Work in Progress
Blue state governors, a nod from James Beard, F-ck the Patriarchy, and the great subscriber challenge
Last month, I sent out a One Year In letter. The response was really heartening. But a lot’s happened since, so I wanted to come back and tell you about it.
What’s been happening
I published Power of the Purse this week. When a government ignores court orders, fires its own watchdogs and spends public money without authorisation, the question isn't whether the tools to push back exist (they do) — it's whether anyone is willing to use them (not so far). Two Virginia state senators were in touch Tuesday evening. On Wednesday morning I sent it to Governors Newsom, Hochul, Pritzker, Shapiro, Healey, Spanberger and Sherrill. That's what one person, with your support, can do. Stay tuned.
Bridge to Nowhere — a personal essay about a medical emergency, a hot ICU nurse and maintaining a bikini bod — drew close to 20,000 views. And hundreds of emails and DMs and comments from people who’ve had similar. That kind of response reaffirms the power of stories. I wasn’t sure about publishing it, but am glad I did.
Don’t Let Me Keep You launched April 17th as a weekly column, published every Friday. It’s quirky and different. So I was really pleased when many of you sent me messages to say how much you like it. This week is the last free edition. From next Friday it’s for paid subscribers only. So if you’ve been enjoying it, now’s your moment.
What’s coming
May 12: Bob Sheard is one of Britain’s most influential brand strategists and one of the fifty most influential figures in global fashion. As founder of FreshBritain, he’s worked with iconic global brands — from Levi’s and Converse to Burberry and Arc’teryx — giving them not just a visual identity but a value system and a voice. So I called him to help me make sense of personal brands. And unpick what’s happened to us in the decade since we started curating and performing for global audiences. Bob understands better than almost anyone how the machinery works, and what it’s costing us. Oh, and he also runs ultramarathons. For research.
June 2: Bobbi Thomason is a full professor of applied behavioural science at Pepperdine, whose research on gender, negotiation and the structures that shape women's lives has appeared in various publications, from the Academy of Management Journal to the Harvard Business Review. As a woman who’s spent her career navigating the very systems she studies, she’s also disarmingly honest about the limits of what even the best research can protect you from. We talk about her work, her upcoming book Vows to Ourselves, raising girls and the beaded F-ck the Patriarchy necklace she's sporting — you'll understand why when you hear it.
June 16: Neal Wavra came to food via conflict resolution — he’s the guy who actually tracked what food was being served at the Oslo Accords as a measure of progress. After quitting his government job, Neal headed to the real CIA (the Culinary Institute of America) then to train with chef’s chef Charlie Trotter before ending up in Marshall, Virginia, where he and his wife Star have run Field & Main for ten years. They also own Red Truck Bakery, twice listed among the New York Times' best food purveyors in the country and a fave of everyone from the Obamas to Oprah. Field & Main is the sole Virginia finalist for a 2026 James Beard Award. The winner will be announced on June 15th - the episode drops on the 16th with the news.
June 30: Julian Zelizer is the Malcolm Stevenson Forbes Professor of History and Public Affairs at Princeton, a Guggenheim Fellow, Foreign Policy columnist and one of the most prolific and widely cited political historians in America. He's spent his career studying how America's democratic institutions were built, stress-tested and where the load-bearing walls actually are. Many of you are outside the United States watching this unfold and asking how a democracy arrives here. Many of us inside are asking the same. Find out why.
How you can help
I keep almost everything free because access to serious journalism and serious conversation matters. That’s not changing. But none of this is free to produce — the research, the reporting, the production all add up. This isn’t a hobby - it’s my livelihood.
So here’s a challenge. Help me add 50 new paid subscribers by the time Julian Zelizer’s episode drops. A subscription is $8 a month (less than a negroni) or $80 a year (a lot less than that 4th streaming service that never airs anything worth watching). There’s also a Founding Supporter tier at $200 for those who can do a little more.
If a paid subscription isn’t possible right now, then please spread the word to a few friends who’d care. That matters too.
Thanks for being here.
Meredith