On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… host Celeste Headlee introduces Slate’s newest podcast with a question: what if we could argue with each other without hating the results? 

Hugh Breakey, writer and moral philosopher, thinks it’s possible. He and Celeste discuss the case for arguing with each other on difficult topics, and giving up the idea that every argument needs a winner. It’s not just a good idea, according to Breakey — it’s a moral imperative.

Podcast production by Maura Currie

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Hear Me Out: We Need to Argue With Each Other

This week, host Isaac Butler talks to Suzan-Lori Parks, a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright whose most recent project is a musical theater adaptation of the 1972 Jamaican crime film The Harder They Come. In the interview, Suzan-Lori shares her flexible approach to adaptation and, more specifically, how she was able to deepen the original story of The Harder They Come while honoring the original. She also talks about the unique challenges of adapting a movie into a stage musical. 

After the interview, Isaac and co-host Karen Han talk about the ubiquity of adaptations and reboots and what it means to make a whole new piece of work out of old material. 

In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Isaac asks Suzan-Lori about her project 365 Days/365 Plays in which she wrote a play a day for an entire year. Isaac also asks about a unique playwriting convention that Suzan-Lori pioneered. 

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 an ad-free experience across the network and exclusive content on many shows—you’ll also be supporting the work we do here on Working. Sign up now at slate.com/workingplus to help support our work.
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Working: A ‘70s Crime Classic Gets a Musical Redux

On today’s episode, Rachelle Hampton is joined by Slate’s Madeline Ducharme to talk about the internet’s thirst for Pedro Pascal. They discuss how he started edging into the role of Internet Daddy with Game of Thrones, his recent turns in The Mandalorian, and The Last of Us, and why his own surprise as this online adoration makes people love him even more.

This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, and Daisy Rosario.

Subscribe to Slate Plus at http://slate.com/icymiplus

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ICYMI: Pedro Pascal Is the Internet’s Daddy

When you imagine how science and technology will reshape our future, does it excite you, or scare you, or both? Each month, the Future Tense Fiction podcast will introduce you to a short work of science fiction, one that will challenge, surprise and intrigue you. Then host Maddie Stone will talk with the author to explore how their own experiences with technology—from smart weapons, to electronic pets, to virtual reality—informed their writing and their vision.
That’s every month on Future Tense Fiction, a podcast from Slate, Arizona State University, and New America. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. See you in the future.
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Future Tense Fiction: Coming March 25

John Dickerson talks with author Chris Miller about his new book, Chip War: The Fight for The World’s Most Critical Technology. They discuss how semiconductor chips became so important, why everyone is so dependent on Taiwan for chips, and what lessons China can glean from what’s happening in Ukraine.

Tweet us your questions @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages could be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.
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Gabfest Reads: How Do You Solve a Problem Like Semiconductors?

For decades, there has been a stigma attached to remaining unmarried and childless in the Black community, particularly for women. But a growing part of the Black middle class is single, childfree adults. Does the trend threaten the future of the Black family, or is it time to recognize a different model for family life? On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by sociologist Kris Marsh, author of “The Love Jones Cohort: Single and Living Alone in the Black Middle Class.”

Guest: Kris Marsh, University of Maryland Sociology Professor and author of “The Love Jones Cohort: Single and Living Alone in the Black Middle Class.”

Podcast production by Ahiyana Angel

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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A Word: No More “Black Picket Fence”

In this episode, Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) answers questions from letter writers who are dealing with judgemental parents, homophobic in-laws, and neighbors who throw dog poop over the fence.  
Mark Joseph Stern (a Slate senior writer) joins to share advice on what to do. 
If you want more Dear Prudence, you should join Slate Plus, Slate’s membership program. Jenée answers an extra question every week, just for members. Go to Slate.com/prudieplus to sign up. It’s just $15 for your first three months. 
Podcast production by Se’era Spragley Ricks and Daisy Rosario.
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Dear Prudence: My Mom Doesn’t Think My Fiance Is Enough. Help!

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior editor Shannon Palus talks with longtime health and foodwriter Tamar Haspel about her views on weight loss, and why it’s important for feminist to not shy away from the topic. They dig into why crank diets don’t work and often fail in trials, how Tamar changed her mind about “just lose weight!” being good, blanket advice, and how to make conversations about weight empowering—or, at least, less fraught. 

In Slate Plus, a discussion about the latest weight loss drug, Ozempic. 

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Tori Dominguez with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.
Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.
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The Waves: Two Feminists Talk Weight Loss

Slate’s political and discussion podcast, Hear Me Out, launches March 21. Join host Celeste Headlee and a guest each week for a smart, fair debate on issues that matter. 
In a nation where many of us have forgotten how to talk to each other, veteran journalist Celeste Headlee has devoted years to reinvigorating the art of civil conversation and debate. Each week on Hear Me Out, she'll invite a thoughtful guest to discuss their controversial perspective on a current issue, and engage in a tough, good-faith dialogue about the merits and drawbacks of their argument. The objective is to challenge conventional wisdom, and serve the intellectually curious new ideas and perspectives without partisan cliches.
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Hear Me Out: Coming March 21

Today, we’re bringing you an episode of the recently relaunched Dear Prudence podcast hosted by Jenée Desmond-Harris.

In this episode, Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) is tackling questions about text etiquette, whether or not to allow children at a wedding, and weighing the heavy decision of surrogacy for a sibling. Slate’s own Rachelle Hampton (host of ICYMI) joins dole out some words of wisdom.

Podcast production by Kayla Lattimore and Daisy Rosario. Production help from Se’era Spragley Ricks.

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ICYMI: Dear Prudence: Sister Wants Me to Be Her Surrogate. Help!

This week, Dana, Julia, and Stephen start by discussing the wins and losses of Oscar night. Then, they’re joined by Slate’s Sam Adams to talk about his recent piece, “Peak TV Is Over. Welcome to Trough TV,” and the current state of streaming television. Finally, they try out TikTok’s new “Bold Glamour” filter and discuss how they feel about it.

In Slate Plus, the panel discusses the recent New Yorker profile, “Agnes Callard’s Marriage of the Minds.”

Email us at culturefest@slate.com.

Endorsements:
Dana: “Fat Suit Fart Attack: The Whale,” by Lindy West in her newsletter Butt News
Julia: The monthly Cartoon Club at the New Beverly Cinema in Los Angeles.
Stephen: The live music and food at the Lagniappe House in Miami.

Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Yesica Balderrama.

Outro Music: “200 Dont’s” by Conditional

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Culture Gabfest: The Oscars Are Back, Baby!

Stefan Fatsis, Josh Levin, and the New Yorker’s Louisa Thomas talk about what went wrong for the North Carolina men’s basketball team and other NCAA Tournament matters. They also check in on quarterback Lamar Jackson’s standoff with the Baltimore Ravens. Finally, the Athletic’s Nick Miller joins to discuss why the BBC pulled soccer commentator Gary Lineker off the air, and what happened next.
 
NCAA (5:54): Checking in on the Tar Heels and the sport’s other blue bloods.
 
Jackson (3:50): Why doesn’t anyone want to give the young star a guaranteed, mega-bucks deal?
 
Lineker (43:50): The controversy, the resolution, and what it says about the UK.
 
Afterball (1:00:52): Stefan on whether the Ivy League is ready to change with the times.
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Hang Up: Is the NFL Colluding Against Lamar Jackson?

The online dating world can be brutal and repetitive—just the kind of thing you might want to automate. But, in one tech writer’s experience, artificial intelligence isn’t ready to make real connections—at least, not without a lot of help.

Guest: Heather Tal Murphy, covers business and technology at Slate

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

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 TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.
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What Next TBD: Would You Let A.I. Date For You?

This week, host Karen Han talks to sommelier Miguel de Leon, who currently works as the wine director for Pinch Chinese in New York City. In the interview, Miguel explains that his job is less about defining obscure tasting notes and more about curating experiences and telling stories. He also talks about the exclusionary nature of the wine world and his efforts to make that world more accessible to everyone. 

After the interview, Karen and co-host Isaac Butler discuss how to be more welcoming to newcomers in creative fields. They also talk about how expensive art can be, both to make and to experience. 

In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Miguel talks about some specific wines that he’s excited about. 

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.
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Working: A Sommelier Without the Smugness

On today’s episode, Rachelle Hampton is joined by Deepti Sahrawat, the host of Pop Culture Prisoner, to discuss a shocking cheating scandal within the cast of the Bravo reality series Vanderpump Rules, and why it blew up on the internet in such a big way. They talk about how the history of the show led us up to this point, the ways it’s so different from the usual cycle of reality scandals, and where the show can go from here.

This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, and Daisy Rosario.
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ICYMI: Vanderpump Rules’ War of the Roses

Alecia Moore was so fearless, they put an exclamation point in her name. Pink—a.k.a. P!nk—was full of bravado from the moment she broke at the turn of the millennium, singing a frothy style of teen pop&B. She was promoted as ethnically ambiguous and sold to white and Black audiences as a sassy Total Request Live starlet. She even joined an all-star remake of “Lady Marmalade.”

But Pink felt misrepresented, even Missundaztood—so she recorded an album by that name, fusing rock guitar, dance beats and filter-free lyrics. She called out shiftless boyfriends, other pop stars, even the president of her record label in the lyrics of her hits, becoming the pop fan’s rock star.

Join Chris Molanphy as he explains how Pink defined her own genre fusing punk attitude and soaring melodies into 21st-century self-empowerment music. She made herself into a rock star, simply by calling herself one. Who knew?

Podcast production by Kevin Bendis.




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Hit Parade: Raise Your Glass Edition Part 1

The Scream franchise returns to theaters this weekend. Since it first debuted in 1996, the racial dynamics of horror films have evolved. And for the first time in generations of scary movies, African American characters are surviving, killing the monsters, or even slaying as horror villains themselves. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Mark Harris, the co-author of The Black Guy Dies First: Black Horror Cinema from Fodder to Oscar, to talk about the evolution of Black horror. 

Guest: Mark Harris, writer and co-author of The Black Guy Dies First 

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

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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A Word: Screaming in Color

In this episode, Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) answers questions from letter writers who are stuck in high-paying jobs, deciding whether to bring kids into this world, confronting a “Karen,” and dealing with a classic topic – judgy in-laws.  
Wajahat Ali (author and a Daily Beast columnist) joins to lend his wisdom. 
If you want more Dear Prudence, you should join Slate Plus, Slate’s membership program. Jenée answers an extra question every week, just for members. Go to Slate.com/prudieplus to sign up. It’s just $15 for your first three months. 
Podcast production by Se’era Spragley Ricks and Daisy Rosario.
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Dear Prudence: Should I Have A Baby? Help!

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate culture writer Nadira Goffe is joined by film producer and Stay Gold Features founder Daniela Taplin Lundberg to discuss the challenges of film production and the importance of movies that tell women’s stories, even when they seem too risky to make. 

In Slate Plus, Nadira and Daniela talk about their favorite (surprisingly) feminist movies.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Tori Dominguez with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

Make an impact this Women’s History Month by helping Macy’s on their mission to fund girls in STEM. Go to macys.com/purpose to learn more.
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The Waves: Hollywood Needs an Overhaul

For all of his success, Steven Spielberg has a spotty record at the Oscars. He’s been nominated 22 times, but he’s only won three. Is it a curse?

 This Sunday could mark a shift for the King of Hollywood’s five decades in the industry. And with The Fabelmans this year, it’s personal. 

Guest: Michael Schulman, New Yorker staff writer and the author of Oscar Wars: A History of Hollywood in Gold, Sweat, and Tears.

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 Amicus—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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