Over the last few years, I have worked my way through the entire archive of the
First Things
podcast series “Conversations with Mark Bauerlein.” Though I also listened to the thought-provoking series “The Editor’s Desk” (hosted by editor R. R. Reno) as well as “The
First Things
Podcast” (under the wry, cheeky leadership of impresario senior editor Julia Yost), my focus was Bauerlein’s conversations. I started this project in 2020, a time when many Americans were exploring the attractions of the great indoors. By listening to one podcast a day, I was able to finish my journey through the backlog this past winter.