Working

On this season of Working, we left the East Coast behind and flew to Detroit. We’re speaking with eight people who are drawing on the city’s complex history as they work to create its future.For this episode, we visited Slows Bar B-Q to talk with its chef, Mike Metevia. Prior to coming to Slows a decade ago, Metevia had worked in other sectors of the restaurant industry and with other cuisines, but he’d always been a barbecue guy in his private life. “I just like starting fires,” he tells us. Then in a Slate Plus extra, Metevia offers some tips on how to barbecue better at home. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.Email: [email protected]: @Jacob_BroganProduction: Mickey Capper, @FMcapper Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this season of Working, we left the East Coast behind and flew to Detroit. We’re speaking with eight people who are drawing on the city’s complex history as they work to create its future. For this episode, we spoke with Alexis Wiley, Mayor Mike Duggan's Chief of Staff.Wiley showed us around her office, told us about how she transitioned into the world of politics from a role as a local tv reporter, and explained what goes into the mayoral team's response to a crisis.Then in a Slate Plus extra, Wiley talks about introducing and advocating for Detroit’s Project Green Light, an effort to install police video cameras at gas stations. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.Email: [email protected]: @Jacob_BroganProduction: Mickey Capper, @FMcapper Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this season of Working, we left the East Coast behind and flew to Detroit. We’re speaking with eight people who are drawing on the city’s complex history as they work to create its future. For this episode, we spoke with Diana Nucera, director of the Detroit Community Technology Project.Diana Nucera runs an organization that promotes digital literacy and internet access in Detroit. Diana tells us about how she works to fill in technological gaps in Detroit—a city where nearly 40% of households still don't have internet access. She talks us through her organization's digital literacy programs and describes their efforts to build networks to build networks. Nucera also tells us a bit about her organization's DIY roots, and how they fit into the city's evolving political infrastructure. In a Slate Plus Extra, Nucera describes how net neutrality might change and how that might affect DCTP's work. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.Email: [email protected]: @Jacob_BroganProduction: Mickey Capper, @FMcapper Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this season of Working, we left the East Coast behind to visit Detroit. We're speaking with people who are drawing on the city's complex history as they work to create its future.The automotive industry, which has arguably defined Detroit for generations, employs a dizzying array of professionals responsible for every aspect of car design and manufacture. We visited the General Motors battery lab, where we spoke with Mark Hughes, a recent chemical engineering graduate from the University of California, Berkeley. Hughes describes himself as a “cell technical specialist.” In essence, he conducts forensics tests on failed batteries, mostly for fully electric cars such as the Chevrolet EV Bolt, though he sometimes works on hybrid vehicles as well. And while Hughes is primarily dealing with inorganic chemistry, some of the stories he tells us really do sound a lot like medical mysteries.Then, in a Slate Plus extra, Hughes talks about his own relationship to cars—and tells us what he drives. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.Email: [email protected]: @Jacob_BroganProduction: Mickey Capper, @FMcapper Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this season of Working, we left the East Coast behind to visit Detroit. We're speaking with people who are drawing on the city's complex history as they work to create its future.Greg Willerer grows a variety of organic crops on a few plots of carefully cultivated land in Detroit. We spoke with him about how he transitioned to farming from teaching, how he sees farming's role in a revitalized Detroit, and why he keeps on his farm.In a Slate Plus Extra, Willerer discusses some of the equipment that makes working on an urban farm feasible. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.Email: [email protected]: @Jacob_BroganProduction: Mickey Capper, @FMcapper Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this season of Working, we left the East Coast behind to visit Detroit. We're speaking with people who are drawing on the city's complex history as they work to create its future.For our first episode, we sat down with Gwen Jimmere, CEO of Naturalicious, a company that makes hair care products for curly-haired women. Before she started Naturalicious, she had worked in Detroit's signature industry—the automotive industry—but we visited her at a place called Ponyride, a startup incubator for socially conscious entrepreneurs. She tells us about how she got started, and how her business has grown. She also leads us through the process of making and selling her specialized line of products, and she tells us about her relationship with her ideal imagined customer, the great Shonda Rhimes. She tells us about how her business fits into the changing Detroit landscape that she's a part of.In a Slate Plus Extra, Jimmere tells us the importance of what she does when she's not working. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.Email: [email protected]: @Jacob_BroganProduction: Mickey Capper, @FMcapper Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this season of Working, we visit the city of Baltimore, to talk to people about their jobs there. We're hoping to learn about how the city informs their work, and how they are shaping Baltimore itself, by working.Jordan Smith is a captain of the Pride of Baltimore II, a recreation of a 19th century Baltimore Clipper. He tells us about the ship's history, his duties as captain, and how the crew supports each other to keep the ship in top shape. He also took us on a tour of the Pride and showed us how he uses both modern and traditional equipment to sail, race, and educate. In a Slate Plus Extra, Smith tells us about racing the Pride, and the combination of strategy and proficiency that goes into winning a sailing race. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.Email: [email protected]: @Jacob_BroganProduction: Mickey Capper, @FMcapper Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this season of Working, we visit the city of Baltimore, to talk to people about their jobs there. We're hoping to learn about how the city informs their work, and how they are shaping Baltimore itself, by working.Damon Walker helps real estate investors manage Section 8 housing. He explains how he makes sure that the properties are comfortable and up to code, and how he finds tenants for each availability.In a Slate Plus Extra, Walker tells us about how he takes care of his own home. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.Thanks to the Stoop Storytelling Series for putting us in touch with Walker. Hear his story on the Stoop Storytelling Series podcast here: http://www.stoopstorytelling.com/event/podcast-the-moment-that-changed-everything/ Email: [email protected]: @Jacob_BroganProduction: Mickey Capper, @FMcapper Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this season of Working, we visit the city of Baltimore, to talk to people about their jobs there. We're hoping to learn about how the city informs their work, and how they are shaping Baltimore itself, by working.Leigh Clayton takes care of the health of 1,500 animals in Baltimore's National Aquarium. She explains how you can tell when a fish is sick, and everything that goes into keeping them healthy. She also tells us about how the National Aquarium connects to and educates about local species, and shares some tips for home aquarium care.In a Slate Plus Extra, she talks about caring for Jacob Brogan's favorite animals: octopuses. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.Email: [email protected]: @Jacob_BroganProduction: Mickey Capper, @FMcapper Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this season of Working, we visit the city of Baltimore, to talk to people about their jobs there. We're hoping to learn about how the city informs their work, and how they are shaping Baltimore itself, by working.Dan Deacon makes inventive, playful electronic music, and leads crowds through silly group exercises. He tells us about how he finds time to make new music, how he first began his famous crowd participation games at his shows, and his relationship with the city of Baltimore. In a Slate Plus Extra, Deacon takes us on a tour of his home recording studio, and gives us a peek at the board game he had set up when we visited him. . If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.Email: [email protected]: @Jacob_BroganProduction: Mickey Capper, @FMcapper Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this season of Working, we visit the city of Baltimore, to talk to people about their jobs there. We're hoping to learn about how the city informs their work, and how they are shaping Baltimore itself, by working.Jenny Egan defends children in juvenile court, trying to keep them from getting locked up. She tells us about earning the trust of her clients, researching their cases, and the satisfaction of winning trials. In a Slate Plus Extra, Egan tells us about how she first fell in love with Baltimore and decided to move to the city she now calls home. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.Email: [email protected]: @Jacob_Brogan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this season of Working, we visit the city of Baltimore, to talk to people about their jobs there. We're hoping to learn about how the city informs their work, and how they are shaping Baltimore itself, by working.When Harry Mushlin operates on a brain, he feels his patient's selfhood in his hands. Mushlin is a neurosurgery resident with the University of Maryland currently practicing pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Medical Center and operating on victims of violence at UMD's Shock Trauma Center. He spoke with us about working on the human brain, the trying hours of neurosurgery, and seeing Baltimore through the lens of the operating room.Then in a Slate Plus Extra, Mushlin tells us about working in the shadow of Baltimore's most famous neurosurgeon, Dr. Ben Carson. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.Email: [email protected]: @Jacob_Brogan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this season of Working, we visit the city of Baltimore, to talk to people about their jobs there. We're hoping to learn about how the city informs their work, and how they are shaping Baltimore itself, by working.Karida Collins names her yarn colors after Baltimore neighborhoods at her Neighborhood Fiber Company. Karida tells us about how she got started dying yarn, walks us through the full dying process at their studio, and tells us about how she tries to weave connections with Baltimore's wider community.In a Slate Plus Extra, Collins tells us about her own knitting projects and the special qualities that make a friend or family member "knit-worthy." If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.Email: [email protected]: @Jacob_Brogan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this season of Working, we visit the city of Baltimore, to talk to people about their jobs there. We're hoping to learn about how the city informs their work, and how they are shaping Baltimore itself, by working.On this first episode, crime novelist Laura Lippman tells us about how she first got started writing fiction, how she approaches writing and revising her books, and why she's tired of arguing about the validity of genre novels. She loves Baltimore despite its problems, and the city infuses her books, including the Tess Monaghan detective series.In a Slate Plus Extra, Lippman tells us about her connection to the progenitor of detective novels Edgar Allan Poe, another Baltimore citizen. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.Email: [email protected]: @Jacob_Brogan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This season on Working, we’re speaking to individuals employed in fields potentially imperiled by the Trump presidency. These are the stories of people doing difficult but important jobs—jobs that may get much more difficult and much more important in the years ahead.Between the rise of so-called "Right To Work" states and increasing deregulations, labor unions are facing increasing challenges. David Mott organizes health care workers with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). Mott spoke with Jacob Brogan about how he charts out workplaces, identifies and develops leaders, and evades management to help build and strengthen unions. Then, in a Slate Plus Extra, Mott brings out his guitar and tells us how he uses music as an organizing tool. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.Email: [email protected]: @Jacob_Brogan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This season on Working, we’re speaking to individuals employed in fields potentially imperiled by the Trump presidency. These are the stories of people doing difficult but important jobs—jobs that may get much more difficult and much more important in the years ahead.Alexandra Petri writes humorous spins on the news for the Washington Post She spoke to Jacob Brogan about what it's like to make satire in an increasingly absurd news climate.Then, in a Slate Plus extra, Petri tells us about Emo Kylo Ren, a parody account she made imagining the villain of Star Wars: The Force Awakens as a petulant teenager. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.Petri's blog "ComPost": https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/compost/Email: [email protected]: @Jacob_Brogan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This season on Working, we’re speaking to individuals employed in fields potentially imperiled by the Trump presidency. These are the stories of people doing difficult but important jobs—jobs that may get much more difficult and much more important in the years ahead.Shane'a Thomas helps LGBTQ youth work through depression, anxiety, and other mental illness. She spoke to Jacob Brogan about a typical day of sessions, how she helps patients get what they want out of their therapy, and how the recent political climate is affecting her work. Then, in a Slate Plus extra, Thomas tells us how she feels about armchair attempts to "diagnose" Donald Trump from afar. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.Email: [email protected]: @Jacob_Brogan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recently, Donald Trump tweeted that "any negative polls are fake news," so we wanted to understand some of the work that goes into polling. In this episode of Working, Pollster Jim Gerstein of GBA Strategies tells Jacob Brogan about how he uses surveys and focus groups to help his clients understand and influence America. In a Slate Plus Extra, Gerstein tells us how he got some of his earliest experience in polling in Israel. Email: [email protected]: @Jacob_Brogan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This season on Working, we’re speaking to individuals employed in fields potentially imperiled by the Trump presidency. These are the stories of people doing difficult but important jobs—jobs that may get much more difficult and much more important in the years ahead.University of Pennsylvania Librarian Laurie Allen is working with a collective of scientists, students, professors, programmers, and librarians on the Data Refuge project, archiving environmental data before it has the opportunity to disappear in government transition. She spoke with Jacob Brogan about her work with the Data Refuge Project, and about her career as a librarian. Allen detailed how her work has evolved as digital technology has progressed and about how she tries to keep her work connected to scholarship and helping students, even as the times change. Then, in a Slate Plus extra, Allen tells us about a special project she worked on with the Penn Environmental Humanities Lab featuring stories and information from Philadelphia's Schuykill River. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.Email: [email protected]: @Jacob_BroganLearn more about Data Refuge: http://www.ppehlab.org/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This season on Working, we’re speaking to individuals employed in fields potentially imperiled by the Trump presidency. These are the stories of people doing difficult but important jobs—jobs that may get much more difficult and much more important in the years ahead.Since his election, Trump has been dismissive of the intelligence community, reportedly neglecting briefings and sometimes even insulting the efforts of its members. We wanted to understand what it means to actually work in that secretive world. And while we couldn’t, for obvious reasons, get an active intelligence officer to talk to us, we did score the next best thing. Our guest this week is Aki Peritz, who worked as an intelligence analyst for the C.I.A., focusing for much of his time there on counterterrorism. He talks to Jacob Brogan about what that job actually involved, and about the importance of getting things right. He also tells us about everything from office culture at the CIA to the burden of secrecy. And, of course, he shares some thoughts about Trump. Then, in a Slate Plus extra, Peritz tells us about Hunted, the reality TV show that he’s working on now. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.Email: [email protected]: @Jacob_Brogan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Charlie Brotman announced every inaugural parade since 1957, and was fired by Donald Trump's team in 2017.Brotman told Jacob Brogan about how his work at the parades have changed over the decades, and about some of the tricks he used to keep the crowd's attention. In a Slate Plus Extra, Charlie Brotman reads an announcement about the history of different kinds of inaugural parades. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.Email: [email protected]: @Jacob_Brogan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This season on Working, we’re speaking to individuals employed in fields potentially imperiled by the Trump presidency. These are the stories of people doing difficult but important jobs—jobs that may get much more difficult and much more important in the years ahead.Eugene Puryear is volunteer activist and organizer with ANSWER Coalition, a group founded to resist war and racism. With his fellow organizers, Eugene is currently preparing for a large rally on Trump's inauguration day along the parade route. He tells Jacob Brogan about the meetings, permits, fundraising, and hours of work that go into pulling off a successful rally, and a little bit about what keeps him motivated.Then, in a Slate Plus extra, Puryear shares his perspective on any threat of counter-protestors and what security efforts they have in place. You’ll also help Slate hold Donald Trump accountable in our podcasts and on the site as a whole. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.Email: [email protected]: @Jacob_BroganANSWER Coalition: answercoalition.orgEugene's podcast: By Any Means Necessary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For our last episode of the year, we're taking a break from our ongoing series of jobs imperiled by the election of Donald Trump for a holiday special.Santa Ed brings presents, stories, and joy to parties each holiday season. He spoke with Jacob Brogan about how he tries to make each Christmas memorable for all of his guests and clients. He discusses his storytelling style, his tricks for making an impression as the Real Santa, and why he avoids the Mall Santa route.Then, in a Slate Plus extra, Santa Ed tells us how he behaves when his clients want something a little bit "spicier" from Santa. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.Santa Ed's Website: santa-4-rent.comEmail: [email protected]: @Jacob_Brogan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This season on Working, we’re speaking to individuals employed in fields potentially imperiled by the Trump presidency. These are the stories of people doing difficult but important jobs—jobs that may get much more difficult and much more important in the years ahead.Professor Matthew Kroenig is a Nuclear Nonproliferation Expert and an Associate Professor in the Department of Government and School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. He spoke with Jacob Brogan at Georgetown about how he got involved in nonproliferation, and a project to help prevent 3D printing of nuclear weapon components. Then, in a Slate Plus extra, Kroenig talks about nuclear weapons in the movies. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. You’ll also help Slate hold Donald Trump accountable in our podcasts and on the site as a whole. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.Email: [email protected]: @Jacob_Brogan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This season on Working, we’re speaking to individuals employed in fields potentially imperiled by the Trump presidency. These are the stories of people doing difficult but important jobs—jobs that may get much more difficult and much more important in the years ahead.For this episode Jacob Brogan visited Masjid Muhammad, one of Washington, DC’s oldest mosques. We spoke with Imam Talib Shareef, a retired U.S. air force officer who helped reform the military’s relationship with its Muslim service members during his own time in the armed forces. Imam Shareef spoke with us about some of his basic responsibilities as a religious leader, such as leading prayers, but he also spoke about his involvement with interfaith projects, along with other forms of community outreach. And he addressed the ways that Islamophobia informs his daily efforts, both before and after the rise of Donald Trump.Then, in a Slate Plus extra, Imam Shareef talks about his decades-long study of martial arts, and discusses how it plays into his more peaceful work at the mosque. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. You’ll also help Slate hold Donald Trump accountable in our podcasts and on the site as a whole. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.Email: [email protected]: @Jacob_Brogan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This season on Working, we're talking to people employed in fields potentially imperiled by the results of the recent U.S. Presidential election. Nithya Nathan-Pineau is Program Director of CAIR Coalition's Detained Children's Program. She spoke with Jacob Brogan about helping children understand their legal situation, and her work helping making arguments that kids facing deportation deserve asylum under American law. In a Slate Plus Extra, Nathan-Pineau discusses her program's relationship with the Office of Refugee Resettlement, and how that might change under the new presidential administration. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.Capital Area Immigrants' Rights Coalition: https://www.caircoalition.org/Email: [email protected]: @Jacob_Brogan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This season on Working, we're talking to people employed in fields potentially imperiled by the results of the recent U.S. Presidential election. Diane Horvath-Cosper is an OBGYN and family planning specialist who advocates for reproductive rights. She talked to Jacob Brogan about why she chose to train as an abortion provider and what it's like compassionately counseling women as they prepare for abortions. In a Slate Plus Extra, Horvath-Cosper reflects on the changing presence of abortion in mainstream culture. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.Email: [email protected]: @Jacob_Brogan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Carol Collins has performed over 40 years as Bingo the Clown. She tells Jacob Brogan, about how she got started, what goes into being a clown, and how the recent clown scares have affected her work. In a Slate Plus Extra, Collins shares some of her favorite memories from her 40 years in the clown industry including clown conferences around the world, her own articles for clown publications, and Tom Seleck... the clown.Learn about Carol's agency at partyco-op.comEmail: [email protected]: @Jacob_Brogan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rosana helps professional find their own personal style. She rummages through their closet to help get a sense of who they are and what they have, then she goes shopping with them and helps them create outfits with their new and old clothing.In a Slate Plus Extra, Rosana shares her thoughts on style in Washington, D.C., a city with a reputation for dressing a little bland. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.See Rosana's work at dcstylefactory.comEmail: [email protected]: @Jacob_Brogan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nail Artist Vivian Cam helps her clients have healthy and beautiful nails. She'll even go a step beyond painting intricate designs and images on her customer's nails—everything from autumn trees to minions. Vivian talked to Jacob Brogan about how she got started doing nails and how she helps clients decide on the right design for them.In a Slate Plus extra, Vivian talks about the work she does on male customer's nails, and shares how she got over her own nail-biting habit. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.See Vivian Cam's nail art on her Instagram: @viiviiannailartEmail: [email protected]: @Jacob_Brogan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Self-described "tailoress" Cheryl Lofton makes new clothes fit better, brings new life to old clothes, and helps design customer's dream clothing on a budget. She spoke with Jacob Brogan about her family history in the industry and how she works with customers today.In a Slate Plus extra, Cheryl and her assistant Cindy talk about their relationship and measure Jacob for a pair of pants he needs hemmed. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.Email: [email protected]: @Jacob_Brogan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Working embarks on a new series with the people who make sure that we look good. This week, we start with foundation. Christin Michelle, a professional freelance makeup artist helps clients get ready for weddings, photo shoots, galas, and more. She tells us how she began doing makeup artistry, what she carries around in the super heavy kit that she brings to jobs, and how she professionally manages the heightened emotions of a wedding day.In a Slate Plus extra, Michelle tells us about how and where she shops for the makeup she keeps with her at all times. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.Email: [email protected]: @Jacob_Brogan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, the Smithsonian's National African American History and Culture Museum had its grand opening, so we're sharing a conversation we had earlier this year with one of its curators. Ever find yourself at a museum wondering about who chose the artifacts and wrote the captions? We spoke with Mary Elliott, a museum specialist at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture. Along with her colleague Nancy Bercaw, Elliott has worked years on a massive exhibit that explores the global history of slavery and the makings of America.And in a Slate Plus extra, Mary Elliott tells us more about the family history research that began her career. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.Email: [email protected]: @Jacob_Brogan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jim Adams keeps every plant at the White House healthy and beautiful as the Supervisory Horticulturist for the National Park Service Special Liaison to the White House. In this last episode of our Working at the White House series, we spoke to Adams in the White House’s Kennedy Garden about the history of the White House as a National Park, about his year-round rotation of plants, and about his encounters with the President’s dogs and other wildlife on the White House grounds.And in a Slate Plus extra, Adams tells us about what goes into setting up the White House Easter Egg Roll and other special events. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Outside the gates of the White House, Lafayette Plaza is often full of tourists, Secret Service, Performers, and Protesters. We spoke to Philipos Melaku-Bello, an advocate for nuclear disarmament who has been supporting a peace vigil across from the White House for over 30 years. Melaku-Bello shares how he and a small group of volunteers have kept the vigil going through winter blizzards and blistering summer days, and how he interacts with passersby, human and animal alike. In a Slate Plus Extra, Melaku-Bello shares some of the history of the vigil. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This season on Working, we’re going to the White House. For this week's episode, we spoke to someone who was a little less familiar with the institution. Chase Woods, a rising senior at the University of Chicago, served as an intern at the White House this past summer. He talked to us about how he found his way into that role, and what he did during his time there. We spoke to him about everything from his daily decisions about where to eat lunch, to the time he nerded out when he saw Merrick Garland in the hallway. If you've ever wondered about what it's like to be one of the least powerful people at one of the most powerful places on earth, this episode is for you. In a Slate Plus Extra, Woods chats with former Slate intern Ian Philbrick about what it's like to intern in an expensive city full of transitory people. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're taking a short vacation, so it's a great time to catch up on the rest of the series. Learn about who writes the President's speeches, who picks out his letters, and who manages his schedule. We'll be back in early September with the end of this season. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Meet the President's chief negotiator in Congress, Amy Rosenbaum.This season on Working, we’re going to the White House. For this episode, we visited the West Wing office of Amy Rosenbaum, President Obama's Director of Legislative Affairs. She shuffles between the White House and Capitol Hill striving to persuade members of Congress to get behind the President's legislative priorities. She discussed her handling of the Iran Deal and when she decides to bring the President himself to the negotiation table. In a Slate Plus Extra, Rosenbaum tells us how the time she spent working on Capitol Hill earlier in her life led to her work with the Obama administration today. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This season, we've been going to the White House trying to understand how the Presidential administration's employees operate and interact. To get a better sense of how the building itself operates, we spoke to Maju Varghese, Assistant to the President for Management and Administration. A former of member of the President's advance team, Varghese is now responsible for the literal management of the White House itself, looking after teams that handle everything from maintenance, to payroll, to the visitor's office. We chatted with him in his cavernous office on a day when President Obama was meeting with the Prime Minister of Singapore, an event that had the White House campus abuzz. Even as he helped manage that energy, Varghese was still working to ensure that everything else functioned smoothly. He told us about how he makes sure that everyone's talking to one another and discussed how the White House has changed in his time there. . In a Slate Plus Extra, Varghese describes how he ended up in his current role, going from working on the Gore campaign in 2000, to earning a law degree, to joining the President's advance team. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we took a step back from the administration itself to talk to the Washington Post's White House Bureau Chief, Juliet Eilperin. A former environmental reporter for the Post, Eilperin made the jump to her current beat back in 2013, and she's been covering the Obama administration ever since. She talked to us about everything from the challenges of covering a story in an environment where security is the rule, to the strangeness of having the President mispronounce your name when he calls on you during a press conference. We also chatted with her about what she tries to capture in her articles and about some of the stories she's proudest of. In a Slate Plus Extra, Eilperin, who wrote an entire book about sharks, tells us some of her favorite details of those ancient predators of the deep. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This season on Working, we’re going to the White House. Head Speechwriter Cody Keenan writes and edits the President's speeches. He takes us through his career starting as a speechwriting intern in 2008 and how a speech goes from the blank page to the teleprompter. In a Slate Plus Extra, Keenan tells us about some of the lighter speeches he's written over the years, including one he gave himself. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This season on Working, we’re going to the White House. Director of Scheduling Gregory Lorjuste is responsible for figuring out what the President will do from one minute to the next while he's on the road. In a Slate Plus Extra tells us about scheduling the inauguration in 2009. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.If you're looking for more about how Greg made his way from the difficult neighborhoods of his youth to his job at the White House, this article from BET tells the story in detail. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This season on Working, we’re going to the White House. Because the jobs of the people who work there are sometimes unpredictable, we weren’t able to bring you an episode this week. But we’ll be back next week with another conversation. In the meantime, be sure to check out our first two episodes of Working at the White House. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This season on Working, we’re going to the White House. For our second episode, we spoke to Paulette Aniskoff, director of the White House Office of Public Engagement. Aniskoff has been working with the president since 2007, and she brings many of the strategies developed on the campaign trail to the administration’s outreach to the American citizenry. She explored question large and small, including a bit about how the White House coordinates its approach to issues via sequences of morning meetings. Even in our digital age, much of the administration’s internal communication still happens through face-to- face conversations, Aniskoff suggests. That extends to the way she and her office work with constituents: She told us about the effort they put into bringing real people into the White House to talk with the president, going into the ways that they diagram seating charts for meetings in the Roosevelt Room.In a Slate Plus extra, Aniskoff goes into detail about how her job has changed since the early days of the campaign and tells us how she maintains balance in her current life as a new mother. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There's no workplace that looms larger in Washington, D.C. than the White House. Hundreds of employees work within its walls, but most of us don't know much about what really goes on there. In a special season of Working, we're peeking behind that curtain talking to some of those who make their way through the White House's gates each morning.For our first episode, we're talking to Fiona Reeves, the Director of Presidential Correspondence. Every day Reeves and her staff sort through thousands of letters and emails that the President receives from his constituents. She ultimately selects ten for him to read each night. She talked to us about some of the most memorable letters she's examined, from the sad, to the funny, to the hopeful. And in a Slate Plus extra, Reeves tells us how social media and email have informed the art of letter writing. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.Email: [email protected]: @Jacob_Brogan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We spoke to Faith Smith who orchestrates all of Slate's live events. She puts together live tapings of podcast episodes, and has also organized conferences, panel discussions, happy hours, and much more. She offered us a literal backstage look at the way that those events come together, starting with the way that she gathers participants and finds a venue. She also talked to us about preparing for the events themselves and led us through her day-of efforts. Finally, she laid out some of her pet peeves for events gone wrong.And in a Slate Plus extra, Faith tells us of her early efforts for an upcoming event, Slate's 20th birthday celebration. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.Email: [email protected]: @Jacob_BroganWorking is supported by Tictail, a social shopping marketplace. Visit tictail.com/working to create your profile and see a selection of our favorite products. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Meet the Chief Scientist of NASA, Dr. Ellen Stofan. By training, Dr. Stofan is a planetary geologist who has studied volcanoes both here on Earth, and elsewhere in the solar system. In her current role, she helps coordinate scientific projects of all kinds, which means she has to keep up with a dizzying array of recent research topics. She also discussed how she helps communicate NASA's work to students and the public at large, before addressing that big question: Are we alone? And in a Slate Plus extra, Dr. Stofan tells us why she'd like to visit Titan, a moon of Saturn that is much like Earth in certain ways and profoundly alien in others. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.Email: [email protected]: @Jacob_BroganWorking is supported by Carbonite, protecting digital files with automatic cloud backup. You can try it free without at carbonite.com and use offer code "WORKING" for two free bonus months when you decide to buy. And by Tictail, a social shopping marketplace. Visit tictail.com/working to create your profile and see a selection of our favorite products. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ever find yourself at a museum wondering about who chose the artifacts and wrote the captions? We spoke with Mary Elliott, a museum specialist at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture. Along with her colleague Nancy Bercaw, Elliott has worked years on a massive exhibit that explores the global history of slavery and the makings of America.And in a Slate Plus extra, Mary Elliott tells us more about the family history research that began her career. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.Email: [email protected]: @Jacob_BroganWorking is supported by Carbonite, protecting digital files with automatic cloud backup. You can try it free without at carbonite.com and use offer code "WORKING" for two free bonus months when you decide to buy. And by Tictail, a social shopping marketplace. Visit tictail.com/working to create your profile and see a selection of our favorite products. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Visit Second Story Books in Washington, D.C. and meet book buyer and seller Topher Lundell. He told us about how they acquire the thousands of books that line the store's shelves and discussed how the internet change his brick and mortar business model. And in a Slate Plus extra, Topher tells us about some of the gloriously weird pulp Sci Fi novels that he posts to his Instagram @topherlundell. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus. Email: [email protected]: @Jacob_Brogan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jason Mogavero is a dog walker based in Washington, D.C. who looks after a dozen or more pups every day. He went in deep with us on the particulars of his job, from the way he gets to know new clients—human and animal alike—to the way he arranges his schedule. Along the way, he covered a lot of other ground, discussing the contents of his fanny pack, how he keeps bones out of the dogs’ mouths, and much more. And in a Slate Plus extra, Moagavero tells us about his nemesis, a unicycling dog walker who sounds an awful lot like a Portlandia joke come to life. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.