Welcome, new subscribers, and welcome back, loyal readers! I’m happy you’re here.Today’s issue is dedicated to an interview with Jonathan Escoffery, the author of “In Flux,” March’s article of the month.First published in Passages North, “In Fl

#427: “It’s the inequality of higher education that makes me mad.”

Jan 18th, 2024 30m 48s

Welcome, new subscribers, and welcome back, loyal readers! I’m happy you’re here.Today’s issue is dedicated to an interview with Paul Tough, the author of “Saying No to College,” January’s article of the month.Published in The New York Times Ma

Reflection and gratitude

Dec 29th, 2023 22m 14s

Dear Loyal Readers,Hope you’re having a relaxing (and reading-heavy) end of the year.I’ll be back next Thursday to reveal our January article of the month. It’s going to be a good one, and I urge you to join our discussion.Until then, I welcome

#420: “You find out about your life in bits and pieces.”

Nov 16th, 2023 25m 19s

Welcome, new subscribers, and welcome back, loyal readers! I’m happy you’re here.⭐️ Before we get started: If you live near Oakland, join me and fellow Article Clubbers at an in-person gathering on Thursday, Nov. 30, at Room 389, beginning at 5

#415: “How do you take in the harm that you‘ve caused?”

Oct 12th, 2023 24m 48s

Welcome, new subscribers, and welcome back, loyal readers! I’m happy you’re here.Today’s issue is dedicated to an interview with Dashka Slater, the author of “The Instagram Account that Shattered a California High School,” October’s article of

#411: “The World Belongs to the Young”

Sep 14th, 2023 18m 41s

Welcome, new subscribers, and welcome back, loyal readers! I’m happy you’re here.Today’s issue is dedicated to an interview with Daniel Duane, the author of “A Tale of Paradise, Parking Lots, and My Mother's Berkeley Backyard,” September’s arti

#407: “I Don‘t Find Despair Useful”

Aug 17th, 2023 22m 58s

Welcome, new subscribers, and welcome back, loyal readers! I’m happy you’re here.Today’s issue is dedicated to an interview with Matthew Desmond, the author of “Why Poverty Persists in America,” August’s article of the month.Originally publishe

Deeper Reading

Jul 8th, 2023 6m 5s

Dear VIPs,Thank you for being paid subscribers and for supporting me and Article Club.This weekend, I have for you an audio letter, where I share some of my thoughts on deeper reading — and whether it’s possible to read deeply with so many onli

#398: An interview with Sarah Zhang, author of “How Much Would You Pay to Save Your Cat’s Life?”

Jun 15th, 2023 24m 3s

Dear Loyal Readers,Thank you for being here! I have three things for you this week, so let’s get right to it.1️⃣ Article ClubThis month we’ve been focusing on “How Much Would You Pay to Save Your Cat’s Life?” by Sarah Zhang. Originally publishe

#393: An interview with Emily Bazelon, author of “Why is Affirmative Action in Peril?”

May 11th, 2023 24m 50s

Dear Loyal Readers,Thank you for being here! I have four things for you this week, so let’s get right to it.1️⃣ Article ClubThis month we’ve been focusing on “Why is Affirmative Action in Peril?” by Emily Bazelon. It’s a piece I highly recommen

#391: It’s almost May! This month, let’s read and discuss “Why Is Affirmative Action In Peril?”

Apr 27th, 2023 26m 12s

Happy Thursday and happy almost-May, loyal readers. I’m very happy to announce that this upcoming month, we’ll be reading and discussing “Why Is Affirmative Action In Peril?” by Emily Bazelon. You may know that the Supreme Court will be ruling

An interview with Article Clubber Melinda on “The Sunset,” this month’s selection

Apr 17th, 2023 20m 53s

Dear Loyal Readers,I’m coming to you on a Monday with a bonus episode of the podcast. This is because many of you said “we want more!” after listening to a conversation I had with fellow Article Clubber Melinda last month.So I asked Melinda, “W

#389: An interview with Lisa Bubert, author of “The Sunset”

Apr 13th, 2023 29m 11s

This month at Article Club, we’ve been focusing on “The Sunset,” by Lisa Bubert. If you haven’t read the article yet, I highly encourage you to do so. In the essay, Ms. Bubert discusses her experience working in a nursing home when she was a co

#381: An interview with Naomi Gordon-Loebl, author of “Saying Goodbye to My Chest”

Feb 16th, 2023 24m 26s

Happy Thursday, loyal readers. Great to see so many new subscribers here this week. Welcome to our kind and thoughtful reading community. Hope you like it here.This month at Article Club, we’ve been focusing on “Saying Goodbye to my Chest,” by

#377: An interview with E. Alex Jung, author of “The Spectacular Life of Octavia Butler”

Jan 19th, 2023 26m 2s

Happy Thursday, loyal readers. This month at Article Club, we’ve been focusing on “The Spectacular Life of Octavia Butler,” by the talented writer E. Alex Jung.If you haven’t read the article yet, I urge you to do so. It’s excellent. Even if yo

#369: An interview with Eli Saslow, author of “An American Education”

Nov 10th, 2022 30m 48s

Happy Thursday, loyal readers. This month at Article Club, we’ve been focusing on “An American Education,” by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Eli Saslow.If you haven’t read the article yet, I highly encourage you to do so. It’s outstanding. I

#365: An interview with Mitchell S. Jackson, author of “Looking for Clarence Thomas”

Oct 13th, 2022 28m 46s

I never forget how lucky I am to be doing Article Club. Not only have I met so many of you, and built a thoughtful reading community together, but I’ve also had the opportunity to interview the most talented authors out there.Like, the most tal

#361: “How much was magic? How much was plunder?”

Sep 15th, 2022 30m 46s

This month at Article Club, we’ve been diving into “A Kingdom From Dust,” by Mark Arax — a big, bold, outstanding piece about the magic and plunder of California. I’ve been hearing from many of you about how much you are appreciating the articl

#357: Interview with Josh Dzieza, author of “Revolt of the Delivery Workers”

Aug 18th, 2022 27m 6s

This month, we’re gathering online on Aug. 28, 2:00 - 3:30 pm PT, to talk about “Revolt of the Delivery Workers,” by Josh Dzieza. I got a chance to interview Mr. Dzieza a couple weeks ago, and he thoughtfully shared how he reported the story an

Interview: Joshua Prager, author of “The Roe Baby”

Jun 21st, 2022 34m 7s

Hi there, Article Clubbers! This month, we’re reading, annotating, and discussing “The Roe Baby,” by Joshua Prager. I’m pleased that so many of you have signed up to discuss the article on Sunday, June 26. I am looking forward to it!A few weeks

Interview: Kim McLarin, author of ”On White Violence, Black Survival, and Learning to Shoot”

Mar 20th, 2022 28m 10s

Hi there, Article Clubbers! This month, we’re reading, annotating, and discussing “On White Violence, Black Survival, and Learning to Shoot,” by Kim McLarin. It’s powerful and beautifully written. I’m pleased that so many of you have signed up

Interview: Kathryn Schulz, author of “When Things Go Missing”

Feb 14th, 2022 27m 54s

Hi there, Article Clubbers! This month, we’re reading, annotating, and discussing “When Things Go Missing,” by Kathryn Schulz. It’s one of my favorite pieces of the past five years. I’m pleased that so many of you have signed up to discuss the

Let’s annotate: “When Things Go Missing,” by Kathryn Schulz

Feb 6th, 2022 5m 34s

This month at Article Club, we’re reading “When Things Go Missing,” by Kathryn Schulz. Big thanks to Carina, Jamie, Kira, Lauri, Toronzo, Shreya, Angela, Corinne, Peter, and Sara for already signing up for our February 27 discussion.If you’re i

It’s February! Let’s read and discuss “When Things Go Missing,” by Kathryn Schulz

Feb 3rd, 2022 2m 9s

Hi Article Clubbers! Welcome to February.Before revealing this month’s article, I would like to express my gratitude to Sara, Abde, Jennifer, Bonnie, Elise, Marcus, Summer, Toronzo, and Peter for our discussion last Sunday of “Good Mother.” Spe

Interview: Sierra Crane Murdoch, author of “Good Mother”

Jan 25th, 2022 40m 24s

Hi there, Article Clubbers! This month, we’re reading, annotating, and discussing “Good Mother: Custody and Care in the Shodow of Colonization,” by Sierra Crane Murdoch.A few weeks ago, Sarai and I got the chance to interview Ms. Murdoch. It wa