Dan and Eric talk about Evan Osnos's long take on the protests in Hong Kong; Nick Paumgarten's piece on vaccines and anti-vaxxers; Kate Walbert's moving short story, "To Do"; and Dan Chiasson on the history and future of reading.

Dan and Eric discuss the nature of criticism this issue as well as where the New Yorker tends to situate itself in today's cultural climate.  They start out talking about Jane Meyer's detailed investigation into the allegations against Al Franken.  Dan and Eric move on to talk about Jill Lepore's incisive and expansive essay on Herman Melville, his life and legacy.  They end this episode with a discussion of Hilton Als' criticism of Hannah Gadsby's new performance, "Douglas."  So much to talk...

Dan and Eric talk about Dan's recent surgery, from which he's still recovering; Sarah Larson's Talk piece on Lynn Shelton, Marc Maron, and a current exhibit at the Met; Dana Goodyear's insightful piece about presidential candidate, Kamala Harris; an excellent story by Hanif Kureishi; and an online story by Alex Kotlowitz about the beauty of the Boundary Waters (between Minnesota and Canada) and how they are imperiled.  

Eric talks to fiction writer and New Yorker contributor Mary Gaitskill about getting started as a writer; publishing Bad Behavior; Philip Roth and Richard Yates; her perceptions of Eric when he studied with her at the Syracuse University MFA program; redemption in "Secretary" and "Romantic Weekend"; her parents' opinions of her work; writing as a spiritual practice; and so much more.

Rebecca Curtis's short stories are often told by narrators who are unafraid to tell you exactly what they think--this is just one element of what's so great about her work.  Curtis has published five short stories in the New Yorker (plus a lot more elsewhere) and her work certainly breaks the mold of the "New Yorker" short story.  Her tales are bold, outrageous, and beautifully dark, almost gothic.  In this episode, Eric and Rebecca discuss Rebecca's long career publishing in the magazine and...

In this exciting episode, Dan and Eric talk about: their yin and yang; Margaret Talbot on the spinelessness of Trump appointees and Jeffrey Toobin on the effectiveness of Trump's Roy Cohn-inspired approach to governing; Vinson Cunningham and his journey in getting to know comedian and actor Tracy Morgan; Lauren Goff's hard-edged new story, "Brawler"; an old Roger Angell piece about New Yorker fiction; and John Cassidy's series of insightful pieces about Donald Trump and the New York Times'...

Dan and Eric talk about how tired they tend to get every April; Toobin's reporting on William Barr (is he just doing Trump's bidding?  All signs point to yes.); Jonathan Dee's excellent review of a Nelson Algren biography; Pat Barker and her harrowing yet witty short story; the Isaac Chotiner/Bret Easton Ellis interview that went viral; and Hilton Als' very critical review of Sam Gold's production of King Lear.