The Unspeakable Podcast Podcast By Meghan Daum cover art

The Unspeakable Podcast

The Unspeakable Podcast

By: Meghan Daum
Listen for free

About this listen

 Author, essayist and journalist Meghan Daum has spent decades giving voice—and bringing nuance, humor and surprising perspectives—to things that lots of people are thinking but are afraid to say out loud. Now, she brings her observations to the realm of conversation. In candid, free-ranging interviews, Meghan talks with artists, entertainers, journalists, scientists, scholars, and anyone else who’s willing to do the “unspeakable” and question prevailing cultural and moral assumptions.2021 Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Playlist of Tears: The Catastrophe Hour Book Club Week 5

    Playlist of Tears: The Catastrophe Hour Book Club Week 5
    Jul 4 2025

    The next meeting of The Catastrophe Hour Book Club is scheduled for Wednesday, July 9, at 3:00 p.m. ET. We will discuss the fifth essay of the collection, Playlist of Tears.

    The book club meets for 14 consecutive Wednesdays at 3:00 p.m. ET. The book club is for yearly paid Substack subscribers only, so if you want to join, please upgrade your subscription at www.theunspeakablepodcast.com.

    About The Catastrophe Hour "One of our most important essayists . . . The Catastrophe Hour is proof that writers and readers can choose to engage with their lives in a manner that is radically disengaged with the pointless noise of the day.” — Washington Examiner From the acclaimed author of The Unspeakable and The Problem with Everything comes a new collection of unputdownable essays. Written between 2017 and 2024, these essays are classic Meghan Daum, showcasing her wit, her intellect and her uncanny ability to throw new light on even the most ubiquitous of subjects. Arranged in the order that they were written, the essays touch on themes of aging, solitude, creative life, money, the changing media landscape, death, and the meaning of home. Daum’s unflinching honesty and exacting observations secure her reputation as one of our most important and enduring essayists.
    Show more Show less
    7 mins
  • Species Of Grief: The Catastrophe Hour Book Club Week 4

    Species Of Grief: The Catastrophe Hour Book Club Week 4
    Jun 30 2025

    The next meeting of The Catastrophe Hour Book Club is scheduled for Wednesday, July 2, at 3:00 p.m. ET. We will discuss the fourth essay of the collection, Species Of Grief.

    The book club meets for 14 consecutive Wednesdays at 3:00 p.m. ET, beginning June 11. The book club is for yearly paid subscribers only, so if you want to join, please upgrade your subscription.

    Species Of Grief was written in May of 2019 and appeared as one of my columns in Medium’s GEN Magazine.

    Want to hear the whole recording? Upgrade your subscription here.

    HOUSEKEEPING

    📖 Order my new book, The Catastrophe Hour: Selected Essays, on Amazon or directly from the publisher here.

    📘 The Catastrophe Hour book club for yearly paying subscribers starts June 11 and will run for 14 consecutive Wednesdays, 3-4 pm ET. We will meet on Zoom.

    📹 The Unspeakeasy Live livestream takes place every Thursday at 3:00 p.m. ET. Look for a notification on your Substack app when we’re live.

    Stuff to read and listen to:

    New York Times, Jan 31, 2025: The L.A. Fires Taught Me To Accept Help

    Recent(ish) solo episodes:

    • January 9: The First 24 Hours
    • January 16: The Immaterial World
    • January 27: Housing Wars
    • February 5: Remembrance Of Things Past
    • February 13: What Is A "Catastrophe?"
    • March 2: A Mental Infection
    • March 31: Dignity Is Out Of Style

    📺 Visit The Unspeakable on YouTube.

    ✈️ The Unspeakeasy’s 2025 retreat season is underway. It includes a just-announced COED retreat with more attendees and multiple speakers. October 11-12 in New York City. Programming and ticketing info here.
    Show more Show less
    8 mins
  • Basically Dead: The Catastrophe Hour Book Club Week 3

    Basically Dead: The Catastrophe Hour Book Club Week 3
    Jun 19 2025

    The next meeting of The Catastrophe Hour Book Club is scheduled for Wednesday, June 25, at 3:00 p.m. ET. We will discuss the third essay of the collection, Basically Dead.

    The book club meets for 14 consecutive Wednesdays at 3:00 p.m. ET. The book club is for yearly paid Substack subscribers only, so if you want to join, please upgrade your subscription at www.theunspeakablepodcast.com.

    How to Join The Book Club

    Yearly subscribers will receive a reminder email on Tuesdays. If you are only a monthly subscriber, you will not receive the email. To update your subscription:

    1. Navigate to your profile image in the top right corner and click.

    2. Go to “Manage Subscription”

    3. Next to your subscription type, select “Change.”

    4. Select yearly and confirm.

    About The Catastrophe Hour "One of our most important essayists . . . The Catastrophe Hour is proof that writers and readers can choose to engage with their lives in a manner that is radically disengaged with the pointless noise of the day.” — Washington Examiner From the acclaimed author of The Unspeakable and The Problem with Everything comes a new collection of unputdownable essays. Written between 2017 and 2024, these essays are classic Meghan Daum, showcasing her wit, her intellect and her uncanny ability to throw new light on even the most ubiquitous of subjects. Arranged in the order that they were written, the essays touch on themes of aging, solitude, creative life, money, the changing media landscape, death, and the meaning of home. Daum’s unflinching honesty and exacting observations secure her reputation as one of our most important and enduring essayists.
    Show more Show less
    8 mins
All stars
Most relevant  
The podcast is excellent, it doesn’t skirt hard issues, and you learn a lot. Great for people of love to explore and share ideas. Meghan Daum leaves us all smarter. Be a Daumy not a dumby!

Nuanced, relentless, intelligent

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Meghan Daum's The Unspeakeasable podcast is an anchor of sanity in a polarized world. Great guests, emotionally intelligent hosting. A gem.

For the Independent Thinker

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.