Culture Gabfest

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior editor Shannon Palus is joined by author Emily Willingham. Emily’s new book The Tailored Brain: Feeling Better and Thinking Smarter is all about how our brains work and whether gender plays a role in brain enhancement. They talk about how to be more empathetic and the ways empathy can boost your brain, the importance of using a feminist lens in brain science, and the old theory that brains are made of sperm.  In the Slate Plus segment, Emily and Shannon talk about Emily’s other book, Phallacy: Life Lessons From the Animal Penis and explore why the duck vagina is like a gated community. Recommendations: Shannon: Wearing perfume to turn your mood around.  Emily: Lightly meditating by beholding a tree.    Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus, Susan Matthews and June Thomas.  Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Empaths and the great book exchange pyramid scheme are filling up our feeds again. On the show today, Rachelle and Madison explain why every few months, posts circulate about a book exchange that sounds too good to be true, and why empaths aren’t really a thing—unless you’re in a science fiction story. Plus, they play Wordle! Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Derek John. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, author and co-host of Slate’s Working podcast, Isaac Butler fills in for Steve (pre-order Isaac's book!). First, the panel debates the merits of Adam McKay’s star-studded cautionary tale Don’t Look Up. Then, the panel is joined by film historian and journalist Mark Harris to outline the debt we owe to the late Sidney Poitier—a legend whom he speaks about in his book Pictures at a Revolution. Finally, the panel is joined by author and staff writer for the New Yorker, Kathryn Schulz, to discuss her new memoir Lost & Found. In Slate Plus, the panel lists some reboots and remakes that they actually would like to see. Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Endorsements Dana: David Ehrlich’s, chief film critic for Indiewire, video montage countdown of the best films of 2021, an annual tradition he’s been doing for several years. Julia: The LEGO set “Flower Bouquet” (set #10280) which ingeniously replicates a bouquet using some creative LEGO pieces. Isaac: The novel I Am Not Sidney Poitier by Percival Everett

This week, host Karen Han talks to fashion designer Jasmine Chong whom you might know from the reality show Making the Cut. Before founding her own label, Jasmine worked for some of the most influential names in fashion. In the interview, Jasmine explains the profound influence her fashion designer mother has had on her life, creative outlook, and career.  After the interview, Karen and co-host Isaac Butler discuss the challenges of unraveling how people develop their aesthetic and what their aspirational garments are. (Isaac is big into Brian Cox’s Succession cardigans..)  In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Karen asks Jasmine about “straight-sizing” and how the fashion industry remains centered around a small sub-section of sizes and body types. 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 Zak Rosen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elmo has been filling up the TikTok and Twitter feeds these past few weeks with his unique pronunciations and feud with a pet rock. On today’s episode, Rachelle and Madison try to chart the arc of this recent virality, and explain why Elmo is a member of the Black community. They also watched Hype House on Netflix so you don’t have to. Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Derek John. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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, Slate staffers Allegra Frank and Sam Adams spoil Spider-Man: No Way Home. Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is grappling with being identified as Spider-Man. This not only has consequences for him, but also his girlfriend, Michelle “MJ” Jones-Watson (Zendaya), and his best friend Edward “Ned” Leeds (Jacob Batalon) who are rejected from MIT. This inspires Peter to approach Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) for help. But what happens when it all goes sideways?  You can read Allegra Frank and Sam Adams’s guide to the movie here. Note: As the title indicates, this podcast contains spoilers galore. Email us at spoilers@slate.com. Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate managing producer Asha Saluja and Slate senior editor Shannon Palus discuss women and aging on television. Through two seemingly unrelated shows—HBO Max’s And Just Like That and Showtime’s Yellowjackets—they dig into how these shows portray their protagonists for better and worse, and what makes the relationships between women compelling in both shows.   In Slate Plus: Was it feminist that Carrie was an anti-hero in the original series of Sex and the City? Recommendations: Asha: The album Urban Driftwoods by Yasmin Williams. Shannon:  Swabbing your throat for COVID and this Lululemon yoga mat.   Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Susan Matthews, Shannon Palus, and June Thomas.  Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Huge Ma, founder of the website TurboVax, a.k.a. “Vax Daddy,” is running for office, and Taylor Swift has claimed 2022 as her own. On the show today, Madison and Allegra talk about how branding queen Taylor Swift is feeling 2022, and then Madison interviews Huge about creating TurboVax, how his online experiences have informed his campaign, and which Taylor Swift track is the theme of his campaign. Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Derek John. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, the panel begins by breaking down just what makes HBO’s pandemic series Station Eleven so successful with Slate’s senior managing producer of podcasts and co-host of Slate’s Working podcast, June Thomas. Next, the panel appreciates the legacy that writer Joan Didion left behind. Finally, the panel rehashes the 2021 edition of Slate’s Movie Club (including Dana’s list of the year’s best films) while discussing the future of film. In Slate Plus, the panel responds to Parul Sehgal’s article “The Case Against the Trauma Plot” in the New Yorker. Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Endorsements Dana: The magical work of Swedish stop-motion animator Niki Lindroth von Bahr. Four of her animated shorts can be found on the Criterion Channel, but you can find one—The Burden—on Amazon Prime. Julia: A recipe for Italian rainbow cookies adapted by Bon Appétit from Rich Torrisi and Mario Carbone (of popular eateries Carbone and Torrisi Italian Specialties). Steve: First, his monster music playlist of mellow deep

This week, hosts June Thomas, Isaac Butler, and Karen Han share their creative New Year’s Resolutions for 2022. Then they look back at their goals for 2021 and discuss what they accomplished and where they had trouble. They also check in with former host Rumaan Alam, who shares an update on his 2021 resolutions.  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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From “woke bae” to “woke-a-cola,” the word woke has taken the internet and mainstream media by storm. But how many people who use the word actually know what it means? On today’s episode, Rachelle and Madison (but, really, mostly Rachelle) explain the decades-old origins of the word, and how its meaning has evolved as it’s gone from being sung as a call to “stay woke” by the likes of Erykah Badu and Childish Gambino to being wielded as a slur by the likes of Mike Huckabee. Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder, Derek John, and Jasmine Ellis. This episode was originally published on June 19, 2021. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In part 2 of this holiday episode of Hit Parade, Chris Molanphy dives deep into radio, streaming and Billboard chart data of some your favorite holiday hitmakers to compare their long legacies to the majority-merry ways they are consumed today. And none has been more condensed by Christmas than another artist who was once famous enough to go by her first name: Brenda. A ’60s chart dominator and double–Hall of Famer, Brenda Lee is now mostly known for that tune about Christmas tree rockin’. How did the legendary “Little Miss Dynamite” become Santa’s little helper? And will she ever pass Mariah and go back to No. 1? Podcast production by Asha Saluja. Sign up for Slate Plus now to get episodes in one installment as soon as they're out. You'll also get The Bridge, our trivia show and bonus deep dive. Click here for more info.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s episode of The Waves, former hosts Christina Cauterucci, Nichole Perkins and Marcia Chatelain return for a special reunion. They haven't been on the microphones together since the pandemic started, and they have a lot to discuss. They cover the nighttime doula Twitter fight, thoughts on the generational battles that are raging, how race plays a role in nostalgia, and the horrors of dating during the pandemic.  In Slate Plus: Is gift giving sexist? Recommendations: Christina: Sheertex tights Nichole: Candles, especially from Brooklyn Candle Studio and Posh Candle Company. Marcia: Checking out interesting children’s books like Julián Is a Mermaid, by Jessica Love.    Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Susan Matthews and June Thomas.  Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s the final episode of the year, and a chance to look back at all the ways the internet has gone wrong in 2021. On today’s show, Rachelle and Madison invite Tracy Clayton and Josh Gwynn, hosts of the podcast Back Issue, to join them as they discuss all the trends, memes, and moments of 2021 internet that have no place cropping back up in 2022. Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Derek John. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Steve, Dana, and Julia tackle some listener questions in our annual call-in show. Topics include: favorite pieces of art, culture their children introduced them to, and previous years’ endorsements that have become staples in the panel’s lives. In Slate Plus, the panel continues to field some stellar listener questions.  Email us at culturefest@slate.com. There are no endorsements this week, but here are links to some of the things mentioned in the episode: Here’s Julia’s former (Dana approved) Cooks Illustrated blueberry muffin recipe endorsement that’s sourced from The New Best Recipe. Here’s her current favorite blueberry muffin recipe. Dana’s suggestions for content that might help with grief features Francois Couperin’s Leçons de Ténèbres. Some songs Steve would like played at his funeral include: Everything but the Girl’s cover of Captain Beefheart’s “My Head Is My Only House Unless It Rains;” Nina Simone’s version of “Who Knows Where the Time Goes;” Charles Mingus’s “Myself When I Am Real;”

This week, hosts June Thomas, Isaac Butler, and Karen Han help each other to overcome creative roadblocks and discuss some of their favorite pieces of creative wisdom. But first, they make a big announcement about future episodes of Working.  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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Martha Stewart loves to tell people on Instagram about the products she likes, but these posts look suspiciously like ads. On today’s episode, Madison and Rachelle scroll through Martha’s feed to look at all the things she raves about, talk about why she might be breaking the rules, and discuss how the social media advertising guidelines are much more flexible than we realize. Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Derek John. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the Spoiler Specials podcast, Slate critics discuss movies, the occasional TV show, and, once in a blue moon, another podcast, in full spoiler-filled detail. This week, Slate movie critic Dana Stevens is joined by Vox editor-at-large and co-creator of the podcast Arden, Emily VanDerWerff. Twenty years after the events of The Matrix Revolutions, Thomas Anderson, also known as Neo (Keanu Reeves) is once again confronted with a decision to forgo his ordinary life and open his mind to The Matrix.  Note: As the title indicates, this podcast contains spoilers galore. Slate is having a holiday sale! For a limited time, we’re offering our annual Slate Plus membership at $25 off for your first year. With Slate Plus, you can listen to Spoiler Specials and other Slate podcasts with zero ads, read unlimited articles on Slate.com, and support Slate's journalism. Sign up for Slate Plus now. And if you’re already a member, consider giving the gift of Plus to a fellow Slate fan and they’ll receive all the benefits of m

It’s the holiday season, which means it’s time to press play on your favorite Christmas movies. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by essayist and pop culture critic Rebecca Theodore-Vachon to talk about what really makes a Black Christmas movie, and which classics they recommend.  Guest: Rebecca Theodore-Vachon, essayist, pop culture critic, and host of The Spectrum Lounge podcast.  Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis  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, it’s a very special reunion episode. Original hosts of The Waves, June Thomas, Noreen Malone, and Hanna Rosin gather together to catch up on everything that’s happened since their last episode in July 2019. They talk about topics they wish they could have covered, how the workforce has changed for women, bits of culture they’ve loved over the last couple of years, and how hosting The Waves made them more interesting people.  In Slate Plus: Are the holidays sexist? Recommendations: June: Showtime’s Yellowjackets Noreen: Hulu’s series Only Murders in the Building Hanna: The Electricity of Every Living Thing, by Katherine May, and The Great British Baking Show Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Susan Matthews and June Thomas.  Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices