Slate Books

This week, host June Thomas talks to reporter Casey Parks, whose new memoir Diary of a Misfit was more than a decade in the making. In the interview, Casey explains how the book started as a documentary project that focused on a person from her hometown. Then she discusses the gradual evolution of the project and her decision to make it more personal. 

After the interview, June and co-host Karen Han talk about Casey’s “need” to write the book and whether they’ve ever felt that same pull. 

In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Casey shares what it was like to narrate the audiobook version of the memoir. She also lists some books and other works that served as inspiration for Diary of a Misfit. 

Send your questions about creativity and any other feedback to [email protected] or give us a call at (304) 933-9675.

Podcast production by Cameron Drews. 

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An inside look at the rise of YouTube into a social media behemoth.

Guests: Mark Bergen and Claire Stapleton

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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On this week’s episode of The Waves, erotic thrillers are making a comeback and The Waves is ready to dig into it. Freelance podcaster and writer, Nichole Perkins is joined by Slate features editor Jeffrey Bloomer to talk about why they love these movies, while also acknowledging the many flaws they contain. Then, Nichole and Jeffrey talk about what they want to see change and evolve as we enter into a new era of erotic thrillers. 

In Slate Plus, is taking your partner’s last name 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 [email protected]

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While political conservatives slammed it as wasteful, President Biden’s student debt plan was greeted with relief by many borrowers. But questions remain about whether it goes far enough to help most of the Black students burdened by student loans. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson discusses the issue with Professor Fenaba Addo, co-author of A Dream Defaulted: The Student Loan Crisis Among Black Borrowers.

Guest: UNC Professor Fenaba Addo, co-author of A Dream Defaulted: The Student Loan Crisis Among Black Borrowers

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

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Banning books in schools is on the rise. Around the country, parents are lobbying to banish from libraries and curriculums any work they deem to be “graphic” or “offensive,” often sweeping up books centered on queer or POC experiences in the process. Some authors say that’s no coincidence - nor is it surprising that this is happening just as the publishing industry is remaking itself to tell more diverse stories. The question is, what’s the best way to respond to the outrage?

This week as we wind down the summer, we're replaying some of our favorite episodes of this year. This episode originally aired on February 13, 2022.

Guest: Ashley Hope Pérez, author of three YA novels, including Out of Darkness, and professor of literature at Ohio State University.

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.

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Are you ready for some football! After decades of being kept out of the quarterback position, more Black quarterbacks are creating success and finding stardom in the NFL. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by ESPN’s Jason Reid, author of “Rise of the Black Quarterback: What It Means for America.” They discuss how the business and politics of race have changed for football’s most sought after players, and what challenges remain for Black quarterbacks.

Guest: Sports writer Jason Reid, author of “Rise of the Black Quarterback: What It Means for America”

Podcast production by Yanii Evans

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.

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On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior producer Cheyna Roth is joined by culture writer Anna Nordberg to talk all about Jane Austen. The romance novelist may have written her seven books well over a century ago, but as Cheyna and Anna discuss, her work still endures in popular culture. They talk about why Austen’s characters are even more modern than the men and women we see on screen today and why some of the men are kind of meh. Later in the show, they talk about what makes an endearing Jane Austen adaptation, and why Netflix’s Persuasion fails so miserably. 

In Slate Plus, are Jane Austen’s proposals feminist?

Recommendations:

Anna: The 1995 Sense and Sensibility adaptation starring Emma Thompson. 

Cheyna: The music of Cosmo Jarvis. Plus a dedication to a beloved professor, Dr. Brent Chesley. 

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus, Daisy Rosario, and Alicia Montgomery. 

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The realm of fan fiction is a wild, magical place to be, especially if that fan fiction is set at Hogwarts. On today’s episode, Rachelle and Madison talk about All the Young Dudes, an extensive Harry Potter fan fiction that has inspired a fandom all its own, and just how that fandom came to be. But first, they chat about National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and spend time listening to the first line of some listeners’ NaNoWriMo novels.

Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis, Daniel Schroeder, and Derek John.

This episode originally ran on November 20, 2021.

Subscribe to Slate Plus at slate.com/icymiplus

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David Plotz talks with author Mat Johnson about his new novel Invisible Things. Johnson’s novel tells the story of a group of astronauts that land in a bubble colony on Jupiter's biggest moon.

They talk about the challenges of writing satire when reality feels fake, how mediocre people rise up by sucking up, and why we need to look at the invisible things in our daily lives.  

Tweet us your questions @SlateGabfest or email us at [email protected]. (Messages could be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

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This month, host Christina Cauterucci, Jules Gill-Peterson, and Bryan Lowder start the show with a Thots & Queries segment in which a listener asks about orgy etiquette. In a completely different party setting, they try to figure out what on earth is going on in the U.S. Congress, where legislators are debating marriage equality in the form of the Respect for Marriage Act. Then Northwestern University professor and journalist Steven Thrasher joins them to discuss his new book The Viral Underclass: The Human Toll When Inequality and Disease Collide. Finally, they add some new items to the gay agenda.

Items discussed in the show:

Taylor Blake and her emu friend Emmanuel

Beyoncé’s Renaissance

A shocking tweet from the official Log Cabin Republicans account

The June 29 episode of Outward in which Mark Joseph Stern considered how the Dobbs decision might affect LGBTQ rights

“Why Is There More Republican Support for Gay Marriage Than for Abortion Rights?” by Moira Donegan, in the Nation

The Viral Underclass,, by Steven Thrasher

Let the Record Show, by Sarah Schulman

“An Uprising Comes From the Viral Underclass,” by Steven Thrasher in Slate, June 12, 2020

Gay Agenda

Jules: X, by Davey Davis

Bryan: The Sandman, on Netflix

Christina: “We Failed,” by Eric Neugeboren, in the Texas Tribune

This podcast was produced by June Thomas.

Please send feedback, topic ideas, and advice questions to [email protected].

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