UNDERSTAND

The Paul Shaffer and the World’s Most Dangerous Band of newsletters is soul-searching at Mar-a-Lago and cruising gigantic yard sales

We’re here to reclaim the “women’s magazine.” Every week, two veteran editors read it ALL to bring you everything we believe women’s media should be: juicy yarns, big ideas, deeply personal essays, hot goss, and the odd shopping tip—aka, the full Spread. Plus: original interviews, podcasts, and more. Come hungry!  

---

---

🤔😏🙄🤨🤭😂

Sweet’n’Salty Spreadinistas, 

Happy post-debate day! We made it! Don’t know about you, but we’ve been waiting to exhale for what feels like weeks. By 8:45 p.m. last night, our nails were bit down to mere nubbins. We hadn’t slept a wink. But when it was over, we drifted off like milk-drunk kittens and woke with smiles on our faces and Taylor’s red-lipstick print on our foreheads. Does icy fear still course through our veins? Of course!  Did we suffer a wee spot of resentment at the almighty power of Taylor, big-footing in and overshadowing even this? We did! But let’s, uh, shake it off. We’re ready to DO THIS, folks.

There’s much to Spread about this week, but first a bit of housekeeping: Everybody here up to date on the Spread Culture Calendar™? We know it’s been a bit of a whirlwind, but last week we launched our newest franchise (OK, it’s a Google Calendar, but that brand-building class we took at Harvard told us to Think Big): a Spreadtastic calendar with all the upcoming series, movies, books, award shows, and what-have-yous that we don’t want to miss. 

If you haven’t tried it yet, it’s easy: Just click the link and either save it via your Google Calendar (you can easily turn it off and on to only view it when you want) or bookmark the page and refer to it as needed. 

**If you tried adding it to your calendar and it’s not popping up: Open your Google Calendar app. Click the stack of three lines at the top left-hand corner. Scroll down; you should see the Spread Culture Calendar™ on the list of calendar options. Check the box to activate it, et voila! If you’re still stuck, email us at rachelandmaggie@thespread.media. We’re here for you, boo.

This week in the Spread Culture Calendar™

Tonight, Wed 11th: 

TUNE IN: Cleanse your TV-watching palate with the VMAs—yes, MTV still makes ’em! Megan Thee Stallion is hosting. Taylor, Chappell, and Sabrina are expected. 

Friday the 13thhhhhh: 

TUNE IN: Natasha Rothwell premiers How to Die Alone (Hulu). Remember how much you love her here. 

GET TIX: Aubrey Plaza’s My Old Ass comes to theaters [insert obligatory joke about your Spreaditors’ glorious derrieres here]

GET TIX: Mackenzie Davis’s spooky Speak No Evil is a real Friday the 13th play, if you’re into that kind of thing. We’re not, but we won’t judge.  

Sunday the 15th:

TUNE IN: At 8 p.m., Eugene and Dan Levy host the Emmys as a historic father-son duo! Our eyes are peeled for rumored onstage reunions of The West Wing, Family Ties, and Murphy Brown. 

Monday, the 16th: 

READ: We could not “connect” with New Yorker writer Emily Witt’s debut, Future Sex, but plenty of other smart people did. Now she goes deep on Bushwick party culture in Health and Safety. (Review here.)

JOIN: “Sharing day” at first grade—oh wait…that’s just Maggie’s cal. 

Tuesday, the 17th:

READ: Leave the World Behind’s Rumaan Alam gives us the much-anticipated Entitlement.

TUNE IN: Kaitlin Olson, cult-beloved for 1,000 seasons of It’s Always Sunny… and now for playing Deborah Vance’s daughter on Hacks, gets a starring vehicle: High Potential (ABC)

You know what would make it so easy to keep track of all this? Clicking here! 

Ticktock,

Rachel & Maggie 

Actual footage of the research process behind The Spread Culture Calendar™ 

---

Here’s what paid subscribers are ogling like Golden Bachelorette Joan Vassos’s salt-and-pepper suitors on night one (Wednesday, the 18th, y’all):

• Two pop villains started a business venture—what could go wrong?

• The could-be limited series of the next presidential election (if there—gulp—is one)

• Treasure hunt!

• The Prince documentary that made us cry

• E. Jean Carroll on the mic!!