The Unspeakable Podcast Podcast By Meghan Daum cover art

The Unspeakable Podcast

The Unspeakable Podcast

By: Meghan Daum
Listen for free

About this listen

 Author, essayist and journalist Meghan Daum has spent decades giving voice—and bringing nuance, humor and surprising perspectives—to things that lots of people are thinking but are afraid to say out loud. Now, she brings her observations to the realm of conversation. In candid, free-ranging interviews, Meghan talks with artists, entertainers, journalists, scientists, scholars, and anyone else who’s willing to do the “unspeakable” and question prevailing cultural and moral assumptions.2021 Social Sciences
Episodes
  • The Catastrophe Hour Book Club, Week One - The Broken-In World

    The Catastrophe Hour Book Club, Week One - The Broken-In World
    Jun 5 2025

    The Catastrophe Hour Book Club begins June 11 with a discussion of the first essay in the book, The Broken-In World, an examination of divorce, loss, and finding unexpected peace and camaraderie in a world that “can no longer support pretense.”

    The book club runs for 14 consecutive Wednesdays from 3-4 p.m. ET. We will discuss one essay per week

    To learn more about the book club and join, visit https://www.theunspeakablepodcast.com/p/the-catastrophe-hour-book-club

    About The Catastrophe Hour

    "One of our most important essayists . . . The Catastrophe Hour is proof that writers and readers can choose to engage with their lives in a manner that is radically disengaged with the pointless noise of the day.” — Washington Examiner

    From the acclaimed author of The Unspeakable and The Problem with Everything comes a new collection of unputdownable essays. Written between 2017 and 2024, these essays are classic Meghan Daum, showcasing her wit, her intellect and her uncanny ability to throw new light on even the most ubiquitous of subjects. Arranged in the order that they were written, the essays touch on themes of aging, solitude, creative life, money, the changing media landscape, death, and the meaning of home. Daum’s unflinching honesty and exacting observations secure her reputation as one of our most important and enduring essayists.
    Show more Show less
    5 mins
  • Alma Deutscher's First Dance - The celebrated young composer collaborates with the American Contemporary Ballet

    Alma Deutscher's First Dance - The celebrated young composer collaborates with the American Contemporary Ballet
    Jun 2 2025
    Alma Deutscher, often described as a modern-day Mozart, was a prodigy whose early accomplishments include composing a piano sonata at age six, a short opera at seven, a violin concerto at nine, and her first full-length opera at ten. At twelve, she was profiled on 60 Minutes, and in 2021 began conducting studies in Vienna with Johannes Wildner. Now 20, Alma has just written her first ballet score—a collaboration with Lincoln Jones, founder and director of American Contemporary Ballet (ACB) in Los Angeles. Lincoln joined me on the podcast just over two years ago, offering unique insights into the complexities of running a dance company and the profound art of dance itself. In this episode, Lincoln and Alma discuss their new ballet, The Euterpides, inspired by Euterpe, the ancient Greek Muse of Music. This piece follows the Muse’s goddess daughters as they descend to dance with a mortal, exploring the age-old connection between inspiration and craft. We recorded this conversation on Memorial Day to get it out ahead of the ballet’s world premiere, which runs June 5–28 in Los Angeles. If you’re local (or can make the trip!), you’ll also hear about an audience support campaign, offering a rare chance for the public to get involved in bringing this ballet to life. GUEST BIO Alma Deutscher has composed a number of acclaimed orchestral works, including a full-length opera, by the age of 10. Her music has been performed at Carnegie Hall and the Vienna State Opera. She’s earned the admiration of classical music luminaries like Zubin Mehta, who called her “one of the greatest musical talents of today.” Lincoln Jones is the founder, director, and principal choreographer of the American Contemporary Ballet in Los Angeles. Their collaboration, The Euterpides, premieres on June 5. Want to hear the whole conversation? Upgrade your subscription here. HOUSEKEEPING 📖 Order my new book, The Catastrophe Hour: Selected Essays, on Amazon or directly from the publisher here. 📘 The Catastrophe Hour book club for yearly paying subscribers starts June 11 and will run for 14 consecutive Wednesdays, 3-4 pm ET. We will meet on Zoom. 📹 The Unspeakeasy Live livestream takes place every Thursday at 3:00 p.m. ET. Look for a notification on your Substack app when we’re live. Stuff to read and listen to: New York Times, Jan 31, 2025: The L.A. Fires Taught Me To Accept Help Recent(ish) solo episodes : January 9: The First 24 HoursJanuary 16: The Immaterial WorldJanuary 27: Housing WarsFebruary 5: Remembrance Of Things PastFebruary 13: What Is A "Catastrophe?"March 2: A Mental InfectionMarch 31: Dignity Is Out Of Style 📺 Visit The Unspeakable on YouTube. ✈️ The Unspeakeasy’s 2025 retreat season is underway. It includes a just-announced COED retreat with more attendees and multiple speakers. October 11-12 in New York City. Programming and ticketing info here.
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 5 mins
  • Audio Essay: The End Of The Personal - Listen to an essay from The Catastrophe Hour

    Audio Essay: The End Of The Personal - Listen to an essay from The Catastrophe Hour
    May 29 2025

    This week, I share an essay from The Catastrophe Hour. There’s no audiobook available (yet), so I offer this reading of the final essay in the collection, The End Of The Personal. It’s a meditation on first-person writing in a world that seems to have overdosed on oversharing.

    The era of the personal is over. The writer sees this now. One day, she just gets it. Everything is personal so nothing is personal. The erosion has been a long time coming. First, the personal became political. Then it became porn. Now it has become dust.

    The Catastrophe Hour book club begins on June 11 and runs every Wednesday from 3:00-4:00 p.m. ET for 14 consecutive weeks. We will read one essay each week, starting from the beginning of the book. Audio excerpts of each essay will be released every week as special podcast episodes. (They’ll be excerpts, so you’ll still want to get the book.)

    To join the book club, become a paying subscriber to the Substack at the annual level. More info here.

    HOUSEKEEPING

    📺 Visit The Unspeakable on YouTube!

    📖 Order my new book, The Catastrophe Hour: Selected Essays, on Amazon or directly from the publisher here.

    📘 The Catastrophe Hour book club for yearly paying subscribers starts June 11 and will run for 14 consecutive Wednesdays 3-4pm ET. We will meet on Zoom. I’ll make a post about it very soon with more info.

    📹 The Unspeakeasy Live livestream happens every Thursday at 3pm ET. Look for a notification on your Substack app when we’re live.

    ✈️ The Unspeakeasy’s 2025 retreat season is underway. It includes a just-announced COED retreat with more attendees and multiple speakers. October 11-12 in New York City. Programming and ticketing info here.
    Show more Show less
    9 mins
adbl_web_global_use_to_activate_T1_webcro805_stickypopup
All stars
Most relevant  
The podcast is excellent, it doesn’t skirt hard issues, and you learn a lot. Great for people of love to explore and share ideas. Meghan Daum leaves us all smarter. Be a Daumy not a dumby!

Nuanced, relentless, intelligent

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Meghan Daum's The Unspeakeasable podcast is an anchor of sanity in a polarized world. Great guests, emotionally intelligent hosting. A gem.

For the Independent Thinker

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.