Natalie Shutler

Dec 7, 2024 | slate.com | Natalie Shutler

Sign up for the Slatest to get the most insightful analysis, criticism, and advice out there, delivered to your inbox daily. Oh, the much-maligned gag gift! Sure, they can be impersonal and junky. And yes, they basically exist to add to life’s clutter. But what’s better than giving a loved one something so truly stupid it makes them laugh or groan? Don’t we need shared moments of levity more than ever? And why deny ourselves the tiny joys of handing useless trinkets back and forth?

Oct 21, 2024 | slate.com | Natalie Shutler

Advice This is part of Wedge Issues, a pop-up advice column about politics, running now through the election. Submit a question here—it’s anonymous! Dear Wedge Issues, We recently went to a parade in our small-ish and very blue college town, which is located in a red area of a red state. The parade was full of community organizations.

Aug 19, 2024 | slate.com | Natalie Shutler

Skip to the content Advice This is part of Wedge Issues, a pop-up advice column about politics, running now through the election.Submit a question here—it’s anonymous! Dear Wedge Issues, A common refrain I hear from acquaintances when talking about politicians like Kamala Harris and Hillary Clinton is “I just don’t like her.” I usually try to ask why, but my interlocutor never has a reason, at which point I usually jump down his throat (it’s almost always a man) and insist that he doesn’t...

May 30, 2024 | slate.com | Natalie Shutler |Shirin Ali

Skip to the content Politics The jury announced that they had a verdict at 4:20 p.m. (on purpose? hah!). After a rather pregnant pause—the jurors had to fill out some forms, a lot of forms actually, it turned out—Donald Trump was charged as guilty on all 34 felony counts.

May 2, 2024 | slate.com | Natalie Shutler

Skip to the content Politics In the chaos of the past few weeks, as adults across so many disciplines have reacted to student protesters with suspensions, zip ties, violent police raids, arrests and worse, it seems everyone has forgotten something very elemental about university students: They are raw idealists. Which means they can be inspiring, thoughtful and creatively engaged. But they can also be hellish, self-serving and terrifyingly shrewd.