Gabfest Reads | From Busboy to Corporate Tool to Priest
Political Gabfest
Slate Podcasts
4.4 • 8.5K Ratings
🗓️ 21 February 2026
⏱️ 58 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
John Dickerson talks with Father James Martin about his new book, Work in Progress: Confessions of a Busboy, Dishwasher, Caddy, Usher, Factory Worker, Bank Teller, Corporate Tool, and Priest. They discuss the spiritual lessons learned through eight different jobs, Martin's controversial LGBTQ ministry that made him a target of criticism within the Catholic Church, and what the Gospels demand about welcoming strangers and caring for the marginalized.
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Podcast production by Nina Porzucki.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to GabFest Reeds for the month of February 2026. I'm John Dickerson, one of the hosts of the Slate Political Gab Fest. |
| 0:21.4 | In this episode, I'll interview Father James Martin, a Jesuit priest, editor at large at America |
| 0:26.9 | magazine, and founder of outreach in LGBTQ Catholic ministry. |
| 0:32.4 | He is a prolific author, including being the author of the New York Times bestsellers, |
| 0:37.3 | the Jesuit Guide to |
| 0:38.2 | Almost Everything, and Learning to Pray. He was the unofficial, and I suppose still is, |
| 0:43.4 | chaplain to the Colbert Nation. His new book is Work in Progress, Confessions of a Busboy, |
| 0:49.4 | dishwasher, Caddy, Usher, factory worker, bank teller, corporate tool, and priest. |
| 0:55.5 | I interviewed Father Martin for the National Writers series in Trevor City, Michigan, |
| 1:00.4 | and I thought GabFest listeners would enjoy our conversation. |
| 1:03.9 | So no more palaver from me. |
| 1:06.2 | Here is my conversation with Father Martin. |
| 1:16.5 | Music is my conversation with Father Martin. Hello, everyone. |
| 1:17.6 | Hello, Father Martin. |
| 1:18.7 | How are you? |
| 1:19.4 | Good, John. |
| 1:20.0 | How are you? |
| 1:20.9 | I'm fine. |
| 1:22.1 | A tiny bit of housekeeping here for everyone. |
| 1:25.6 | First of all, having grown up raised by the Jesuits and with a mother |
| 1:30.9 | who was a devout Catholic, I am going to occasionally call Father Martin Jim. And so I hope that's |
| 1:37.6 | okay with members in our audience or else I'll be Father Martining him all night. Hi, Jim. Where are you |
... |
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