The Atlantic Onstage

Evan Smith, The Atlantic’s managing director for events, sat down with Joyce Judy, president of the Community College of Vermont, and Sherry Kollmann, president of Vermont State University, about the various challenges facing higher education, the general case for college, and what it means to educate the country’s future citizens. This episode features a conversation recorded on July 16, 2026, in Burlington, Vermont, as part of our Atlantic Across America series.  Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you subscribe. You’ll enjoy unlimited access to Pulitzer-winning journalism, from clear-eyed analysis and insight on breaking news to fascinating explorations of our world. Plus, you can attend exclusive live events, listen to subscriber-only audio, download stories on The Atlantic app, and more. For more information about The Atlantic’s past and upcoming events, go to TheAtlantic.com/Live. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Evan Smith, The Atlantic’s managing director for events, sat down with Atlantic staff writers Megan Garber and Tyler Austin Harper to  talk about how politics influences culture, the impending midterm elections, and the opaque forces that shape our shared reality. This episode features a conversation recorded on July 16, 2026, in Burlington, Vermont, as part of our Atlantic Across America series.  Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you subscribe. You’ll enjoy unlimited access to Pulitzer-winning journalism, from clear-eyed analysis and insight on breaking news to fascinating explorations of our world. Plus, you can attend exclusive live events, listen to subscriber-only audio, download stories on The Atlantic app, and more. For more information about The Atlantic’s past and upcoming events, go to TheAtlantic.com/Live. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Evan Smith, The Atlantic’s managing director for events, sat down with Atlantic staff writer Clint Smith; Atlantic contributing writer and George Washington law professor Jeffrey Rosen; and Melissa Murray, a professor of constitutional law at New York University and a co-host of the podcast Strict Scrutiny. They discussed how the country’s defining ideals have been contested and reimagined across generations—and how to carry that legacy forward.  This episode features a conversation recorded on June 11, 2026, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as part of our Atlantic Across America series. Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you subscribe. You’ll enjoy unlimited access to Pulitzer-winning journalism, from clear-eyed analysis and insight on breaking news to fascinating explorations of our world. Plus, you can attend exclusive live events, listen to subscriber-only audio, download stories on The Atlantic app, and more. For more information about The Atlantic’s past and upcoming events, go to TheAtlantic.com/Live. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Evan Smith, The Atlantic’s managing director for events, sat down with Representative Madeleine Dean to talk about the consequences of the Iran War, how the Democratic Party might operate if they win back the House after the midterm elections, and what America 250 means in Philadelphia, where our founders signed the Declaration of Independence. This episode features a conversation recorded on June 11, 2026, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as part of our Atlantic Across America series. Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you subscribe. You’ll enjoy unlimited access to Pulitzer-winning journalism, from clear-eyed analysis and insight on breaking news to fascinating explorations of our world. Plus, you can attend exclusive live events, listen to subscriber-only audio, download stories on The Atlantic app, and more. For more information about The Atlantic’s past and upcoming events, go to TheAtlantic.com/Live. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Atlantic’s McKay Coppins sat down with Evan Smith, The Atlantic’s managing director for events, to talk about the precarious landscape of local news, the rise of misinformation and threats to a free press, and what the media can do to evolve and rebuild trust in an institution that’s vital to our democracy. This episode features a conversation recorded on May 11, 2026, in Salt Lake City, Utah, as part of our Atlantic Across America series. It was produced in partnership with the Deseret News’ podcast Deseret Voices.  Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you subscribe. You’ll enjoy unlimited access to Pulitzer-winning journalism, from clear-eyed analysis and insight on breaking news to fascinating explorations of our world. Plus, you can attend exclusive live events, listen to subscriber-only audio, download stories on The Atlantic app, and more. For more information about The Atlantic’s past and upcoming events, go to TheAtlantic.com/Live. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices