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. 
The hosts tackle questions about everything ranging from under-dramatized historical eras to Wuthering Heights 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">Las Culturistas</a> Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers for some Schimpfen und Toben.
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&next=t">The Rest of Our Lives</a> on <a href="https://stores.barnesandnoble.com/event/9780062199040-0">January 5, 2026 at the Upper West Side Barnes & Noble</a>.
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.
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Email us your thoughts at <a href="mailto:culturefest@slate.com">culturefest@slate.com</a>. 
Podcast production by Benjamin Frisch. Production assistance by Daniel Hirsch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>

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