On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… popping the question.By The Knot’s estimates, we’re officially entering peak wedding season. And we know there are many, many controversial opinions we could tackle about weddings, but let’s start with that thing that precedes most weddings: the engagement ring. The ring – especially a diamond one – is an institution that feels like a foregone conclusion for couples taking the next step in their relationship. But does it need to be? Belinda Luscombe, author of Marriageoloy and editor-at-large at TIME Magazine, joins us to argue for the end of the engagement ring. If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can email the show: hearmeout@slate.comPodcast production by Maura CurrieYou can skip all the ads in Hear Me Out by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/hearmeoutplus for just $15 a month for your first three months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Niky just isn’t jibing with Spanish. She’s tried courses, podcasts, apps, and even private tutors in order to make a connection with Spanish speakers around Toronto, at her job, and while traveling. But years into her language-learning journey, she’s not even close to being fluent. On this episode of How To!, Carvell Wallace introduces Niky to Luca Lampariello. A speaker of 14 languages, Luca is a teacher and the founder of the Smart Language Learning Academy. He offers up tons of insight into why we learn the way we do, making what we learn actually stick, and how to have fun along the way.If you liked this episode, check out: How To Remember EverythingDo you have a question we can help you solve? Send us a note at howto@slate.com or leave us a voicemail at 646-495-4001. We might invite you on the show! Subscribe for free on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen.Podcast production by Derek John, Joel Meyer, Rosemary Belson, Kevin Bendis, and Jabari Butler.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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marian Macgowan, executive producer of The Great, speaks about the different types of executive producers and her experience on the show. The hosts discuss providing feedback to collaborators and the importance of clear communication in ending relationships. They also touch on the debate of praise vs criticism in feedback and offer tips for navigating the period between projects.

In this episode, Gene Demby (co-host of NPR's Code Switch) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about crushes that are complicated by power dynamics, family secrets about racial identity, and whether loud talking is a cultural issue that could end a relationship.If you want more Dear Prudence, 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, with help from Maura Currie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s episode of The Waves, it’s rush time! Host Kat Chow is diving deep into the #BamaRush phenomenon that has taken over the internet recently. She’s joined by professor and New York Times columnist Tressie McMillan Cottom to talk about her recent article, “In Alabama, White Tide Rushes On” They dig into the very specific “type” of college student that joins the Alabama sorority, the race and gender implications of the Greek “Machine” and the cuteness of it all. Fighter Reading:Our Aesthetic Categories: Zany, Cute, Interesting by Sianne NgaiHBO documentary Bama Rush (2023) directed by Rachel FleitIn Slate Plus: Unpacking Tressie’s piece The Enduring, Invisible Power of Blond, and all the internet chaos it caused.If you liked this episode, check out: How Drake Betrayed Megan Thee Stallion  Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.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/thewavesplus to help support our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… supreme hubris.The Supreme Court is currently unpopular to a historic degree. That popularity is, of course, contingent on political opinion – and whether the court has bucked it recently. But most people agree that something’s wrong with the Supreme Court as an institution.And, according to Aaron Tang, it’s not partisanship… even though that’s a popular scapegoat. It’s overconfidence and egos running wild.Professor and author Aaron Tang joins us to discuss what’s wrong with SCOTUS, and how we might start to fix it.If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can email the show: hearmeout@slate.comPodcast production by Maura CurrieYou can skip all the ads in Hear Me Out by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/hearmeoutplus for just $15 a month for your first three months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Katie was ready to graduate from college when the pandemic interrupted everything. Unceremoniously cut-off from her group of friends, she’s now in a new chapter of her life but struggling more than ever to find her people. Katie’s friendships at work feel surface-level and she’s anxious about opening up too much for fear of rejection. On this episode of How To!, host Carvell Wallace brings in friendship coach Danielle Bayard Jackson. Don’t worry about finding your next BFF, Jackson says. Instead if we focus on making deeper, more lasting human connections with those around us, genuine friendships will naturally occur.If you liked this episode, check out: How To Make Friends as an AdultDo you have a question we can help you solve? Send us a note at howto@slate.com or leave us a voicemail at 646-495-4001 and we might have you on the show. Subscribe for free on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen.Podcast production by Derek John, Rosemary Belson, Kevin Bendis, and Jabari Butler.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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, guest-host Nate Chinen talks to Kalia Vandever, a trombonist and bandleader who recently performed alongside Harry Styles in the U.S. and Europe during his “Love on Tour” tour. In the interview, Kalia explains how she got used to performing in front of gigantic, loud, high-energy crowds. She also shares how her experience touring with Harry has informed her solo work. After the interview, Nate and co-host June Thomas talk about the challenges and learning opportunities that come from moving to a larger stage–literally or figuratively.In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Kalia discusses some of her favorite horn sections in popular music.  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 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 Working. Sign up now at slate.com/workingplus to help support our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Dr. Orna Guralnik (host of Showtime's Couples Therapy) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about what to do when a friend is obsessed with misogynistic love and relationship podcasts, when your husband just can’t figure out birthday gifts, and when you’re wondering “Does therapy just not work for me?”If you want more Dear Prudence, 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, with help from Maura Currie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode: Award-winning journalist Dashka Slater joins to talk about her new book, Accountable: The True Story of a Racist Social Media Account and the Teenagers Whose Lives It Changed. It’s a story of a teen sharing extremely racist memes and photos of classmates on a private instagram and what happened when the account was discovered. It led to even more hurt, protests, botched mediation, and a community-wide conversation about justice and what it means to be complicit. Besides the interview, hosts Jamilah Lemieux, Elizabeth Newcamp, and Zak Rosen share their parenting ups and downs of the week—including a late night before the first day of kindergarten and big-kid summer camp. Then, on Slate Plus: we share lots of listener letters ranging from two player games to suggestions for handling the great bathroom conundrum of 2023. Join us on Facebook and email us at momanddad@slate.com to ask us new questions, tell us what you thought of today’s show, and give us ideas about what we should talk about in future episodes. You can also call our phone line: (646) 357-9318. 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 Mom and Dad are Fighting. Sign up now at slate.com/momanddadplus to help support our work.Podcast produced by Rosemary Belson and Maura Currie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices