In this special episode of the Read it Forward podcast, we invite you to listen to a live-stream of the Pop Culture Powerhouses Panel. This recent event brings together four preeminent voices in cultural journalism as they celebrate their hotly anticipated summer books and discuss the ways in which pop culture — everything from binge-worthy TV to ubiquitous celebrities to the rise of athleisure — influences how we behave as a society.

The women discuss their journalistic career paths, what it’s like to see their writing go viral, the joy and pressure of having readers anticipating their take on any subject, how writing a book compares to their day jobs, and of course, what cultural touchstones we should be paying attention to right now, all moderated by Read it Forward editor, Abbe Wright.

Taffy Brodesser-Akner is a staff writer for The New York Times Magazine known for her incisive, must-read features and celebrity profiles. Her book, Fleishman is in Trouble, is a finely observed, timely exploration of marriage, divorce, and the bewildering dynamics of ambition.

Linda Holmes is the beloved host of NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast. Her first novel, Evvie Drake Starts Over, is a charming and heartfelt story about the unlikely relationship between a young woman who’s lost her husband and a major league pitcher who’s lost his game.

Emily Nussbaum is The New Yorker’s fiercely original, Pulitzer-Prize winning culture critic. Her book, I Like to Watch, is a provocative collection of essays that argues for a new way of looking at TV.

Jia Tolentino is a breakout writer at The New Yorker. Her book, Trick Mirror, is a collection of original essays that examines the fractures at the center of contemporary culture.