Animal Kingdom

This week marks the 13th episode of Unorthodox, and we’re ready to party like it’s our bar mitzvah all over again.

Our Jewish guest is Wayne Hoffman, who, in addition to being Tablet’s executive editor, has somehow found the time to write several novels. His latest is An Older Man, which follows 42-year-old Moe Pearlman (the protagonist from Hoffman’s first novel, Hard, about New York City’s gay scene in the 1990s), as he deals with getting older and finding companionship during Bear Week in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Hoffman discusses bear culture and what’s changed for the gay community since the days of Hard.

Our non-Jewish guest is Elvis Harvey, a dog trainer on the Upper West Side who’s gotten to know quite a few Jews since moving his business to New York City from Texas. He talks about the difference between Jewish and Catholic—as well as liberal and conservative—dog owners.

We love hearing from you. Email [email protected] with questions, comments, or complaints. We’ll share our favorites on the air.

Unorthodox is a smart, fresh, fun weekly take on Jewish news and culture hosted by Mark Oppenheimer, Stephanie Butnick, and Liel Leibovitz. You can listen to individual episodes here or subscribe on iTunes.