Podcasts about McSweeney

Send me a Text Message!Liz Alterman joins the podcast to discuss her latest novel, "You Shouldn't Have Done That", and reveals the unconventional strategies that have shaped her successful writing career. From her unique character development process involving weekly read-aloud sessions to her bold decision to switch from traditional publishing to a nimble indie press offering 99-cent e-books, Alterman shares practical insights that challenge conventional wisdom about both craft and business.She opens up about how she tests story premises, develops authentic character voices, and why she believes flexibility is the key to getting your work into readers' hands. Whether you're struggling with character development or navigating publishing decisions, this conversation offers actionable advice for writers at every stage of their journey.What You'll Learn:How to test story premises before committing months to writing.The weekly feedback system that prevents major character voice problems.Why pricing strategy can dramatically impact your book's reach and success.Click here to learn more about Liz Alterman.Guest Bio: Liz Alterman is the author of the award-winning memoir, Sad Sacked, the young adult thriller, He'll Be Waiting, the suspense novels The Perfect Neighbourhood, The House on Cold Creek Lane, and You Shouldn't Have Done That, as well as the romcom Claire Casey's Had Enough. Her work has been published by The New York Times, The Washington Post, McSweeney's Internet Tendency, and other outlets. Subscribe to her Substack where she shares the ups and downs of the writing life (and cat photos). Liz lives in New Jersey with her husband and three sons. When she isn't writing, Liz spends most days reading, microwaving the same cup of coffee, and looking up synonyms.Episodes I think you'll love…The Art of Dual POV & Crafting Psychological Thrillers with Liz AltermanWriting Character Backstory with Author Liz AltermanLiterary Agent and Author Jenna Satterthwaite on Making it in the Publishing IndustryFirst Page Formula: Author and Writing Coach April Davila on What Agents & Readers Want to See in Your Thriller Manuscript OpeningGet the list of 125+ Literary Agents who rep Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, and Crime Fiction Study the Opening Paragraphs of the Top Authors Writing Thrillers Right Now

Kyle Richards' deep dark secret has been revealed as RHOBH Season 15 continues to film amidst rumors of a Dorit and Rachel Zoe feud, a still rumored unnamed new Diamond Holder and wealth, fashion and more drama than we know what to do with. Shannon Beador is pulled over by cops again, nearly two years after her DUI arrest amid her probation. Bravo begs the courts to silence Leah McSweeney in an unprecedented move to keep all their private information, well, private. Nene Leakes talks The Traitors Season Four. Four Summer House newbies are caught filming. Dr. Nicole Martin acts just a little bit confusing. Last, but certainly not least, Lala Kent and Tom Schwartz address all those dating rumors head on with a few interesting tidbits of their own. @behindvelvetrope @davidyontef BONUS & AD FREE EPISODES Available at - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.patreon.com/behindthevelvetrope⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  BROUGHT TO YOU BY: THRIVE MARKET - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thrivemarket.com/velvetrope⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Get 30% Off Your First Order Of Health Conscious Food, Household Goods, Personal Grooming Products and More) MOOD - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.mood.com/velvet ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠(20% Off With Code Velvet on Federally Legal THC Shipped Right To Your Door) RO - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ro.co/velvet⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (For Prescription Compounded GLP-1s and Your Free Insurance Check) RAKUTEN - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠rakuten.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Get the Rakuten App NOW and Join the 17 Million Members Who Are Already Saving!  Your Cash Back really adds up!) WASHINGTON RED RASPBERRIES - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Redrazz.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Find New Ways To Use American Frozen Red Raspberries & Get More Details On Where You Can Grab a Bag) PROGRESSIVE - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.progressive.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Visit Progressive.com To See If You Could Save On Car Insurance) ADVERTISING INQUIRIES - Please contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠David@advertising-execs.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ MERCH Available at - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.teepublic.com/stores/behind-the-velvet-rope?ref_id=13198⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Z's back to dive deep into Trump's BBL, Alligator Alcatraz and future detention centers, LA and Chicago's immigration showdowns, and the Brandon Johnson's failed campaign against the restaurant from The Bear. In the fun half we talk about if the Cuomo-voting Bronx will join the New York Commune, and share some HILARIOUS Hot Commie Summer tips from McSweeney's.For the full show, Discord access, and all bonus content, support the show at http://patreon.com/theantifada Show notes: Trump's Big Beautiful Bill Passes - The Intercept Prison Officials Discuss Trump Budget - Mother Jones Tim Dillon Video Exclusive: Operation Excalibur - Ken Klippenstein Cross the Courts Off the List - Hamilton Nolan Chicago Braces for Immigration Raids - Block Club Chicago Chicago Alderman capitulates to Trump Mr. Beef Mansion Tax Plan - Illinois Policy Defend Harlem How to Have a Hot Commie Summer - McSweeney'sSong: Bjork - Declare Independence

For a lot of Americans, geography is just a middle school subject or a trivia night category at their neighborhood bar. But for Professor Kendra McSweeney, the “invisible field” of geography is a way to understand the relationship between people and their environment, from adaptation to climate change to how the drug trade impacts biodiverse forests in Colombia. In this episode, McSweeney highlights how her dynamic career as an academic has taken her from Canada to eastern Honduras, and talks about the thought process behind lectures such as “Viewing Political Ecology Through the Lens of the Tree of Heaven,” an enlightening take on the so-called invasive tree that is providing crucial shade in neighborhoods in the US.

Dr. Wendy Johnson is a family physician, writer, photographer and community activist whose career includes stints scaling up HIV treatment in Mozambique, overseeing a large urban public health department and, most recently, directing a community clinic in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Her work has been published in McSweeney's, The Nation, and newspapers in Cleveland, Seattle and Santa Fe. She spends most of her spare time cultivating and rewilding her acre and a half homestead, and writing about health justice and the intersection of human and environmental wellbeing. To learn more about Dr. Johnson and a link to her new book, Kinship Medicine: Cultivating Interdependence to Heal the Earth and Ourselves: https://wendyjohnsonmd.com

Jessamyn Neuhaus shares about her book, SNAFU Edu: Teaching and Learning When Things Go Wrong in the College Classroom, on episode 577 of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast. Quotes from the episode Human beings make mistakes. We make mistakes as part of learning. We make mistakes just being in the world. -Jessamyn Neuhaus Academia generally attracts people with perfectionist tendencies. -Jessamyn Neuhaus Sometimes there is no positive outcome when something goes wrong. Sometimes things just get messed up because people are human. -Jessamyn Neuhaus Inadvertently we have a subtext that teaching is somehow perfectible. Teaching and learning will never ever be perfectible. -Jessamyn Neuhaus Resources Snafu Edu: Teaching and Learning When Things Go Wrong in the College Classroom, by Jessamyn Neuhaus Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence (CTLE) at Syracuse University Picture a Professor: Interrupting Biases about Faculty and Increasing Student Learning, by Jessamyn Neuhaus Geeky Pedagogy, by Jessamyn Neuhaus Manly Meals and Mom's Home Cooking: Cookbooks and Gender in Modern America, by Jessamyn Neuhaus Let's Get Real or Let's Not Play: Transforming the Buyer/Seller Relationship, by Mahan Khalsa The Sleeper, by Mike Wesch SIFT (The Four Moves), by Mike Caulfield Our University Is Replacing DEI with Vibes and Vaguely Diverse Stock Photos by Carla M. Lopez for McSweeney's DEI? You're Fired! with Heather McGhee on The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart 10 In the Moment Responses for Addressing Micro and Macroaggressions in the Classroom, by Chavella Pittman 10 to 25: The Science of Motivating Young People, by David Yeager Critical Teaching Behaviors: Defining, Documenting, and Discussing Good Teaching, by Lauren Barbeau, Claudia Cornejo Happel Dippity Do Girls with Curls Curl Boosting Mousse MoMA Sliding Perpetual Calendar Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Hand Soap Teaching and Learning Together in Higher Education International Journal for Students as Partners Tea for Teaching Podcast The Present Professor, by Elizabeth A. Norell Thrifty Shopper We Are Lady Parts on Peacock

Adam Peacock joins you, Brad Haddin and Alyssa Healy to look at the upcoming second Test between Australia and the West Indies. Is Steve Smith's best position in the line-up number three? What do we want from the top order, and will Konstas make runs? After the news of Lyon handing over the songmaster title to Alex Carey, we look at the greatest eras of the Australian team song. Plus, we preview the upcoming second Test between India and England. We finish with Jason Sangha from the Australia A side, and he gives us the rundown on McSweeney's leadership and Josh Philippe's new lid! Send your cricket club cap to Producer Joel at the following address: Joel Harrison 50 Goulburn St, Sydney, NSW, 2000 Follow on Apple, Spotify and the LiSTNR app Watch on YouTube Drop us a message on Instagram and TikTok! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

 Nightshining (Milkweed, 2025) Jennifer Kabat is the author of The Eighth Moon, her writing has also appeared in Frieze, Harper's, McSweeney's, and The Believer. She teaches at the school of Visual Arts and the New School. An Apprentice herbalist, she lives in rural Upstate New York and serves on her volunteer fire department. Recommended Books: Hélène Bessette, Lily is Crying Jean Craighead George, My Side of the Mountain Majula Martin, Last Fire Season Chris Holmes is Chair of Literatures in English and Professor at Ithaca College. He writes criticism on contemporary global literatures. His book, Kazuo Ishiguro Against World Literature, is published with Bloomsbury Publishing. He is the co-director of The New Voices Festival, a celebration of work in poetry, prose, and playwriting by up-and-coming young writers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

 Nightshining (Milkweed, 2025) Jennifer Kabat is the author of The Eighth Moon, her writing has also appeared in Frieze, Harper's, McSweeney's, and The Believer. She teaches at the school of Visual Arts and the New School. An Apprentice herbalist, she lives in rural Upstate New York and serves on her volunteer fire department. Recommended Books: Hélène Bessette, Lily is Crying Jean Craighead George, My Side of the Mountain Majula Martin, Last Fire Season Chris Holmes is Chair of Literatures in English and Professor at Ithaca College. He writes criticism on contemporary global literatures. His book, Kazuo Ishiguro Against World Literature, is published with Bloomsbury Publishing. He is the co-director of The New Voices Festival, a celebration of work in poetry, prose, and playwriting by up-and-coming young writers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

 Nightshining (Milkweed, 2025) Jennifer Kabat is the author of The Eighth Moon, her writing has also appeared in Frieze, Harper's, McSweeney's, and The Believer. She teaches at the school of Visual Arts and the New School. An Apprentice herbalist, she lives in rural Upstate New York and serves on her volunteer fire department. Recommended Books: Hélène Bessette, Lily is Crying Jean Craighead George, My Side of the Mountain Majula Martin, Last Fire Season Chris Holmes is Chair of Literatures in English and Professor at Ithaca College. He writes criticism on contemporary global literatures. His book, Kazuo Ishiguro Against World Literature, is published with Bloomsbury Publishing. He is the co-director of The New Voices Festival, a celebration of work in poetry, prose, and playwriting by up-and-coming young writers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literary-studies

 Nightshining (Milkweed, 2025) Jennifer Kabat is the author of The Eighth Moon, her writing has also appeared in Frieze, Harper's, McSweeney's, and The Believer. She teaches at the school of Visual Arts and the New School. An Apprentice herbalist, she lives in rural Upstate New York and serves on her volunteer fire department. Recommended Books: Hélène Bessette, Lily is Crying Jean Craighead George, My Side of the Mountain Majula Martin, Last Fire Season Chris Holmes is Chair of Literatures in English and Professor at Ithaca College. He writes criticism on contemporary global literatures. His book, Kazuo Ishiguro Against World Literature, is published with Bloomsbury Publishing. He is the co-director of The New Voices Festival, a celebration of work in poetry, prose, and playwriting by up-and-coming young writers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literature

Hello, my name is Eric LeMay, a host on New Books in Literature, a channel on the New Books Network. Today I interview Jennifer Kabat. Kabat is writer I've followed and admired for decades. T.S. Eliot once said of Henry James, "He had a mind so fine that no idea could violate it." Kabat has a mind so sweeping, so generous that no detail escapes it. She writes of history, ecology, art, science, time, place, and epochs with a painter's attention and a poet's heart. Her latest book is called Nightshining: A Memoir in Four Floods (Milkweed, 2025). She is also the author of The Eighth Moon: A Memoir of Belonging and Rebellion. Her writing has appeared in McSweeney's, BOMB, The New York Review, Los Angeles Review of Books, The Believer, Virginia Quarterly Review, Granta and The White Review, among many others. Today, she takes us from the first trees to appear on our plant to the aspirations of scientists amid the Cold War to the floods that ravaged her hometown, where she also serves on her local fire department. Enjoy my conversation with Jennifer Kabat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Hello, my name is Eric LeMay, a host on New Books in Literature, a channel on the New Books Network. Today I interview Jennifer Kabat. Kabat is writer I've followed and admired for decades. T.S. Eliot once said of Henry James, "He had a mind so fine that no idea could violate it." Kabat has a mind so sweeping, so generous that no detail escapes it. She writes of history, ecology, art, science, time, place, and epochs with a painter's attention and a poet's heart. Her latest book is called Nightshining: A Memoir in Four Floods (Milkweed, 2025). She is also the author of The Eighth Moon: A Memoir of Belonging and Rebellion. Her writing has appeared in McSweeney's, BOMB, The New York Review, Los Angeles Review of Books, The Believer, Virginia Quarterly Review, Granta and The White Review, among many others. Today, she takes us from the first trees to appear on our plant to the aspirations of scientists amid the Cold War to the floods that ravaged her hometown, where she also serves on her local fire department. Enjoy my conversation with Jennifer Kabat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literature

“Just Breathe” by Paul Alex Gray Manawaker Patreon: https://patreon.com/manawaker/ Manawaker store: https://payhip.com/Manawaker Manawaker Discord: https://discord.gg/zjzA2pY9f9 More info / Contact CB Droege: https://cbdroege.taplink.ws The Flash Fiction Podcast Theme Song is by Kevin McCleod The Producer, Editor, and Narrator of the podcast is CB Droege Bio for this weeks author: Paul Alex Gray writes linear and interactive fiction starring sentient black holes, wayward sea monsters, curious AIs and more. His work has been published in Nature Futures, Andromeda Spaceways, McSweeney’s and others. Visit www.paulalexgray.com

Chat and live music with the performers (and longtime friends) who are playing Vicar Street in September in 'Natural Women', singing the songs of Linda Ronstadt and Carole King (for copyright reasons the full tracks performed during this interview cannot be made available in the podcast)

The second in a series of conversations about the poet Alice Notley, who passed away on May 19, 2025. The poet and critic Joyelle McSweeney joins the podcast to talk about selections from Notley's epic The Descent of Alette. (A brief note on audio quality: we listen to three recordings of Notley reading from her book during this episode. The volume on playback of those recordings seems somewhat low to me—sorry!—but hopefully listeners will be able to adjust the volume on their devices so as to hear Notley well enough.)Guggenheim Fellow Joyelle McSweeney is the author of ten books of poetry, drama and prose, a well-known critic, and a vital publisher of international literature in translation. McSweeney's latest book, Death Styles, appeared from Nightboat Books in Spring 2024; her previous title, Toxicon and Arachne (2020), was called "frightening and brilliant" by Dan Chiasson in the New Yorker and earned her the Shelley Memorial Prize from the Poetry Society of America. Her 2014 essay collection, The Necropastoral: Poetry, Media, Occults, is widely regarded as a visionary work of eco-criticism. Her debut poetry volume, The Red Bird, inaugurated the Fence Modern Poets Series in 2001. With Johannes Göransson, she co-edits the international press Action Books, which has built readerships for a diverse array of US and international authors from Griffin Prize winners Kim Hyesoon and Don Mee Choi to Daniel Borzutzky and Raúl Zurita. She lives in South Bend, Indiana and teaches at the University of Notre Dame.You can see Alice Notley read the entirety of The Descent of Alette in a series of recordings made over two nights at The Poetry Center at SFSU. Please follow the podcast if you like what you hear, and leave a rating and review. Share an episode with a friend! (Post it to your social media feeds?) You can also subscribe to my Substack, which I haven't used in a while, but may again. I'm also on Bluesky, now and then.

On the finer practice of friendship, tending to ourselves in order to be present, and learning what it means to be a good friend.  (0:00) - Introduction and Author Background (2:48) - Discussion on the Book's Title and Theme (5:02) - Reflections on Meredith's Role in the Book (7:56) - Navigating Joy and Sorrow in Friendships (12:45) - Exploring Spirituality and Recovery (16:13) - Healing and Overcoming Envy (21:05) - Supporting a Friend Through Illness (26:39) - Maintaining Friendships After Loss Christie Tate is a Chicago-based writer and essayist. She has been published in The New York Times (Modern Love), The Rumpus, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, McSweeney's Internet Tendency, Eastern Iowa Review and elsewhere. Kiese Laymon selected her essay, Promised Lands, as the winner of the New Ohio Review's nonfiction contest, which was published Fall 2019. In this episode, we discuss B.F.F., her latest book, which strikes a deep chord of love and understanding.

Decoder Ring is marking its 100th episode this year. To celebrate, we're revisiting our very first episode from 2018, which asks: What happened to the laugh track? For nearly five decades, the laugh track was ubiquitous, but beginning in the early 2000s, it fell out of sitcom fashion. What happened? How did we get from The Beverly Hillbillies to 30 Rock? In this episode we meet the man who created the laugh track, which originated as a homemade piece of technology, and trace that technology's fall and the rise of a more modern idea about humor. With the help of historians, laugh track obsessives, the showrunners of One Day at a Time and the director of Sports Night, this episode asks if the laugh track was about something bigger than laughter. You can read more in Willa's article “The Man Who Perfected the Laugh Track” in Slate. Links and further reading on some of the things we discussed on the show: Interview with Ben Glenn II on the history of the laugh track in McSweeney's See a Charlie Douglas Laff Box on Antiques Roadshow More of Paul Iverson's work restoring laugh tracks and inserting them into new shows The sitcom One Day at a Time Friends without a Laugh Track by Sboss “The Okeh Laughing Record” Tommy Schlamme and Aaron Sorkin's Sports Night This episode was written by Willa Paskin. It was produced and edited by Benjamin Frisch, who also created the episode art. Decoder Ring is produced by Katie Shepherd, Max Freedman, and our supervising producer Evan Chung. If you have any cultural mysteries you want us to decode, email us at DecoderRing@slate.com, or leave a message on the Decoder RIng hotline at 347-460-7281. We love to hear any and all of your ideas for the show.  Want more Decoder Ring? Subscribe to Slate Plus to unlock exclusive bonus episodes. Plus, you'll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of the Decoder Ring show page. Or, visit slate.com/decoderplus to get access wherever you listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Decoder Ring is marking its 100th episode this year. To celebrate, we're revisiting our very first episode from 2018, which asks: What happened to the laugh track? For nearly five decades, the laugh track was ubiquitous, but beginning in the early 2000s, it fell out of sitcom fashion. What happened? How did we get from The Beverly Hillbillies to 30 Rock? In this episode we meet the man who created the laugh track, which originated as a homemade piece of technology, and trace that technology's fall and the rise of a more modern idea about humor. With the help of historians, laugh track obsessives, the showrunners of One Day at a Time and the director of Sports Night, this episode asks if the laugh track was about something bigger than laughter. You can read more in Willa's article “The Man Who Perfected the Laugh Track” in Slate. Links and further reading on some of the things we discussed on the show: Interview with Ben Glenn II on the history of the laugh track in McSweeney's See a Charlie Douglas Laff Box on Antiques Roadshow More of Paul Iverson's work restoring laugh tracks and inserting them into new shows The sitcom One Day at a Time Friends without a Laugh Track by Sboss “The Okeh Laughing Record” Tommy Schlamme and Aaron Sorkin's Sports Night This episode was written by Willa Paskin. It was produced and edited by Benjamin Frisch, who also created the episode art. Decoder Ring is produced by Katie Shepherd, Max Freedman, and our supervising producer Evan Chung. If you have any cultural mysteries you want us to decode, email us at DecoderRing@slate.com, or leave a message on the Decoder RIng hotline at 347-460-7281. We love to hear any and all of your ideas for the show.  Want more Decoder Ring? Subscribe to Slate Plus to unlock exclusive bonus episodes. Plus, you'll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of the Decoder Ring show page. Or, visit slate.com/decoderplus to get access wherever you listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Decoder Ring is marking its 100th episode this year. To celebrate, we're revisiting our very first episode from 2018, which asks: What happened to the laugh track? For nearly five decades, the laugh track was ubiquitous, but beginning in the early 2000s, it fell out of sitcom fashion. What happened? How did we get from The Beverly Hillbillies to 30 Rock? In this episode we meet the man who created the laugh track, which originated as a homemade piece of technology, and trace that technology's fall and the rise of a more modern idea about humor. With the help of historians, laugh track obsessives, the showrunners of One Day at a Time and the director of Sports Night, this episode asks if the laugh track was about something bigger than laughter. You can read more in Willa's article “The Man Who Perfected the Laugh Track” in Slate. Links and further reading on some of the things we discussed on the show: Interview with Ben Glenn II on the history of the laugh track in McSweeney's See a Charlie Douglas Laff Box on Antiques Roadshow More of Paul Iverson's work restoring laugh tracks and inserting them into new shows The sitcom One Day at a Time Friends without a Laugh Track by Sboss “The Okeh Laughing Record” Tommy Schlamme and Aaron Sorkin's Sports Night This episode was written by Willa Paskin. It was produced and edited by Benjamin Frisch, who also created the episode art. Decoder Ring is produced by Katie Shepherd, Max Freedman, and our supervising producer Evan Chung. If you have any cultural mysteries you want us to decode, email us at DecoderRing@slate.com, or leave a message on the Decoder RIng hotline at 347-460-7281. We love to hear any and all of your ideas for the show.  Want more Decoder Ring? Subscribe to Slate Plus to unlock exclusive bonus episodes. Plus, you'll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of the Decoder Ring show page. Or, visit slate.com/decoderplus to get access wherever you listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Decoder Ring is marking its 100th episode this year. To celebrate, we're revisiting our very first episode from 2018, which asks: What happened to the laugh track? For nearly five decades, the laugh track was ubiquitous, but beginning in the early 2000s, it fell out of sitcom fashion. What happened? How did we get from The Beverly Hillbillies to 30 Rock? In this episode we meet the man who created the laugh track, which originated as a homemade piece of technology, and trace that technology's fall and the rise of a more modern idea about humor. With the help of historians, laugh track obsessives, the showrunners of One Day at a Time and the director of Sports Night, this episode asks if the laugh track was about something bigger than laughter. You can read more in Willa's article “The Man Who Perfected the Laugh Track” in Slate. Links and further reading on some of the things we discussed on the show: Interview with Ben Glenn II on the history of the laugh track in McSweeney's See a Charlie Douglas Laff Box on Antiques Roadshow More of Paul Iverson's work restoring laugh tracks and inserting them into new shows The sitcom One Day at a Time Friends without a Laugh Track by Sboss “The Okeh Laughing Record” Tommy Schlamme and Aaron Sorkin's Sports Night This episode was written by Willa Paskin. It was produced and edited by Benjamin Frisch, who also created the episode art. Decoder Ring is produced by Katie Shepherd, Max Freedman, and our supervising producer Evan Chung. If you have any cultural mysteries you want us to decode, email us at DecoderRing@slate.com, or leave a message on the Decoder RIng hotline at 347-460-7281. We love to hear any and all of your ideas for the show.  Want more Decoder Ring? Subscribe to Slate Plus to unlock exclusive bonus episodes. Plus, you'll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of the Decoder Ring show page. Or, visit slate.com/decoderplus to get access wherever you listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rachel B. Glaser has been recognized as one of Granta Magazine's Best Young American Novelists, and her work has been showcased in prestigious publications such as The Paris Review and McSweeney's. "Ira & the Whale" was honored with an O. Henry Prize in 2023. Jeff Hiller is an actor who has been a charming anchor of the HBO series Somebody Somewhere. He's appeared in many other funny shows, such as 30 Rock; was on Broadway in the musical Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson; and performs solo shows at Joe's Pub. After the reading, Hiller talked to host Aparna Nancherla about the character, finding your place in the world, and his own book, Actress of a Certain Age, which come out in June of 2025.

This episode is a fun twist. Alyssa Dineen of Style My Profile and Jennie Young of Burned Haystack Dating Method are back, but this time they're interviewing me. I'm in the hot seat as we dive into how their work completely shifted my experience re-entering the dating world, what I did differently this time, and how I met my partner, Ethan. I was done with dating. D.O.N.E. I was perfectly content on my own, independent and fulfilled. But I'm also human. I wanted love, connection, and partnership. What I wasn't willing to do was settle for anything less than something truly extraordinary. This conversation is a behind-the-scenes look at what changed and what becomes possible when you lead with intention, use the right tools, and hold out for the real thing. Here's what else we discuss in this episode: Why I felt stuck in a dating loop for eight years and what finally shifted after interviewing and then working with Alyssa and Jennie (9:10) How intentional profile choices and using the Burned Haystack Method changed everything on the apps (11:51) Matching with my “needle”: Ethan's profile stood out with pink shorts, shared values, and genuine communication. And let's not forget those EYES!! (30:23) What it's been like to break all the so-called rules and build something secure, drama-free, and full of intention after years of doing the work (52:07) Learn more about Alyssa Dineen: With over 25 years of experience as a fashion editor, stylist, and art director, Alyssa established herself as a seasoned leader in the New York fashion world. In the past decade, Alyssa has also emerged as a pioneering figure in the online dating space. Her innovative approach combines her expertise in styling with her insights into dating, guiding clients on everything from personal presentation to effective communication with potential partners. As an acclaimed dating expert, Alyssa has been featured in The New York Times, Today Show, Goop, and Oprah Daily. She is also the author of The Art of Online Dating published by Harper Collins in 2021, which offers valuable strategies for success in online dating. You can find more information about Alyssa and Style My Profile's services at stylemyprofilenyc.com. Learn more about Jennie Young: Jennie Young is the creator of Burned Haystack Dating Method, a dating method grounded in applied rhetoric and feminist praxis. It is designed to combat many of the challenges of dating in a market that is too frequently mediated by misogynistic and patriarchal structures. She holds a Ph.D. in rhetoric and discourse studies from Case Western Reserve University and a satire writing certificate from Second City Chicago. Her work has been published in McSweeney's, Ms. Magazine, HuffPost, and others and covered by major media outlets such as The New York Times, Newsweek, RollingStone, and others. Resources & Links: Thank you to today's podcast sponsor: Wild PasturesSubmit your questions here for possible inclusion in future Q&A podcast episodes Focused Strategy Sessions with Kate Phoenix Rising: A Divorce Empowerment Collective Kate's Dating Profile (video)Blog post about deal breakers vs preferences  Episode 309: Online Dating After Divorce with Alyssa DineenStyle My Profile websiteAlyssa on InstagramAlyssa's Facebook Group Episode 317: Burned Haystack Dating Method with Jennie YoungJennie's website Jennie's Facebook Group Jennie on Instagram =================== DISCLAIMER:  THE COMMENTARY AND OPINIONS AVAILABLE ON THIS PODCAST ARE FOR INFORMATIONAL AND ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY AND NOT FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROVIDING LEGAL OR PSYCHOLOGICAL ADVICE.  YOU SHOULD CONTACT AN ATTORNEY, COACH, OR THERAPIST IN YOUR STATE TO OBTAIN ADVICE WITH RESPECT TO ANY PARTICULAR ISSUE OR PROBLEM. Episode link: https://kateanthony.com/podcast/episode-325-they-helped-me-find-love-now-theyre-interviewing-me-about-it-with-alyssa-dineen-and-jennie-young/

Sadie and Jeanne dive into the world of Tommy Wallach to discuss writing musicals, plays, screenplays, novels, the value of being a pianist, why bread is not happening, and so much more. This one is a must-listen for all artists who want to dive into multiple mediums and find a path of sanity while juggling 12 balls in the air. Just read his bio below ... yeah, he pivots like none other. *****Tommy Wallach is the author of the Anchor & Sophia trilogy, Thanks for the Trouble, and the New York Times bestselling We All Looked Up, which has been translated into over a dozen languages. His writing has appeared in McSweeney's, Tin House, Wired, and other magazines, and he is a MacDowell Fellow. He was signed to Decca Records as a singer-songwriter, and has independently released two full-length albums, including We All Looked Up: The Album, a companion record to his first novel. He currently lives in Los Angeles, where he recently opened up his first escape room, and is working on bringing his novels to various sorts of screens. Grok more at TommyWallach.com.Resources from this episode: Tommy Wallach's websiteTommy on IG: @tommywallachPipeline Podcasts:All OG Pipeline Artists podcasts can be found on pipelineartists.com/listen.YouTube:Watch full (read that as "most ... maybe not any" because Jeanne is tired) episodes on YouTube.Follow us on X:@recklesscr8tive@SadieKDean@jeannevb@pipelineartistsFollow us on IG:@recklesscr8tive@_thesadiedean@jeannevb_@pipelineartistsEnter Pipeline's Contests:Script Pipeline (Screenwriting, TV, First Look, Pitch Contest)Film Pipeline (Short Scripts and Short Films)Book Pipeline (Unpublished and Adaptation)

Kate Folk is the author of the debut novel Sky Daddy, available from Random House. Folk is also the author of the debut short story collection Out There. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, Granta, McSweeney's Quarterly Concern, and Zyzzyva. A former Stegner Fellow at Stanford University, she's also received support from the Headlands Center for the Arts, MacDowell, and Willapa Bay AiR. She lives in San Francisco. *** Otherppl with Brad Listi⁠⁠ is a weekly podcast featuring in-depth interviews with today's leading writers. Available where podcasts are available: ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠, ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠, etc. Subscribe to ⁠⁠Brad Listi's email newsletter⁠⁠. ⁠⁠Support the show on Patreon⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Merch⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠  ⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠ Email the show: letters [at] otherppl [dot] com The podcast is a ⁠⁠proud affiliate partner of Bookshop⁠⁠, working to support local, independent bookstores. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of the Watchung Booksellers Podcast, librarians Laura Sims and Kerri Sullivan discuss their alternate jobs as writers and editors and how the two careers mesh together.Laura Sims is the author, most recently, of How Can I Help You, a New York Times, Publishers Weekly, Book Riot, and CrimeReads Best Book of the Year. She works part-time as a children's librarian in Millburn, New Jersey.Kerri Sullivan is the founder of Jersey Collective, one of New Jersey's most popular Instagram accounts. The project has over 34,000 followers and has been featured by the Asbury Park Press, New Jersey Monthly, CBS Philly, and News 12 NJ. Her writing has appeared in McSweeney's, Catapult, Podcast Review, NJ Indy, and elsewhere. She is from Monmouth County but now lives in Essex County.Resources:Diane Arbus Archive Jersey Collective Laura Sims' Poetry Publisher's Weekly Kerri Sullivan Other Writing New Jersey Go Fish NJ Book Crawl Books:A full list of the books and authors mentioned in this episode is available here. Register for Upcoming Events.The Watchung Booksellers Podcast is produced by Kathryn Counsell and Marni Jessup and is recorded at Watchung Booksellers in Montclair, NJ. The show is edited by Kathryn Counsell. Original music is composed and performed by Violet Mujica. Art & design and social media by Evelyn Moulton. Research and show notes by Caroline Shurtleff. Thanks to all the staff at Watchung Booksellers and The Kids' Room! If you liked our episode please like, follow, and share! Stay in touch!Email: wbpodcast@watchungbooksellers.comSocial: @watchungbooksellersSign up for our newsletter to get the latest on our shows, events, and book recommendations!

Joining Brendan to dissect the Sunday Papers are Ailbhe Smyth, Activist and Campaigner, Oísin Coghlan, Public Policy Advisor, Scott Lucas, Professor of U.S. and International Politics, the Clinton Institute at UCD, and, Sinéad McSweeney, Former Global Head of Public Policy at Twitter.

In this week's episode, both of our storytellers become extremely fixated on something very specific. Part 1: After being diagnosed with breast cancer and opting for bilateral mastectomies, Jenna Dioguardi becomes beholden to her cancer to-do list. Part 2: As an 11-year-old kid, Luke Strathmann makes it his life mission to get rich off of Beanie Babies. Jenna Dioguardi is an Obie & Drama Desk-award winning performer. She made her Off-Broadway debut originating the role of #13 in Sarah DeLappe's The Wolves, and can now be seen storytelling in dimly lit venues throughout New York. Her solo show, Nipples for Christmas, is currently in development and had its debut in March. By day, Jenna works as a video producer and editor, creating the ads that target you on Instagram. She co-produced, starred in, and edited Smooch the Tucc, a web series chronicling Stanley Tucci's Searching for Italy, and she was the co-creator and co-host of two live shows: The Best Storytelling Show (we promise) and The Mister Rogers Variety Hour. Follow her work on IG @jennadio3 & at ⁠jennadioguardi.com⁠. Luke Strathmann is an NYC-based writer and comedian, and currently leads the communications team at Yale's Department of Economics. His writing has appeared in The New Yorker and McSweeney's, and he is the proud host of ‘EconLOL,' the world's first, best, and only economics-themed comedy variety show (at Caveat Theatre in NYC). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this week's episode, both of our storytellers become extremely fixated on something very specific. Part 1: After being diagnosed with breast cancer and opting for bilateral mastectomies, Jenna Dioguardi becomes beholden to her cancer to-do list. Part 2: As an 11-year-old kid, Luke Strathmann makes it his life mission to get rich off of Beanie Babies. Jenna Dioguardi is an Obie & Drama Desk-award winning performer. She made her Off-Broadway debut originating the role of #13 in Sarah DeLappe's The Wolves, and can now be seen storytelling in dimly lit venues throughout New York. Her solo show, Nipples for Christmas, is currently in development and had its debut in March. By day, Jenna works as a video producer and editor, creating the ads that target you on Instagram. She co-produced, starred in, and edited Smooch the Tucc, a web series chronicling Stanley Tucci's Searching for Italy, and she was the co-creator and co-host of two live shows: The Best Storytelling Show (we promise) and The Mister Rogers Variety Hour. Follow her work on IG @jennadio3 & at ⁠jennadioguardi.com⁠. Luke Strathmann is an NYC-based writer and comedian, and currently leads the communications team at Yale's Department of Economics. His writing has appeared in The New Yorker and McSweeney's, and he is the proud host of ‘EconLOL,' the world's first, best, and only economics-themed comedy variety show (at Caveat Theatre in NYC). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

S. R. Schulz lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife, three sons, and two dogs. He's been traveling to visit family in Croatia since 2010. He currently works as a family physician just outside Portland, Oregon, and is a faculty member at Oregon Health & Science University. His writing has been published online and in print, including McSweeney's, HAD, Rejection Letters, Maudlin House, Autofocus, and others. Supersymmetry is his first novel. Find him at srschulzwriting.com or at @authorseanschulz on instagram

April 30th marked 50 years since the end of the Vietnam War. The war looms large in U.S. culture— it’s been the subject of countless books and movies. These works have often focused on American soldiers, but not so much on the experiences of everyday Vietnamese people living through the war. Artist and writer Thi Bui’s 2017 bestselling graphic memoir The Best We Could Do started as an attempt to change that. It tells her family’s story of living through the war and ultimately leaving her birth country to come to the United States. More recently, Thi co-edited an issue of the literary journal McSweeney's featuring work by artists from the Vietnamese diaspora. She talks to us about both those projects and reflects on her experiences as a mother. GUESTS: Thi Bui: cartoonist, writer and artist. She’s author of the bestselling and award-winning graphic memoir, The Best We Could Do. Most recently she co-edited an issue of the literary journal McSweeney’s that was released to mark 50 years since the end of the Vietnam War. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On April 30, 1975, North Vietnamese forces captured South Vietnam's capital of Saigon, ending the Vietnam War. With 50 years now passed, those who left Vietnam — and subsequent generations — are reflecting on how the war and the ensuing exodus have influenced their identities and heritage. Three writers from across the Vietnamese diaspora write about the war and its lasting impacts on refugees and future generations in a new issue of the literary magazine McSweeney's, titled “The Make Believers.” They join us to share what the anniversary means for them, and we'll hear what it means to you. Guests: Thi Bui, author, illustrated memoir "The Best We Could Do" Doan Bui, writer and journalist Isabelle Thuy Pelaud, executive director, Diasporic Vietnamese Artists Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode, we sit down with one of our favorite people around the gym — Dr. Pat from our in-house partner, Affiliate PT. Dr. Pat is not only an incredible physical therapist, but also an accomplished endurance athlete who regularly tackles marathons, half-marathons, triathlons, and even Ironmans.We dive into his background, chat about endurance sports, fitness, nutrition, racing strategies, and more. This was a fun, insightful interview you won't want to miss!

John Moe joins us as we start recording and releasing new episodes in 2025 after an extended break over the winter. Maybe we are rusty, but we really take the whole "don't want to know you ahead of time" thing to an extreme with John, which he handles well. John Moe is a Twin Cities-based podcast maker, author, public speaker, and mental health advocate. He created and currently hosts the podcasts Depresh Mode with John Moe (LA Press Club Award) and Sleeping with Celebrities on the Maximum Fun network and he has created and produced podcasts for clients including the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), the American Psychiatric Association, Whitman College (two higher ed marketing awards), and University of Puget Sound. Moe has hosted three national public radio programs, Wits, Marketplace Tech, and Weekend America, and he created and hosted the groundbreaking podcast, The Hilarious World of Depression (Webby Award). His writing has appeared in numerous publications, including The New York Times Magazine and McSweeney's. He is the author of four books, including the WSJ bestseller, The Hilarious World of Depression. Moe has delivered speeches on mental health all over the country.The Hilarious World of Depression was launched in late 2016 and was an instant success, quickly reaching the number two spot on the Apple Podcasts chart, garnering millions of downloads, and receiving widespread press coverage. It was based on the idea that depression is a lot more common than people realize, especially among celebrities and entertainers like comedians and musicians, and that open conversations on this often taboo topic could be a healing experience. The show won the Webby Award for Best Comedy Podcast in 2017 and led to a critically-acclaimed bestselling book of the same name in 2020.Our Whitman, My Story was conceived in collaboration with the communications staff at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington. The small school had a challenge: how to attract applicants from around the world and how to get admitted students to actually enroll. The unhosted podcast series featured profiles of a diverse group of students, the kind of people who could be friends once a student arrived on campus. The podcast, which was renewed for a second season, won the CASE Circle of Excellence Award and the Educational Advertising Award. The success of the Whitman series led to another podcast at the University of Puget Sound featuring students, faculty, and alums as part of the school's capital campaign. Depresh Mode with John Moe is a mental health interview podcast program produced in conjunction with Maximum Fun, an employee-owned co-op podcast network. Drawing on his extensive connections in the entertainment industry, John Moe has interviewed celebrities such as Jamie Lee Curtis, Patton Oswalt, and David Sedaris and won an...

S. R. Schulz lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife, three sons, and two dogs. He's been traveling to visit family in Croatia since 2010. He currently works as a family physician just outside Portland, Oregon, and is a faculty member at Oregon Health & Science University. His writing has been published online and in print, including McSweeney's, HAD, Rejection Letters, Maudlin House, Autofocus, and others. Supersymmetry is his first novel.  Find him at srschulzwriting.com or at @authorseanschulz on instagram 

April 23, 2025 - With the ever-growing need to understand ourselves and humanity as a whole, it is necessary to examine the concepts of morality, ethics and universal values as guiding principles of the human condition. With generous support from Y.T. Hwang Family Foundation, The Korea Society presents a Series on Ethics and Common Values. This series promotes the understanding of central themes of our human existence - morality, ethics, personal responsibility, compassion and civility - through a series of lectures by distinguished speakers and conversation with extraordinary individuals who exemplify the universal values in line with the mission of Y. T. Hwang Family Foundation and The Korea Society. The Korea Society and Y. T. Hwang Family Foundation is proud to present Ilyon Woo in a conversation with Ed Park. Ilyon Woo is the New York Times best-selling author of Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom, which won the 2024 Pulitzer Prize in Biography. Time Magazine called Master Slave Husband Wife an “edge-of-your-seat drama”; The Wall Street Journal pronounced it: “A narrative of such courage and resourcefulness it seems too dashing to be true.... a ‘genuine nail-biter.'” It was one of the New York Times's “10 Best Books of 2023” and People Magazine's “Top Ten Books of 2023,” also named a best book of the year by The New Yorker, Time, NPR, Smithsonian Magazine, Boston, Chicago Public Library, and Oprah Daily. A finalist for a Kirkus Prize, the book was long-listed for the Carnegie Medal, nominated for the Goodreads Choice Awards, and supported by a Whiting Creative Nonfiction Writing Grant. Woo is also the author of The Great Divorce: A Nineteenth-Century Mother's Extraordinary Fight Against Her Husband, the Shakers, and Her Times. Her writing has appeared in The Boston Globe, The Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, and The New York Times. Woo has traveled the country to speak at bookstores, museums, schools, and book festivals, and she has been featured on such programs as NPR's Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and CBS Sunday Morning. She holds a BA in the Humanities from Yale College and a PhD in English from Columbia University. Ed Park is the author of the novels Same Bed Different Dreams (2023), a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and Personal Days (2008), a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award. His fiction, essays, and reviews have appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Review of Books, Harper's, The Atlantic, Bookforum, McSweeney's, and many other publications. He is a founding editor of The Believer and the former literary editor of The Village Voice, and has worked in newspapers and book publishing. He currently teaches writing at Princeton University. For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/arts-culture/item/1980-y-t-hwang-family-foundation-series-on-ethics-common-values-a-conversation-with-ilyon-woo

Labour's election guru, a modern-day Macchiavelli, the power behind the PM, a “permanent insurgent”… Starmer's Chief Of Staff Morgan McSweeney is perhaps the most powerful unelected person in politics. Who is he? What does he want? Is he behind the party's lurch right – and can he win Labour a second term? Steve Richards of the unmissable Rock and Roll Politics podcast tells Andrew Harrison what makes McSweeney tick.  • Support us on Patreon for early episodes and more. • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to indeed.com/bunker to get your £100 sponsored credit.   Written and presented by Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Audio production by Charlie Duffield. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In Part 2 of our discussion on Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence, editor Sheila Liming returns to discuss challenges for first-time readers, the correlation between fluctuations in Wharton's reputation and historical literary (and political) trends, and whether or not The Age of Innocence is truly a love story. Sheila Liming is Associate Professor at Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont. She is the author of What a Library Means to a Woman: Edith Wharton and the Will to Collect Books (University of Minnesota Press, 2020) and creator of the web database EdithWhartonsLibrary.org. Her other books include Office (2020), published through Bloomsbury's Object Lessons series, and a scholarly edition of Wharton's novel Twilight Sleep (forthcoming through Oxford University Press). Her writing has appeared in The Atlantic, Lapham's Quarterly, The Los Angeles Review of Books, McSweeney's, and The Chronicle Review.To learn more or purchase a copy of the Norton Library edition of The Age of Innocence, go to https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393870770.Learn more about the Norton Library series at https://wwnorton.com/norton-library.Have questions or suggestions for the podcast? Email us at nortonlibrary@wwnorton.com or find us on Twitter at @TNL_WWN and Bluesky at @nortonlibrary.bsky.social. 

This week, we discuss McSweeney's new quarterly issue: McSweeney's 78: The Make Believers, featuring writers of the Vietnamese diaspora. We are joined by contributors and guest editors of the issue, Thi Bui and Vu Tran, as well as McSweeney's Quarterly Editor Rita Bullwinkel. You can learn more about their work in the episode description below. [...]

In this inspiring and FUN episode of Follow Your Fing Dreams, I sit down with LA based actor, writer, comedian, and creativity coach Mayur Chauhan to talk about what it truly means to CARE for your inner artist—with love, patience, and a cup of chai. We chat about everything from protecting your creativity like a child, dealing with criticism, prepping for a stand-up show, what actually makes comedy funny, and even the quest for the perfect chai recipe. Mayur opens up about the vulnerability of early creative work, why feedback timing matters and how to deal with criticism.With over 25 pieces published in McSweeney's, acting credits on The Rookie, Welcome to Chippendales, courses at Second City, and a passion for helping artists through his C.A.R.E for Artists program, Mayur brings both deep insight and serious laughs to this conversation.This episode is full of gold for anyone navigating the ups and downs of the creative path—especially if your artist needs a hug.

As the head of an organisation called Labour Together, which despite its name '"was all about dividing the Labour party and defeating the left", Irishman Morgan McSweeney handpicked Keir Starmer as the leadership candidate to take on Jeremy Corbyn and the party's left wing in 2020. That is according to Patrick Maguire, co-author of Get In, an entertaining book about Starmer's road to Number 10 and McSweeney's accumulation of power behind the scenes. He talks to Hugh about McSweeney's talent, Starmer's leadership and why the Labour government is struggling to get its message across.Get In by Patrick Maguire and Gabriel Pogrund is available now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Leah McSweeney moves ahead with her lawsuit against Bravo, claims victory as we pause and analyze if it is really as big as victory as Ms. McSweeney, and the media, believes? Bronwyn Newport allegedly has a criminal past involving grand theft, identity theft and much more as someone - Lisa Barlow is that you? - leaks this info to the press conveniently as RHOSLC Season 5 filming heats up. Now that Kenya Moore has exited the RHOA building, Brit takes center stage but the audience revolts. Angela Oakley slams Wendy Williams' claim that Charles Oakley fathered a kid outside the marriage. Nene Leakes' new podcast / YouTube or whatever it was seems to have already faded into oblivion. Brandi Glanville shares sad health updates, RHOC continues to film and RHOBH concludes with everyone asking just what famous actress is going to replace Garcelle. Well, here are a few ideas…. @behindvelvetrope @davidyontef BONUS & AD FREE EPISODES Available at - www.patreon.com/behindthevelvetrope  BROUGHT TO YOU BY: STRAWBERRY - Strawberry.me/VELVET (Get 20% Off Your First Month & Take Charge Of Your Future With The Help Of a Certified Coach) MEANINGFUL BEAUTY - meaningfulbeauty.com/velvet (Get 25% Off Cindy Crawford's Beauty Line & The Targeted Treatment Duo GIFT SET for FREE) RO - ro.co/velvet (For Prescription Compounded GLP-1s At a Fraction Of The Cost Of The Name Brands) INDEED - indeed.com/velvet (Seventy Five Dollar $75 Sponsored Job Credit To Get Your Jobs More Visibility)  MOOD - www.mood.com/velvet (20% Off With Code Velvet on Federally Legal THC Shipped Right To Your Door) ADVERTISING INQUIRIES - Please contact David@advertising-execs.com MERCH Available at - https://www.teepublic.com/stores/behind-the-velvet-rope?ref_id=13198 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Tenderloin Museum turns 10 years old this summer, and I for one am here to celebrate that. We first visited TLM early last year, when we talked with museum Executive Director Katie Conry. This bonus episode is all about the many, many programs going on as they approach a milestone anniversary. To start us off, we hear from Program Director Alex Spotto. Alex shares many (but not all) of the upcoming events Tenderloin Museum is either producing or affiliated with. They include: a new production of the Compton's Cafeteria Riot play (opens tomorrow, April 11!) an art show by Lady Harriet Sebastian (up through May) Monumentalizing Community (film screening and discussion on April 17) Club 181 Live at Great American Music Hall (April 23) McSweeney's 78: The Make Believers Issue Release Party in Myrtle Alley (May 1, 6 to 8 p.m.) Tenderloin Music and Arts Festival, by Psyched! Radio (May 16–17) Panel discussion about the book Daughter, Mother, Grandmother, Whore (May 22) Matthew G. Lasner talk about transforming apartments in the post-war era (May 29) Visit TLM's Programming page for more events and more info, including tickets. Then, Katie and I go on a walking tour of the new space into which the Tenderloin Museum will be expanding. The new spot will triple the size of the current museum and provide, among other things, a permanent home for the Compton's Cafeteria Riot play. They'll break ground this July, coinciding with the museum's 10th anniversary. The current space where their permanent collection lives will become the SF Neon Museum. They hope to open the new areas of the museum in 2026. And so, to put it mildly, exciting times at San Francisco's Tenderloin Museum. We recorded this episode at The Tenderloin Museum in March 2025.

Andy Richter calls this week's guest “a bona fide weirdo with virtually no interest in satisfying anything other than his own personal obsessions.” The weirdo in question is Mike Sacks, who has written for the likes of Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, Time, The New York Times, McSweeney's and who has built something of an industry writing novelizations of movies that don't exist and memoirs of people who were never born. And then turning those works into audiobooks voiced by the funniest people on Earth, including Jon Hamm, Paul Reubens, Amy Sedaris and many more. In this interview, he talks about how he has found breakout success as a self-published author, how he's become someone the top names in comedy want to work with, and the secrets he learned about getting reviews after years of working at Vanity Fair.  He's got a new book out in April called This Is How We Love. Learn all about the punk rock aesthetic he embraces to bring his ideas to life, one bonkers book at a time. Whether you're looking for advice on making it in the world of comedy writing, or just looking for a laugh, this episode is for you. Find Mike's work here Find Dan's work here Find more Entrepreneur Media podcasts here

 What happens when the preventative surgery you chose to avoid cancer reveals you already have it?  In this episode of "Every Soul Has a Story," Dara Levan welcomes author Gila Pfeffer, whose memoir "Nearly Departed" chronicles her journey through losing both parents to cancer at a young age and her own battle with breast cancer. With refreshing candor and signature wit, Gila shares how her Orthodox Jewish identity shaped her experiences and how becoming a mother to four children galvanized her commitment to preventative healthcare - ultimately saving her life when a preventative mastectomy revealed aggressive cancer.  Weaving together themes of resilience, authentic storytelling, and finding humor in life's darkest moments, Gila reflects on the profound significance of reaching age 50 - making her the first woman in four generations of her family to achieve this milestone. Her powerful metaphor of a broken mug still worth saving resonates deeply as she discusses her advocacy work and how sharing her story has inspired countless women to prioritize breast health. Like the cracked vessel on her book cover - weathered yet still holding precious contents - Gila's narrative embodies the beauty of imperfect survival.  Gila Pfeffer is a Jewish American humor writer whose memoir "Nearly Departed" chronicles her journey through loss, cancer, and survival with unflinching candor and unexpected hilarity. A fifteen-year breast cancer previvor and survivor, Gila's "Feel It on the First" campaign has directly led to earlier diagnoses for countless women through its tongue-in-cheek reminders about breast health. As an Orthodox Jewish mother of four who underwent preventative mastectomy at 34 only to discover early-stage cancer, Gila's writing - featured in The New York Times, The New Yorker, and McSweeney's - transforms tragedy into empowerment through her signature wit. She splits her time between London, New York City, and Instagram.  In This Episode:  (00:00) Meet Gila Pfeffer: Author of "Nearly Departed" (05:26) "Making fun of something is taking your power back" (08:12) What does authentic branding really mean? (13:07) Breaking the cycle: First to reach 50 (19:11) The delicate balance of telling your truth in memoir (23:51) How four children saved their mother's life (29:16) Beyond the pink ribbon: Rethinking breast cancer awareness (34:42) One person at a time: The impact of sharing your story (38:45) The metaphor of the broken mug  (39:55) Closing thoughts   Like and subscribe to hear all of our inspirational episodes!  Resources: https://www.gilapfeffer.com/ @GilaPfeffer on Instagram Nearly Departed Sign up for Dara's Newsletter Listen to other podcast episodes Here Connect with Dara on Instagram and Facebook Visit DaraLevan.com 

In Part 1 of our discussion on Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence, we welcome editor Sheila Liming to discuss the author's friendship with Henry James, a culture of elitism in New York, and the ironic meaning of "innocence" in the novel. Sheila Liming is Associate Professor at Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont. She is the author of What a Library Means to a Woman: Edith Wharton and the Will to Collect Books (University of Minnesota Press, 2020) and creator of the web database EdithWhartonsLibrary.org. Her other books include Office (2020), published through Bloomsbury's Object Lessons series, and a scholarly edition of Wharton's novel Twilight Sleep (forthcoming through Oxford University Press). Her writing has appeared in The Atlantic, Lapham's Quarterly, The Los Angeles Review of Books, McSweeney's, and The Chronicle Review. To learn more or purchase a copy of the Norton Library edition of The Age of Innocence, go to https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393870770. Learn more about the Norton Library series at https://wwnorton.com/norton-library.Have questions or suggestions for the podcast? Email us at nortonlibrary@wwnorton.com or find us on Twitter at @TNL_WWN and Bluesky at @nortonlibrary.bsky.social. 

Finding a partner after divorce can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. This week's guest, Jennie Young, suggests a bold alternative - burn the haystack. Jennie is the creator of Burned Haystack Dating Method, a method grounded in applied rhetoric and feminist praxis, designed to push back against the toxic norms built into many modern dating platforms. In this episode, Jennie shares practical, no-nonsense strategies for using dating apps more intentionally, treating them as tools (not lifelines), turning off notifications, and yes, burning the haystack. We also explore the common rhetorical patterns many men use on apps and how to recognize and respond to them when they show up. Tune in for an eye-opening conversation that puts you back in control of your dating life, no algorithm required. Here's what else we get into, in this episode: How Burned Haystack Dating Method came to be and the story behind its name (5:22) The 10 essential rules that make up the Burned Haystack Dating Method (13:06) What critical discourse analysis actually is and how it can help you navigate dating apps with confidence (37:10) The rhetorical red flags to look out for, like “Test and apologize,” “Are you my mother?” and “Where were you on January 6th?” (38:58) Learn more about Jennie Young:  Jennie Young is the creator of Burned Haystack Dating Method, a dating method grounded in applied rhetoric and feminist praxis. It is designed to combat many of the challenges of dating in a market that is too frequently mediated by misogynistic and patriarchal structures. She holds a Ph.D. in rhetoric and discourse studies from Case Western Reserve University and a satire writing certificate from Second City Chicago. Her work has been published in McSweeney's, Ms. Magazine, HuffPost, and others and covered by major media outlets such as The New York Times, Newsweek, RollingStone, and others. Resources & Links: Thank you to this episode's sponsor: Wild Pastures Unbreakable – the Divorce Recovery Retreat, Sedona, AZ in April 2025 Focused Strategy Sessions with Kate Phoenix Rising: A Divorce Empowerment Collective Jennie's website Jennie's Facebook Group Jennie on Instagram Jennie on Bluesky Jennie on LinkedIn Episode 309: Online Dating After Divorce with Alyssa Dineen DISCLAIMER:  THE COMMENTARY AND OPINIONS AVAILABLE ON THIS PODCAST ARE FOR INFORMATIONAL AND ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY AND NOT FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROVIDING LEGAL OR PSYCHOLOGICAL ADVICE.  YOU SHOULD CONTACT AN ATTORNEY, COACH, OR THERAPIST IN YOUR STATE TO OBTAIN ADVICE WITH RESPECT TO ANY PARTICULAR ISSUE OR PROBLEM. Episode Link: https://kateanthony.com/podcast/episode-317-burned-haystack-dating-method-with-jennie-young/

Mike Drucker is an Emmy-nominated writer and comedian whose work in television includes The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Bill Nye Saves the World, and Full Frontal with Samantha Bee. His comedy writing has also appeared in The New Yorker, The Onion, McSweeney's, and Marvel Comics. Now Mike arrives on Geekscape to talk about his brand new, comedic biography 'Good Game, No Rematch' - a love letter to video games and the people who play them! You can also subscribe to the Geekscape podcast on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3H27uMH Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3BVrnkW Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send Dr. Li a text here. Please leave your email address if you would like a reply, thanks.In this episode, host Dr. Christine Li engages in a meaningful conversation with Paulette Perhach, a writer, writer's coach, and the founder of Powerhouse Writers. Dr. Li delves into Paulette's background, exploring her experiences and insights as a professional writer. The interview covers Paulette's journey, from how she started writing to how she overcomes challenges and maintains productivity. Towards the conclusion of the episode, Paulette introduces her FINISH framework, a structured system aimed at helping creatives allocate time effectively and achieve success. This episode offers a deep exploration of the writing process and practical advice for those looking to enhance their creative pursuits.Paulette Perhach is a regular contributor to The New York Times, and her work has previously appeared inVox, Elle, The Washington Post, Slate, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Marie Claire, Yoga Journal, McSweeney's Internet Tendency, Hobart, and Vice. She's the author of two multi-million-reader viral essays. She had to learn to make all this happen with ADHD.Her book, Welcome to the ​Writer's Life, was published in 2018 by Sasquatch Books, part of the Penguin Random House publishing family, and was selected as one of Poets & Writers' Best Books for Writers. She blogs about a writer's craft and life at welcometothewriterslife.com and leads meditation and writing sessions through A Very Important Meeting. She serves writers as a coach and founder of The Finishing School for Writers.To sign up for a free session at Paulette Perhach's A Very Important Meeting, go to: https://maketimeforsuccesspodcast.com/writingsessionTo sign up for the Waitlist for Dr. Li's signature program Simply Productive, go to https://maketimeforsuccesspodcast.com/SPFor more information on the Make Time for Success podcast, visit: https://www.maketimeforsuccesspodcast.comGain Access to Dr. Christine Li's Free Resource Library -- 12 downloadable tools and templates to help you bypass the impulse to procrastinate: https://procrastinationcoach.mykajabi.com/freelibraryTo work with Dr. Li on a weekly basis in her coaching and accountability program, register for The Success Lab here: https://www.procrastinationcoach.com/labConnect with Us!Dr. Christine LiWebsite: https://www.procrastinationcoach.comFacebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/procrastinationcoachInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/procrastinationcoach/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@procrastinationcoachThe Success Lab: https://maketimeforsuccesspodcast.com/labSimply Productive: https://maketimeforsuccesspodcast.com/SPPaulette PerhachWebsite: https://www.pauletteperhach.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paulettejperhach/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pauletteisawriterYouTube: htt

Who is the Government? Dave Eggers and Sarah Vowell attempt to answer that question in essays about the scientists who discover new planets at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California and the archivists who safeguard the nation's historical record. They're both featured in the new anthology, “Who is Government: The Untold Story of Public Service.” We talk to Vowell and Eggers about the civil servants who make up what their editor Michael Lewis calls “the vast, complex system Americans pay for, rebel against, rely upon, dismiss and celebrate.” And we'll get an update on the legal challenges to the Trump administration's efforts to slash the federal workforce. What public servant in your life would you like to celebrate? Guests: Dave Eggers, founder, McSweeney's; co-founder, 826 Valencia; author, many books including “The Eyes and the Impossible” and “The Circle” Sarah Vowell, author, seven nonfiction books including “Lafayette in the Somewhat United States”, “Unfamiliar Fishes" and “Assassination Vacation" Stephen Fowler, political reporter covering the restructuring of the federal government, NPR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices