greg Braxton’s commentary, “With the slap, Smith tarnished a night of pride for Black Hollywood—and his legacy.” Second: Mary McNamara’s

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 businessman, Ben Horowitz joins Felix and Emily to talk about the quietest Quentin Tarantino movie, Jackie Brown. They get into Ordell Robbie’s bad retirement plan, the romance of Jackie Brown and Max Cherry, and why you need to re-watch it when you’re old.  Email: slatemoney@slate.com Podcast production by Cheyna Roth Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Slate’s sports podcast on the NCAA basketball tournaments and U.S. soccer. Plus, an interview with Bomani Jones. NCAA basketball (3:26): After two weeks of upsets, it’s Duke, UNC, Kansas, and Villanova.    World Cup (24:20): The U.S. men’s national soccer team is on the brink of qualifying after a 5-1 win over Panama. Bomani Jones (47:33): Joel interviews ESPN personality Bomani Jones about his new HBO show, “Game Theory With Bomani Jones.” Afterball (1:03:44): Stefan on watching last week’s U.S.-Mexico soccer game in Estadio Azteca. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices