On this week’s show, Dan Kois (author of Vintage Contemporaries and the upcoming Hampton Heights) and Laura Miller (Slate’s books and culture columnist and author of The Magician’s Book) fill in for Julia and Dana. The panel is first joined by Carl Wilson, Slate’s music critic and the author of Let’s Talk About Love, to parse through I Am: Celine Dion, a new documentary on Prime Video. Directed by Oscar-nominated director Irene Taylor, I Am: Celine Dion chronicles the French Canadian singer’s private battle with Stiff Person Syndrome, an illness that has stripped away Dion’s ability to sing – and with it, her identity. Then, the three explore A Family Affair, Netflix’s wish fulfillment rom-com for middle-aged women starring Zac Efron, Joey King, and Nicole Kidman (plus a whole lot of Plasticine.) Finally, they dive into the world of aesthetics, inspired by Erin Schwartz’s essay for The Cut, “In Defense of Calling Everything an Aesthetic.”

In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel looks into “The Vexing Problem of the ‘Medium Friend’” by Lisa Miller for The New York Times.

Email us at culturefest@slate.com.

Endorsements:

Dan: All Fours by Miranda July.

Laura: The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley.

Stephen: “Art and Memory” by Julian Barnes for London Review of Books.

Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong.

Hosts

Stephen Metcalf, Dan Kois, Laura Miller

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Culture Gabfest: Celine Dion's Heart Goes On