The Close Read Podcast

<p>Lane Scott, author of the Substack Matriarch Goals, and editor Spencer Klavan sit down to discuss the Netflix hit, Stranger Things, one of the biggest television sensations in the last decade. In an era of “despair...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com<br/><br/><p>Associate Editor Spencer Klavan reads “Never Trump After 2024,” William Voegeli’s review of Never Trump: The...

<p>President of the American Main Street Initiative Jeffery H. Anderson joins associate editor Spencer Klavan to address a little-noticed assault on the Founding, the country, and its great men: the Woke takeover of our...

<p>Associate Editor Spencer Klavan reads “Palace Intrigues,” Barry Strauss’s review of Kant: A Revolution in Thinking, featured in the Fall 2025-Winter 2026 double issue.</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you'd...

<p>John Quincy Adams, son of John, grew up amid the turmoil of the revolution. At just 14, he served as interpreter of French for America’s first minister in Russia. He grew into a diplomat, a secretary of state, a...

<p>Associate Editor Spencer Klavan reads “Streaming Shakespeare,” Martha Bayles’s column featured in the Fall 2025-Winter 2026 double issue.</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with...

<p>Associate Editor Spencer Klavan reads “Claustrophobic Metaphysics,” Edward Feser’s review of Kant: A Revolution in Thinking, featured in the Fall 2025-Winter 2026 double issue.</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode...

<p>When Richard Nixon resigned as president in 1974, the Watergate scandal was officially logged in the public memory as a victory of the neutral press over an out-of-control “imperial presidency.” Now, after the Trump...

<p>Editor Charles Kesler is joined by Associate Editor Spencer Klavan to crack open the much-anticipated CRB double issue, released to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the CRB. Charles reflects on the Institute's...

<p>A pioneer of computing technology, Nvidia produces the chief component powering the AI revolution: the microchip. Having scaled the once-niche gaming hardware firm into an industry titan, founder and CEO Jensen Huang...

<p>Associate Editor Spencer Klavan reads “Goodbye to the Good War,” Sean McMeekin’s essay on reality, myth, and World War II, featured in the summer 2025 issue.</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you'd like to...

<p>Until quite recently, the “New Atheism” held sway over the minds of many elites. But the secular, scientistic worldview that was once so in vogue proved radically insufficient to meet the challenges of the post-9/11...

<p>Associate Editor Spencer Klavan reads “Stardust,” Helen Andrews’s review of We Tell Ourselves Stories, featured in the summer 2025 issue.</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with...

<p>Editor Charles Kesler sits down with Associate Editor Spencer Klavan to discuss the recent summer issue. Highlighted are Christopher Caldwell’s cover essay on UK immigration and Charles’ own piece on the Joe Rogan of...

<p>Associate Editor Spencer Klavan reads his latest piece in the CRB, “A Complete Unknown,” on Horace.</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus...