In 2008, at the age of 44, Tara's guest on today’s program left Yale University, where he taught English, and became a full-time writer. In the years since leaving academia, he’s amassed an impressive body of work — much of it challenging the status quo.

Tara knew she had to talk to him when she read his excellent essay in UnHerd, “Escaping American tribalism,” about his defection from the progressive left.

William Deresiewicz is an essayist and cultural critic, and the author of Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life. His latest book is out this month. It’s called The End of Solitude: Selected Essays on Culture and Society, and it is a collection of standout pieces from the past few decades. In it, he writes: “To be an individual, the years have taught me, takes a constant effort. These essays are an offering to those who wish to be one, too.”

You can find Tara Henley on Twitter at @TaraRHenley, and on Substack at tarahenley.substack.com