Episodes

  • What Illness Can Teach Us About Uncertainty - Jonathan Gluck on his new memoir about cancer and coming to terms with not knowing

    What Illness Can Teach Us About Uncertainty - Jonathan Gluck on his new memoir about cancer and coming to terms with not knowing
    Jun 16 2025

    In his new memoir, An Exercise In Uncertainty, journalist and editor Jonathan Gluck chronicles more than 20 years of living with multiple myeloma, an incurable but treatable cancer. He joined me to talk about how he’s coped with illness, why he chose this moment to write about it, and, most importantly, how he’s learned to deal with a condition all of us face to one degree or another: uncertainty.

    Jon explains the concept of “predemption”—a mindset that’s helped him find something positive, even in the toughest moments—and describes the invisible aspects of cancer, how it affected family dynamics, and the honest conversations he’s had with his kids about his condition. He reflects on the strain illness can have on relationships, especially marriage, and how fly fishing became a crucial form of therapy and connection.

    GUEST BIO

    Jonathan Gluck is a writer and editor whose work has appeared in The New York Times and The Washington Post. He was deputy editor of New York magazine for ten years, after which he worked as managing editor of Vogue. His work has been recognized with multiple National Magazine Awards.

    Want to hear the whole conversation? 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.
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    23 mins
  • The Catastrophe Hour Book Club, Week Two - Same Life, Higher Rent

    The Catastrophe Hour Book Club, Week Two - Same Life, Higher Rent
    Jun 12 2025

    The next meeting of The Catastrophe Hour Book Club is scheduled for Wednesday, June 18, at 3:00 p.m. ET. We will discuss the second essay of the collection, Same Life, Higher Rent.

    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.

    To learn more about the book club and join, visit https://www.theunspeakablepodcast.com/p/the-catastrophe-hour-book-club

    Same Life, Higher Rent was written in 2017, shortly after I returned to New York after nearly two decades away. At the time, I was 47 and, strangely, my life was a lot like it had been at 27, though of course I was older and the rent was higher. The essay also explores, among other things, the concept of the “situational setpoint,” which is the state of life I seem to find myself in no matter how long I spend trying to live a different kind of life. 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.
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    6 mins
  • Where Do Serial Killers Come From? Caroline Fraser on America’s Murderland

    Where Do Serial Killers Come From? Caroline Fraser on America’s Murderland
    Jun 9 2025
    This week I’m joined by Caroline Fraser, author of Prairie Fires, the Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of beloved author Laura Ingalls Wilder. Fraser’s latest book, Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust In The Time Of Serial Killers, is a notable departure from the world of sunbonnets and covered wagons. This time, she explores the proliferation of serial killers—figures like the Green River Killer Gary Ridgeway, I-5 killer Randall Woodfield, and, of course, Ted Bundy—who haunted the Pacific Northwest during the 1970s to 1990s. Why were there so many serial killers during this time and in this region? Fraser points to the “lead-crime hypothesis,” which suggests that a spike in violent crime during this era can be traced back to widespread childhood lead exposure from gasoline, paint, and industrial sources. In the book, Fraser expands on this theory, connecting the ecological and societal dots between environmental toxins and waves of violent crime. She also draws on her own experience growing up in the Seattle area, giving personal context to a much larger story. GUEST BIO Caroline Fraser is the author of Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder, which won the Pulitzer Prize as well as the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Heartland Prize, and the Plutarch Award for Best Biography of the Year. She is also the author of God's Perfect Child: Living and Dying in the Christian Science Church, and her writing has appeared in the New York Review of Books, the New Yorker, The Atlantic, the Los Angeles Times, and the London Review of Books, among other publications. Want to hear the whole conversation? 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 HoursJanuary 16: The Immaterial WorldJanuary 27: Housing WarsFebruary 5: Remembrance Of Things PastFebruary 13: What Is A "Catastrophe?"March 2: A Mental InfectionMarch 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. Housekeeping 📺 Visit The Unspeakable on YouTube. ✈️ The Unspeakeasy has new retreats for 2025. We’ll be in Texas, New York, Los Angeles, and more. 🥂 Join The Unspeakeasy, my community for freethinking women.
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    1 hr and 10 mins
  • The Catastrophe Hour Book Club, Week One - The Broken-In World

    The Catastrophe Hour Book Club, Week One - The Broken-In World
    Jun 5 2025

    The Catastrophe Hour Book Club begins June 11 with a discussion of the first essay in the book, The Broken-In World, an examination of divorce, loss, and finding unexpected peace and camaraderie in a world that “can no longer support pretense.”

    The book club runs for 14 consecutive Wednesdays from 3-4 p.m. ET. We will discuss one essay per week

    To learn more about the book club and join, visit https://www.theunspeakablepodcast.com/p/the-catastrophe-hour-book-club

    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
    5 mins
  • Alma Deutscher's First Dance - The celebrated young composer collaborates with the American Contemporary Ballet

    Alma Deutscher's First Dance - The celebrated young composer collaborates with the American Contemporary Ballet
    Jun 2 2025
    Alma Deutscher, often described as a modern-day Mozart, was a prodigy whose early accomplishments include composing a piano sonata at age six, a short opera at seven, a violin concerto at nine, and her first full-length opera at ten. At twelve, she was profiled on 60 Minutes, and in 2021 began conducting studies in Vienna with Johannes Wildner. Now 20, Alma has just written her first ballet score—a collaboration with Lincoln Jones, founder and director of American Contemporary Ballet (ACB) in Los Angeles. Lincoln joined me on the podcast just over two years ago, offering unique insights into the complexities of running a dance company and the profound art of dance itself. In this episode, Lincoln and Alma discuss their new ballet, The Euterpides, inspired by Euterpe, the ancient Greek Muse of Music. This piece follows the Muse’s goddess daughters as they descend to dance with a mortal, exploring the age-old connection between inspiration and craft. We recorded this conversation on Memorial Day to get it out ahead of the ballet’s world premiere, which runs June 5–28 in Los Angeles. If you’re local (or can make the trip!), you’ll also hear about an audience support campaign, offering a rare chance for the public to get involved in bringing this ballet to life. GUEST BIO Alma Deutscher has composed a number of acclaimed orchestral works, including a full-length opera, by the age of 10. Her music has been performed at Carnegie Hall and the Vienna State Opera. She’s earned the admiration of classical music luminaries like Zubin Mehta, who called her “one of the greatest musical talents of today.” Lincoln Jones is the founder, director, and principal choreographer of the American Contemporary Ballet in Los Angeles. Their collaboration, The Euterpides, premieres on June 5. Want to hear the whole conversation? 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 HoursJanuary 16: The Immaterial WorldJanuary 27: Housing WarsFebruary 5: Remembrance Of Things PastFebruary 13: What Is A "Catastrophe?"March 2: A Mental InfectionMarch 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.
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    1 hr and 5 mins
  • Audio Essay: The End Of The Personal - Listen to an essay from The Catastrophe Hour

    Audio Essay: The End Of The Personal - Listen to an essay from The Catastrophe Hour
    May 29 2025

    This week, I share an essay from The Catastrophe Hour. There’s no audiobook available (yet), so I offer this reading of the final essay in the collection, The End Of The Personal. It’s a meditation on first-person writing in a world that seems to have overdosed on oversharing.

    The era of the personal is over. The writer sees this now. One day, she just gets it. Everything is personal so nothing is personal. The erosion has been a long time coming. First, the personal became political. Then it became porn. Now it has become dust.

    The Catastrophe Hour book club begins on June 11 and runs every Wednesday from 3:00-4:00 p.m. ET for 14 consecutive weeks. We will read one essay each week, starting from the beginning of the book. Audio excerpts of each essay will be released every week as special podcast episodes. (They’ll be excerpts, so you’ll still want to get the book.)

    To join the book club, become a paying subscriber to the Substack at the annual level. More info here.

    HOUSEKEEPING

    📺 Visit The Unspeakable on YouTube!

    📖 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 3-4pm ET. We will meet on Zoom. I’ll make a post about it very soon with more info.

    📹 The Unspeakeasy Live livestream happens every Thursday at 3pm ET. Look for a notification on your Substack app when we’re live.

    ✈️ 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
    9 mins
  • How To Solve Crime - Peter Moskos on New York City’s policing triumph

    How To Solve Crime - Peter Moskos on New York City’s policing triumph
    May 19 2025

    ✌️Upgrade your subscription if you want to hear the full conversation: http://bit.ly/3OJJRO9

    🔔 Did you like this episode? Don’t forget to like, subscribe and leave a comment down below.

    [DESCRIPTION]

    You can upgrade your subscription here: http://bit.ly/3OJJRO9

    —————————

    GUEST BIO

    Peter Moskos teaches in the Department of Law, Police Science, and Criminal Justice Administration at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. Moskos, a Princeton and Harvard-trained sociologist, is a former Baltimore City Police Officer and is the director of John Jay College’s NYPD Executive Master’s Leadership Program.

    Also, check out Peter’s previous Unspeakable interviews:

    Can We Get Smarter About Policing? A conversation with Professor of Police Science (and former Baltimore cop) Peter Moskos: https://bit.ly/3H0209F

    How Are We Feeling About Policing These Days? https://bit.ly/4ms8rCP

    —————————

    HOUSEKEEPING

    ✈️ Unspeakeasy Retreats: https://bit.ly/3H028pF

    🥂 Join The Unspeakeasy, my community for freethinking women: https://bit.ly/43yJAWf
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    1 hr and 18 mins
  • Why Joni Mitchell Matters - Henry Alford on his book, "I Dream Of Joni: A Portrait of Joni Mitchell in 53 Snapshots”

    Why Joni Mitchell Matters - Henry Alford on his book, "I Dream Of Joni: A Portrait of Joni Mitchell in 53 Snapshots”
    May 9 2025

    In this much-anticipated interview (at least by me), humorist and journalist Henry Alford joins me to discuss his recent bestselling book I Dream Of Joni: A Portrait of Joni Mitchell in 53 Snapshots. In a Joni nerd-off that may be unrivaled in podcast history, Henry and I talk about his research and reporting for this book, what he learned about Mitchell’s contradictions and complexities, why he thinks she might be on the autism spectrum, and, above all, why Mitchell’s music holds such a profound place in so many people’s emotional and even intellectual lives.

    GUEST BIO

    Henry Alford is a humorist and journalist who has contributed to the New Yorker since 1998. He is the author of seven books, including Big Kiss, which won a Thurber Prize, and the recent I Dream of Joni: A Portrait of Joni Mitchell in 53 Snapshots, a national bestseller.

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

    HOUSEKEEPING

    New feature! The Unspeakeasy Live is a twice-weekly livestream featuring casual, spontaneous conversations with guests, friends, and sometimes just myself. Tuesdays and Thursdays at 3 pm ET. Recordings of livestreams are posted the next day (or soon thereafter) for paying subscribers.

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

    May 17 I’ll be in Denver at The Process discussing my new book, The Catastrophe Hour. 7pm. Info here.

    Stuff to read and listen to:

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

    Recent 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. Find out where we’ll be!

    🥂 Join The Unspeakeasy, my community for freethinking women.

    🔥 Make a donation of any amount to help me recover from the fire by using the tip jar.
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 13 mins
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