Nerdette

This week, we’re sharing some of the best new music out this summer! Our friend Kristen Kurtis is the assistant music director and Morning Show host at WXPN in Philadelphia. We asked her to bring us some fun and maybe even a little angry songs to rock out to this summer. You can find this collection of “joyfully defiant” songs below or listen along on our Spotify playlist. Want to add to the playlist? Send us an email at nerdettepodcast@gmail.com or a dm on Instagram! “Hater’s Anthem” by Infinity Song “Change Shapes” by Lauren Mayberry “Sometimes” by Mannequin Pussy “Suffer” by Pillow Queens. “Cartagena” by Reyna Tropical “Broken Man” by St. Vincent “The Feminine Urge” by The Last Dinner Party

Our April Book Club pick is Marie-Helene Bertino’s second novel 'Beautyland.' It tells the story of Adina, a girl born in Philadelphia in 1977, just as the Voyager I spacecraft launches from Earth in search of extraterrestrial life. As a child, Adina learns she herself is an alien, and her mission is to send her observations about humanity to her supervisors via fax machine (it is the ‘80s, after all). With that conceit, Bertino paints a gorgeous tapestry of what it means to be human, filled with poetic descriptions of the utterly mundane. This book is full of love, longing, and curiosity. We are joined by two expert readers: Mira Jacob, the author of the novel ‘The Sleepwalker’s Guide to Dancing’ and the graphic memoir ‘Good Talk,’ and Molly McGhee, whose novel ‘Jonathan Abernathy You are Kind’ was our January Book Club selection! We discuss the book in detail, including spoilers! So if you have not read the book yet, go back and listen to our spoiler-free chat with author Marie-Helene Bertino in the feed first.

This week, we are taking some time to reflect on the past *11 years* of Nerdette by listening to two of our all-time favorite interviews. First, Greta and Stephen King (yes, that Stephen King) bond over their shared love of corgis. Then, poet Ross Gay tells us about 'The Book of Delights,' a collection of essays about finding delight everyday. We also want to let you know that Nerdette’s last episode at WBEZ will be May 28. Thank you for all of the love and support!

This week, senior Reset producer Meha Ahmad and journalist Araceli Gómez-Aldana join us to unpack the week. We get into friendship breakups over Taylor Swift, a new airline for dogs and Olympic fashion. Then, Maura Cheeks tells us about her debut novel Acts of Forgiveness. The book imagines a world where the U.S. government awards cash reparations to the descendants of enslaved people.

This week, our friends Dan Pashman, host of 'The Sporkful' podcast and author of the new cookbook 'Anything’s Pastable,' and Helen Rosner, staff writer at The New Yorker and author of the newsletter 'The Food Scene,' go all in on food in another round of our favorite game: Burden or Delight. Plus, producer Anna Bauman adventured to Indianapolis this week to see the total solar eclipse. We listen to what it was like to stop and wonder at our sky.

We are unpacking the week that was with Amory Sivertson, host of the WBUR podcasts Beyond All Repair and Endless Thread, and Kristina Lopez, producer of Glamorous Trash. We discuss the reasons why women need more sleep than men, age gap relationships and “Stick Nation.” Then, Vulture film critic Alison Wilmore tells us about why women in action movies all seem to be doing the same particular stunt. She dubs it “killer gams.”

Our April selection is Marie-Helene Bertino’s gorgeous and entrancing novel 'Beautyland.' It’s about Adina, who realizes she is actually an alien disguised as a young girl living in Philadelphia. Her task is to send reports on humanity back to her home planet via fax machine. The novel is tender, full of heart and weird in the best possible way. Listen to this spoiler-free interview with the author and read along with us! We’ll be back with a spoiler-filled panel discussion on the last Tuesday of the month. You can join the conversation by sending a voice memo to nerdettepodcast@gmail.com.

We're on Spring Break this week so we're bringing you a podcast that we think you'll love from our friends at The Culture Study Podcast. Get ready for a deep conversation into the world of A Court of Thorns and Roses, and the 'romantasy' genre as a whole!

Our March book club pick is Kaveh Akbar’s debut novel ‘Martyr!’ It’s about Cyrus, who was born in Iran and moved to the midwest as a child after his mom died. She was one of the victims of the real-life event where the United States Navy shot an Iranian passenger-plane out of the sky reportedly by accident. The book picks up when Cyrus is in his 20s in Indiana and he’s struggling in more ways than one. He finds himself thinking a lot about the idea of martyrdom and what makes life truly worth living. When he learns of an artist in New York whose work explores similar topics, he has to meet her. We are joined by two expert readers: New York Times Book Review editor MJ Franklin and host of The Stacks podcast Traci Thomas. We discuss the book in detail, including spoilers! So if you have not read the book yet, go back and listen to our spoiler-free chat with author Kaveh Akbar in the feed first.

This week, two of our favorite guests, City Cast Chicago host Jacoby Cochran and Not Sorry Productions faculty member Margaret Willison, stop by to play a game of Burden or Delight. We discuss wide-legged jeans, sourdough starters and a few other unhinged topics. Plus, we are super excited to introduce an upcoming segment with chef and cookbook writer Tamar Adler! She is bringing her expertise to Nerdette to solve all of your culinary quandaries. Tamar is the author of ‘An Everlasting Meal’ and ‘The Everlasting Meal Cookbook.’ She is now writing ‘The Kitchen Shrink’ column, where she gives advice to home cooks. We’re asking you to send us your cooking questions and mysteries. Then, we’ll get you an answer in an upcoming episode. Send us a voice memo, an email, a DM, whichever method you prefer. We’re at NerdettePodcast@gmail.com.

This week, senior correspondent at Vox Alex Abad-Santos and Bridget Todd, host of the podcasts ‘City Cast DC’ and ‘There Are No Girls on the Internet,’ spill the tea on Kate Middleton’s photoshop debacle, a proposed TikTok ban and the World Banana Forum. Plus, Noel Fielding stars in the new Apple TV+ comedy series ‘The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin.’ You may know Noel as the sweet, eccentric host of ‘The Great British Bake Off,’ or from the deeply strange sketch show ‘The Mighty Boosh.’ Noel plays Dick Turpin, a historical figure from the 18th century who robbed carriages. In this retelling, however, he trades violence for sparkly blue spandex and faces magical threats. We talk to Noel and executive producer Kenton Allen about comedy, being a middle-aged parent and knitting.

We unpack the week with Ronald Young Jr., host of ‘Weight For It,’ and Arionne Nettles, head of Northwestern’s audio journalism program and author of the upcoming book ‘We Are the Culture: Black Chicago's Influence on Everything.’ We chat about the fallacy of airplane mode, tweens at Sephora and the popularity of owl ring bearers. Plus, author Xochitl Gonzalez tells us about her new book ‘Anita de Monte Laughs Last.’ Xochitl imbued the characters with aspects of her own life story, making it “a nightmare to write.” She tells us why it was also worth it.

Nerdette Book Club’s March selection is ‘Martyr!,’ the first novel from poet Kaveh Akbar. Our team chose it because it is vibrant, incisive and the perfect combination of devastating and funny. Listen to this spoiler-free conversation and read along with us! Then, send us a voice memo with your thoughts on the book. We’ll be back on the last Tuesday of the month with a spoiler-filled discussion. You can reach us at NerdettePodcast@gmail.com.

This week, we are diving into the world of boarding school, wrongful conviction and true crime podcasts. Yes, we are talking about the book I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai. It was a Nerdette Book Club pick after it came out in March of last year, and it just came out in paperback.

Nerdette Book Club is keeping things moving in 2024 with Kiley Reid’s sophomore novel, ‘Come and Get It.’ It’s a juicy, messy novel that takes place on a college campus and explores issues around class, ambition and constantly-shifting power dynamics. Our readers this month are the hosts of WBEZ’s ‘The Rundown’ podcast, Erin Allen and Adora Namigadde. We do get into spoilers in the conversation! If you’re not ready to find out what happens yet, listen to our spoiler-free conversation with author Kiley Reid in the feed first. And in case you want to read ahead, we have the next three months of books chosen! Here they are: March: Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar April: Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino May: A Table for Two by Amor Towles It’s never too early to send us a voice memo with your thoughts on these books! Reach us at NerdettePodcast@gmail.com

This week, comedian and Fake the Nation host Negin Farsad and Ted Talks Daily host Elise Hu join us to discuss a week’s worth of litigious news. We learn about the guy who’s suing Powerball for posting the incorrect numbers, the dating app users who say the platforms are too addictive, and the proposed “right to disconnect” law protecting workers in Australia. Plus, how many exclamation points are too many?!! In her substack newsletter ‘Culture Study,’ Anne Helen Petersen recently unpacked why so many women have been told to use fewer exclamation points in the workplace, while others have been told to use more. At its heart, Anne says, it’s all about “policing women's speech!”

This week, Niala Boodhoo, host and editor of the Axios podcast 1 big thing, and Aubrey Gordon, subject of the upcoming documentary 'Your Fat Friend' and co-host of Maintenance Phase, stop by to chat about retailers cracking down on frequent returns and the new dating app for people with good credit scores. Then, MacArthur “Genius Grant” fellow and Pulitzer finalist Kelly Link joins us to talk about her magical and tender first novel, 'The Book of Love.' She is also the author of a number of short story collections, including 'Get In Trouble,' 'Magic for Beginners' and 'White Cat, Black Dog.'

This week, Rhaina Cohen, author of 'The Other Significant Others,' and The Stacks host Traci Thomas stop by to talk about the sports game happening this Sunday, whether aging Millennials are becoming culturally obsolete, and why algorithm recommendations might feel kind of … off. Plus, we take a listen to audio Valentines from Nerdette listeners to their friends! You are refurbishing Coach bags and finding tampons on sunrise hikes and making cups of tea and vetting leftovers for each other, and it’s beautiful!!!!!!

Our February selection is Come and Get It by Kiley Reid! Reid’s debut novel, ‘Such a Fun Age,’ was a salacious, fizzy novel about the messy power dynamics of work and life, and her second book is no different. Set on the campus of the University of Arkansas, the multi-perspective book revolves around Millie, a fifth-year senior saving up to buy a house in town. As an RA on campus, she oversees students in their shared living spaces, and she becomes particularly entangled with the three students living in the rooms right next to her. Speaking of entanglements, there’s also Agatha, a visiting professor who’s come to campus to write a book about students and money. That’s all we’ll say for now because this is a spoiler-free interview! Read along with us! The book club will be back on the last Tuesday of the month with a spoilery discussion of the book and two fun guest readers. You can get in on the conversation by recording your thoughts on the book in a voice memo and sending the file to NerdettePodcast@gmail.com by Friday, March 23. Happy reading!

This week, we are beating the winter blahs and leaning into coziness. First, we talk to City Cast Chicago host Jacoby Cochran and WBEZ’s Araceli Gómez-Aldana about ads upending streaming services, a $3,000 train trip and cozy rituals. Then, Bon Appétit food editor Shilpa Uskokovic shares some of her favorite cold weather recipes. Here they are… Dark and Stormy Braised Pot RoastNo-Knead FougasseFrizzled-Onion Cabbage SaladCheesy Spinach and Corn Piroshki