The Work Stew podcast is still on hold, but I recently recorded a quick chat with former Jeopardy champion Arthur Chu. Chu has emerged as one of today’s most consistently interesting columnists, and I wanted to talk to him about a piece he wrote for Salon called “Gather around, screwed millennials: You must see this.” We discussed the movie that he feels speaks to his generation of job hunters, and we discussed his own career path to date.
Image: used with permission from Arthur Chu.
Coming Up on Work Stew…
Lately, the stirring of the Stew has been increasingly tough to pull off. There just aren’t enough hours in the day, and (TMI alert) I’m really, really tired. So for some time now, I’ve stopped soliciting new essays to publish and, a few months back, I put the podcast on pause. However, I can’t bear to stop Work Stew all together: I’m too attached to the daily ritual not just of working but of thinking about work. I’m also too attached to all of you. So here’s my plan:
- The posts and chats (on Facebook and Twitter) will continue. These aren’t terribly time-consuming for me, and I figure social media breaks are a better idea than, say, smoking breaks. Especially for a non-smoker.
- I will continue to hold off on the podcast for now. If I run across someone I feel compelled to interview, I may record a new episode, but going forward I won’t be adhering to a regular (every two weeks) distribution schedule.
- I will gladly accept essays if anyone feels moved to write one and to send it to me, but I won’t be actively soliciting them.
- What I will be doing—to encourage a steady stream of original writing about work—is hosting four writing contests per year. Each contest will have a work-related prompt, a word limit (600 words), and a prize ($200 for the winner). After each round, I will publish the winner’s entry and possibly a few other finalists. So that you can plan ahead (humor me, people!), here are the dates for the next four rounds:
I hope this approach appeals to at least some of you. Let me know: kate@workstew.com. And if any of you have other ideas—suggestions on how the Stew might evolve over time without requiring me to pull all-nighters—please throw those thoughts into the mix as well. As always, thank you for reading, and thank you for chiming in.
Work Stew 