So Long, and Thanks for All the Granola Edition

<p>A eulogistic weepfest? A “valediction forbidding mourning”? A conscious unthroupling? All of the above?</p><br><p>Believe it or not, the time has come for Steve, Dana, and Julia to convene the Culture Gabfest panel for the very last time.&nbsp;</p><br><p>Before saying goodbye, they look back at the very first piece of culture they ever gabbed about on their inaugural episode in February 2008: the film <em>Juno</em>. Does the indie darling written by Diablo Cody, directed by Jason Reitman, and starring Elliot Page as a sardonic, pregnant teenager hold up after 18 years? And, what does rewatching it in 2026 reveal about how culture has changed? They discuss.</p><br><p>Next, the panel welcomes on the grand poobah of SFOPs June Thomas to counsel them through the inevitable change in one’s cultural habits that comes after a big life transition. They get into why June stopped watching TV and the truly wild mix of things in her YouTube algorithm.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Finally, we hear from you our dear, dear listeners. Steve, Dana, and Julia respond to some of your many beautiful emails and voice memos.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><br><p>In our bonus episode for Slate Plus subscribers, past Gabfest producers spill the beans on what it was like to make this show over the years.</p><br><p>And, as always, thank you so much for being a listener.</p><br><p><br></p><p><strong>Endorsements</strong></p><br><p><strong>Dana</strong>: The forthcoming book about translating ancient texts by beloved past Gabfest guest Emily Wilson, <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/crossing-the-wine-dark-sea-journeys-through-ancient-literature-emily-wilson/7ac46e1380472f69?ean=9781324099406&amp;next=t" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea: Journeys Through Ancient Literature</em></a>.</p><br><p><strong>June</strong>: The podcast <a href="https://draftingthepast.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Drafting the Past</a> hosted by Kate Carpenter about the craft of writing history.</p><br><p><strong>Julia</strong>: Manhattan Beach's indie bookstore <a href="https://pagesabookstore.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Pages</a> and <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/on-the-calculation-of-volume-book-i-shortlisted-for-the-2025-international-booker-prize-solvej-balle/39837e132ef254c6?ean=9780811237253" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>On the Calculation of Volume (Book 1)</em></a><em> </em>by Solvej Balle (definitely the first 30 page