Working

This week, host Karen Han talks to Jeeyon Shim, who designs immersive games that allow players to craft objects and tell stories. In the interview, Jeeyon discusses her career as an outdoor educator and explains how that work prompted her pivot to game design. She also explains what a “keepsake game” is and describes her latest game, called The Snow Queen, which repurposes chess pieces and allows...

This week, host Isaac Butler talks to Hannah Bos and Paul Thureen, writers and creators of the HBO series Somebody, Somewhere . In the interview, Hannah and Paul discuss their close collaborative relationship and share some of the creative practices they developed with their theater company, The Debate Society. Then they talk about the development and writing process behind Somebody, Somewhere , w...

For this edition of Working Overtime, hosts Isaac Butler and Karen Han reply to an email from a listener named Jeffrey, who points out how rare it is to see an accurate depiction of creativity in movies and on TV. One reason for this, Jeffrey asserts, is that creative work requires a lot of boring drudgery. Isaac and Karen weigh in on this idea and list some examples of accurate depictions of the...

This week, host June Thomas talks to author, ghostwriter, and YouTuber Michelle Schusterman, who’s written more than a dozen novels. In the interview, Michelle differentiates between her various writing jobs and explains how she juggles so many projects. She also gives a step-by-step description of her ghostwriting process for fiction and offers advice on how to manage clients.  After the intervie...

This week, host Isaac Butler talks to composer and band leader Fabian Almazan. In the interview, Fabian explains how he uses physical places, like the Everglades or a region in Cuba, as a jumping-off point to compose music. He also discusses Biophilia Records, a label he started as a way to gather like-minded musicians. His latest album, This Land Abounds With Life , was released as a “Biopholio,”...

For this episode of Working Overtime, hosts June Thomas and Karen Han discuss their experiences with writer’s block. Then they analyze how the Apple TV+ series about Emily Dickinson, aptly named Dickinson , addresses writer’s block .  Have you experienced writer’s block or other creative hurdles? Share them with us at (304) 933-9675 or email us at working@slate.com .  Podcast production by Kevin B...

This week, host Karen Han talks to Isaac Butler about the writing of his new book The Method: How the Twentieth Century Learned to Act . They discuss how Isaac’s background as a child professional actor informed his understanding of his subject, how he researched a wide-ranging topic that spanned geography and generations, and how he conceived of the book’s structure and managed its narrative tens...

This week, host June Thomas talks to New Yorker writer Rebecca Mead about her new memoir Home/Land , which traces her experience moving back to Britain after making a home for herself in New York and becoming a U.S. citizen. In the interview, Rebecca discusses the feelings she wanted to capture in the book and describes her impulse to document an important moment in her life. She also explains why...

For this episode of Working Overtime, hosts Karen Han and June Thomas dissect some creative advice from the director Bong Joon-ho, who claimed during his 2020 Oscars acceptance speech that “the most personal is the most creative,” a phrase he attributed to director Martin Scorsese. In their conversation, Karen and June examine the advice and discuss the upsides and downsides of making their work p...

This week, host Isaac Butler talks to playwright Aleshea Harris and director Whitney White, whose new play On Sugarland is currently in preview performances at the New York Theatre Workshop. In the interview, Aleshea and Whitney explain the crucial relationship between playwrights and directors and discuss the ways they work together, solve problems, and ultimately put on the best production possi...

This week, host Karen Han talks to comedy writer Karen Chee, who works as a writer and performer for Late Night With Seth Meyers . In the interview, Chee discusses her early work writing humor pieces for the New Yorker before landing a job writing for the Golden Globes. Then she breaks down her joke-writing process for Late Night , which involves generating dozens of setups and punchlines every da...

For this edition of Working Overtime, hosts June Thomas, Isaac Butler, and Karen Han discuss the pomodoro technique, which involves breaking work into timed intervals and taking breaks in between those intervals. In their conversation, they talk about the benefits of taking breaks and using timers, but they also underscore the importance of creative momentum. Could the pomodoro technique actually...

This week, host June Thomas talks to author Malinda Lo, whose book Last Night at the Telegraph Club won the National Book Award. In the interview, Malinda explains that she never intended to write books under the young adult label. She also digs into her writing process, which involves many drafts and inspirational mood music.  After the interview, June and co-host Isaac Butler discuss Malinda’s r...

This week, host Isaac Butler talks to Fionnuala Murphy, an actor and linguist who invented multiple alien languages for Apple TV Plus’s series Foundation . In the interview, Fionnuala explains how she landed the job, which was her first ever foray into language creation. Then she breaks down the process of designing the languages based on information she could gather from the scripts and conversat...

Welcome to the debut episode of Working Overtime! In these bi-weekly episodes, June, Isaac, and Karen dissect creative advice​​—and sometimes offer it to listeners and each other. This week, they discuss a piece of advice from cartoonist Alison Bechdel, who argues that avoiding the Internet every once in a while can lead to more focus and productivity. In the discussion, the hosts assess whether t...

This week, host Karen Han talks to fashion designer Jasmine Chong whom you might know from the reality show Making the Cut . Before founding her own label, Jasmine worked for some of the most influential names in fashion. In the interview, Jasmine explains the profound influence her fashion designer mother has had on her life, creative outlook, and career.  After the interview, Karen and co-host I...

This week, hosts June Thomas, Isaac Butler, and Karen Han share their creative New Year’s Resolutions for 2022. Then they look back at their goals for 2021 and discuss what they accomplished and where they had trouble. They also check in with former host Rumaan Alam, who shares an update on his 2021 resolutions.  Send your questions about creativity and any other feedback to working@slate.com or g...

This week, hosts June Thomas, Isaac Butler, and Karen Han help each other to overcome creative roadblocks and discuss some of their favorite pieces of creative wisdom. But first, they make a big announcement about future episodes of Working.  Send your questions about creativity and any other feedback to working@slate.com or give us a call at (304) 933-9675. Podcast production by Cameron Drews. If...

This week, host June Thomas talks to Debra Schmidt Bach, a curator of the New-York Historical Society’s new exhibition, " ‘ Turn Every Page’: Inside the Robert A. Caro Archive .” They discuss the art of selecting objects that visitors will respond to; how objects like notebooks and a typewriter showcase Caro’s idiosyncratic writing process; and the particular challenges of maintaining an exhibitio...

This week, host Isaac Butler talks to Ai-Ling Lee, a movie sound editor whose long résumé includes the critically acclaimed films First Man , La La Land , and Jojo Rabbit . In the interview, Lee explains what a sound editor does and how it’s different from the work of a sound mixer. Then she delves into the many creative decisions that go into crafting an immersive soundscape for movies.  After th...

This week, host Karen Han talks to Andrew Ortiz, founder of the movie merchandise company Super Yaki, which designs T-shirts, pins, hats, and more. In the interview, Andrew discusses the origins of the company and their first product, which was an enamel pin with legendary animator Hayao Miyazaki’s face on it. After that, Andrew talks about quitting his day job, staffing the company, and building...

This week, host June Thomas talks to Zak Rosen, host of The Best Advice Show podcast. First, they discuss the premise of Zak’s podcast, which features very short pieces of advice, then Zak shares some clips of his favorite words of wisdom.  In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Zak offers advice about interviewing.  If you have advice that you’d like to share with Zak, you can leave a message at (8...

This week, host June Thomas talks to Oliver Burkeman, author of the book Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals . In the interview, Oliver shares his philosophy of time management, which hinges on the finite nature of life. He also discusses his previous experience as a “productivity geek” and explains some of the dangers of obsessive time management.  After the interview, June and co-ho...

This week, host Isaac Butler talks to documentary filmmaker Stanley Nelson, whose latest film, ATTICA, covers the 1971 uprising at the Attica Correctional Facility in upstate New York. In the interview, Stanley explains how he decides which stories to tell and how he earns the trust of his subjects. He also discusses the finer points of structure, editing, and his use of sound effects and music. ...

This week, in her first episode as co-host of Working, Karen Han interviews cartoonist Dami Lee. In the interview, Dami talks about her resistance to art school and her early strategy of pursuing art “on the side.” Then she discusses her current career as a freelance cartoonist, her webcomic As Per Usual , and her book Be Everything at Once: Tales of a Cartoonist Lady Person .  After the interview...