I Sh*t You Not! from Adam Conover - Tragic Balloons, Tricky Letters and What's Up with My Podcast?

Welcome to the inaugural issue of I Sh*t You Not, a new, irregularly scheduled newsletter from yours truly. I’ll share mind-blowing facts and stories I’ve learned, fill you in what I’ve been up to, and answer your questions.

I’ve had enough of social media. What was once a promising new way to communicate with your fans and loved ones has become a screaming wind-tunnel that sucks your words away before the people you care about even have a chance to see them.

It’s time to get back to basics.

If you took the effort to subscribe to this newsletter, I’m guessing you give a shit about what I have to say. That means I give a shit about making sure you get to hear it. That’s what we’re doing here - direct communication.

If you have any feedback on how to make this newsletter better, or questions you’d like answered, send them to qanda@adamconover.net. I want to hear from you.

If you watch one video today, make it In Search of Forgotten Colours - a beautiful short film on a textile dyer near Kyoto, Japan who uses techniques dating back to the 9th century to create shockingly-colored dyes from plant material. Slow, restful, and utterly gorgeous - turn the lights off and enjoy this one.

This is one of the questions I get the most often. We’ve been doing the Adam Ruins Everything podcast for years now, but in recent months it’s been on hiatus. What gives?

The answer: We’re taking a break from it while we lay plans to launch a bigger, better podcast later this year. I can’t announce anything yet, but we’re talking to a really exciting partner and have some big things in store - I promise it’ll be worth the wait! In the meantime, check out the ARE podcast archive - my chat with Rachel Weil on the history of “girl games” is a recent favorite.

This fall on truTV! The exact premiere date hasn’t been announced yet, but let’s just say you probably won’t be wearing short pants when these episodes are out. (Unless you live somewhere unreasonably hot, or are a small child.)

Thanks for reading; more importantly, thanks for watching, and for caring about learning new things. For me, curiosity is the drive that pulls me through my days and enables me to find joy and purpose in this world. If you feel the same, then congratulations: We’ve all found our people.

- Adam