Culture Study Podcast

A podcast about the culture that surrounds you — with Anne Helen Petersen and a bunch of very smart co-hosts.

Culture Study Podcast is a society podcast hosted by Anne Helen Petersen, with 148 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Anne Helen Petersen hosts Culture Study Podcast, a society show with 148 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Culture Study Podcast

  BONUS EPISODE: Dungeon Crawler Carl's Utilikilt Masculinity [preview]

  Sep 28, 202619 min

  There are eight books in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series, and people have bought fourteen million of them. First published online, then self-published on Amazon, with an audiobook version that people won't shut up about, Dungeon Crawler Carl has become the fantasy phenomenon of the year — and earned the moniker of "the book that all your [dude] friends who don't read are actually reading." I went in skeptical: video game fiction is decidedly not my genre. But there were enough people in the Culture Study universe reading and loving them that I knew there was something going on — with the style, the worldview, the genre play — that would be the makings of a good podcast episode. (I just didn't expect to like it quite as much as I did — as you'll hear in the ep, I'm on now on Book Four!) If you're deep in DCC and want to talk about what works (and doesn't), we go there. If you're mystified by the popularity, we go there too. And we try really , really hard to make this an episode that'll still be interesting to people who haven't read the books, but want to think more about why these books are so popular. Also discussed: Princess Donut as child sidekick, editing (or lack thereof), Katia's surprising arc, whether this book is for teens, Foot Buffs, D&D , a particular stylistic tick, Wenatchee in-jokes, and truly so much more. (And if you'd like access to this paid podcast-subscriber-only episode, you can upgrade your Culture Study subscription SO EASILY here . If you have any issues, just email me at annehelenpetersen @ gmail dot com) Quick Show Notes: As always, follow Margaret on Instagram and subscribe to Two Bossy Dames The piece I repeatedly reference: " You deserve better literature than Dungeon Crawler Carl " The best thing I've read on Dungeon Crawler Carl, no question: " Left in the Dungeon " Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world. Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here . Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here . Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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  Episode #143

  When Convenience Actually Kinda Sucks

  Sep 23, 20261h 22m

  Over the last six years, our conversations on Culture Study have often circled back to a handful of recurring themes: contemporary work culture, burnout, optimization culture, intensive parenting, the often hollow pull of the algorithm, the tattered social safety net, and the desire to engage more with the world (and community) around us. We're fun, I promise! And today we're going to weave together so many of those threads in an intricate conversation about the broken promises of convenience culture. Gabe Bullard started writing Against Convenience years before "friction-maxxing" became a thing. He's thought deeply about the bad time bargains of conveniences large and small, and he's spectacularly well-equipped to work through your questions on everything from the tyranny of pre-check, the difficulty of letting go of a lunch-order-habit, and much bigger questions about how convenience culture facilitates our worst forms of individualism. There's so much for us to keep building on in the comments, too, so make sure and find us there. Thanks to the sponsors of today's episode: Get $35 off your first box of wild-caught, sustainable seafood—delivered right to your door. Go to:  https://www.wildalaskan.com/CULTURE Ready to upgrade your eyewear to something functional, fashionable, fun, and affordable? Head to goodr.com/CULTURE to claim $10 off your first order. Article is offering our listeners $50 off your first purchase of $100 or more. Visit ARTICLE.COM/CULTURE and the discount will be automatically applied at checkout. Save 20% Off Honeylove by going to honeylove.com/CULTURE Show Notes: Buy Against Convenience at your local bookstore (or through Bookshop, which is more convenient than your local bookshop but purposefully less convenient than Amazon) Subscribe to Gabe's newsletter here Gabe references Never Done: A History of American Housework by Susan Strasser He also mentions this classic Wendell Berry essay, " Why I Am Not Going To Buy A Computer " We're currently looking for your questions on the following topics: WHAT'S GOING ON INFLUENCER CULTURE? with Katie Sturino — what's going on with privacy, spon, monetization, politics, algorithm fatigue — anything you want to ask someone who's watched the influencing world transform from inside THE LATEST IN BOOK TRENDS with Alyssa Morris (from our very popular BookTok episode!). Ask Alyssa about whatever you're seeing in the book world: covers, genres, how it's handling fan-fic, BookTok trends..... JOURNO-INFLUENCERS with s.e. smith — yep, another episode on influencers, this time on how they're changing the norms of journalism. What journo-influencers do you follow and what makes them compelling? What's the future of journalism when it's wed to this style of promotion? Is it actually anything new? Ask away! Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world. Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here . Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here . Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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  Episode #142

  Fighting is an Art. Here's How To Get Better At It.

  Sep 16, 20261h 5m

  IF YOU NEED HELP ADDING YOUR SUBSCRIBER-ONLY FEED TO YOUR PODCAST PLAYER, JUST CLICK HERE !   Conflict happens — and navigating that conflict is essential to a healthy community, a healthy relationship, and a healthy workplace. But so many of us are conflict-adverse (often for good reason). We need better strategies, better paradigms... better fighting advice. Priya Parker , author of the Culture Study foundational text The Art of Gathering , is here to give it to us. We talk about fighting with our parents — especially stubborn parents. We talk about women figuring out their tone and conflict navigation at work (and on Slack!!!). We talk about how to fight when you and your partner have opposite fighting "styles"... and how to fight when you start crying as soon you sense conflict. I often shy away from conversations like these because the advice can feel very theoretical and woo. But there's so much actionable advice packed into this episode — we finished recording and Melody immediately texted me to say wow , to which I replied, dude, I know . Listen and see what we mean!   Thanks to the sponsors of today's episode: Wake up with clearer skin, smoother hair, and cooler sleep. Use code CULTUREPOD for an extra 30% off at blissy.com/CULTUREPOD Ollie. Feed the Obsession. Go to ollie.com/ culture and use code culture to get 70% off your first box! Use code CULTURE at jonesroadbeauty.com to get a free gift with your first purchase! Get 40% off select Lola Blankets products at Lolablankets.com by using code CULTURE at checkout. Experience the world’s #1 blanket with Lola Blankets. Show Notes: Follow Priya Parker on IG here (I'm always getting ideas from her!) Buy The Art of Fighting here Subscribe to Priya's wonderful newsletter "Group Life" here The Group Help Learning Lab A transcript for this episode is available here . We're currently looking for your questions on the following topics: WHAT'S GOING ON INFLUENCER CULTURE? with Katie Sturino — what's going on with privacy, spon, monetization, politics, algorithm fatigue — anything you want to ask someone who's watched the influencing world transform from inside THE LATEST IN BOOK TRENDS with Alyssa Morris (from our very popular BookTok episode!). Ask Alyssa about whatever you're seeing in the book world: covers, genres, how it's handling fan-fic, BookTok trends..... JOURNO-INFLUENCERS with s.e. smith — yep, another episode on influencers, this time on how they're changing the norms of journalism. What journo-influencers do you follow and what makes them compelling? What's the future of journalism when it's wed to this style of promotion? Is it actually anything new? Ask away! Anything you need advice for/want musings about for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything — it’s literally the name of the segment. Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world. Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here . Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here . Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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  Episode #141

  Trying to Have Kids Amidst a Polycrisis

  Sep 9, 20261h 10m

  I love kids. In a different timeline, I'd almost certainly have them. But when I was in my 30s, I looked around — and looked at my own bank account, and the realities of childcare, the weight of my student loans, and how hard people without close family support were working just to get by — and I thought: I can't make this work . And because I didn't even try to have a kid, I didn't have to confront the likelihood of needing fertility treatment to get pregnant in my late 30s. People often say that there's no good time to have a baby, so you should just ignore all the things that make it feel fraught and go for it . You'll make it work. But that argument has begun to feel increasingly out-of-touch. Parenting amidst a polycrisis is really hard . If you've delayed parenthood for whatever reason, getting pregnant — or adopting a child — has become incredibly expensive. Even in countries with robust safety nets, adults are increasingly deprioritizing having kids. In her new book, Anna Louie Sussman takes a non-sensationalist look at the declining birth rate in so many countries, digging past the surface-level data to get at the much deeper question: what makes parenthood feel increasingly inconceivable ? And what could possibly be done to make it feel otherwise?   Thanks to the sponsors of today's episode: NOBL gives you real travel peace of mind — security, design, and convenience all in one. Head to NOBLTravel.com for 46% off your entire order! If you’re looking to make a small change in your routine, you can get 15% off your first order at Blueland.com/CULTURE Get $35 off your first box of wild-caught, sustainable seafood—delivered right to your door. Go to:  https://www.wildalaskan.com/CULTURE Article is offering our listeners $50 off your first purchase of $100 or more. To claim, visit ARTICLE.COM/CULTURE and the discount will be automatically applied at checkout. Show Notes: Learn more about Anna Louie Sussman's work here Buy Inconceivable here We talk about the original NYT article ("The End of Babies") that sparked this book; you can find it here (gift link) We're currently looking for your questions on the following topics: WHAT'S GOING ON INFLUENCER CULTURE? with Katie Sturino — what's going on with privacy, spon, monetization, politics, algorithm fatigue — anything you want to ask someone who's watched the influencing world transform from inside THE LATEST IN BOOK TRENDS with Alyssa Morris (from our very popular BookTok episode!). Ask Alyssa about whatever you're seeing in the book world: covers, genres, how it's handling fan fic, BookTok trends..... JOURNO-INFLUENCERS with s.e. smith — yep, another episode on influencers, this time on how they're changing the norms of journalism. What journo-influencers do you follow and what makes them compelling? What's the future of journalism when it's wed to this style of promotion? Is it actually anything new? Ask away! Anything you need advice for/want musings about for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything — it’s literally the name of the segment.   Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world. Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here . Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here . Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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  Episode #140

  Why Are So Many Men Unraveling?

  Sep 2, 20261h 7m

  A man with a fairytale castle in upstate New York who keeps trying to make a self-produced reality show about "princesses" happen — and become a modern-day Hugh Hefner. A man who got famous on YouTube for lawn care who ends up filming himself as a baby — and has a SWAT team called to his house. These stories form the backbone of Jon Ronson 's journey into the world of "unraveling men." Those two men's stories are exceptional, but they're also an entry point into a subject area I like to think of as "WTF is going on with dudes right now." Join Jon and me as we avoid the usual discussion about "toxic masculinity" and go deeper into friend-less-ness, algorithms, purposelessness, Sad Dads, and male buffoonery. It's a wild ride that felt like the beginning of a much longer conversation (that I hope we can keep having in the comments)!   Thanks to the sponsors of today's episode: Use code CULTURE at jonesroadbeauty.com to get a free gift with your first purchase! Taking care of your health just got easier – start here with Zocdoc: https://zocdoc.com/culture Go to  https://zbiotics.com/culturestudy and use CULTURESTUDY at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics. Get 15% off OneSkin with the code CULTURE at https://www.oneskin.co/CULTURE Show Notes: Buy The Castle here ! You can read an excerpt of The Castle — specifically about the guy who started out as a lawn care influencer and then became The Third Baby — in the New York Times Magazine   Jon mentions his piece for GQ about the White House cage fight Learn more about Jon Ronson's work (there's so much of it!) here We mention So You've Been Publicly Shamed , Jon's previous book I wrote a piece back in 2023 addressing some of Richard Reeves' findings re: men & ambition I reference an episode of The Ezra Klein Show where he references his arguments being reproduced/distorted for engagement — it's the most recent Mailbag ep, which you can find here We're currently looking for your questions on the following topics: WHAT'S GOING ON INFLUENCER CULTURE? with Katie Sturino — what's going on with privacy, spon, monetization, politics, algorithm fatigue — anything you want to ask someone who's watched the influencing world transform from inside THE LATEST IN BOOK TRENDS with Alyssa Morris (from our very popular BookTok episode!). Ask Alyssa about whatever you're seeing in the book world: covers, genres, how it's handling fan-fic, BookTok trends..... JOURNO-INFLUENCERS with s.e. smith — yep, another episode on influencers, this time on how they're changing the norms of journalism. What journo-influencers do you follow and what makes them compelling? What's the future of journalism when it's wed to this style of promotion? Is it actually anything new? Ask away! Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world. Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here . Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here . Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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