Los Angeles Fires: What Is A "Catastrophe?"

The Unspeakable Podcast

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Los Angeles Fires: What Is A "Catastrophe?"

Thoughts on my birthday, accepting help, building houses, and my new book, The Catastrophe Hour.

Meghan Daum

Feb 13, 2025

Transcript

February 13, 2025

It’s my birthday, it’s pouring rain, and it’s been 37 days since losing my house in the Los Angeles wildfires. Now that my laryngitis is (almost) gone, here are some audio reflections about my recent New York Times opinion essay, my current housing situation, and my former housing blunders. Plus, a sneak preview of my ironically-titled forthcoming book, The Catastrophe Hour.

New York Times, Jan 31, 2025: The L.A. Fires Taught Me To Accept Help

Pre-order The Catastrophe Hour: Selected Essays, coming April 15, 2025

Earlier fire dispatches:

January 9: The First 24 Hours

January 16: The Immaterial World

January 27: Housing Wars

February 5: Remembrance Of Things Past

Many of you have asked how you can help me get back on my feet. As much as it makes me squirm, we set up a tip jar so you can make a one-time (or any number of times you want) donation in any amount. Your help is deeply appreciated.

I was honored that Tara Henley featured my February 5 essay as the weekend read on her fantastic Substack, Lean Out.

Lean Out with Tara Henley

Weekend reads: Meghan Daum on the Los Angeles fires

The political developments in both Canada and the U.S. have been so fast and furious that I have not yet had a chance to touch on the devastating fires in Los Angeles that saw so many people lose their homes. My friend and colleague, the American essayist and podcaster Meghan Daum, is one of them…

14 days ago · 18 likes · 5 comments · Meghan Daum

Oh, and the regularly scheduled podcast is back! This week, the mesmerizing and singular Chloé Valdary on leaving Twitter, the new Puritanism, reading aloud, and, oh . . . the Israel/Palestine conflict.

How Not To Go Insane

Meghan Daum and Chloé Valdary

Feb 11

Back to our regularly scheduled program! The podcast was derailed last month due to the Los Angeles wildfires, which I’ve been discussing in audio and written essays. You can also read my recent essay in The New York Times about accepting help. At the time of the fires, I had several interviews recorded and in the queue but I put them on hold for the ne…

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Housekeeping

📖 Pre-order my new book The Catastrophe Hour: Selected Essays (which is unrelated to the current catastrophe).

📺 Visit The Unspeakable on YouTube.

✈️ The Unspeakeasy has new retreats for 2025. Find out where we’ll be!

🥂 Join The Unspeakeasy, my community for freethinking women.

🔥 Make a donation of any amount to help me recover from the fire by using the tip jar.

Discussion about this episode

The Unspeakable Podcast

The Unspeakable Podcast is a weekly interview show hosted by writer Meghan Daum. It's a place for conversations with writers, scientists, philosophers, artists and all kinds of interesting people about topics that have been deemed "unspeakable." Of the many podcasts offering nuanced conversations, this is the only one with official Nuanced AF merchandise available at the Nuance Store.

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