#28 Someone Else: Laura Hadden
A monthly feature of Some Sundays! Today, the Executive Producer of Live Wire Radio shares two versions of her ideal day in Portland, the best care package ever, and tips for travel with kids.
Someone Else is a feature of Some Sundays: Once a month, I ask people I really like and am inspired by some questions about what they like and are inspired by. 🙂
Laura Hadden knows how to bring people together — whether it’s through a series of 194 dinner parties for the members of the United Nations (158 down, 36 to go!) or by curating the kind of stories that make an audience lean in.
As the Executive Producer of Live Wire Radio and a former producer for The Moth Radio Hour, Laura has a spidey sense for what will resonate, what will connect, and what will keep people thinking.
I’ve known Laura since college (she was my counselor at the Freshman Urban Program 🥹) and we’ve somehow managed to keep landing in the same cities as adults. These days, she lives in Portland with her husband, Jesse, and their kids, Poppy and Solly (who have the cutest, most colorful outfits, and the personalities to match).
Read on for what she’s been listening to, how she keeps up with all the cool things people are making and doing to source guests for her show, and what she wishes people knew about the current state of funding for programs like Live Wire.
Three favorite podcasts:
Vibe Check — A weekly podcast that is equal parts head, heart, and humor, which I especially need at this moment. I’ve been a big fan of journalist Sam Sanders and poet/writer Saeed Jones for years, so eavesdropping into their friendship has been a delight.
Mystery Show — Starlee Kine’s short-lived podcast from 2015 may have only been six episodes, but it provides a meandering roadmap for a more innovative and fun approach to the medium. Especially recommended for folks who enjoyed S-Town, as Kine served as an adivsor on that show and it certainly shares some creative DNA.
Silent Evidence (from The Heart) — My pal and former collaborator Tennessee Watson made this incredible series in which she confronts her childhood abuser and reckons with the myriad ways he has impacted her life, as well as all the various ways in which our society continually fails survivors of abuse.. It would be cliche to call this series brave, but it’s actually more than that as Tennessee manages to not only hold onto her values throughout the process, but even expand her empathy.
Ideal podcast-listening set-up:
I do a lot of listening throughout the week (both required and recreational), so I’ll listen pretty much wherever and whenever I can.
My most consistent listening time is when I’m walking the dog (mostly because it’s the time I’m least likely to be interrupted), but I did recently buy a shower speaker, which has been a game changer.
As much as I like the idea of being able to disconnect in the shower and just think my thoughts, it’s just not my nature and I actually found myself putting off taking showers because I didn’t want to stop listening to whatever I was listening to!
On sourcing cute, colorful kids’ clothes:
I am surprised by how delightful I find dressing Poppy and Solly. My favorite brand is Mini Boden — but since I’m not shelling out $50 for a pair of appliqué sweatpants, I rely heavily on the secondary market (mostly through Mercari and Facebook groups). I also keep an eye on sales from Tea Collection (mostly for dresses) and Hanna Andersson (for basics).
Ideal spring day in Portland (with kids):
The weeks are fast and furious at our house, so the ideal weekend is intentionally unambitious.
Like true Portland stereotypes, we love going to the Hollywood Farmers Market on Saturday mornings (after Solly’s Music Together class, of course)! I take my time picking out flowers while my husband, Jesse, grabs produce, Poppy asks vendors every imaginable (and some unimaginable) question, and Solly pushes his little play grocery cart around.
We almost always run into friends there; it makes me feel like I live in a small town.
We also love going to Tryon Creek throughout the year so we can observe how the same place changes with the seasons. It has several short loop options and there are also paved paths where the kids can bring their scooters if we want to mix it up.
The kids love going to the saltwater soaking pool at The Kennedy School (although you generally need to make your reservation at least a week ahead of time, which can be a challenge with shifting kid schedules.) However, we have learned the hard way *not* to stick around for a meal there, as the wait is typically not compatible with toddler patience.
Ideal spring day in Portland (without kids):
A free day without kids is a pretty big luxury at this point in my life, so it’s a bit hard to wrap my mind around the concept.
In all likelihood, I’d probably just stay home, with a possible side quest to Powell’s or Broadway Books (my neighborhood indie!) to buy more books for the never-ending TBR pile. If the weather cooperates, I basically take any chance to sit in the hammock in my yard (often with a dog on my lap).
A dreamy evening would be grabbing dinner (outdoors, if the weather allows) with a friend or two somewhere on NE 28th Ave/Burnside to do some people watching before seeing a movie at the Laurelhurst, followed by a sundae at Cheese & Crack.
Favorite karaoke song:
I’ve always loved to sing have an unfortunate tendency to take myself a little too seriously in the karaoke setting. Singing is not one of Jesse’s many talents, but boy does the man ever love to ham it up.
Midnight Train to Georgia is a song we realized we could perform together that scratched both of those itches — I’d give it my all as my best version of Gladys while he can be silly and honk his little imaginary train horn in the background as The Pips to his heart’s content.
(It’s possible this is also a metaphor for our marriage.)
Most memorable Live Wire show:
We had the podcaster and cultural critic Ira Madison III come on our show earlier this year. At the very beginning of his book, he mentions how reading Chuck Klosterman’s Sex, Drugs & Cocoa Puffs inspired him to become a writer and how important his work was to him.
Chuck lives in Portland and has been on the show in the past, so I decided to reach out to see if he’d be down to make a surprise appearance on the show after Ira’s interview. Chuck was a complete mensch and agreed to do it. We pulled it off and completely stunned Ira and the entire audience before having the two of them compete against each other in a fun game.
It was such a joy to be able to orchestrate someone meeting their hero on what they expected to be just another stop on their publicity tour.
On sourcing guests for Live Wire:
My booking process is more of an art than a science. I find guests in a lot of different ways:
Once a guest has been on the show (and assuming it went well), I continue to follow their careers (and also their Instagram/newsletter), and often invite them back to discuss their latest work.
I get pitched by publicists I’ve worked with in the past.
I get suggestions from listeners and other people on my team.
I comb through publishers’ catalogues and book-related media for forthcoming releases.
I go on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube and just see something that catches my eye, or I sometimes intentionally watch a ton of very mediocre stand-up comedy (and occasionally stumble across something great).
I listen to other shows and playlists for dynamic interview subjects or cool musicians.
I try to go out and see people performing live when I can. For music shows with bigger artists, I try to arrive in time to check out the opener.
In short… I’m just on the internet all the damn time.
Equally importantly, I have set up a system in Airtable to track all my leads with handy tags. This helps me quickly look for options when opportunity arises, but also pay attention to the diversity of the guests we’re inviting and hosting on our show.
After ten years, I’m working on trusting my own taste when it comes to booking. This is partly out of self interest (as I almost always read the books the guests have written or spend a lot of time with whatever they’re coming on the show to promote), but also philosophical. I’ve got pretty wide interests, so if I’m reluctant to engage with a guest’s work on a personal level, it doesn’t feel fair to expect our listeners to care.
On a more practical level, it’s easier to talk about nonfiction/memoir writing as there are fewer spoilers to worry about. Our show also has a strong emphasis on comedy (or at least funny people) because that’s one of the things that sets us apart from public radio’s weekday programming.
The hardest thing about producing a radio show:
Telling people who want to be on the show (or people who are very passionately pitching to have someone on the show) “no” or “not right now.”
I personally hate rejection (which has held me back from a lot of things), but it turns out I don’t really like doing the rejecting either. I really try hard to be openminded and not yuck anyone’s yum, because it’s all so subjective, but ultimately there are a limited number of slots on the show and I have to trust my own taste and gut to make decisions.
The best thing about producing a radio show:
The people, for sure. My coworkers are all hilarious, creative, smart, and kind people I’m extremely lucky to also call friends. And the guests we have on the show are some of the most incredible people working in arts and culture today.
I recently fell in love with a random song via a Spotify Discovery playlist from a brand new artist named Khatumu. She doesn’t have an album out yet and barely has a website, but we had an opening on the show so I decided to reach out to see if she’d be interested and… well, come to the show on April 17th to see how it pans out!
It’s so nice to be reminded that we are actually having a real, positive impact on artists, especially those that are early in their careers.
What people should know about the current state of funding for programs like Live Wire:
This week there was a congressional hearing called “Anti-American Airwaves: Holding the heads of NPR and PBS accountable.” So that doesn’t seem like a great omen.
Live Wire is a unique entity as an independent non-profit (as opposed to being based at a station like OPB or at NPR directly). That means that while stations pay our distributor to broadcast our show, we also supplement that income with grant funding, individual donations, sponsorship, and ticket sales. As lucky as we are to have diversified income sources right now, we operate on razor thin margins and there are real, terrifying threats to every single one of those sources at the moment.
What I wish people knew is that, as we’re entering bleak and uncertain times, now is the moment to invest in what you want to survive. It’s so easy to get into a scarcity mindset when the future is so unknown, but sharing your resources with the people and organizations you love is one of the only ways to counteract the cruelty and selfishness of this administration.
Three things for getting through right now:
Thank god the memes are good, huh? As much as I support boycotting Instagram/Meta, it’s honestly one of the things keeping me sane at the moment.
One of my favorite recent discoveries is Amanda’s Mild Takes. She delights in all the things that Trump fails at each week. It’s petty and oh so cathartic.
I am in a constant state of overwhelm (politically and otherwise… please ignore my screen time daily averages), so I find the 5 Calls app super useful to just do something. Even if I’m not super up-to-speed on each and every issue, they provide a script and enough context to fake it for at least the length of a voicemail.
Also: Getting the kids a new play structure to enjoy is helping us all get some much-needed outdoor/non-screen time as the weather improves!
When we noticed that our daughter had outgrown our current prefab play structure, we decided, instead of buying a new one, to ask a friend and master builder (Sebastian!) to design and build a custom structure with our kids' input and "assistance." Not only does the new structure fit their needs and our yard precisely (and is way more beautiful and higher quality than anything we could have bought in a box!), they also got to participate in the design process and see how to turn an idea into a reality.
Something helpful a friend did during a hard time:
When I moved from San Francisco to New York City in my mid-20s, I was really struggling with how much I missed the Bay Area and my friends there. My dear friend and former roommate Alicia sent me a care package centered on my favorite neighborhood bar.
She talked the bartenders into giving her the recipe for their sidecar (my favorite drink and regular order), as well as a tablecloth and a candle! She sent those alongside the ingredients for the drink with instructions for how to recreate the bar in my apartment.
This same friend watched mindless TV with me from afar multiple nights per week during the pandemic (a tradition we keep up, if less frequently). We just sync our timecode and countdown via text, and then send each other commentary throughout the episode. It’s a very lowkey way to stay connected, especially during isolating times.
Looking forward to:
I’m about to turn 40. I have mixed feelings about the milestone (I know aging is a privilege, but oof... my back), and am planning a few exciting things to soften the blow and remind myself of how damn lucky I am. I’m spending a week on the Oregon coast with a rotating cast of friends from different parts of my life, going on a trip to Croatia with one of my dearest friends, and spending a few days in NYC on my way back to catch some theater (including Oh Mary!, which has been on my list for ages).
On traveling with kids:
In my pre-parenthood days, traveling was what I did to recharge. After several trips with our now 2- and 5-year olds, I’ve recently come to accept that traveling with them will not be relaxing any time soon. In fact, between fucked-up sleep schedules, packing a million things and still somehow always forgetting something important, and the general turmoil of (and resistance to!) doing anything new, it might not even be fun most of the time.
But hopefully it’s meaningful, offers moments of connection, and expands their worldview, even if just a little bit. Plus, it always reminds me that I am really grateful for everyone in our regular life who provides childcare. 😂
Some practical advice:
Set expectations for everyone, but mostly for yourself.
If you’re traveling with small kids who nap (or go to bed early), try to book your accommodations somewhere with a nice view. You’ll perhaps be spending more time in your rental than you’d like, but at least this way you can enjoy the scenery with your partner during naps and/or after bedtime.
We’ve instituted something from my own childhood called “100 Mile Presents.” It’s basically what it sounds like: for every 100 miles of a long car trip, the kids get a small present/treat (we’ve mostly been doing various fidget toys; these were a hit with both kids). It works as an incentive for good behavior AND provides enough novelty and excitement to make the journey slightly less interminable. You could also try this on an airplane trip for each hour.
Don’t plan on doing more than one thing a day. With our kids, we do that one thing in the morning and the rest of the day we play by ear/mood/weather/whim.
I bought a very cheap Roku Express for like $20 and preloaded it with all of my family’s streaming services and account/password info. I keep it in my suitcase so I don’t forget to pack it. It works on 95% of TVs in hotels and rentals (as long as you have access to the HDMI port, which you generally do), and means that I’m not struggling to remember and type in all of my account info while trying to navigate an unfamiliar system. Because when the kids want Bluey, they want Bluey NOW.
Try to schedule your travel so you all have one day at home to readjust before going back to work/school/routines. We are all so exhausted after travel, we really need a day to be potatoes at home (and maybe sneak in a few loads of laundry) before we can be expected to do anything important.
Tips for gathering people together and making friends as an adult:
Don’t let the messiness of your home (or life) prevent you from inviting people in.
I spent most of my life deeply ashamed over the state of my own home, and would either not invite people over or burn myself out doing panicked cleaning before every occasion. A few years ago, I discovered KC Davis’ general ethos* around cleanliness being morally neutral and it has been very liberating for me! Besides, I can never fool anyone for too long.
*Relatedly: It's how I first began to put together that I had undiagnosed ADHD. It might seem "trendy" right now, but I think a lot of people (especially women!) go undiagnosed for most of their lives, develop complex workarounds and coping strategies, and then enter crisis when those strategies stop working in middle age, especially when they have kids. Getting diagnosed (and medicated) has helped me immensely, and I'd encourage anyone who struggles with (what seem to be) basic care functions to look into it.In terms of making new friends as an adult, I suggest getting over your own awkwardness and erring on the side of inviting people to do things. People are rarely offended by an invitation and are always free to say no, but it’s amazing to me how many people really appreciate the invitation and are just personally uncomfortable “making the first move” in friendship.
It’s a pretty low stakes gamble and life is short, so why not?
Also, if you're struggling to come up with a reason, book clubs are a wonderful structure for lowkey, ongoing relationship development. They're a classic for a reason! If you don't have time to add reading another book to your life, maybe try a movie club. It's a similar concept but you all go out to the same movie and then have a drink/snack/meal afterwards to discuss.
Laura told me that when she was in high school, she would often force her friends to sit in her car in the parking lot in silence and listen to whatever song she was obsessed with at the moment. She recently realized that this is basically her job now (but it also includes books and comedy and whatever else she’s into).
Lucky for all of us, she’s really good at it.
The current season of Live Wire is in full swing! If you’re in Portland or Seattle, you can catch a live show somewhere around town through early summer (Jeff Hiller AND Melissa Febos will be guests in June!). If you don’t live here, you can listen on your local station or stream the podcast.
