This American Ex Wife the Podcast

Feb 22 2024 76
This American Ex Wife the Podcast artwork

This American Ex-Wife. The podcast where we discuss the state of American heterosexual marriage. And by state I mean trash fire. Host Lyz Lenz sits down with a cast of women to talk about their divorces, their journeys and unpacks an institution many take part in but few talk about: divorce. Hear from writers like Maggie Smith and Minda Honey. A sociologist who studies marriages disparate impact on Black women. And of course some insight from Lyz’s divorce lawyer. Produced by Zachary Oren Smith. Illustration by Alessandro Gottardo . Show art by Suzanne Glémot.

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Announcing season two of This American Ex-Wife the podcast!

Feb 22 2024 25 mins  
Last year, we made a 10-episode season of this podcast and we are so proud of how it turned out. And want to make one more!!Please fill out the survey to let us know the topics you want us to cover, the people you want us to talk to, ways to support the show, and any other ideas you want to share. We are listening. Here is a link to the survey!Oh and Lyz’s book is out in the worl

Bonus episode: An excerpt from This American Ex-Wife

Feb 17 2024 11 mins  
Surprise! Here are the first 10 minutes from the first chapter of my book, This American Ex-Wife. It’s a clip from the audiobook, which I narrate myself. I recorded the audiobook during a blizzard and an arctic freeze, and at some point, you can hear my throat start getting scratchy with a cold. I managed to get through with an ungodly amount of cough syrup. But it was such a ple

"Sourdough dads" with Virginia Sole Smith

Feb 15 2024 66 mins  
In this episode, Lyz and best-selling author and journalist behind the popular newsletter, Burnt Toast, Virginia Sole Smith read your email and talk bodies, love, sourdough dads, and divorce.This is the last week to PREORDER your copy of This American Ex-Wife.Show notes:* Read Virginia’s amazing newsletter Burnt Toast.* Also, Virginia and Sara Petersen have an incredible podcast,

"The heartbreak years" with Minda Honey

Feb 08 2024 53 mins  
We want independence. We want respect. We want love and relationships. We live our lives trying to cultivate these qualities. But as Minda Honey points out, we also live in a world that doesn’t prioritize our wants.Less than two weeks until the book comes out! So preorder This American Ex-Wife. It’s the best way to support this work. Show notes:* Buy Minda’s book The Heartbre

"Lyzistrata" with Donna Zuckerberg

Jan 31 2024 46 mins  
In the ancient play Lysistrata women withhold sex as a means of ending the Peloponnesian War. And the logic – using sex as a shaping force in marriages – is widespread both in self-help books and right-wing subreddits. Academic Donna Zuckerberg has written about the appropriation of the Classics by misogynistic groups and weighs in on Lysistrata, liberal men, ancient wives, and

"Claim your name and hotness" with Aubrey Hirsch

Jan 25 2024 47 mins  
Aubrey Hirsch was in a hospital bed. She had just birthed her first child and found herself having to argue with a nurse over whether her last name Hirsch could be her child’s last name. In that instance and more, Hirsch shatters the notion that heterosexual parents have the same powers in the relationship.Show notes:* Read Aubrey’s essay for Time about giving her kids her last

"Remembering the original ex-wife" with Marsha Gordon

Jan 17 2024 55 mins  
Thank you to everyone listening and sharing this podcast! In our first five weeks, we’ve gotten over 33,000 downloads! Zach, my producer, and I are just floored!Okay, now let’s get to the show…As the stock market crashed in 1929, Ursula Parrot released her novel Ex-Wife. In it, the protagonist darts between the experience of sexual liberation and the ever-present sense of los

"Take his wallet" with Morgan Jerkins

Jan 10 2024 52 mins  
Best-selling author Morgan Jerkins joins Lyz to read reader emails and give some frank advice and heartfelt insight to your divorces, break ups, and new lives.If you like what you hear, preorder This American Ex-Wife and subscribe to this newsletter. It’s the best way to support our work!Show notes:* You can read more work by Morgan Jerkins by buying her books. You can also follo

“Marriageocracy” with Aneeka Henderson

Jan 03 2024 43 mins  
Marriage and divorce are not experienced the same way for men and women. The same is true for white and Black women. Sociologist Aneeka Henderson has written extensively about the marriage economy and the obstacles that limit opportunities even in marriages for Black people.If you like what you hear, preorder This American Ex-Wife and subscribe to this newsletter. It’s the best w

"Weird cicadas" with Maggie Smith

Dec 27 2023 55 mins  
Poet and best-selling author Maggie Smith shares how her divorce made her spend more time with someone she didn’t expect: herself. She explains how she learned to leave room for that self even as she shares part of it in her work. If you like what you hear, preorder This American Ex-Wife. It’s the best way to support this work.I am currently running a giveaway! If you preorder