Podcast appearances and mentions of Joan Didion

"You're an outsider. And as you linger in that space, you start to become an insider ... but you're still an outsider. Don't forget that, even though you know more about it, you're an insider and an outsider," says Jeff Sharlet about when he's reporting on, say, far-right religious groups.OK, we've got Jeff Sharlet, which is pretty stunning when you think about it. I mean, this guy is the author of The Undertow: Scenes from a Slow Civil War, The Family, among other books. He often covers the far right and far-right fundamentalism and what's he's been able to document is scary and often unsettling. We don't dig too much into that, because mainly we just talk about doing this kind of work. It was really a fun and illuminating conversation and I'm pretty stoked.He teaches writing and creative nonfiction at Dartmouth College. That was where I desperately wanted to go to school. I was set to be their starting shortstop, but I couldn't get my goddam SATs above remedial and thus I attended good ol' UMass … back in the late 1990s, if you could funnel a beer in five seconds you got a scholarship #yoloIn this episode, Jeff and I riff about: His key influences Treating your book badly as a way of treating it well Using your outsiderness to your advantage His love of sportswriting, or interest in sportswriting, despite not following sports And real toads in imaginary gardensYou can learn more about Jeff and his work @jeffsharlet on Substack and his newsletter there called Scenes from a Slow Civil War … I admire people like Jeff who are just so damn smart in how they articulate things seemingly on the fly. Meanwhile, ya boi BO sounds about as coherent as a chimpanzee.Order The Front RunnerNewsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmWelcome to Pitch ClubShow notes: brendanomeara.com

The last fortnight has seen the failure of the high-profile trial of rapper P Diddy for sex trafficking and the Epstein files not released after months of promise they would be by the Trump administration. Could the American elites really be willing to embarrass themselves to this degree without incentive? We try to think of the best explanation for why Trump won't release the Epstein files and how P Diddy has likely got away with sex crimes. We also discuss Obama's reported bisexuality, Mac Miller's death and use of prostitutes as drug carriers, Joan Didion's critique of leftism as an excuse for drug fests, Meek Mill and Nikki Minaj's lavender relationship, sexual attraction to power, pizzagate, Kash Patel, Epstein as a Mossad asset, the rapid rise of antisemitism, and Holocaust denial in the Information Age.

What does the term "followership" mean to you? Our guest, Claire Gaul, joined us to delve into what it means to be a follower in international schools. She wrote a blog post for our learning hub that really got Audrey and me thinking about how being a follower connects to leadership in international schools—a theme that runs through many of our shows.Claire describes the interaction of followership and leadership as a type of dance. I think this description makes a lot of sense. Claire provides a 360-degree view of it in our discussion.Claire Gaul teaches MYP Individuals and Societies at an international school in China. She is an avid runner and reader. Her favorite authors include Joan Didion and Elif Shafak. She has lived all over the world as both a student and a teacher. Claire has 11 year old twins (Luke and Leia), a husband, and a hamster who needs to be rehomed before Claire moves to India in July with her family.Our guiding question for this show was, "What is followership in our schools, and how does it go hand in hand with leadership?"Claire shares her thoughts and wisdom, with the following being a few of her main points:Her impetus for writing the blog postA definition of followership that includes constructive followershipHow to lean into being constructiveThe possible personal and professional costs of not having healthy boundaries regarding followershipSuggestions to help our listeners gain perspective on themselves and their interactions with othersHer recent recruiting experienceResources mentioned in the episode:Profiling Schools, Cities and Countries blog postClaire's blog post on our website.Claire's Contact Information:  LinkedIn This episode was recorded on March 15th, 2025.Categories: Wellness | Leadership | School Life | Recruiting  Remember to access our Educators Going Global website for more information and consider joining our Patreon community at patreon/educatorsgoingglobal!Email us with comments or suggestions at educatorsgoingglobal@gmail.com Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram or YouTube.Listen on your favorite podcast app: connect from our share page.Music: YouTube. (2022). Acoustic Guitar | Folk | No copyright | 2022❤️. YouTube. Retrieved October 11, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOEmg_6i7jA.

This hour, author and film critic Alissa Wilkinson joins us to talk about Joan Didion, Hollywood, and how we make sense of our politics. GUEST: Alissa Wilkinson: Movie critic at The New York Times. Her latest book is We Tell Ourselves Stories: Joan Didion and the American Dream Machine Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Picasso tuvo un barbero que se convirtió en su amigo más cercano durante los años del exilio. Se llamaba Eugenio Arias y fue mucho más que un peluquero: compartió dos décadas de complicidad con el artista, que le hizo numerosos regalos a lo largo del tiempo. De esa amistad nace el Museo Picasso-Colección Eugenio Arias, que puede visitarse hoy en Buitrago del Lozoya, el pueblo madrileño donde residió Arias. También surge de ahí la obra de teatro 'El barbero de Picasso', que se representa en el Teatro Español de Madrid. Escrita por Borja Ortiz de Gondra, dirigida por Chiqui Carabante y con un reparto encabezado por Pepe Viyuela y Antonio Molero, la obra reflexiona sobre la tauromaquia, la política, la nostalgia de país y, sobre todo, el valor de los vínculos.Desde la Semana Negra de Gijón, Laura Fernández abre un nuevo My Little Corner of the World, su espacio literario. Antes de adentrarse en lo negro, comenta el lanzamiento de la semana: 'Apuntes para John', de Joan Didion. Una obra póstuma publicada por Random House que plantea dilemas editoriales y personales, ya que no está claro si la autora estadounidense deseaba ver este texto en librerías.La música final del programa la pone el homenaje a Gustavo Torner. Nacido en Cuenca en 1925, su nombre está más presente de lo que parece en el paisaje urbano: es el autor de la escultura que da nombre a la plaza de los Cubos en Madrid y de algunas de las vidrieras de la Catedral de Cuenca. Coincidiendo con su centenario, la Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando y otras instituciones revisan su obra con varias exposiciones que destacan su contribución a la abstracción y a la integración del arte en el espacio público. Lo cuenta Ángela Núñez.Escuchar audio

Een uniek dagboek van een unieke auteur, waarin de thematiek van Joan Didion haar oeuvre geduid wordt. Uitgegeven door De Arbeiderspers Spreker: Marijke Beversluis

This episode is one that Matt and Sam have been anticipating for years: after two-and-a-half decades of research and writing, Sam Tanehaus's authoritative biography of William F. Buckley, Jr.—youthful booster of America First, enfant terrible at Yale, CIA agent, founder of National Review, best-selling author, brilliant television host, and more—has blessedly arrived. Buckley: The Life and the Revolution That Changed America stretches to just under 900 pages of text, before you get to the endnotes and index, an appropriately epic biography of an overstuffed, consequential life, containing far more than could be covered in a single episode. This conversation focuses on the challenges of writing a biography of a man whose archives rivaled those found in presidential libraries; Tanenhaus's discovery of a newspaper the Buckley's owned in South Carolina that essentially was a mouthpiece for the White Citizens' Council, and the Southern roots of Buckley's "northern segregationist" politics; the influence of his oilman father, who fled the revolution in Mexico and instilled anti-communist politics, as well as the Catholic faith, in his children; Buckley's role in forging the post-war conservative movement, through National Review and his frenetic endeavors as a columnist and speaker; the controversies, disappointments, failures, and triumphs of his decades-long career; and more. Sources:Sam Tanenhaus, Buckley: The Life and the Revolution That Changed America (2025)— Whittaker Chambers: A Biography (1997)John Judis, William F. Buckley, Jr.: Patron Saint of the Conservatives (1988)Sam Adler-Bell, "A Practical Fanatic," The Idea Letters, June 26, 2025Alexander Chee, "Mr. and Mrs. B.," Longreads, June 18, 2025Christopher Owen, Heaven Can Indeed Fall: The Life of Willmoore Kendall, (2022)Listen again to these Know Your Enemy episodes for background on:Brent Bozell: "Keeping up with the Bozells," Feb 26, 2021Willmoore Kendall: "The Long Farewell to Majority Rule? (w/ Joshua Tait)," May 17, 2021Frank Meyer: "Frank Meyer, the Father of Fusionism," Nov 10, 2021Joan Didion: "Joan Didion, Conservative (w/ Sam Tanenhaus)," Jan 13, 2022William F. Buckley, Jr.: "Buckley for Mayor (w/ Sam Tanenhaus)," Aug 23, 2021— "The Conservative and the Convict (w/ Sarah Weinman)," May 9, 2022— "Consider the Cranks (w/ David Austin Walsh)," May 21, 2024...and don't forget to subscribe to Know Your Enemy on Patreon for access to all of our bonus episodes!   

What do Hollywood, Joan Didion, and the Bible have in common? More than you'd expect. In this episode, New York Times film critic and author Alissa Wilkinson joins Dru Johnson to discuss the life, work, and worldview of Joan Didion, one of the most influential American writers of the 20th century. Wilkinson's new book, We Tell Ourselves Stories, explores how Didion made sense of chaos through narrative—and what her work reveals about faith, trauma, politics, and cultural memory. Together, Alissa and Dru explore Didion's insight that stories are not just entertainment; they are survival mechanisms, tools we use to impose order on a chaotic world. But is that all Scripture is—just another human-made narrative? Wilkinson offers a careful reflection on the limits and power of storytelling, showing how Didion's work can challenge both Christian belief and secular mythmaking. They also dive into conspiracy theories, the fusion of politics and Hollywood, and the rise of nostalgia as a cultural sickness. From John Wayne to 9/11 to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this episode traces the invisible threads between the stories we inherit and the truths we cling to. We are listener supported. Give to the cause here: https://hebraicthought.org/give For more articles: https://thebiblicalmind.org/ Social Links: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HebraicThought Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hebraicthought Threads: https://www.threads.net/hebraicthought X: https://www.twitter.com/HebraicThought Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hebraicthought.org Chapters: 00:00 Exploring Joan Didion's Influence 02:10 The Chaos of Life and Storytelling 05:08 The Impact of California on Didion's Work 08:15 Didion's Perspective on Conspiracy Theories 11:24 Hollywood's Political Landscape and Didion's Critique 14:26 The Intersection of Politics and Entertainment 17:29 Didion's Views on Feminism and Fixed Ideas 20:26 The Role of Nostalgia in Storytelling 23:24 The Modern Political Narrative 26:17 Conspiracies and Their Impact on Society 29:27 The Nature of Truth in Storytelling 32:10 Didion's Legacy in Film and Media 35:20 The Future of Storytelling in Politics

Beacons of local laughter Kyran and Rhys Nicholson crack open the red cordial for Comedy Republic's 5th birthday; uplifting author Jacinta Parsons shares some lessons on living with her new book, A Wisdom of Age; Michael Harden bangs the drum for a high-end mainstay of Melbourne cuisine; star of the stage Karis Oka gives us the goth on her role as Lydia Deetz in Beetlejuice; book reviewer Sean O'Beirne has some notes on the new work from the late Joan Didion and globe-trotting twitcher Sean 'Birdman' Dooley takes a squiz at the birds in Uganda. Website: https://www.rrr.org.au/explore/programs/breakfasters/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Breakfasters3RRRFM/X:  https://x.com/breakfasters

Zonder blikken of blozen kun je stellen dat Joan Didion de grootste Amerikaanse essayiste is van de afgelopen vijftig jaar. Ze wist een enorme glamour te geven aan het intellectuele leven en bouwde daardoor een iconische status op. Dit kwam nog duidelijker naar voren toen haar inboedel werd geveild na haar overlijden. Voor alles was animo: van haar Creusetpannen die voor 7000 dollar werden verkocht, naar lege schriften nog in plastic, tot haar zonnebril die bijna 30K opleverde. In deze aflevering bespreken we Het jaar van magisch denken (The Year of Magical Thinking, vertaald door Christien Jonkheer). Didion beschrijft het jaar na na het plotselinge overlijden van haar man, de schrijver Gregory Dunne, na een huwelijk van bijna veertig jaar. In diezelfde periode raakt hun dochter Quintana in coma en wordt zij in het ziekenhuis opgenomen. Over een jaar van rouw en verdriet, ziekte, de eindigheid van het leven en bovenal de liefde. Wat is het magische denken waar Didion het in de titel over heeft? Wat beschouwt Didion als het verschil tussen verdriet en rouw? En als je dit werk categoriseert als weduweproza, wat zijn dan Nederlandse equivalenten en welke zijn ons daarvan positief bijgebleven? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“One runs away to find oneself, and finds no one at home.” – Joan Didion, 1961.

#JoanDidion, #booklunch, #BlueNights, #GregoryDunne, #memoir, #MitchHamptonThe new release of the private writings of Joan Didion, "Notes to John" , inspired me to revisit her "Blue Nights" and do a Book Lunch multi part series. I will explore both the uniqueness of Joan Didion's style of prose when it takes as subject matter the most personal and intimate of life's events - in this case the loss of her daughter and husband as well as reflections upon her own impending mortality. As an added bonus in the series I will also devote some time to her husband Gregory Dunne's 1970s masterpiece Vegas, The series will explore all the many things that can be done in and with prose.#memoir #autobiography #privacy #literature #california #newyorkcity #hollywood #natasharichardson #tonyrichardson #johngregorydunne #dominickdunne #yearoflivingdangersously #therapy #psychology #recovery #suicide #grief #2000s #1990s #1980s #1970s #1960s #saturdadyeveningpost #thewhitealbum #hippie #haightashbury #summeroflove #1969 #losangeles #lilyanolik #charlesmanson #courtneylove #lsd #evebabitz #williambutleryeats #thesecondcoming #slouchingtowardsbethlelhem

This special episode of The Intentional Clinician Podcast features Paul Krauss, MA LPC, being interviewed by Lindsey Beaver, LMSW, and Josh Zheng, LPC. The conversation provides an intimate look into Paul's background, personal philosophy, and professional journey as both the founder of Health for Life Counseling and host of The Intentional Clinician Podcast. Rather than Paul conducting his usual interviews, this episode reverses roles to explore the man behind the microphone, offering listeners insight into his formative experiences, current worldview, and approach to mental health and social change. Also discussed: the organic nature of the idea conceived during a grocery store walk, "Who are you?", Joan Didion, adaption, macro-evolution, self-evolution, identity, Paul's childhood, Lansing, Michigan, trailer parks, a food co-op, hippie culture, living in a motel, meeting people of diverse origins, anxiety, hyper-vigilance, being anxious and doing it anyway, changing the narrative, the positive influence of parents, how your parent's blind spots affect you, working in coffee shops and food, teaching, learning about the effects of trauma, creating a therapy center, building community, world-building, the National Violence Prevention Hotline, Comparing the internet to the printing press revolution, technology as both revealing secrets and creating new problems, a "fire hose to the face" of information, technology's impact on children and mental health, authoritarianism as a response to information chaos, being "narrowly educated", systemic problems and power structures, discussion of economic inequality since the 1980s, housing affordability and corporate ownership. the role of big business in creating inequality, war is a business, how economic stress affects mental health and social problems, importance of limiting technology use intentionally, investing in local communities and relationships, finding your "tribe" online if not available locally. the need to create positive alternatives rather than just criticizing, philosophy of change, trauma therapy and fundamental personal change, the necessity of painful experiences for growth, the importance of taking risks and receiving feedback, the role of courage in transformation, frustration with intellectual class pointing out problems without solutions, we need truth-tellers as much as new system builders, creating meaningful alternatives to tribal identity, the balance between being "not special" but unique, importance of sharing and serving others, personal self-care without self-indulgence, curating life experiences intentionally, challenging belief systems and getting out of comfort zones, and much much more. > "You're not special. And I don't mean that in a mean way, but you are not special... However, you are unique and beautiful and intelligent, and you have talents and gifts that no one else has. You have talents and gifts that no one else has, and you have a personality that no one else has ever had."- Paul Krauss  >"All I know is that I know nothing, and that is to try. That is how I try to wake up every day and remind myself that I don't know anything. And I'm a mini little ant in the universe and I will never know everything. But I love learning and I want to find other people that love learning, and I want to share that with them."- Paul Krauss  In this episode, all of the songs utilized are from "Mystic" by PAWL "Alright" from the album Mystic by PAWL (Spotify) "Dreams" from the album Mystic by PAWL (Spotify) "The Moment" from the album Mystic by PAWL (Spotify) "Bars" from the album Mystic by PAWL (Spotify) "The Inside is Outside" from the album Mystic by PAWL (Spotify) "Kitchen Drawers" from the album Mystic by PAWL (Spotify) "Little Sin" from the album Mystic by PAWL (Spotify) "Thirty-Six" from the album Mystic by PAWL (Spotify) "Windshield" from the album Mystic by PAWL (Spotify) "Between Chaos and Rigidity" from the album Mystic by PAWL (Spotify) "Dawn in Detroit" from the album Mystic by PAWL (Spotify) "Mystic" from the album Mystic by PAWL (Spotify)   Get involved with the National Violence Prevention Hotline: 501(c)(3) Donate Share with your network Write your congressperson Sign our Petition Preview an Online Video Course for the Parents of Young Adults (Parenting Issues) Unique and low cost learning opportunities through Shion Consulting Paul Krauss MA LPC is the Clinical Director of Health for Life Counseling Grand Rapids, home of The Trauma-Informed Counseling Center of Grand Rapids. Paul is also a Private Practice Psychotherapist, an Approved EMDRIA Consultant , host of the Intentional Clinician podcast, Behavioral Health Consultant, Clinical Trainer, Counseling Supervisor, and Meditation Teacher. Paul is now offering consulting for a few individuals and organizations. Paul is the creator of the National Violence Prevention Hotline as well as the Intentional Clinician Training Program for Counselors. Paul has been quoted in the Washington Post, NBC News, Wired Magazine, and Counseling Today. Questions? Call the office at 616-200-4433.  If you are looking for EMDRIA consulting groups, Paul Krauss MA LPC is now hosting a weekly online group.  For details, click here. For general behavioral and mental health consulting for you or your organization. Follow Health for Life Counseling- Grand Rapids: Instagram   |   Facebook     |     Youtube

Kimberly Farr has had a long and distinguished career as an actor on stage and screen and as a celebrated audiobook narrator. A gifted performer with an impressive range, Kimberly has brought characters and stories to life, in fiction and nonfiction alike. Whether it's Elizabeth Strout's Olive Kitteridge novels, Joan Didion's essays, the biography of Julia Child, or the poetry of Mary Oliver, Kimberly captures their voices with rare clarity, nuance, and a deep understanding of language. So it's no surprise that AudioFile named her a 2025 Golden Voice narrator. In this bonus episode, host Jo Reed and Kimberly Farr speak about Kimberly's path to audiobook work and what it means to inhabit every voice on the page. Read reviews of Kimberly Farr's audiobooks on AudioFile's website Support for AudioFile's Behind the Mic comes from HarperCollins Focus, and HarperCollins Christian Publishing , publishers of some of your favorite audiobooks and authors, including Reba McEntire, Bob Goff, Kathie Lee Gifford, Max Lucado, Lysa TerKeurst, and so many more!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Through her sharp and biting political commentary—whether as host of the podcast Fast Politics, as a special correspondent for Vanity Fair, or as a political analyst on MSNBC—Molly Jong-Fast has, over the past decade, become something of a household name. But, as the daughter of the once-famous author and second-wave feminist Erica Jong—whose 1973 novel Fear of Flying catapulted her into the literary limelight—she has actually been in the public eye for much longer, decades before this more recent notoriety of her own making. Jong-Fast's latest book, the searing, heartbreaking (but also, at times, hilarious) memoir How to Lose Your Mother, is in some sense an effort to take her story back after being in the shadow of her narcissistic, too often out-of-reach mother for so long. It's also a book about aging and frailty, and an extremely difficult, gut-wrenching year: In 2023, Erica was diagnosed with dementia, right around the same time that Molly's husband learned he had a rare cancer.On the episode, Jong-Fast talks about her own actual fear of flying, in addition to her mother's book of the same name; 27 years of sobriety and how her time in A.A. has transformed her life; and the importance of confronting the vicissitudes of aging and one's passage through time.Special thanks to our Season 11 presenting sponsor, Van Cleef & Arpels.Show notes:Molly Jong-Fast[4:28] “Fear of Flying” (1973)[4:28] Erica Jong[4:49] “How to Lose Your Mother: A Daughter's Memoir”[7:53] “Spartacus” (1951)[7:53] “April Morning” (1961)[7:53] “The Immigrants” (1977)[9:15] Lee Krasner[10:04] Susan Faludi[10:04] “Backlash” (1991)[12:09] “Fear and Flying Erica & Erotica in Connecticut” (1980)[12:09] “Fanny” (1980)[14:57] Marty Seif[18:26] Special Guest: Erica Jong (2023)[19:39] Pan Am Flight 001[21:11] “The Year of Magical Thinking” (2005)[21:11] “Notes to John” (2025)[26:54] “The Sex Doctors in the Basement” (2005)[36:46] “Normal Girl” (2000)[38:52] Jacob Bernstein[38:52] Carl Bernstein[38:52] Stalin Peace Prize[46:05] Michael Tomasky[48:55] Hazelden[49:57] “How Molly Jong-Fast Tweeted Her Way to Liberal Media Stardom”

(01:27) Programmamaker Willem Alkema over muzikant Sly Stone (19:48) Journalist Jutta Chorus over auteur en journalist Joan Didion (53:04) Wat blijft lijn: Rianne Oosterom over Nelly van Bommel-Den Hartog (56:40) Muziek van The Beach Boys (01:00:56) Grote Geesten: Nathan de Vries maakte deze podcastaflevering over Sophie Oluwole (01:46:13) Muziek van Ibeyi (01:49:59) Zin van de Dag

With mundane items, from a collection of seashells kept by writer Joan Didion and several coffee machines owned by director David Lynch fetching extreme interest and top dollar from fans, what is it that attracts buyers to certain celebrity auctions? Co-founder of Julien's Auctions, Martin Nolan talks to Dearbhail.

Note: This episode contains strong language. Griffin Dunne is Jack Goodman in John Landis’ classic horror-comedy An American Werewolf in London and Paul Hackett in Martin Scorsese’s After Hours and Loudon Trout in the Madonna-starring screwball comedy Who’s That Girl. He’s Uncle Nicky on This Is Us and Professor Dudenoff on Only Murders in the Building and Dr. Alon Parfit on Succession and Sylvére on I Love Dick. He produced After Hours and Running on Empty and Once Around. He directed Practical Magic and Addicted to Love and the documentary Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold. His father was the journalist and novelist and movie producer Dominick Dunne. His aunt and uncle were the journalists and novelists and screenwriters Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne. His sister was the actress Dominique Dunne. His grandfather was a famous heart surgeon from West Hartford, Connecticut. In November, 2024, we recorded a conversation with Griffin Dunne on stage at The Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford. It’s a lot about that complicated, sometimes tragic, often hilarious family. And it’s about movies and TV and writing. And Hartford. This hour: Griffin Dunne. GUEST: Griffin Dunne: An actor, producer, and director and the author of The Friday Afternoon Club: A Family Memoir The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show, which originally aired November 15, 2024.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to novelist  Matthew Specktor, whose new book, The Golden Hour: A Story of Family and Power in Hollywood, is out now and getting rave reviews. Matthew spoke to us about growing up behind the scenes in Hollywood as the son of an icon of the film industry, Fred Specktor, a super-agent of A-list Hollywood talent who is still going strong at 92 years old. With a roster of clients that included everyone from Robert DeNiro, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, Danny Devito and many, many more, Matthew was brought up in and around the film business and had a firsthand look. Part memoir, part biography, part cultural history & part fiction, The Golden Hour has been priases in outlets such as NPR, the New York Times, the Kirkus Review, the LA Times and many more for it's unique look into Hollywood and the battle between art vs. commerce and much more. As this is his third book based on his take on Hollywood, Matthew is getting name-checked alongside iconic LA based, Hollywood centric authors such as Joan Didion and William Goldman and getting praise from authors like Jonathan Lethem and Griffin Dunne. High praise indeed. We get into that as well as how Matthew formed the book and the basis of his exploration into his family and the city formed him, shortly. Matthew's behind-the-scenes stories of how Hollywood was created in the second half of the twentieth century at Tinseltown institutions like MCA, William Morris and CAA beginning in the 1950s and where we are today, 70 years later a a large part of this episode. But we also hear personal stories about pranks the pre-rat pack played on him and his best friend Renee Estevez (daughter of Martin Sheen) in high school, what LA restaurants his family ate on special occasions, the cars and vanity plates of super agents in the City of Angelss and the movie theaters and books that shaped his youth on the Westside of Los Angeles. This is the Rarified Heir Podcast and if you've never had David Lynch tell you, you were more an artist than a deal maker at 13, take a listen because Matthew Specktor has. Everyone has a story.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit andrewsullivan.substack.comSam is a biographer, historian, and journalist. He used to be the editor of the New York Times Book Review, a features writer for Vanity Fair, and a writer for Prospect magazine. He's currently a contributing writer for the Washington Post. His many books include The Death of Conservatism and Whittaker Chambers: A Biography, and his new one is Buckley: The Life and the Revolution That Changed America.It's a huge tome — almost 1,000 pages! — but fascinating, with new and startling revelations, and a breeze to read. It's crack to me, of course, and we went long — a Rogan-worthy three hours. But I loved it, and hope you do too. It's not just about Buckley; it's about now, and how Buckleyism is more similar to Trumpism than I initially understood. It's about American conservatism as a whole.For three clips of our convo — Buckley as a humane segregationist, his isolationism even after Pearl Harbor, and getting gay-baited by Gore Vidal — head to our YouTube page.Other topics: me dragging Sam to a drag show in Ptown; the elite upbringing of Buckley during the Depression; his bigoted but charitable dad who struck rich with oil; his Southern mom who birthed a dozen kids; why the polyglot Buckley didn't learn English until age 7; aspiring to be a priest or a pianist; a middle child craving the approval of dad; a poor student at first; his pranks and recklessness; being the big man on campus at Yale; leading the Yale Daily News; skewering liberal profs; his deep Catholicism; God and Man at Yale; Skull and Bones; his stint in the Army; Charles Lindbergh and America First; defending Joe McCarthy until the bitter end and beyond; launching National Review; Joan Didion; Birchers; Brown v. Board; Albert Jay Nock; Evelyn Waugh; Whittaker Chambers; Brent Bozell; Willmoore Kendall; James Burnham; Orwell; Hitchens; Russell Kirk; not liking Ike; underestimating Goldwater; Nixon and the Southern Strategy; Buckley's ties to Watergate; getting snubbed by Reagan; Julian Bond and John Lewis on Firing Line; the epic debate with James Baldwin; George Will; Michael Lind; David Brooks and David Frum; Rick Hertzberg; Buckley's wife a fag hag who raised money for AIDS; Roy Cohn; Bill Rusher; Scott Bessent; how Buckley was a forerunner for Trump; and much more. It's a Rogan-length pod.Browse the Dishcast archive for an episode you might enjoy (the first 102 are free in their entirety — subscribe to get everything else). Coming up: Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson on the Biden cover-up, Walter Isaacson on Ben Franklin, Robert Merry on President McKinley, Tara Zahra on the last revolt against globalization after WWI, N.S. Lyons on the Trump era, Arthur C. Brooks on the science of happiness, and Paul Elie on crypto-religion in ‘80s pop culture. Please send any guest recs, dissents, and other comments to dish@andrewsullivan.com.

Entre artistas, roqueiros e Hollywood, Eve Babitz retratou com leveza e humor a era de sexo, drogas e rock and roll da Los Angeles dos anos 70. A redescoberta da escritora norte-americana nos últimos anos e seu livro Dias Lentos, Encontros Fugazes (Amarcord), recém-publicado no Brasil, são o tema deste episódio do 451 MHz. Paulo Werneck e a colunista Bruna Beber recebem duas grandes leitoras de Babitz, a jornalista Adriana Ferreira Silva e a escritora e tradutora Cecília Madonna Young, para falarem sobre os casos curiosos, a mistura de gêneros literários e ainda da amizade e rivalidade entre Babitz e Joan Didion, precursora do novo jornalismo americano.   O episódio foi realizado com apoio da Lei Rouanet – Incentivo a Projetos Culturais. Seja um Ouvinte Entusiasta e apoie o 451 MHz: https://bit.ly/Assine451  

Moira and Adrian tackle the longstanding conservative fixation on the city of San Francisco, its people and its mores. From demographic anxieties, via Joan Didion's hippie-hate, to disaster movies, doom loops, and progressive prosecutors -- the history of SF-hate is a history of US politics. Books and media cited in this episode: Joseph Plaster, Kids on the Street: Queer Kinship and Religion in San Francisco's Tenderloin (2023)Susan Stryker, Victor Silverman (dirs.), Screaming Queens (2005)Thom Andersen, Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003)David Talbot, Season of the Witch: Enchantment, Terror, and Deliverance in the City of Love (2013) Joan Didion, Slouching Towards Bethlehem (1968)Eve Babitz, Eve's Hollywood (1974)Mike Davis, City of Quartz (1990)

Did you know the towering career of Joan Didion included several novels, many of which were driven by the same acerbic wit and insight that helped to anoint her as an essential voice in the New Journalism movement? Her second novel, Play It As It Lays, traffics in much of the same Hollywood/Los Angeles social destruction that powered her essays, but instead focuses in on the maddening, maddened Maria Wyeth - an actress whose star is waning with the gravitational force of a black hole.This episode is sponsored by Squarespace. Go to squarespace.com/overdue for 10% of your first purchase of a website or domain.Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on OverdueSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dan Reiter reads from his new book, On a Rising Swell: Surf Stories from the Space Coast, with the jazz piano accompaniment of Daniel Tenbusch, touching the bohemian spirit of Jack Kerouac, who wrote the first draft of The Darma Bums at that very venue. John and Dan share notes about the writing life, the freedom of constraints, the careers of Joan Didion, Jack Kerouac, and Hunter S. Thompson, and physical transcendence—with the occasional contribution from Dr. Truth.

Episode 538 - Tony Stewart - Carrying the Tiger - Living With Cancer, Dying With Grace and Finding Joy While GrievingAbout the authorTony Stewart has made award-winning films for colleges and universities, written software that received rave reviews in The New York Times and the New York Daily News, designed a grants-management application that was used by three of the five largest charities in the world, and led the development of an international standard for the messages involved in buying and selling advertisements, for which he spoke at conferences across Europe and North America. Tony and his late wife Lynn Kotula, a painter, traveled extensively in India and Southeast Asia, staying in small hotels off the beaten track and eating delicious food with their fingers when cutlery wasn't available. Carrying the Tiger is his first published book.An inspiring story of love, loss and recovery“[A] beautifully devastating memoir… a remarkable odyssey of learning to ‘live fully in the shadow of death.'” — Publishers Weekly BookLife (Editor's Pick)In the spirit of Joan Didion's The Year of Magical Thinking and Paul Kalanithi's When Breath Becomes Air comes Carrying the Tiger, a life affirming memoir about the full circle of life and death.When Tony Stewart's wife, Lynn, receives a sudden and devastating diagnosis, they scramble to find effective treatment, navigate life threatening setbacks, learn to live fully in the shadow of death, and share the intimate grace of her departure from this world. Then Tony slowly climbs out of shattering grief and, surprisingly, eases toward new love.There is uncertainty, fear, and sorrow, but also tenderness and joy, along with a renewed perspective on what it means to live and love with one's whole heart.“Captures emotions and experiences that will be familiar to anyone who's stood by a loved one facing a cancer diagnosis... this is a work that will strengthen all who read it.” — Khalid Dar, MD, Oncologist, Mount Sinai Morningside“A beautiful and very human love story which breathes an extraordinary generosity of spirit.” — David Newman, author of Talking with Doctorshttps://www.tonystewartauthor.com/Support the show___https://livingthenextchapter.com/podcast produced by: https://truemediasolutions.ca/Coffee Refills are always appreciated, refill Dave's cup here, and thanks!https://buymeacoffee.com/truemediaca

In the new book “We Tell Ourselves Stories: Joan Didion and the American Dream Machine,” “New York Times” Film Critic Alissa Wilkinson, examines Didion's influence through the lens of American mythmaking.

Veðmálasíður verða sífellt fyrirferðarmeiri. Áhrifavaldar og hlaðvarpsstjórnendur auglýsa þær og veðmál á íþróttaleiki virðast færast í aukana hjá ungu fólki. KSÍ stendur fyrir málþingi um veðmál og áhrif þeirra á íþróttir og samfélagið. Ásdís Sól Ágústsdóttir veltir því fyrir sér hvort það sé í lagi að lesa Notes to John, bók Joan Didion sem kom út eftir andlát hennar. Er mikilvægara að svala forvitni lesenda en að virða einkalíf látins fólks?

Andres Lokko och Ulrika Milles har läst och samtalar om den amerikanska författaren Joan Didions postumt utgivna bok Anteckningar till John. Lyssna på alla avsnitt i Sveriges Radio Play. Den amerikanska författaren och journalisten Joan Didion gick bort 2021. Nu är precis en postum bok av denna legendariska röst utgiven – hundrafemtio sidor som hittades i hennes arbetsrum i New York. Boken heter Anteckningar till John och är översatt till svenska av Erik MacQueen.Boken tar sin början i november 1999 när Joan Didion börjar gå till en psykiater. Hennes make John Gregory Dunne vill inte gå med, så hon går dit själv, mycket för att tala om deras dotter Quintana, som är i trettioårsåldern och kämpar med alkoholism och ångest. Didions utlämnande anteckningar i boken sträcker sig fram till januari 2003.Författaren och musikjournalisten Andres Lokko och författaren och litteraturkritikern Ulrika Milles har läst Anteckningar till John och samtalar med Marie Lundström, som intervjuade Joan Didion i hennes hem i New York, 2005.Skriv till oss! bokradio@sverigesradio.seProgramledare: Marie LundströmProducenter: Nina Asarnoj och Andreas Magnell

The girlies dive into some of Hollywood's most infamous celebrity feuds — Joan Didion vs Eve Babitz, Joan Crawford vs Bette Devis, Kim Cattrall vs Sarah Jessica Parker, and the recent lawsuits between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively. Digressions include Kim Cattrall's scatting, Ryan Murphy being a constant threat to society, and the age-old pattern of women fighting over the worst man you've ever heard of. We're going on tour!!!! Find tickets at (https://linktr.ee/binchtopia) This episode was originally released on January 22, 2025 as a Patreon exclusive, and we're unlocking it for you to make the most of the extra week in April. Become a patron today to support the show, keep us ad-free and unlock our backlog of over 50 bonus episodes at patreon.com/binchtopia. SOURCES Didion and Babitz by Lili Anolik Why Gossip Is Fatal to Good Writing  Joan Didion, Eve Babitz, and the Biographer Who Missed the Point  Joan Didion and Eve Babitz Shared an Unlikely, Uneasy Friendship—One That Shaped Their Worlds and Work Forever Everything You Need To Know About Kim Cattrall And Sarah Jessica Parker's Famous Feud  Inside Joan Didion And Eve Babitz's Rivalry.  Joan Didion vs Eve Babitz  A Timeline of Kim Cattrall and Sarah Jessica Parker's Rumored Sex and the City Feud  ‘Sex and the City' Director Details Kim Cattrall Drama, Tension Began Over Parity You Truly Won't Believe How Much Money the Cast of 'And Just Like That...' Is Making The Sex and the City Cast Salary Explains SJP & Kim Cattrall's Feud  ‘Sex and the City' Salaries: How Much Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon and Kim Cattrall Made From the Show, Movies and Revival  The Story Behind Joan Crawford and Bette Davis's Storied Feud  Feud: The Craziest Joan Crawford and Bette Davis Stories That Didn't Make the Show What “Feud” Misses About Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, and the Art of Movies Bette Davis v. Joan Crawford: The Hateful History Behind Old Hollywood's Nastiest Feud Joan Crawford Quotes About Bette Davis Are Savage    A Timeline of the Real Feud Between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford   Behind Hollywood's biggest feud  

You can't wait for inspiration. You have to develop a habit. Even when you don't feel like writing, you show up—and the mind begins to wake up. – Tracy DaughertyIn this episode of What's Your Why?, host Emy DiGrappa welcomes acclaimed author and biographer Tracy Daugherty for a deep and thoughtful conversation about the craft of writing, the influence of landscape, and the shaping power of culture. From his West Texas upbringing to his literary inspirations like Larry McMurtry and Joan Didion, Tracy shares his journey into storytelling, his disciplined writing habits, and the physicality of language.They discuss what it means to grow up in a place that feels “unliterary,” how personal and public histories intersect in the writer's work, and why Tracy is drawn to biography as a form of cultural history. He also opens up about his current project on Cormac McCarthy and the ethical complexities of writing about real lives.Whether you're a writer, reader, or lover of Western landscapes and literary voices, this episode offers rich insights into the rhythms of a writing life—and the meaning we find in the stories we tell.Key topics:Writing habit vs. inspirationLarry McMurtry's legacy and the myths of the American WestBiography as cultural historyAI and authorship in the digital ageSky watching, family, and finding your place through storyResources:

As the journals of the American writer Joan Didion (based on conversations with her psychiatrist) are published, writer and journalist Rachel Cooke and Alan Taylor, editor of actor Alan Rickman's diaries, discuss the challenges, responsibilities and ethics of posthumously publishing the diaries of great writers, artists and actors. Acclaimed German pianist Pianist Igor Levit talks about his own challenge - that of performing Erik Satie's pioneering piece Vexations, in a performance at the Multitudes arts festival at London's Southbank Centre. The performance is directed by leading performance artist Marina Abramovic and is expected to last approximately 15 hours, as Levit repeats Satie's one-page score 840 times. And how should great women be memorialised? Cultural critic Stephen Bayley and author and activist Sara Sheridan discuss what a memorial to Queen Elizabeth II might look like, and why, in comparison to their male counterparts, so few women have grand memorials in our towns and cities. Presenter: Kirsty Wark Producer: Mark Crossan

Dreams really do come true as we finally welcome one of the most requested guests in StraightioLab herstory, the one and only Hari Nef! And she came PREPARED with a full list of topics, which we dissect one by one before landing on a winner. Questions include: Can male actors be actresses? Can drag brunch be a site of resistance? Are we "sat" for Ari Aster's latest? Should we FaceTime Lena Dunham? And are parents of LGBTQ+ children gagging from all the fabulosity? Sometimes! Plus: Hari debuts her impression of "Cher doing Joan Didion." STRAIGHTIOLAB MERCH: cottonbureau.com/people/straightiolab SUBSCRIBE TO OUR PATREON at patreon.com/straightiolab for bonus episodes twice a month and don't forget to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Investigators, it is a double drop week here on Done and Dunne! We turn our focus in this episode to Nick's sister-in-law Joan Didion, wo is really having a moment this month! The archives of Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne are available now at the New York Public Library, after their acquisition in 2023. Additionally, there is a whole new work from Joan dropping April 22 – today – titled Notes to John. This release gives an alternative insight into Joan Didion about her work, motherhood, and the loss of her daughter, Quintana Roo, just two short years after the death of John Gregory Dunne. Lots of moments happening with our favorite sister-in-law – all the details happening here in this springtime bonus! See sources and more at doneanddunne.com. Continue your investigation with ad-free and bonus episodes on Patreon! To advertise on Done & Dunne, please reach out to info@amplitudemediapartners.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s Public Intellectual Day at StraightioLab HQ as we welcome The New Yorker’s Doreen St. Félix to the lab to talk about, quite simply, EVERYTHING: the semiotics of handbags, Lizzo’s Pass, the many of Joan Didion, and of course the state of religion in the United States of America. StraightioLab: Live! at the Bell House: https://concerts.livenation.com/straightiolab-live-brooklyn-new-york-04-16-2025/event/3000626340673C34STRAIGHTIOLAB MERCH: cottonbureau.com/people/straightiolab SUBSCRIBE TO OUR PATREON at patreon.com/straightiolab for bonus episodes twice a month and don't forget to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week's episode, I'm joined by New York Times film critic Alissa Wilkinson to discuss her new book about Joan Didion, We Tell Ourselves Stories. I mentioned the book in a newsletter a couple of weeks back, but I wanted to focus on the ways in which the political world has borrowed showbiz's penchant for image calibration, from the ways in which issues are decided upon to the means by which politicians decide which voters to target. Didion, of course, was a natural observer of these shifts, having spent years in Hollywood before becoming one of the nation's most interesting political observers. If you enjoyed this episode, I hope you both pick up a copy of Alissa's book and share this with friends!

Laura Piñero dedica esta entrega de #Cartagrafías al increíble archivo de la pareja de periodistas Joan Didion y John Gregory Dunne adquirido por la Biblioteca Pública de Nueva York.  Permite conocer sus vidas e investigaciones desde un punto de vista nuevo. 

Laura Piñero dedica esta entrega de #Cartagrafías al increíble archivo de la pareja de periodistas Joan Didion y John Gregory Dunne adquirido por la Biblioteca Pública de Nueva York.  Permite conocer sus vidas e investigaciones desde un punto de vista nuevo. 

Wes Kao is an entrepreneur, coach, and advisor. She co-founded the live learning platform Maven, backed by First Round and a16z. Before Maven, Wes co-created the altMBA with best-selling author Seth Godin. Today, Wes teaches a popular course on executive communication and influence. Through her course and one-on-one coaching, she's helped thousands of operators, founders, and product leaders master the art of influence through clear, compelling communication. Known for her surgical writing style and no-BS frameworks, Wes returns to the pod to deliver a tactical master class on becoming a sharper, more persuasive communicator—at work, in meetings, and across your career.What you'll learn:1. The #1 communication mistake leaders make—and Wes's proven fix to instantly gain buy-in2. Wes's MOO (Most Obvious Objection) framework to consistently anticipate and overcome pushback in meetings3. How to master concise communication—including Wes's tactical approach for brevity without losing meaning4. The art of executive presence: actionable strategies for conveying confidence and clarity, even under pressure5. The “sales, then logistics” framework—and why your ideas keep getting ignored without it6. The power of “signposting”—and why executives skim your docs without it7. Exactly how to give feedback that works—Wes's “strategy, not self-expression” principle to drive behavior change without friction8. Practical ways to instantly improve your writing, emails, and Slack messages—simple techniques Wes teaches executives9. Managing up like a pro: Wes's clear, practical advice on earning trust, building credibility, and aligning with senior leaders10. Career accelerators: specific habits and tactics from Wes for growing your influence, advancing your career, and standing out11. Real-world communication examples—Wes breaks down real scenarios she's solved, providing step-by-step solutions you can copy today—Brought to you by:• WorkOS—Modern identity platform for B2B SaaS, free up to 1 million MAUs• Vanta—Automate compliance. Simplify security• Coda—The all-in-one collaborative workspace—Where to find Wes Kao:• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/weskao/• Website: https://www.weskao.com/• Maven course: https://maven.com/wes-kao/executive-communication-influence—Where to find Lenny:• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/—In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Introduction to Wes Kao(05:34) Working with Wes(06:58) The importance of communication(10:44) Sales before logistics(18:20) Being concise(24:31) Books to help you become a better writer(27:30) Signposting and formatting(32:05) How to develop and practice your communication skills(40:41) Slack communication(42:23) Confidence in communication(50:17) The MOO framework(54:00) Staying calm in high-stakes conversations(57:36) Which tactic to start with(58:53) Effective tactics for managing up(01:04:53) Giving constructive feedback: strategy, not self-expression(01:09:39) Delegating effectively while maintaining high standards(01:16:36) The swipe file: collecting inspiration for better communication(01:19:59) Leveraging AI for better communication(01:22:01) Lightning round—Referenced:• Persuasive communication and managing up | Wes Kao (Maven, Seth Godin, Section4): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/persuasive-communication-wes-kao• Making Meta | Andrew ‘Boz' Bosworth (CTO): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/making-meta-andrew-boz-bosworth-cto• Communication is the job: https://boz.com/articles/communication-is-the-job• Maven: https://maven.com/• Sales, not logistics: https://newsletter.weskao.com/p/sales-not-logistics• How to be more concise: https://newsletter.weskao.com/p/how-to-be-concise• Signposting: How to reduce cognitive load for your reader: https://newsletter.weskao.com/p/sign-posting-how-to-reduce-cognitive• Airbnb's Vlad Loktev on embracing chaos, inquiry over advocacy, poking the bear, and “impact, impact, impact” (Partner at Index Ventures, Airbnb GM/VP Product): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/impact-impact-impact-vlad-loktev• Tone and words: Use accurate language: https://newsletter.weskao.com/p/tone-and-words-use-accurate-language• Quote by Joan Didion: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/264509-i-don-t-know-what-i-think-until-i-write-it• Strategy, not self-expression: How to decide what to say when giving feedback: https://newsletter.weskao.com/p/strategy-not-self-expression• Tobi Lütke's leadership playbook: Playing infinite games, operating from first principles, and maximizing human potential (founder and CEO of Shopify): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/tobi-lutkes-leadership-playbook• The CEDAF framework: Delegating gets easier when you get better at explaining your ideas: https://newsletter.weskao.com/p/delegating-and-explaining• Swipe file: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swipe_file• Apple Notes: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/notes/id1110145109• Claude: https://claude.ai/new• ChatGPT: https://chatgpt.com/• Arianna Huffington's phone bed charging station (Oak): https://www.amazon.com/Arianna-Huffingtons-Phone-Charging-Station/dp/B079C5DBF4?th=1• The Harlan Coben Collection on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/browse/genre/81180221• Oral-B Pro 1000 rechargeable electric toothbrush: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003UKM9CO/• The Best Electric Toothbrush: https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-electric-toothbrush/• Glengarry Glen Ross on Prime Video: https://www.amazon.com/Glengarry-Glen-Ross-James-Foley/dp/B002NN5F7A• 1,000,000: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/1000000—Recommended books:• On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction: https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Well-Classic-Guide-Nonfiction/dp/0060891548/• Stein on Writing: A Master Editor of Some of the Most Successful Writers of Our Century Shares His Craft Techniques and Strategies: https://www.amazon.com/Stein-Writing-Successful-Techniques-Strategies/dp/0312254210/• On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft: https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Memoir-Craft-Stephen-King/dp/1982159375• Several Short Sentences About Writing: https://www.amazon.com/Several-Short-Sentences-About-Writing/dp/0307279413/• High Output Management: https://www.amazon.com/High-Output-Management-Andrew-Grove/dp/0679762884• Your Brain at Work: Strategies for Overcoming Distraction, Regaining Focus, and Working Smarter All Day Long: https://www.amazon.com/Your-Brain-Work-Revised-Updated/dp/0063003155/—Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.—Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe

New York Times film critic Alissa Wilkinson discusses her new book, "We Tell Ourselves Stories: Joan Didion and the American Dream Machine," which explores the California author's prescient understanding of how entertainment would colonize American political life. Wilkinson examines Didion's work through the lens of a Hollywood insider and cultural critic, revealing how she anticipated our drift toward manufactured realities and endless performance — from Ronald Reagan's performative presidency to modern reality television-style governance.

Mayor Eric Adams says he'll bypass the June 24th Democratic primary and run as an independent in November's general election, just one day after a judge dismissed his federal corruption case for good. Meanwhile, the New York Public Library's new Joan Didion archive is drawing researchers and fans from across the country. Plus, WNYC's Jon Campbell joins us to explain how Adams' decision could reshape the mayoral race.

As a longtime staff writer at The New Yorker, Hilton Als's essays and profiles of figures like Toni Morrison, Joan Didion, and Richard Pryor have redefined cultural criticism, blending autobiography with literary and social commentary. Als is also a curator. His latest gallery exhibition is The Writing's on the Wall: Language and Silence in the Visual Arts, at the Hill Art Foundation in New York. The exhibit brings together the works of 32 artists across a range of media to examine how artists embrace silence. The show asked a powerful question: What do words — and their absence — look like? The Pulitzer Prize-winning writer spoke with Tonya Mosley. Also, Ken Tucker reviews new music from Lucy Dacus and Jeffrey Lewis.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Joan Didion famously chronicled California's culture and mythology in works like “Slouching Towards Bethlehem” and “The White Album.” And it's Didion's relationship with Hollywood in particular that New York Times film critic Alissa Wilkinson explores in “We Tell Ourselves Stories,” her new analysis of the California writer. “The movies,” Wilkinson writes, “shaped us — shaped her — to believe life would follow a genre and an arc, with rising action, climax and resolution. It would make narrative sense. The reality is quite different.” We talk to Wilkinson about how Didion saw an American political landscape that was molding itself after the movies — and came to value story over substance. Guest: Alissa Wilkinson, movie critic, New York Times Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joan Didion opened The White Album (1979) with what would become an iconic line: “We tell ourselves stories in order to live.” Today this phrase is deployed inspirationally, printed on T-shirts and posters, and used as a battle cry for artists and writers. But Didion had something much less rosy in mind: our tendency to manufacture delusions to ward away our anxieties whenever society seems to be spinning off its axis. And nowhere was this collective hallucination more effectively crafted than in Hollywood. Alissa Wilkinson examines Joan Didion's influence through the lens of American myth-making. As a young girl, Didion was infatuated with John Wayne and his on-screen bravado, and was fascinated by her California pioneer ancestry and the infamous Donner Party. The mythos that preoccupied her early years continued to influence her work as a magazine writer and film critic in New York, offering glimmers of the many stories Didion told herself that would eventually unravel. Wilkinson traces Didion's journey from New York to her arrival in Hollywood as a screenwriter at the twilight of the old studio system. Didion became embroiled in the glitz and glamor of the Los Angeles elite, where she acutely observed―and denounced―how the nation's fears and dreams were sensationalized on screen. Meanwhile, she paid the bills writing movie scripts like A Star Is Born, while her books propelled her to personal fame. Join us to hear Wilkinson dissect the cinematic motifs and machinations that informed Didion's writing, detail Hollywood's addictive grasp on the American imagination, and delve into Didion's legacy, whose impact will be felt for generations. Organizer: George Hammond   A Humanities Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lara is joined by actor and writer Clark Moore to discuss the allure of moving to Europe, how to be an artist in 2025, reflections on the literary genius of Joan Didion and Eve Babitz, and the ever-complex tapestry of life in Los Angeles. You can subscribe to Clark's substack and watch him in Not An Artist, streaming on iTunes and Amazon Prime. Listen to this episode ad-free AND get access to weekly bonus episodes + video bonus episodes by joining the SUP Patreon.  Watch video episodes of the pod on Mondays and Fridays by subscribing to the SUP YouTube.  Relive the best moments of this iconic podcast by following the SUP TikTok. Production Services Provided by: Tiny Legends Productions, LLC Executive Producer: Stella Young Tech Director: Guy Robinson Art Director & Social Media: Ariel Moreno Sexy Unique Podcast is Edited by: Audio Editor: Ness Smith-Savedoff Video Editor: Case Blackwell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alissa Wilkinson joins Jeff to talk about her new book, We Tell Ourselves Stories: Joan Didion and the American Dream Machine. Subscribe to First Edition via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. For episode extras, subscribe to the First Edition Substack. This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Discussed in this episode: We Tell Ourselves Stories: Joan Didion and the American Dream Machine by Alissa Wilkinson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dave and Alonso welcome New York Times film critic Alissa Wilkinson to discuss her fascinating new book about author Joan Didion, her encounters with Hollywood, and her understanding of how show-business became the dominant language of the 20th century and beyond. We Tell Ourselves Stories is on sale now. Join our club, won't you?

Lecture by Swami Tyagananda, given on December 15, 2024, at the Ramakrishna Vedanta Society, Boston, MA

Staff writers and contributors are celebrating The New Yorker's centennial by revisiting notable works from the magazine's archive, in a series called Takes. The writer Jia Tolentino and the cartoonist Roz Chast join the Radio Hour to present their selections. Tolentino discusses an essay by a genius observer of American life, the late Joan Didion, about Martha Stewart. Didion's profile, “everywoman.com,” was published in 2000, and Tolentino finds in it a defense of perfectionism and a certain kind of ruthlessness: she suggests that “most of the lines Didion writes about Stewart, it's hard not to hear the echoes of people saying that about her.” Chast chose to focus on cartoons by George Booth, who contributed to The New Yorker for at least half of the magazine's life. You can read Roz Chast on George Booth, Jia Tolentino on Joan Didion, and many more essays from the Takes series here.  

The girlies open the Binchtopia Valentine Hotline once again to offer listeners advice for navigating the ups and down of love. Binchies around the world call in with important questions like: why do I always find myself dating older men? How do I escape a six year situationship? Why does my boyfriend only pay for things in cash? Plus, so much more! Digressions include the queen of Pakistan's incredible press tour, whether or not we'll be reading Joan Didion's diary, and asking ourselves: is Kylie Kelce okay? If you're over 18 and you'd like to be matched with a Binchie near you, please fill out the form here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc7CC21MxpV02CGpRx5Vg7N4KgYeK_GcF7Mi_EATesUuWBiaA/viewform This episode was produced by Julia Hava and Eliza McLamb and edited by Allison Hagan.  To support the podcast on Patreon and access 50+ bonus episodes, mediasodes, zoom hangouts and more, visit patreon.com/binchtopia and become a patron today.