For this week’s episode of Working Overtime, hosts Karen Han and June Thomas consider sculptor Claes Oldenburg’s ideas on reigniting the creative fire. From taking a walk to revisiting old notes, to perusing a friend's work, they’ve both found various ways to shake loose new ideas. Do you have a question about creative work, are you trying to clear away your own creative cobwebs? Call us and leave a message at (304) 933-9675 or email us at working@slate.com.  Podcast production by Kevin Bendis and Cameron Drews. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, host June Thomas talks to poet Chip Livingston, who recently compiled a collection of letters titled, Love, Loosha: The Letters of Lucia Berlin and Kenward Elmslie. It documents the friendship between the writer Lucia Berlin, who is now well-regarded for her short stories but was underappreciated during her lifetime, and the poet and librettist Kenward Elmslie. In the interview, Chip shares how he put the collection together and talks about his personal relationships with both Berlin and Elmslie. He also explains how the book can serve as a useful depiction of what it’s like to live as an artist.  After the interview, June and co-host Isaac Butler talk more about what we can learn from the letters of great writers. They also discuss overly confessional writing and how to determine the audience for your work. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Chip talks about how his love of poetry blossomed in part thanks to his friendship with Kenward Elmslie. Do you have a question about creative work? Call us and leave a message at (304) 933-9675 or email us at working@slate.com. 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

This week, host Isaac Butler talks to Ali Slagle, a recipe developer for the New York Times cooking section and author of the book I Dream of Dinner (so You Don't Have To). In the interview, Ali shares where her ideas for recipes come from and her trial-and-error process for getting them just right. She also talks about her commitment to convenience and explains what it was like to develop recipes for her book that require only a handful of ingredients and take 45 minutes or less to prepare. After the interview, Isaac and co-host Karen Han talk more about recipe development and discuss what it’s like to have too many options in front of you when you’re working on a creative project. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Ali offers a glimpse into the world of food styling. Do you have a question about creative work? Call us and leave a message at (304) 933-9675 or email us at working@slate.com.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

For this week’s episode of Working Overtime, hosts Karen Han and June Thomas strategize about how to avoid feeling guilty about insufficient productivity. Both have spent hours in front of a screen without getting words on paper, but the answer isn’t to punish yourself. Breaking down goals or taking a break will help you feel better .Do you have a question about creative work, or are you struggling to meet your own impossible goals? Call us and leave a message at (304) 933-9675 or email us at working@slate.com.  Podcast production by Kevin Bendis and Cameron Drews. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s episode of Working, host Karen Han speaks with Marc Petrosino and Michael Latini, the founders of cutting-edge puppets and props studio Monkey Boys Productions. Marc and Michael have been crafting creatures and costumes for more than 16 years, and their work includes making dancing meatballs for Saturday Night Live and various iterations of Audrey 2 from Little Shop of Horrors. They recount the stresses of meeting deadlines, constructing intricate puppets, and the art of collaboration.After the interview, Karen speaks with co-host June Thomas about the mysteries of puppeteering and their experiences of collaborating on creative work with a partner.Do you have a question about creative work? Call us and leave a message at (304) 933-9675 or email us at working@slate.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, all three hosts appear on the show to discuss their New Year's Resolutions for 2023. They also revisit their resolutions from last year and reveal how well they stuck to them.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

For this week’s episode of Working Overtime, hosts Isaac Butler and June Thomas explore some painful memories of failing. Isaac recounts the nightmare of directing a play where almost everything went wrong, and June shares the struggles of trying to sell a first book. Through the hardships they both developed thicker skin, but also new tools for developing their creative careers.Do you have a question about creative work, or a seemingly insurmountable hurdle to jump? Call us and leave a message at (304) 933-9675 or email us at working@slate.com.  Podcast production by Kevin Bendis and Cameron Drews. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we revisit two of our favorite interviews from 2022. In the first one, Isaac Butler discusses his book The Method: How the 20th Century Learned to Act. After that, Karen Han reveals the process behind her book Bong Joon Ho: Dissident Cinema.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

This week, host June Thomas talks to author and repeat Working guest Taffy Brodesser-Akner, who recently adapted her novel Fleishman is in Trouble into a limited series for Hulu. In the interview, Taffy describes the biggest challenges she faced as both a showrunner and writer. She also explains what it was like to take a very personal project and turn it into a collaborative one, with creative input from actors, directors, and tons of other creative people. After the interview, June and co-host Isaac Butler discuss the faulty metric of character likeability in both fiction and nonfiction. They also chat about creative collaboration and tough career decisions. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Taffy tells a story about her upcoming novel, Long Island Compromise. 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.__Sponsored by Saks.com. Check out the Holiday Gift Guide on saks.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For this week’s episode of Working Overtime, host June Thomas and co-host Isaac Butler speak to Slate contributor and author of Praying with Jane Eyre, Vanessa Zoltan, about jumping into the month-long writing exercise called NaNoWriMo. NaNoWriMo or National Novel Writing Month, is when a writer commits to writing a 50,000 word novel in the span of the month of November. As Vanessa explains, this can be an exercise in creative freedom that does away with the typical structure and hang-ups that come with producing “good writing.”Do you have a question about creative work? Call us and leave a message at (304) 933-9675 or email us at working@slate.com.  Podcast production by Kevin Bendis and Cameron Drews. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices