This week, Slate writer and editor Dan Kois fills in for Julia. The panel begins by breaking down Joy Ride, Adele Lim’s raunchy first feature about four Chinese-American friends. Then, the panel dives into the second season of the reality show Claim to Fame. Finally, they examine the commodification of storytelling, inspired by Parul Sehgal’s essay “The Tyranny of the Tale” for The New Yorker. 

In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel discusses pickleball, America’s fastest growing sport. 

Email us at culturefest@slate.com. 

Endorsements:

Dana: “They Don’t Want Us and We Don’t Need Them” – David Roth on the drama surrounding GQ’s David Zaslav story and the depressing state of media for Defector. 

Dan: Patrick deWitt novels – Specifically, the Canadian novelist’s latest, The Librarianist. 

Stephen: Diary of a Foreigner in Paris – Curzio Malaparte recounts his return to postwar Europe and his complex relationship with fascism. 

Outro music: “Backwards” by Staffan Carlen

Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Kat Hong. 

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