<p>In the waning moments of 2025, Julia, Dana, and Steve say goodbye to the year that was with a beloved annual end-of-year tradition… our listener call-in show! And you delivered some great queries, dear listeners. </p><p>The hosts tackle questions about everything ranging from under-dramatized historical eras to <em>Wuthering Heights</em> to wedding registry etiquette. They also zoom out to grapple with a fundamental philosophical question underlying this whole show’s existence and take a cue from <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/las-culturistas-with-matt-rogers-and-bowen-yang/id1092361338"><u>Las Culturistas</u></a> Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers for some <em>Schimpfen und Toben</em>.</p><p>No endorsements this week. But for listeners in the New York area, don’t miss Steve when he joins Booker Prize-finalist Ben Markovitz for a conversation about his new novel <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-rest-of-our-lives-a-novel-ben-markovits/5b2a27057466ffb5?ean=9781668231562&amp;next=t"><em>The Rest of Our Lives</em></a> on <a href="https://stores.barnesandnoble.com/event/9780062199040-0"><u>January 5, 2026 at the Upper West Side Barnes &amp; Noble</u></a>.</p><p>For Slate Plus subscribers, the hosts delight in answering an additional listener question in an exclusive bonus episode. They share their ideal cultural outings with their co-hosts.</p><p>---</p><p>Email us your thoughts at <a href="mailto:[email protected]"><u>[email protected]</u></a>. </p><p>Podcast production by Benjamin Frisch. Production assistance by Daniel Hirsch.</p><p> </p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>