This episode deals with some mature topics. Listener discretion is advised.  

This week, we’re bringing you the second half of our discussion with author E.A. (Elizabeth) Hanks about her new book, The 10: A Memoir of Family and the Open Road. Elizabeth undertook her journey along the iconic Interstate 10 transect to better understand herself and the nation we inhabit—and her experience is a perfect subject for a Ten Across conversation.  

In part two, Ten Across founder Duke Reiter and Elizabeth pick up where they left off at the end of the first installment, crossing from Texas into Louisiana on her way to her favorite stop of all—New Orleans. Tracing the length of the Gulf Coast to her destination in Florida, they explore what this diverse set of places revealed along the way about family, country, and culture.  

Relevant Ten Across Conversations podcast episodes and other links:  

A Road Trip Along Interstate 10 with Author E.A. Hanks - Part One  

Governing Through Times of Crisis and Opportunity with Mayor Mitch Landrieu - Part One and Part Two  

A Fight for Better Air Quality in CA’s Inland Empire Reveals a Need for American Innovation  

Catherine Coleman Flowers: A National Voice for Rural and Unincorporated America  

Fewer Roads Could Mean More Freedom with Megan Kimble  

Envisioning a Just Future for All with Dr. Robert Bullard   thewhoweareproject.org  

“Trump Told Park Works to Report Displays That ‘Disparage’ Americans. Here’s What They Flagged” (The New York Times, July 2025)  

“The Costs of the Confederacy” (Smithsonian Magazine, 2018)  

Listen to The 10: A Memoir of Family and the Open Road on Spotify or other audiobook services

Credits:

Host: Duke Reiter
Producer and editor: Taylor Griffith
Music by: Ramin
Research and support provided by: Kate Carefoot, Rae Ulrich, and Sabine Butler  

About our guest:

E.A. Hanks is the author of The 10: A Memoir of Family and the Open Road. She is a former editorial assistant for Vanity Fair and news editor for The Huffington Post. Her culture reporting has been featured in The New York Times, The Guardian, Time Magazine, and The Awl, among others.