Working: A ‘70s Crime Classic Gets a Musical Redux
This week, host Isaac Butler talks to Suzan-Lori Parks, a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright whose most recent project is a musical theater adaptation of the 1972 Jamaican crime film The Harder They Come. In the interview, Suzan-Lori shares her flexible approach to adaptation and, more specifically, how she was able to deepen the original story of The Harder They Come while honoring the original. She also talks about the unique challenges of adapting a movie into a stage musical.
After the interview, Isaac and co-host Karen Han talk about the ubiquity of adaptations and reboots and what it means to make a whole new piece of work out of old material.
In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Isaac asks Suzan-Lori about her project 365 Days/365 Plays in which she wrote a play a day for an entire year. Isaac also asks about a unique playwriting convention that Suzan-Lori pioneered.
Send your questions about creativity and any other feedback to [email protected] or give us a call at (304) 933-9675.
Podcast production by Cameron Drews.
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3/19/2023
52:08
A Word: No More “Black Picket Fence”
For decades, there has been a stigma attached to remaining unmarried and childless in the Black community, particularly for women. But a growing part of the Black middle class is single, childfree adults. Does the trend threaten the future of the Black family, or is it time to recognize a different model for family life? On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by sociologist Kris Marsh, author of “The Love Jones Cohort: Single and Living Alone in the Black Middle Class.”
Guest: Kris Marsh, University of Maryland Sociology Professor and author of “The Love Jones Cohort: Single and Living Alone in the Black Middle Class.”
Podcast production by Ahiyana Angel
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3/17/2023
26:23
How To!: Make Imposter Syndrome Your Superpower
When Leslie landed her dream engineering job right out of college, she was elated but also worried she was a tad unqualified—even though she has the skills and expertise. Since then imposter syndrome has reared its ugly head on a regular basis. Besides being the youngest in her department, she’s one of the only women and the only person of color, which has made things even more isolating. On this episode of How To!, host Amanda Ripley brings on Dr. Jessica Esquivel, physicist, advocate for marginalized communities in STEAM, and author of Our Queer Universe. Dr. Esquivel has some wise, hard-earned advice for shifting the burden of being enough, learning to fail, and making systemic changes so people don’t feel imposter syndrome so acutely.
If you liked this episode, check out: “I’m Great at My Job. So Why Do I Feel Like a Fraud?”
Do you wonder how best to use your time? Send us a note at [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 646-495-4001 and we might have you on the show.
If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and exclusive content on many shows—you’ll also be supporting the work we do here on How To!. Sign up now at slate.com/howtoplus to help support our work.
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3/14/2023
42:49
Dear Prudence: Should I Have A Baby? Help!
In this episode, Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) answers questions from letter writers who are stuck in high-paying jobs, deciding whether to bring kids into this world, confronting a “Karen,” and dealing with a classic topic – judgy in-laws.
Wajahat Ali (author and a Daily Beast columnist) joins to lend his wisdom.
If you want more Dear Prudence, you should join Slate Plus, Slate’s membership program. Jenée answers an extra question every week, just for members. Go to Slate.com/prudieplus to sign up. It’s just $15 for your first three months.
Podcast production by Se’era Spragley Ricks and Daisy Rosario.
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3/10/2023
37:46
A Word: Screaming in Color
The Scream franchise returns to theaters this weekend. Since it first debuted in 1996, the racial dynamics of horror films have evolved. And for the first time in generations of scary movies, African American characters are surviving, killing the monsters, or even slaying as horror villains themselves. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Mark Harris, the co-author of The Black Guy Dies First: Black Horror Cinema from Fodder to Oscar, to talk about the evolution of Black horror.
Guest: Mark Harris, writer and co-author of The Black Guy Dies First
Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola
You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for just $1 for your first month.
Make an impact this Women’s History Month by helping Macy’s on their mission to fund girls in STEM. Go to macys.com/purpose to learn more.
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