Exploring Hurricane Katrina's legacy 15 years later, comparing federal responses to Katrina and Covid-19. Can New Orleans truly recover? Creating one of the best-sounding podcasts of the year. Unveiling the scoring process of Floodlines with Christian Scott, balancing storm anticipation with musical lightness.

What makes a story…scary? You can cut this question a few different ways: through story structure, through sound design, through narrative mechanisms. In this week’s episode, Nick talks to Jeffrey Cranor, the co-creator of Welcome to Night Vale and co-writer of Within the Wires, about the ins and outs of building a scary, spooky, or creepy podcast experience. The episode also features notes from some great spooky pod creators — Unwell, Mabel, Here Be Monsters, Archive 81 — talking about the various ways they think about the nature of scary. Random Number Generator Horror Podcast No. 9 Servant of Pod sponsors include: Get a ONE HUNDRED DOLLAR advertising credit toward your first LinkedIn campaign. Visit LinkedIn.com/SERVANT Learn more about podcast attribution at podsights.com Visit my exclusive link ExpressVPN.com/SERVANT and you can get an extra 3 months FREE on a one-year package. Raycon - get 15-percent off your order at buyraycon.com/servant

The latest season of Lost Notes, KCRW’s anthology podcast unearthing great stories from the music world that are generally lost to time, is distinct in two ways: first, all of its narratives are pulled from the relatively unlikely year of 1980, and second, it’s curated and hosted by the poet, essayist, and critic Hanif Abdurraqib. The end result is utterly gorgeous. In this week’s episode, Nick talks to Abdurraqib about focusing on 1980, the nature of legacy and fandom, and how to love things critically. SIXTYEIGHT2OHFIVE Servant of Pod sponsors include: Get a ONE HUNDRED DOLLAR advertising credit toward your first LinkedIn campaign. Visit LinkedIn.com/SERVANT Learn more about podcast attribution at podsights.com Visit my exclusive link ExpressVPN.com/SERVANT and you can get an extra 3 months FREE on a one-year package. Raycon - get 15-percent off your order at buyraycon.com/servant

Kara Swisher is a journalism powerhouse known for cutting through the nonsense talking points and asking the tough questions to some of the most powerful people on the planet. She’s been doing this for nearly 30 years, and after launching two successful podcasts – Recode Decode and Pivot with Scott Galloway – she’s taking on her third: Sway with New York Times Opinion. In this week’s episode, Nick talks to Swisher about her new show’s focus – who has power and how they use it – the surprising place she found inspiration for seeking the truth, and her ultimate dream podcast guest. Servant of Pod sponsors include: Get a ONE HUNDRED DOLLAR advertising credit toward your first LinkedIn campaign. Visit LinkedIn.com/SERVANT Learn more about podcast attribution at podsights.com Visit my exclusive link ExpressVPN.com/SERVANT and you can get an extra 3 months FREE on a one-year package. Raycon - get 15-percent off your order at buyraycon.com/servant

Roman Mars discusses the origins of 99% Invisible, making the show for a decade, and the legacy of the podcast. They also talk about the 99% Invisible book, The 99% Invisible City, coming out this month.

Nick offers a pair of podcast picks this week. You’re Wrong About and The Ringer’s The Cam Chronicles. Servant of Pod sponsors include: Learn more about podcast attribution at podsights.com UCLA Extension Fall Quarter starts September 28. Enroll now at https://www.uclaextension.edu/

In these really rough times — and things sure do seem to get rougher by the day — it’s important to take care of yourself. However, the concept of “self-care” has become an increasingly complicated one in recent years, as it’s drifted further into the territory of rampant consumerism and corporate branding. Sometimes, what's needed is a really good guide that helps you find the right balance with retail therapy; to engage with it in a way that actually feels good to you. Forever35 happens to be one of those really good guides. Created in 2018 by the writers Doree Shafrir and Kate Spencer, the podcast quickly grew a strong following for its comfy, thoughtful approach to self-care. This week, Nick talks to the Forever35 hosts about starting the show, watching its community grow, and what's bringing them peace right now. Servant of Pod sponsors include: Raycon - get 15-percent off your order at buyraycon.com/servant Learn more about podcast attribution at podsights.com  Visit my exclusive link ExpressVPN.com/SERVANT and you can get an extra 3 months FREE on a one-year package. UCLA Extension Fall Quarter starts September 28. Enroll now at https://www.uclaextension.edu/

Gretchen Rubin’s been keeping it positive, despite the circumstances. Then again, that’s probably what you’d expect from one of the most prominent voices on the subject of happiness. Rubin is the best-selling author behind books like “The Happiness Project” and “The Four Tendencies,” and she has the distinction of being one of the earliest author-to-podcaster crossovers in the business with her podcast, Happier with Gretchen Rubin, launching back in 2015. Nick talks to Rubin about her interest in the subject of happiness and human nature, her podcasting work and the concept of “self-help” as a genre. Servant of Pod sponsors include: Raycon - get 15-percent off your order at buyraycon.com/servant Learn more about podcast attribution at podsights.com  Visit my exclusive link ExpressVPN.com/SERVANT and you can get an extra 3 months FREE on a one-year package. UCLA Extension Fall Quarter starts September 28. Enroll now at https://www.uclaextension.edu/

Chenjerai Kumanyika is a man of many roles: academic, artist, organizer, journalist. He’s also a maker of podcasts, most notable for his work as the co-host of the Peabody award-winning Uncivil along with two acclaimed seasons of Scene on Radio, “Seeing White” and “The Land That Has Never Been Yet.” All three projects are united by a radical sensibility: to fundamentally rethink a core aspect of American society. This week, Nick talks to Chenjerai about how — and why — he has come to integrate podcasting as part of his larger intellectual output. Servant of Pod sponsors include: Raycon - get 15-percent off your order at buyraycon.com/servant Learn more about podcast attribution at podsights.com  Visit my exclusive link ExpressVPN.com/SERVANT and you can get an extra 3 months FREE on a one-year package. UCLA Extension Fall Quarter starts September 28. Enroll now at https://www.uclaextension.edu/

Paul Bae is one of the more prominent creators of fiction podcasts. Since 2015, he co-created The Black Tapes (with Terry Miles), created the anthology series The Big Loop, directed a podcast project from Marvel, and has two shows in development for Spotify. Paul is also part of a growing cadre of podcast creators that’s finding work in Hollywood, with a few television opportunities bubbling up on the horizon. A lot is happening for him, and he’s come a long way to get to this point. This week, Nick talks to Paul — a former actor, stand-up comedian, and preacher — about how he made his way into podcasting… and back into the entertainment business. Servant of Pod sponsors include: Raycon - get 15-percent off your order at buyraycon.com/servant Visit my exclusive link ExpressVPN.com/SERVANT and you can get an extra 3 months FREE on a one-year package. Learn more about podcast attribution at podsights.com UCLA Extension Fall Quarter starts September 28. Enroll now at https://www.uclaextension.edu/