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Late last year, when I first emailed writer Sarah Smarsh to ask who she might want to interview for an episode of Death, Sex & Money, her response came back almost instantly: "I’d like to interview my dad, Nick."
And that's how, a few months ago, I found myself in Wichita, Kansas, for a weekend. I spent a Saturday driving around with the two of them, visiting the rural land they both grew up on, and seeing the city of Wichita, where they live now. We covered a lot of ground—literally and figuratively. Separately, I also ate some truly stellar KC-style BBQ while I was there. (If you have opinions on this, don't @ me. My family is from Kansas, too, so I have my loyalties.)
Sarah and Nick's conversation—about community lost and gained, and about what you do when you've worked hard your whole life and that still isn't enough—is in your podcast feeds today. I'm grateful to both of them for having it. And if you love what you hear, definitely check out Sarah's memoir about her family and the place they're from, called Heartland. It was one of my favorite books of the past year. (And speaking of favorite books! You've given us a lot of great ideas in our summer reading list spreadsheet. More on that below.)
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—Anabel Bacon and the Death, Sex & Money team
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This Week on Death, Sex & Money
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Author Sarah Smarsh grew up outside of Wichita, Kansas, and spent much of her childhood on her family's farm. The Farm Crisis of the 1980s led to her family leaving farming behind, and her dad, Nick, had to find work elsewhere—first, locally as a construction worker, and now, putting up buildings for fast food chains in far flung places like Mississippi and Texas. In her audio essay out today, Sarah interviews her dad about leaving their land behind, and about how, at 63, he thinks about his future as a builder.
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Your Responses: Summer Reading Recommendations
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Last week, we asked for your summer reading recommendations—and as usual, you all delivered. Thanks to you, our Kindles are loaded up and our library hold queues are nice and long! Check out our collaborative spreadsheet here (and add to it, if you haven't already!)—here are just a few picks from our listeners:
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Harry's Trees, by Jon Cohen
"This book does what books are meant to do (according to the book itself): it provides comfort and 'disturbs you forward.' I savored every page."
- Elizabeth
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The Idea Of You, by Robinne Lee
"WHAT A SEXY LOVE STORY. Also explores ideas of aging, art, beauty, love, passion, parenthood, celebrity and is far more complex than many romance novels."
- Emily
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Unwanted, by Jay Stringer
"This book introduced a novel approach to leaning into your struggles to hear what they have to teach you."
- Tim
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The Golem and The Jinni, by Helene Wacker
"It was a gift and I am enjoying it very much. Well written, engaging and top notch character development. "
- Joel (and Amy!)
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Listen to This: Audio We Love
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We often think of eviction as a last-resort measure for landlords. But a new series from On The Media is blowing up that myth. Along with Matthew Desmond, the guy who literally wrote the book on eviction, Brooke Gladstone is digging into the reasons why low-income housing prices have soared in recent years, and explaining how being branded with the "scarlet E" of an eviction can haunt a family for years after. "It’s not that poor—and especially poor people of color—are living in the worst neighborhoods because they’re the only neighborhoods they can afford," Desmond says in the first episode. "It’s because they’re allowed to live there.”
What happens when you die? It's a big question. But this week, the podcast Why'd You Push That Button? (produced by our former intern, Zach Mack—shoutout!) tackles at least one part of that question: what happens to your digital assets when you die. Your email, your social media accounts, your bank passwords—what happens to it all, and how can you best prepare for your digital death? Listen to add more to the list of to-dos that keeps you up at night.
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Next on Death, Sex & Money
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Coming next in the maternity leave lineup, author Tayari Jones sits down with artist Carrie Mae Weems. You won't want to miss their conversation about independence, art, relationships, and one very fabulous white silk dress worn for a spur-of-the-moment wedding. And if you haven't heard it recently, go back and listen to Tayari's interview about "frills and freedom" with Anna, from right after her bestselling book An American Marriage came out.
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