Slate Books

Mar 26 2025 466 ep. 43 mins 5.1k
Slate Books Podcast artwork

For readers who are listeners, for listeners looking for something to read—this feed includes book discussions and conversations with authors from across the Slate Podcast network.

  Arts
RSS feed Share
Copy RSS


Subscribe on Podcast Addict


Decoder Ring | How Books About Things That Changed the World… Changed the World

Mar 26 2025 58 mins  
Look in the nonfiction section of any bookstore and you’ll find dozens of history books making the same bold claim: that their narrow, unexpected subject somehow changed the world. Potatoes, kudzu, soccer, coffee, Iceland, bees, oak trees, sand, chickens—there are books about all of them, and many more besides, with the phrase “changed the world” or something similarly gran

Outward: Renaissance Trans Theologies and History with Colby Gordon

Mar 26 2025 42 mins  
In this episode of Outward, Jules Gill-Peterson sits down with Colby Gordon to talk about his new book, Glorious Bodies: Trans Theology and Renaissance Literature. Gordon digs into early modern religious texts that, instead of rejecting trans existence, actually provided ways to think about gender transformation—socially, surgically, and theologically. They explore what Shakespea

How To! | Write Your Memoir

Mar 25 2025 48 mins  
To some, the act of writing a memoir might seem daunting, invasive, or navel-gazing. But excavating memories, noticing patterns, and revisiting events from other points of view can lead to healing—regardless of whether your work gets published. On this episode of How To!, Carvell Wallace brings on Melissa Febos. Melissa is the bestselling author of five books, including Girlhood�

Gabfest Reads | The Day the Challenger Fell From the Sky

Mar 15 2025 39 mins  
David Plotz talks with author Adam Higginbotham about his new book, Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space. They discuss the feats of engineering that took place, the political cynicism and cost-cutting that played a role in the tragedy, the heroism and tragic loss of the people on board the shuttle, and more. Tweet us your questions @SlateGabfest o

Supercommunicators | 3. How to Have the Hardest Conversations

Mar 12 2025 30 mins  
The final installment of our series explores the conversations that most of us dread, like frank discussions of our differences or a negative performance review at work. We often anticipate that these chats will go badly—and end in hurt feelings or embarrassment—but there are proven ways to make them easier to navigate. Host Charles Duhigg talks with psychologist Jay Van Bavel

Outward | Why Love Isn’t Apolitical: Liberation and Rethinking Relationships

Mar 12 2025 43 mins  
This week, Bryan Lowder sits down with activist and author Dean Spade to discuss his latest book, Love in a F*cked Up World. Together, they unpack how capitalism, white supremacy, and patriarchy shape our desires, the pitfalls of the “relationship escalator,” and why collective care might be the most radical love of all. From breaking free of toxic relationship scripts to reima

Culture Gabfest: Zero Day Makes Robert De Niro a Befuddled President

Mar 05 2025 70 mins  
On this week’s show, no amount of star power can save a “screamingly stupid show.” (Sorry, Robert De Niro et al.) With Sam Adams—Slate Senior Editor and Staff Writer—sitting in for Dana, the team talks about the Netflix political thriller series Zero Day. Then they remember the career of Gene Hackman and end with their thoughts about this Atlantic article on navigating o

Supercommunicators | 2. How to Communicate Without Words

Mar 01 2025 28 mins  
Why is it that we can tell someone “I’m totally fine!” and they instantly know we’re not? Gestures, facial expressions, tone of voice, and other subtle nonverbal cues play a huge role in how we connect with one another. In this episode, host Charles Duhigg explores how we communicate without words, including a deep dive into the visual and tonal cues embedded in one of th

Culture Gabfest: The Oscars Go Streaming

Feb 26 2025 72 mins  
On this week’s show, we preview the Oscars and Trump’s demolition throughout renowned institutions of art. Isaac Butler — author of The Method: How the Twentieth Century Learned to Act and host of the new Criterion Channel series, The Craft of Acting — sits in for Stephen Metcalf. First, the hosts discuss I’m Still Here and the continued addition of non-English speaking f

Death, Sex & Money | I Was Ready to Write About My Domestic Abuser—Then Lawyers Said No.

Feb 25 2025 62 mins  
When comedian Chelsea Devantez began writing her memoir, she knew exactly where to start: with a teenage relationship that spiraled into domestic violence. But when she submitted her draft, lawyers informed her she legally couldn't name her abuser or detail what happened. "I threw the book in the trash for a few months," Chelsea recalls. After consulting friends and family, she dec