Explore every episode of the podcast Heart Reacts
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Episode 10: Hope Is Not a Strategy | 30 Oct 2024 | 01:08:57 | |
Welcome to HEART REACTS, an advice podcast for all of us trying to remain emotionally functional through the collapse of late capitalism. This week, we answer a question about despair, and solidarity with the people of Palestine, and consider the limitations of hope. Then we switch gears and muse on the issue of parenting while polyamorous, and whether people on the left should have more kids. Stuff We Talk About: Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer, Dialectic of Enlightenment Gaza: Poetry after Auschwitz, Hamid Dabashi Rodrigo Nunes, Neither Vertical Nor Horizontal Sarah, Family Planning We are Craig Gent, a writer and researcher living in Leeds, and Sarah Jaffe, a journalist and author based in New Orleans. Buy Craig's Book: Cyberboss Buy Sarah's Book: From the Ashes You can send us your questions at www.askmeanything.cc/heartreacts. This episode was produced by, well, us! We apologize for any inconsistencies in audio quality. If you liked it and want to help keep us going, and help us improve our recording process, you can support us at patreon.com/HeartReacts. You can subscribe to the show wherever you get podcasts, and please do rate us on those podcast apps! Our music comes from “Casual Outrage” by New Orleans-based Basher, featured on their new album May Day, coming May 31, 2024 to Sinking City Records. For more about the band, visit byronasher.com/basher. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Episode 9: Is Non-Monogamy Bourgeois? | 17 Oct 2024 | 01:01:14 | |
Welcome to HEART REACTS, an advice podcast for all of us trying to remain emotionally functional through the collapse of late capitalism. This week, we take on a question on "polyamory? in this economy?" We muse about hierarchies within and around relationship styles, love when the rent is too damn high, and what it means to think politically around sex and gender and the economy. And then we look at a question that Sarah's been getting asked a lot on book tour: how do you grieve when the thing you're grieving isn't over, or never ends? Stuff We Mention: Ordinary Unhappiness Podcast, featuring Sabrina Strings on The End of Love Natasha Lennard, The Uses and Abuses of Politics for Sex Chal Ravens, Monogamy is Cool, Actually Sarah, Beyond the Nuclear Family Cara Daggett, Petro-Masculinity and the Politics of Climate Refusal We are Craig Gent, a writer and researcher living in Leeds, and Sarah Jaffe, a journalist and author based in New Orleans. You can send us your questions at www.askmeanything.cc/heartreacts. This episode was produced by, well, us! We apologize for any inconsistencies in audio quality. If you liked it and want to help keep us going, and help us improve our recording process, you can support us at patreon.com/HeartReacts. You can subscribe to the show wherever you get podcasts, and please do rate us on those podcast apps! Our music comes from “Casual Outrage” by New Orleans-based Basher, featured on their new album May Day, coming May 31, 2024 to Sinking City Records. For more about the band, visit byronasher.com/basher. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Episode 8: Advice is a Way we Love Each Other, with Brandy Jensen | 03 Oct 2024 | 00:59:42 | |
Welcome to HEART REACTS, an advice podcast for all of us trying to remain emotionally functional through the collapse of late capitalism. We are back and we have a special guest with us! This week, in lieu of giving YOU advice, we asked one of our favorite advice-givers, Brandy Jensen, writer, editor, and "Ask a Fuck-Up" columnist, to talk to us about the whole business of advising strangers. We discuss being a romantic in 2024, how to tell when you're in love, the current media fascination with polyamory, and some of Emma Goldman's best takes. Stuff we mention in this episode: Brandy Jensen on Twitter and her Substack advice column. Brandy at the Yale Review: The Polycrisis Emma Goldman, Jealousy: Causes and a Possible Cure Emma Goldman, Marriage and Love Toni Morrison, Jazz We are Craig Gent, a writer and researcher living in Leeds, and Sarah Jaffe, a journalist and author based in New Orleans. You can send us your questions at www.askmeanything.cc/heartreacts. This episode was produced by, well, us! We apologize for any inconsistencies in audio quality. If you liked it and want to help keep us going, and help us improve our recording process, you can support us at patreon.com/HeartReacts. You can subscribe to the show wherever you get podcasts, and please do rate us on those podcast apps! Our music comes from “Casual Outrage” by New Orleans-based Basher, featured on their new album May Day, coming May 31, 2024 to Sinking City Records. For more about the band, visit byronasher.com/basher. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Episode 7: Obligations of Care | 22 Aug 2024 | 00:58:28 | |
Hello and welcome to HEART REACTS, an advice podcast for all of us trying to remain emotionally functional through the collapse of late capitalism. This week, we're talking about what we owe each other as friends, as partners, as family, and as therapists. (We're still not therapists.) Our first question asks how to maintain close friendships when you're becoming a parent, and the second wonders if someone is using therapy to justify bad behavior. Stuff we mention in this episode: Power of Self Care parody instagram Eva Kittay, Love's Labor Hannah Proctor, Burnout: The Emotional Experience of Political Defeat David Graeber, Debt: The First 5000 Years Jonah Hill and Sarah Brady's Relationship Sparks Conversation About How to Set Boundaries We are Craig Gent, a writer and researcher living in Leeds, and Sarah Jaffe, a journalist and author based in New Orleans. You can send us your questions at www.askmeanything.cc/heartreacts. This episode was produced by, well, us! We apologize for any inconsistencies in audio quality. If you liked it and want to help keep us going, and help us improve our recording process, you can support us at patreon.com/HeartReacts. You can subscribe to the show wherever you get podcasts, and please do rate us on those podcast apps! Our music comes from “Casual Outrage” by New Orleans-based Basher, featured on their new album May Day, coming May 31, 2024 to Sinking City Records. For more about the band, visit byronasher.com/basher. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Episode 6: To What End? | 08 Aug 2024 | 00:50:01 | |
Hello and welcome to HEART REACTS, an advice podcast for all of us trying to remain emotionally functional through the collapse of late capitalism. On this episode, we dive into the world of work, and talk about when and how to unionize your workplace to manage your bad boss. And then we dig into the thorniest of questions (particularly in an election year): when and how to have conversations with relatives, friends, acquaintances, neighbors who hold political views you just can't countenance. When is it worth it, and when is it time to walk away? We have thoughts. Referenced in this episode: British Trades Union Congress Find a Union page. AFL-CIO Form a Union page. We are Craig Gent, a writer and researcher living in Leeds, and Sarah Jaffe, a journalist and author based in New Orleans. You can send us your questions at www.askmeanything.cc/heartreacts. This episode was produced by, well, us! We apologize for any inconsistencies in audio quality. If you liked it and want to help keep us going, and help us improve our recording process, you can support us at patreon.com/HeartReacts. You can subscribe to the show wherever you get podcasts, and please do rate us on those podcast apps! Our music comes from “Casual Outrage” by New Orleans-based Basher, featured on their new album May Day, coming May 31, 2024 to Sinking City Records. For more about the band, visit byronasher.com/basher. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Episode 5: Bandwidth is a Bad Metaphor | 25 Jul 2024 | 00:48:46 | |
Hello and welcome to HEART REACTS, an advice podcast for all of us trying to remain emotionally functional through the collapse of late capitalism. This week, we tackle two questions about difficult conversations and decide that talking about "having the bandwidth" for friends, lovers, difficulties, and all the rest of the struggles of life is a lousy metaphor. We suggest some other ways to imagine ourselves in community. Mentioned in this episode: Lily Scherlis, Boundary Issues. Note that this article is mentioned in the episode as being published in the Guardian, but that was actually a reprint and it was originally from our friends at Parapraxis Magazine. Hannah Proctor, Burnout: The Emotional Experience of Political Defeat. And if you're getting this on the day it goes out, you can attend a live virtual event with Sarah discussing the book with Hannah. Mark Fisher, Ghosts of My Life: Writings on Depression, Hauntology and Lost Futures David Graeber, Debt: The First 5000 Years. We are Craig Gent, a writer and researcher living in Leeds, and Sarah Jaffe, a journalist and author based in New Orleans. You can send us your questions at www.askmeanything.cc/heartreacts. This episode was produced by, well, us! We apologize for any inconsistencies in audio quality. If you liked it and want to help keep us going, and help us improve our recording process, you can support us at patreon.com/HeartReacts. You can subscribe to the show wherever you get podcasts, and please do rate us on those podcast apps! Our music comes from “Casual Outrage” by New Orleans-based Basher, featured on their new album May Day, coming May 31, 2024 to Sinking City Records. For more about the band, visit byronasher.com/basher. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Episode 4: What Makes a Good Man? | 10 Jul 2024 | 00:58:37 | |
Hello and welcome to HEART REACTS, an advice podcast for all of us trying to remain emotionally functional through the collapse of late capitalism. This week, we answer a question about election fatigue, trauma, triggers, and movement work: how much is too much? And why is election-related journalism so godawful, anyway? And then we dive into an advice column perennial: what do you do when your sex drive doesn't match your partner's--but with a sidebar question of what it means, anyway, to be a "good man." Referenced in this week's episode: Lester Spence, The Counterpublic Papers, Vol 8 No. 20 Lynne Segal, Slow Motion: Changing Masculinities, Changing Men We are Craig Gent, a writer and researcher living in Leeds, and Sarah Jaffe, a journalist and author based in New Orleans. You can send us your questions at www.askmeanything.cc/heartreacts. This episode was produced by, well, us! We apologize for any inconsistencies in audio quality. If you liked it and want to help keep us going, and help us improve our recording process, you can support us at patreon.com/HeartReacts. You can subscribe to the show wherever you get podcasts, and please do rate us on those podcast apps! Our music comes from “Casual Outrage” by New Orleans-based Basher, featured on their new album May Day, coming May 31, 2024 to Sinking City Records. For more about the band, visit byronasher.com/basher. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Episode 3: Lies Heterosexuality Tells Us | 27 Jun 2024 | 00:53:53 | |
Hello and welcome to HEART REACTS, an advice podcast for all of us trying to remain emotionally functional through the collapse of late capitalism. We're back and (mostly) on a regular schedule now! Thanks again for all of your kind words, sharing, reviews, support, and most of all your questions! This week, we're addressing a question about shame, kink, and finding love, and then diving into the thorny issues that arise when money is an issue in relationships: how do we deal with financial inequality? And how do we avoid letting the fact that the rent is too damn high push us onto the relationship escalator? We are Craig Gent, a writer and researcher living in Leeds, and Sarah Jaffe, a journalist and author based in New Orleans. You can send us your questions at www.askmeanything.cc/heartreacts. This episode was produced by, well, us! We apologize for any inconsistencies in audio quality. If you liked it and want to help keep us going, and help us improve our recording process, you can support us at patreon.com/HeartReacts. Our music comes from “Casual Outrage” by New Orleans-based Basher, featured on their new album May Day, coming May 31, 2024 to Sinking City Records. For more about the band, visit byronasher.com/basher. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Episode 2: The Metrics of a Good Life | 12 Jun 2024 | 00:55:25 | |
Hello and welcome to HEART REACTS, an advice podcast for all of us trying to remain emotionally functional through the collapse of late capitalism. Thanks to everyone who checked out our pilot! We’re hoping to be out every two weeks from now on, and if you want to help us to do that, supporting us on Patreon is the way to go! On this week’s episode we talk about the travails of platonic soul mates through major life changes, and we offer some advice to someone who’s been devastated by their partner’s self-discovery. We are Craig Gent, a writer and researcher living in Leeds, and Sarah Jaffe, a journalist and author based in New Orleans. You can send us your questions at www.askmeanything.cc/heartreacts. This episode was produced by, well, us! We apologize for any inconsistencies in audio quality. If you liked it and want to help keep us going, and help us improve our recording process, you can support us at patreon.com/HeartReacts. Our music comes from “Casual Outrage” by New Orleans-based Basher, featured on their new album May Day, coming May 31, 2024 to Sinking City Records. For more about the band, visit byronasher.com/basher. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Pilot: A Wager on Shared Experience | 19 Apr 2024 | 01:10:51 | |
Hello and welcome to the pilot episode of HEART REACTS, an advice podcast for all of us trying to remain emotionally functional through the collapse of late capitalism. We’re here to answer all of the questions about love, friendship, family, and even work that you might want to ask two people who have spent adulthood trying to apply their radical political analysis, more or less successfully, to their personal lives, with pessimism of the intellect and optimism of the feels. We are Craig Gent, a writer and researcher living in Leeds, and Sarah Jaffe, a journalist and author based in New Orleans. You can send us your questions at www.askmeanything.cc/heartreacts. This episode was produced by, well, us! We apologize for any inconsistencies in audio quality. If you liked it and want to help keep us going, and help us improve our recording process, you can support us at patreon.com/HeartReacts. Our music comes from “Casual Outrage” by New Orleans-based Basher, featured on their new album May Day, coming May 31, 2024 to Sinking City Records. For more about the band, visit byronasher.com/basher. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Episode 25: Who Cares for the Workers? | 10 Jul 2025 | 00:53:23 | |
Welcome to HEART REACTS, an advice podcast for all of us trying to remain emotionally functional through the collapse of late capitalism. This week is one for the labor process nerds! We answer a question about the ethics of using, and working in, so-called "AI". And then we consider what it means to help your own home health care worker join a union. (Apologies for the construction noises this week, friends, but such is life in a society.) Stuff We Discuss: Distributed AI Research Institute The AI Backlash Keeps Growing Stronger Brian Merchant, Blood in the Machine Gavin Mueller, Breaking Things at Work United Tech and Allied Workers Sarah: Why Harris V. Quinn and Hobby Lobby Spell Disaster for Working Women National Domestic Workers Alliance Hand in Hand: The Domestic Employers Network Jennifer Klein and Eileen Boris, Caring for America: Home Health Workers in the Shadow of the Welfare State We are Craig Gent, a writer and researcher living in Leeds, and Sarah Jaffe, a journalist and author based in New Orleans. Buy Craig's Book: Cyberboss Buy Sarah's Book: From the Ashes You can send us your questions at www.askmeanything.cc/heartreacts This episode was produced by, well, us! We apologize for any inconsistencies in audio quality. If you liked it and want to help keep us going, and help us improve our recording process, you can support us at patreon.com/HeartReacts. You can subscribe to the show wherever you get podcasts, and please do rate us on those podcast apps! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Episode 24: Social Deskilling | 27 Jun 2025 | 01:10:45 | |
Welcome to HEART REACTS, an advice podcast for all of us trying to remain emotionally functional through the collapse of late capitalism. This week, we're taking a dive into the concept of "social deskilling." What does deskilling mean, and how does it affect our personal lives? (Thanks to Kelly Hayes of the Movement Memos podcast for the memorable phrasing.) And then we tackle yet another housing-crisis-related question: how scummy is too scummy a landlord? Stuff We Talk About: Movement Memos: We Must Burst Our Algorithmic Bubbles and Build Together Across Difference with Mariame Kaba Craig: Cyberboss: The Rise of Algorithmic Management and the New Struggle for Control at Work Sarah: America's Massive Retail Workforce is Tired of Being Ignored Harry Braverman, Labor and Monopoly Capital Joanne McNeil, Lurking: How a Person Became a User Sarah: The Cost to Connect We are Craig Gent, a writer and researcher living in Leeds, and Sarah Jaffe, a journalist and author based in New Orleans. Buy Craig's Book: Cyberboss Buy Sarah's Book: From the Ashes You can send us your questions at www.askmeanything.cc/heartreacts. This episode was produced by, well, us! We apologize for any inconsistencies in audio quality. If you liked it and want to help keep us going, and help us improve our recording process, you can support us at patreon.com/HeartReacts. You can subscribe to the show wherever you get podcasts, and please do rate us on those podcast apps! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Episode 15: It Wasn't a Failure | 23 Jan 2025 | 00:58:36 | |
Welcome to HEART REACTS, an advice podcast for all of us trying to remain emotionally functional through the collapse of late capitalism. This week, we have a follow-up from a listener who shared a story of lost friendship, and then we consider the question of political breakups, maintaining friendships, and building the broader ecology of the Left. Stuff We Talk About: Alva Gotby, They Call It Love Rodrigo Nunes, Neither Vertical Nor Horizontal Jodi Dean, Comrade ACFM Podcast: Political Commitment Sarah, "The Most Important Labor Story Right Now Is in Minnesota—It Might Be the Model We All Need" We are Craig Gent, a writer and researcher living in Leeds, and Sarah Jaffe, a journalist and author based in New Orleans. Buy Craig's Book: Cyberboss Buy Sarah's Book: From the Ashes You can send us your questions at www.askmeanything.cc/heartreacts. This episode was produced by, well, us! We apologize for any inconsistencies in audio quality. If you liked it and want to help keep us going, and help us improve our recording process, you can support us at patreon.com/HeartReacts. You can subscribe to the show wherever you get podcasts, and please do rate us on those podcast apps! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Episode 14: Taking Each Other Seriously | 09 Jan 2025 | 01:15:28 | |
Welcome to HEART REACTS, an advice podcast for all of us trying to remain emotionally functional through the collapse of late capitalism. This week, we're wondering how--and whether--to try to convert your loved ones to anti-capitalism, and considering intergenerational friendships, loss, and loneliness. Thanks as always to our letter writers! Stuff We Talk About: Mark Fisher: K-Punk and Capitalist Realism are the classics. We are Craig Gent, a writer and researcher living in Leeds, and Sarah Jaffe, a journalist and author based in New Orleans. Buy Craig's Book: Cyberboss Buy Sarah's Book: From the Ashes You can send us your questions at www.askmeanything.cc/heartreacts. This episode was produced by, well, us! We apologize for any inconsistencies in audio quality. If you liked it and want to help keep us going, and help us improve our recording process, you can support us at patreon.com/HeartReacts. You can subscribe to the show wherever you get podcasts, and please do rate us on those podcast apps! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Episode 13: More or Less Successfully | 13 Dec 2024 | 01:07:57 | |
Welcome to HEART REACTS, an advice podcast for all of us trying to remain emotionally functional through the collapse of late capitalism. This week, we consider whether feminist theory--or porn--are useful tools in figuring out sexual ethics, and then we do some follow-up on the problem of dating while undocumented. Stuff We Talk About: Heather Berg, Porn Work Lynne Segal, Straight Sex and Slow Motion Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex Susan Faludi, Stiffed The Good Robot podcast, with Maya Indira Ganesh, Laura Mulvey, Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema Sarah at Huck Magazine, Daddy Issues We are Craig Gent, a writer and researcher living in Leeds, and Sarah Jaffe, a journalist and author based in New Orleans. You can send us your questions at www.askmeanything.cc/heartreacts. This episode was produced by, well, us! We apologize for any inconsistencies in audio quality. If you liked it and want to help keep us going, and help us improve our recording process, you can support us at patreon.com/HeartReacts. You can subscribe to the show wherever you get podcasts, and please do rate us on those podcast apps! Our music comes from “Casual Outrage” by New Orleans-based Basher, featured on their new album May Day, coming May 31, 2024 to Sinking City Records. For more about the band, visit byronasher.com/basher. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Episode 12: A Little Bit of Fixing | 29 Nov 2024 | 01:01:02 | |
Welcome to HEART REACTS, an advice podcast for all of us trying to remain emotionally functional through the collapse of late capitalism. This week, we break our streak of talking about polyamory--mostly. Instead, we try to help a listener deal with overwhelming grief and clutter, and then answer a question about substance use and how to support a friend without judgement. And we have a special request for those of you who can: if you've been enjoying our music, which comes from “Casual Outrage” by New Orleans-based Basher, you can help out the man behind the music. Byron and his partner just lost everything in a devastating house fire, and there's a gofundme page to support them getting back on their feet. Thanks for your support and for sharing. For more about the band, visit byronasher.com/basher. We are Craig Gent, a writer and researcher living in Leeds, and Sarah Jaffe, a journalist and author based in New Orleans. Buy Craig's Book: Cyberboss Buy Sarah's Book: From the Ashes You can send us your questions at www.askmeanything.cc/heartreacts. This episode was produced by, well, us! We apologize for any inconsistencies in audio quality. If you liked it and want to help keep us going, and help us improve our recording process, you can support us at patreon.com/HeartReacts. You can subscribe to the show wherever you get podcasts, and please do rate us on those podcast apps! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Episode 11: The Ways We Ought To Live | 14 Nov 2024 | 01:11:29 | |
Welcome to HEART REACTS, an advice podcast for all of us trying to remain emotionally functional through the collapse of late capitalism. We talk up front about Trump winning again, and then advise a listener who is worried that all the good politics in the world don’t change society's perception of them. And of course, we have another installment in the Polyamory Chronicles. Stuff We Talk About: Hamilton Nolan, The Hammer Woman behind 'incel' says angry men hijacked her word 'as a weapon of war' Dropkick Murphys, "Boys on the Docks" Craig, "I remember MSN" Big Mood, Little Mood, "Compassion Fatigue" We are Craig Gent, a writer and researcher living in Leeds, and Sarah Jaffe, a journalist and author based in New Orleans. Buy Craig's Book: Cyberboss Buy Sarah's Book: From the Ashes You can send us your questions at www.askmeanything.cc/heartreacts. This episode was produced by, well, us! We apologize for any inconsistencies in audio quality. If you liked it and want to help keep us going, and help us improve our recording process, you can support us at patreon.com/HeartReacts. You can subscribe to the show wherever you get podcasts, and please do rate us on those podcast apps! Our music comes from “Casual Outrage” by New Orleans-based Basher, featured on their new album May Day, coming May 31, 2024 to Sinking City Records. For more about the band, visit byronasher.com/basher. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Episode 23: Loving in a Simulation | 12 Jun 2025 | 01:06:50 | |
Welcome to HEART REACTS, an advice podcast for all of us trying to remain emotionally functional through the collapse of late capitalism. This week, we talk a little about the rebellion against immigration policing in Los Angeles and why big tech is a target, and then we answer a question about how to stop a friend from becoming a notorious "nice guy." Stuff We Talk About: Brian Merchant, "The Weaponization of Waymo" C.M. Lewis, "Los Angeles is Now the Country's Leading Union Town" Rivkah Brown, "Couriers Stunt Dalston’s Gentrification. The Police and Council Want Them Gone" Brandy Jensen, "I Wish My Single Life Was Enough For Me" Amia Srinivasan, The Right to Sex Esther Perel, How's Work Season 1 Episode 7 We are Craig Gent, a writer and researcher living in Leeds, and Sarah Jaffe, a journalist and author based in New Orleans. Buy Craig's Book: Cyberboss Buy Sarah's Book: From the Ashes You can send us your questions at www.askmeanything.cc/heartreacts. This episode was produced by, well, us! We apologize for any inconsistencies in audio quality. If you liked it and want to help keep us going, and help us improve our recording process, you can support us at patreon.com/HeartReacts. You can subscribe to the show wherever you get podcasts, and please do rate us on those podcast apps! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Episode 22: Training Ourselves to Feel | 30 May 2025 | 01:15:23 | |
Welcome to HEART REACTS, an advice podcast for all of us trying to remain emotionally functional through the collapse of late capitalism. On this week's show we think about the collapse of late capitalism getting collapse-ier, and attempt to advise two listeners about feeling prioritized in relationships. The first has a question about a friendship breakup, and the second brings us back to our favorite subject: polyamory. Plus, we have an update from last episode's question-asker about kids on strike! Stuff We Talk About: Sarah, Donald Trump's Disastrous Scott Walker Moment Natasha Lennard, “The Uses and Abuses of Politics for Sex” Becca Rothfeld, All Things Are Too Small Amia Srinivasan, The Right to Sex Katherine Angel, Tomorrow Sex Will Be Good Again From Boundaries to Attachment: The Uses and Abuses of Pop Psychology feat. Lily Scherlis We are Craig Gent, a writer and researcher living in Leeds, and Sarah Jaffe, a journalist and author based in New Orleans. Buy Craig's Book: Cyberboss Buy Sarah's Book: From the Ashes You can send us your questions at www.askmeanything.cc/heartreacts. This episode was produced by, well, us! We apologize for any inconsistencies in audio quality. If you liked it and want to help keep us going, and help us improve our recording process, you can support us at patreon.com/HeartReacts. You can subscribe to the show wherever you get podcasts, and please do rate us on those podcast apps! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Episode 21: Ask for Everything | 19 May 2025 | 01:13:01 | |
Welcome to HEART REACTS, an advice podcast for all of us trying to remain emotionally functional through the collapse of late capitalism. First off, we want to apologize for the delay, but we've been suffering lately from a dearth of questions! Obviously, we can't answer questions if no one asks us any, so please, if you've been hesitating, now is the time to send yours in! If you don't have a question, but you love the show and want it to continue, please do share it with your friends, neighbors, polycule, socialist organization and encourage them to write in. We literally can't do it without you. Thanks so much to everyone who is already listening, sharing, and especially to our Patreon supporters. On a related note, this week we consider unsolicited advice, and what to do when your friends think they know you better than you know yourself. And then we ponder what to do when young people (very young people) go on strike. (Spoiler: it's adorable.) We also remember friend of the show Joshua Clover on this episode. Joshua was a poet and a revolutionary and we share some of his work below if you aren't familiar. Stuff We Talk About: Sarah, heaven knows we sure had some fun, boy Joshua Clover, Riot Strike Riot Joshua Clover, The Year in Struggles Joshua Clover, Red Epic Juliana Spahr, The Many Lives of Joshua Clover Dean Spade, Love in a Fucked-Up World Sarah, Promiscuous Networks of Care We are Craig Gent, a writer and researcher living in Leeds, and Sarah Jaffe, a journalist and author based in New Orleans. Buy Craig's Book: Cyberboss Buy Sarah's Book: From the Ashes You can send us your questions at www.askmeanything.cc/heartreacts. This episode was produced by, well, us! We apologize for any inconsistencies in audio quality. If you liked it and want to help keep us going, and help us improve our recording process, you can support us at patreon.com/HeartReacts. You can subscribe to the show wherever you get podcasts, and please do rate us on those podcast apps! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Episode 20: Socialism is Not the Salvation Army | 23 Apr 2025 | 01:05:24 | |
Welcome to HEART REACTS, an advice podcast for all of us trying to remain emotionally functional through the collapse of late capitalism. Sorry once again for the delay--the world happened. Thank you for bearing with us! This week we talk about the family and its discontents: about a messy mother-in-law relationship, and about what happens when someone bails on the nuclear family–and replaces it with a new one. Stuff We Talk About: Melinda Cooper, Counterrevolution Melinda Cooper, Family Values Sophie Lewis, Abolish the Family M.E. O’Brien, Family Abolition Alva Gotby, They Call It Love Ruth Wilson Gilmore, Socialism conference, Lenin and the Politics of Rehearsal Aaron Benanav, Automation and the Future of Work We are Craig Gent, a writer and researcher living in Leeds, and Sarah Jaffe, a journalist and author based in New Orleans. Buy Craig's Book: Cyberboss Buy Sarah's Book: From the Ashes You can send us your questions at www.askmeanything.cc/heartreacts. This episode was produced by, well, us! We apologize for any inconsistencies in audio quality. If you liked it and want to help keep us going, and help us improve our recording process, you can support us at patreon.com/HeartReacts. You can subscribe to the show wherever you get podcasts, and please do rate us on those podcast apps! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Episode 19: The Power Dance | 28 Mar 2025 | 01:09:28 | |
Welcome to HEART REACTS, an advice podcast for all of us trying to remain emotionally functional through the collapse of late capitalism. This week, we have some exciting news! And then we answer a question about how to handle inequality within your relationships, and tackle the issue of movement burnout, rest, and responsibility. Michel Foucault, The History of Sexuality: Vol 1 Liza Featherstone, "The Left Needs to Stop Falling for Absurd Sex Panics" Sarah, "Worker Centers: Where Causes Cohere, and Forge Power" (Ellen Bravo quotation is here) Sarah, "Emotions on Strike" Daisy Rooks, "The Cowboy Mentality: Organizers and Occupational Commitment in the New Labor Movement" Hannah Proctor, Burnout: The Emotional Experience of Political Defeat Aaron Bastani, "Burn up not out; four suggested projects for UK activism," openDemocracy Paula Davis, Beating Burnout at Work We are Craig Gent, a writer and researcher living in Leeds, and Sarah Jaffe, a journalist and author based in New Orleans. Buy Craig's Book: Cyberboss Buy Sarah's Book: From the Ashes You can send us your questions at www.askmeanything.cc/heartreacts. This episode was produced by, well, us! We apologize for any inconsistencies in audio quality. If you liked it and want to help keep us going, and help us improve our recording process, you can support us at patreon.com/HeartReacts. You can subscribe to the show wherever you get podcasts, and please do rate us on those podcast apps! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Episode 18: Champagne of Beers Socialist | 13 Mar 2025 | 01:19:26 | |
Welcome to HEART REACTS, an advice podcast for all of us trying to remain emotionally functional through the collapse of late capitalism. Thanks for bearing with us while Sarah took a much-needed holiday, and we're back with more questions about organizing, wealth, power, and the State. (We miss your polyamory questions, though!) Stuff We Discuss: Mark Fisher, Wounds of Class Richard Seymour, "Work, Class, and Mental Health" Kelly Hayes (Forthcoming), Read This When Things Fall Apart Sarah Schulman, Conflict is Not Abuse The Free Association, Moments of Excess: Movements, Protest and Everyday Life Alessio Lunghi and Seth Wheeler, Occupy Everything! Ruth Wilson Gilmore at Socialism conference Jodi Dean, Crowds and Party Will Davies, What is Neoliberalism? Will Davies, The Limits of Neoliberalism Federazione dei Comunisti Anarchici, Anarchist Communist A Question of Class We are Craig Gent, a writer and researcher living in Leeds, and Sarah Jaffe, a journalist and author based in New Orleans. Buy Craig's Book: Cyberboss Buy Sarah's Book: From the Ashes You can send us your questions at www.askmeanything.cc/heartreacts. This episode was produced by, well, us! If you liked it and want to help keep us going, and help us improve our recording process, you can support us at patreon.com/HeartReacts. You can subscribe to the show wherever you get podcasts, and please do rate us on those podcast apps! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Episode 17: It doesn't have to be like this | 19 Feb 2025 | 01:08:33 | |
Welcome to HEART REACTS, an advice podcast for all of us trying to remain emotionally functional through the collapse of late capitalism. This week, we're tackling the question of how and when to break up--with your socialist organization, and with a partner who is prioritizing their job over your relationship. Stuff We Talk About: Sarah, Federal Workers Rise up Against Musk, Trump and Drastic Cuts Paolo Gerbaudo - The Digital Party Rodrigo Nunes - Neither Vertical Nor Horizontal John Nichols - The S Word Olufemi O Taiwo - Elite Capture Jonathan Matthew Smucker - Hegemony How-To Sarah - Work Won’t Love You Back Laura Kipnis - Against Love Interview: “Fight with hope, fight without hope, but fight absolutely” with Mike Davis Olufemi O. Taiwo on Bluesky And if you really want to know what Rosa Luxemburg thought of the Leninist party...
We are Craig Gent, a writer and researcher living in Leeds, and Sarah Jaffe, a journalist and author based in New Orleans. Buy Craig's Book: Cyberboss Buy Sarah's Book: From the Ashes You can send us your questions at www.askmeanything.cc/heartreacts. This episode was produced by, well, us! We apologize for any inconsistencies in audio quality. If you liked it and want to help keep us going, and help us improve our recording process, you can support us at patreon.com/HeartReacts. You can subscribe to the show wherever you get podcasts, and please do rate us on those podcast apps! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Episode 16: All of the Above | 08 Feb 2025 | 00:48:47 | |
Welcome to HEART REACTS, an advice podcast for all of us trying to remain emotionally functional through the collapse of late capitalism. Apologies for the delay this week, folks--we had some technical difficulties that made editing the recording a bit of a chore, so thanks for bearing with us. This week, we're considering what to do when your family-critical friends start families of their own, and we dive back into the question of whether therapy can be radical, or even Marxist. Stuff We Talk About: Kristen Ghodsee, Everyday Utopias Helen Hester and Nick Srnicek, After Work Greta LaFleur at Los Angeles Review of Books, "Heterosexuality Without Women" Marshall Rosenberg, Nonviolent Communication Ordinary Unhappiness Podcast, "On Hate and Aggression, Part 1" Beatrice Adler-Bolton and Artie Vierkant, Health Communism We are Craig Gent, a writer and researcher living in Leeds, and Sarah Jaffe, a journalist and author based in New Orleans. Buy Craig's Book: Cyberboss Buy Sarah's Book: From the Ashes You can send us your questions at www.askmeanything.cc/heartreacts. This episode was produced by, well, us! We apologize for any inconsistencies in audio quality. If you liked it and want to help keep us going, and help us improve our recording process, you can support us at patreon.com/HeartReacts. You can subscribe to the show wherever you get podcasts, and please do rate us on those podcast apps! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| August break | 02 Aug 2025 | 00:01:12 | |
Hello Heart Reacts listeners! Sarah here, just wanted to touch base that along with much of Europe we’ll be taking August off from the podcast to deal with some life changes–good ones, we hope, that you’ll hear more about soon!--and to have a bit of a break and give you a chance to send in all your questions about chaotic polyamory, difficult parents-in-law, bad bosses, political splits, and everything in between. As always, thank you to those of you who support us on Patreon and have sent in questions thus far. You can send those to askmeanything.cc/heartreacts. We’ll be back soon, and remember, pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the feels. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Episode 26: Don't Ask Don't Tell | 24 Jul 2025 | 01:05:09 | |
Welcome to HEART REACTS, an advice podcast for all of us trying to remain emotionally functional through the collapse of late capitalism. This week, we discuss two very different versions of "don't ask don't tell" relationship policies, as we consider the ethics of disclosure in nonmonogamous relationships (that's right, the Poly Chronicles continue) and how upset to get about bad behavior from a hookup. With an update from a former questioner! Stuff We Discuss: Episode 11: The Ways We Ought To Live Angela Willey, Undoing Monogamy Jo Freeman, The Tyranny of Structurelessness Huw Lemmey and Ben Miller, Bad Gays: A Homosexual History Bad Gays Podcast, Episode One: Ernst Röhm We are Craig Gent, a writer and researcher living in Leeds, and Sarah Jaffe, a journalist and author based in New Orleans. Buy Craig's Book: Cyberboss Buy Sarah's Book: From the Ashes You can send us your questions at www.askmeanything.cc/heartreacts. This episode was produced by, well, us! We apologize for any inconsistencies in audio quality. If you liked it and want to help keep us going, and help us improve our recording process, you can support us at patreon.com/HeartReacts. You can subscribe to the show wherever you get podcasts, and please do rate us on those podcast apps! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| E34 Episode 34: Specific Units of Emotionality | 08 Jan 2026 | 01:23:06 | |
Welcome to HEART REACTS, an advice podcast for all of us trying to remain emotionally functional through the collapse of late capitalism. We're back, we survived the holidays, and we have some thoughts on emotional libertarianism to share with you. Some of you have asked what we mean by this term, which we've used occasionally, so we took the opportunity to dig into it a little bit. And then, we answer a question about what it means to be a romantic, anyway. We need your questions!! Send them to us at https://www.askmeanything.cc/heartreacts Also, Heart Reacts has its own Instagram now! Follow us, send us memes and ideas, leave us comments... Stuff We Talk About: Alexandra Kollontai, The Social Basis of the Female Question Ajay Singh Chaudhary, Sick and Tired Heat at 30: Michael Mann’s electric crime thriller is a film of fire and sadness Kelly Hayes, Read This When Things Fall Apart Marita Alonso, “Las mujeres piensan en el regalo que están dando. Los hombres no”: ¿hay una brecha de género en el arte de regalar? Diane Di Prima, Revolutionary Letter No 19 Before Sunrise review – Richard Linklater’s brief encounter defies romantic convention ‘Black Bag’ Is a Great Spy Thriller — and an Even Better Marriage Drama We are Craig Gent, a writer and researcher living in Leeds, and Sarah Jaffe, a journalist and author based in London. Buy Craig's Book: Cyberboss Buy Sarah's Book: From the Ashes You can send us your questions at www.askmeanything.cc/heartreacts. This episode was produced by, well, us! We apologize for any inconsistencies in audio quality. If you liked it and want to help keep us going, and help us improve our recording process, you can support us at patreon.com/HeartReacts. You can subscribe to the show wherever you get podcasts, and please do rate us on those podcast apps! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Episode 33: I'm So In Love I Want a Baby That Has Your Face | 12 Dec 2025 | 01:14:53 | |
Welcome to HEART REACTS, an advice podcast for all of us trying to remain emotionally functional through the collapse of late capitalism. Heart Reacts now has an Instagram! Follow the pod directly for faster updates and more relationship memes. This week, we check in about "chatfishing" and cognitive dissonance around AI, and then we consider whether or not (and how) to parent inside the coupled norm. Stuff We Talk About: This Hanukkah, Let’s Bring Back Judith Menorahs Conversation on Workplace Trust with Sarah Mosseri Sarah: Interview with Emily Bender and Alex Hanna on The AI Con The right’s callous overdiagnosis bandwagon is rolling. Wes Streeting should not be on it Against The Grain: Archiving anarcho-punk Logic(s) Magazine Issue 23: Land (with Craig's article!) Jules Joanne Gleeson: This Infamous Proposal Sarah: Family Planning (review essay) Engels, "The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State" Madeline Lane-McKinley, Solidarity with Children Michèle Barrett and Mary McIntosh, The Anti-Social Family Angela Davis: Women and Capitalism:Dialectics of Oppression and Liberation David Collinson and Stephen Ackroyd, “Resistance, Misbehavior and Dissent” Dorinne K. Kondo, Crafting Selves: Power, Gender, and Discourses of Identity in a Japanese Workplace We are Craig Gent, a writer and researcher living in Leeds, and Sarah Jaffe, a journalist and author based in London. Buy Craig's Book: Cyberboss Buy Sarah's Book: From the Ashes You can send us your questions at www.askmeanything.cc/heartreacts. This episode was produced by, well, us! We apologize for any inconsistencies in audio quality. If you liked it and want to help keep us going, and help us improve our recording process, you can support us at patreon.com/HeartReacts. You can subscribe to the show wherever you get podcasts, and please do rate us on those podcast apps! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Episode 32: Big Linklater Energy | 28 Nov 2025 | 01:05:42 | |
Welcome to HEART REACTS, an advice podcast for all of us trying to remain emotionally functional through the collapse of late capitalism. We apologize for being late! Life, work, and the collapse of...well, you know, got in the way. But this week we talk once again about what to do when your union breaks your heart, and then spend a while considering how to avoid breaking someone else's. What do you do when communication on screens feels easier than communication face to face (and body to body)? Stuff We Talk About: Mattie Lubchansky comic Mark Fisher, Capitalist Realism Audre Lorde, The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master’s House Sarah, Worker Centers, Where Causes Cohere and Forge Power Antonio Gramsci, “Americanism and Fordism” James W. Carey, Communication as Culture Walter Benjamin, “On the Concept of History” We are Craig Gent, a writer and researcher living in Leeds, and Sarah Jaffe, a journalist and author based in London. Buy Craig's Book: Cyberboss Buy Sarah's Book: From the Ashes You can send us your questions at www.askmeanything.cc/heartreacts. This episode was produced by, well, us! We apologize for any inconsistencies in audio quality. If you liked it and want to help keep us going, and help us improve our recording process, you can support us at patreon.com/HeartReacts. You can subscribe to the show wherever you get podcasts, and please do rate us on those podcast apps! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Episode 31: Everything is Embarrassing | 06 Nov 2025 | 01:06:48 | |
Welcome to HEART REACTS, an advice podcast for all of us trying to remain emotionally functional through the collapse of late capitalism. This week, we're low on questions so we thought we'd talk to each other about a couple of viral relationship articles that are in productive tension. We poke at our ongoing discomfort with terminology, the still-brokenness of heterosexuality, and why caring about stuff is cool again. And then we answer a question about organizing, capacity, and crisis. We need your questions!! Send them to us at https://www.askmeanything.cc/heartreacts Stuff We Talk About: What Is “Chalance” and Why Is Everybody Looking for It on Dating Apps? Is Having A Boyfriend Embarrassing Now? Laura Mulvey, Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema W.E.B. Du Bois The Souls of Black Folk bell hooks, All About Love Friedrich Engels, The Origin of the Family, Private Property, and the State Alyssa Battistoni, Free Gifts: Capitalism and the Politics of Nature Radical Emprints: Fight With the Tools that are Uniquely Yours We are Craig Gent, a writer and researcher living in Leeds, and Sarah Jaffe, a journalist and author based in London. Buy Craig's Book: Cyberboss Buy Sarah's Book: From the Ashes You can send us your questions at www.askmeanything.cc/heartreacts. This episode was produced by, well, us! We apologize for any inconsistencies in audio quality. If you liked it and want to help keep us going, and help us improve our recording process, you can support us at patreon.com/HeartReacts. You can subscribe to the show wherever you get podcasts, and please do rate us on those podcast apps! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Episode 30: Down with Ambiguity | 20 Oct 2025 | 01:04:20 | |
Welcome to HEART REACTS, an advice podcast for all of us trying to remain emotionally functional through the collapse of late capitalism. This week, we're yet again talking about the trials and travails of organizing with other messy humans, and the importance of clarity in both romantic and organizational relationships. (And a sidebar about how much Sarah hates the term "situationship.") Stuff We Talk About: Lynne Segal, Straight Sex Lynne Segal, Slow Motion: Changing Masculinities and Changing Men Mariame Kaba and Shira Hassan, Fumbling Towards Repair: A Workbook for Community Accountability Practitioners Paolo Gerbaudo, The Digital Party Jane McAlevey, Raising Expectations and Raising Hell The dearly departed Big Mood, Little Mood podcast Sarah: The Radical Organizing that Paved the Way for LA's Teachers' Strike Diane Di Prima: Revolutionary Letter #8 (online) and Revolutionary Letters (book) We are Craig Gent, a writer and researcher living in Leeds, and Sarah Jaffe, a journalist and author based in London. Buy Craig's Book: Cyberboss Buy Sarah's Book: From the Ashes You can send us your questions at www.askmeanything.cc/heartreacts. This episode was produced by, well, us! We apologize for any inconsistencies in audio quality. If you liked it and want to help keep us going, and help us improve our recording process, you can support us at patreon.com/HeartReacts. You can subscribe to the show wherever you get podcasts, and please do rate us on those podcast apps! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Episode 29: Let the People who Love You Love You | 03 Oct 2025 | 01:03:00 | |
Welcome to HEART REACTS, an advice podcast for all of us trying to remain emotionally functional through the collapse of late capitalism. This week, we add some thoughts to our Your Party-related answer from last episode, in light of the latest news, and then we address a question about how to accept and give care. How to balance our own needs and wants, give and take, when the very means of survival are privatized? Stuff We Talk About: Archie Woodrow, "Your Party’s Messy Public Breakdown Shows It Has Big Questions to Answer" Sarah: “You Have To Shake Up the Status Quo”: Marilyn Sneiderman’s Struggle To Transform Labor Rodrigo Nunes, Neither Vertical Nor Horizontal Keir Milbun, Bertie Russell, Kai Heron, Radical Abundance Helen Hester and Nick Srnicek, After Work Mariame Kaba and Shira Hassan, From “Me Too” to “All of Us”: Organizing to End Sexual Violence, Without Prisons Axel Honneth, Reification: A New Look at an Old Idea Premilla Nadasen, Care: the Highest Stage of Capitalism Melinda Cooper on The Dig, Counterrevolution David Graeber, Debt: The First 5000 Years We are Craig Gent, a writer and researcher living in Leeds, and Sarah Jaffe, a journalist and author based in London. Buy Craig's Book: Cyberboss Buy Sarah's Book: From the Ashes You can send us your questions at www.askmeanything.cc/heartreacts. This episode was produced by, well, us! We apologize for any inconsistencies in audio quality. If you liked it and want to help keep us going, and help us improve our recording process, you can support us at patreon.com/HeartReacts. You can subscribe to the show wherever you get podcasts, and please do rate us on those podcast apps! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Episode 28: Hope is Social | 17 Sep 2025 | 01:02:04 | |
Welcome to HEART REACTS, an advice podcast for all of us trying to remain emotionally functional through the collapse of late capitalism. In response to a question about the new left party formation in Britain, we think about hope, and organizing, and what kinds of movements we'll need to make it through this bleak political time. Rodrigo Nunes, Neither Vertical Nor Horizontal Leanne Mohamad, “How I came so close to beating Wes Streeting” Nicholas Beuret, Or Something Worse Mark Fisher, Ghosts Of My Life Keir Milburn, Generation Left Ajay Chaudhary, The Exhausted of the Earth Jane McAlevey, Raising Expectations (And Raising Hell) Staceyann Chin performs The Low Road by Marge Piercy David Graeber, Debt: The First 5000 Years Richard Seymour, “Baseline Communism” Ad Astra Harm Reduction Coalition Sarah, A Safe and Welcoming Home We are Craig Gent, a writer and researcher living in Leeds, and Sarah Jaffe, a journalist and author based in London. Buy Craig's Book: Cyberboss Buy Sarah's Book: From the Ashes You can send us your questions at www.askmeanything.cc/heartreacts. This episode was produced by us! We apologize for any inconsistencies in audio quality. If you liked it and want to help keep us going, and help us improve our recording process, you can support us at patreon.com/HeartReacts. You can subscribe to the show wherever you get podcasts, and please do rate us on those podcast apps! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Episode 27: Giving Up the Ghost | 04 Sep 2025 | 01:14:30 | |
Welcome to HEART REACTS, an advice podcast for all of us trying to remain emotionally functional through the collapse of late capitalism. We're back! And we have exciting personal updates for our listeners. But don't fret, we're also back to answering your questions. This week we tackle yet another dispiriting experience with the labor movement, and how to be for labor when it's shooting you in the foot. And then we consider ghosting: what it is, what it means, what to do when a friend does it to you. Stuff We Talk About: Jane McAlevey, Raising Expectations and Raising Hell Nicole Olive “Nonprofit Boss” Merriam-Webster on the history of the term “ghosting” We are Craig Gent, a writer and researcher living in Leeds, and Sarah Jaffe, a journalist and author based in London. Buy Craig's Book: Cyberboss Buy Sarah's Book: From the Ashes You can send us your questions at www.askmeanything.cc/heartreacts. This episode was produced by, well, us! We apologize for any inconsistencies in audio quality. If you liked it and want to help keep us going, and help us improve our recording process, you can support us at patreon.com/HeartReacts. You can subscribe to the show wherever you get podcasts, and please do rate us on those podcast apps! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||