I'm Natalie Moore. I fell in love with soap operas when I was just five years old, and I still

watch them. Their television's longest scripted series and have zero reruns. Now let me tell you,

soap operas aren't just some silly art form. They are significant. In this season of making,

Stories Without End from WB EZ Chicago.

Join me as I share how the genre began, their social impact, and why these stories endure.

Listen wherever you get your podcast.

From WBEZ Chicago, this is Nerdette. I'm Greta Johnson. We did it. We made it to another weekend. This week's episode is a super special one. I'm very excited to share it with you. I had the great privilege of talking with Sam Irby last week on a stage to celebrate her newest book release here in Chicago. And as you will hear, the conversation was just as fun as you would want it to be.

If you somehow are not already familiar with Sam, buckle your fucking seatbelts because this is a delightfully wild ride.

Her newest book is called Quietly Hostile. It's an essay collection. and it spans a huge variety of topics. We've got lesbian nun porn fantasies, living with teenage stepkids, why her

wife has so many condiments in their fridge, and of course there's a lot about chronic illness,

which means there is a great lot about diarrhea, which is extremely on brand for Sam. In addition to her essay, Sam has also

started writing for TV. She wrote for End Just Like That, which is the New Sex and the City

reboot. She also worked on the HBO Max cartoon Tuka and Birdie and the Hulu adaptation of

Lindy West's book, Shrill. As you will hear, Sam is just the best.

She grew up in Evanston, which is the suburb just north of Chicago.

So we were all very happy to welcome her back home.

She lives in Michigan now.

We started the conversation with a question from a nerd out listener, which was,

How are you the coolest and funniest person ever?

It's true.

No, I'm just kidding.

I'm just kidding.

...