Working
Hosts Isaac Butler, Ronald Young Jr., and June Thomas interview creative people about how they write, compose, paint, and more.
Episodes
April 28, 2024 • 50 mins
This week, host Ronald Young Jr. talks to Anna Sale, host of the podcast Death, Sex & Money, which recently joined Slate after a brief hiatus. In the interview, Anna explains her process for conducting the powerful and vulnerable interviews that her podcast is known for. She also talks about her early career as a politics reporter, her tips for making sure interview subjects feel respected, and how a Death, Sex & Money episode is b...
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April 21, 2024 • 50 mins
This week, host Isaac Butler talks to novelist Julia Hannafin and ecologist Adam Rosenblatt. In the interview, they discuss Julia’s new novel Cascade, which includes information about sharks and other marine life that Adam helped to verify. Julia explains how factual accuracy helped to solidify and drive both the plot of Cascade and some of its emotional power. Adam talks about what the collaborative process was like for him and ar...
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April 18, 2024 • 21 mins
For this week’s episode of Working Overtime, hosts Ronald Young Jr. and Isaac Butler examine a listener’s question about tackling the stickiest aspects of collaborating on a creative project. Both hosts have had their fair share of nightmare scenarios, but they agree that some of the best practices for collaborating involve having frank conversations before a project begins.
Do you have questions or advice of your own about the c...
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April 14, 2024 • 49 mins
This week, host Isaac Butler talks to Anthony McGill, principal clarinetist for the New York Philharmonic. In the interview, Anthony describes his weekly routine, which includes practicing lots of different pieces at any given time, rehearsing, and playing multiple shows per week. He also talks about his meditation practice, his ability to play and be swept away by the music at the same time, and his Grammy-nominated album American...
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April 7, 2024 • 47 mins
This week, host Ronald Young Jr. talks to Linda Holmes, host of NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast and author of two novels: Evvie Drake Starts Over and Flying Solo. In the interview, Linda explains how she started her career practicing law in Minnesota before she pivoted to TV criticism. She also talks about how NPR came to take pop culture seriously, how her work as a critic informs her writing (and vice versa), and how she has...
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April 4, 2024 • 25 mins
For this week’s episode of Working Overtime, hosts Ronald Young Jr. and Isaac Butler take on listener Bob’s question about how to shift your brain from editor mode to creator mode. Creating new work can be invigorating, but then having to go back and self-edit your creations can zap your creative drive. Ronald and Isaac speak about their experiences with stepping away from work and exploring different kinds of art to reinspire them...
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March 31, 2024 • 46 mins
This week, guest-host Kristen Meinzer talks to Joshua Jay, a world-class magician, storyteller, and author of multiple books about the history and craft of magic. In the interview, Joshua explains how he’s able to conceive of, design, and execute original tricks. He also talks about the role of storytelling in his work, and he explains how certain narrative structures can make for better performances.
After the interview, Kristen...
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March 24, 2024 • 48 mins
This week, host June Thomas talks to Courtney Gilbert, curator of the Sun Valley Museum of Art in Ketchum, Idaho. In the interview, Courtney digs into the process of curating a “non-collecting” museum, which means they start from scratch with each exhibition, and they don’t keep a large inventory of pieces. She also explains how she comes up with ideas for exhibitions, what a good exhibition should do, and how she serves her specif...
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March 21, 2024 • 18 mins
For this week’s episode of Working Overtime, the hosts Ronald Young Jr. and June Thomas, take out their microscopes and examine what gives them purpose and where it comes from. For Ronald, finding creative independence led him to self-publish his own podcast, despite the financial risks, while June moved across the pond to write her book. With any creative pursuits it's important to know why we’re doing the thing we’re doing so we ...
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March 17, 2024 • 50 mins
This week, host Ronald Young Jr. talks to Bekah Brunstetter, a TV writer and playwright whose most recent project is the new Broadway musical version of The Notebook. In the interview, Bekah discusses her early career journey, when she was juggling a corporate job with her playwriting passion. She also talks about breaking into TV writing and working on the hit drama This is Us. And finally, she digs into her work on The Notebook a...
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March 10, 2024 • 52 mins
This week, host Isaac Butler talks to Howard Fine, an acting teacher and coach who instructs both beginners and accomplished movie stars. In the interview, Howard explains why he chose to teach and coach, instead of act. Then he discusses the common problems that his students and clients face, and he explains how actors can protect their mental health, even when they need to go to challenging emotional places.
After the intervie...
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March 7, 2024 • 18 mins
For this week’s episode of Working Overtime, the hosts Ronald Young Jr. and June Thomas talk money, finances, and getting paid as a freelancer in a tough economy. Filling out invoices the right way or sending a payment reminder email to an employer can turn into a sticky situation. Ronald and June recount their own frustrating experiences with not getting paid on time and how best to avoid them in the future.
Do you have question...
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March 3, 2024 • 49 mins
This week, host June Thomas talks to Anna Shechtman, a crossword puzzle creator whose new book is called The Riddles of the Sphinx: Inheriting the Feminist History of the Crossword Puzzle. In the interview, Anna talks about her experience writing crossword puzzles as a teenager and then going on to work with New York Times puzzle maker Will Shortz. She also discusses the subjectivity of “common knowledge” and recalls debates with S...
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February 25, 2024 • 44 mins
This week, host Ronald Young Jr. talks to chef and TV personality Carla Hall. In the interview, Carla talks about leaving her first career as an accountant to explore modeling and then cooking. Then she discusses her pivot to TV, her commitment to being herself on screen, and her latest project Chasing Flavor, which is now available to stream on Max.
After the interview, Ronald and co-host Isaac Butler talk about big career pivo...
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February 22, 2024 • 25 mins
For this week’s episode of Working Overtime, the hosts June Thomas and Isaac Butler dissect The Yang Slinger author Jeff Pearlman’s recent prickly advice to young professionals. Then, June and Isaac expound on their experiences of dishing out and seeking advice from others. They dig into the right and wrong ways to reach out to people in creative fields and share tips like having a sense of humility, always being specific, and neve...
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February 18, 2024 • 47 mins
This week, host Isaac Butler talks to writer Amitava Kumar, whose latest novel is My Beloved Life. In the interview, Amitava discusses his habit of writing every day—a habit he strongly recommends to his students at Vassar College. Then he shares the process behind his new novel and explains how he drew upon other novels for inspiration.
After the interview, Isaac and co-host Ronald Young Jr. talk about daily writing practices, h...
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February 11, 2024 • 50 mins
This week, host June Thomas talks to writer Adam Sisman about his two biographies of the late spy novelist John le Carré. In the interview, Adam discusses how he managed to land such an exciting project and how he was granted so much access to le Carré, whose real name was David Cornwell. He also talks about his friendly but complicated relationship with le Carre and some surprising findings that almost derailed the whole project. ...
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February 8, 2024 • 26 mins
For this week’s episode of Working Overtime, the hosts June Thomas and Isaac Butler respond to some recent listener mail. The first message is from a listener who wonders how to find an assistant to help with their workload and tasks around the home. June and Isaac offer up their own experiences and extoll the importance of making time to supervise someone you hire's work. Later they tackle another response from a listener in the p...
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February 4, 2024 • 46 mins
This week, host Isaac Butler talks to Anthony Davis, a Pulitzer Prize winning opera composer whose work includes the 1986 opera X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X, which was recently revived and produced for the Metropolitan Opera. In the interview, Anthony discusses the inspiration for X and the many genres he drew from to compose its music. He also talks about how to craft a story using music and why it’s important to him to make...
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January 28, 2024 • 53 mins
This week, host June Thomas talks to children’s book author and illustrator Mika Song, whose work includes the Norma and Belly series about two squirrels with big appetites. In the interview, Mika explains how she collects ideas just by moving around her neighborhood and jotting down notes and drawings. She also talks about her materials, her audience, and her experiences giving book presentations to her young readers.
After the ...
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