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Some of life's hardest lessons are learned in high school.

In Jocelyn Bioh's Broadway play, School Girls; or, the African Mean Girls Play, the ladies of Aburi Girls' Boarding School live these hard lessons through their friendships, feuds, and the upcoming Miss Ghana 1986 beauty pageant. But what does a play about teenagers in the 80s have to tell us about gossip, girlhood, and how it feels to not be chosen for reasons out of your control? Brittany is joined by playwright Jocelyn Bioh and director Whitney White to find out.

Want more conversations on theater and culture? Check out these episodes:
'Cats: The Jellicle Ball' gets 10s across the board
Has Broadway lost its way?
Tony nominee Jocelyn Bioh puts braiders centerstage
Cole Escola literally changes history in 'Oh, Mary!'

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Author Mary H.K. Choi is obsessed with her mom.

New York Times bestselling author, Mary H.K Choi, is known for her young adult novels Emergency Contact and Yolk. But her latest novel, Pool House, is for adults, and details the relationship between a Korean-American D-list actress in her 40s and her 20-year old daughter, who’s always lived in her mother’s shadow. Today’s chat is all about families – how they change, how they don’t, and why we keep on loving the ones who hurt us the most.

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There are deep roots behind the latest entry into public noise.

It’s a now-common scenario: you’re using public transit, or waiting at the airport, or dining in a restaurant, when you hear the tinny music and computerized voice-overs of someone scrolling TikTok – no headphones. This aggravated All Things Considered producer and writer Manuela López Restrepo enough to look into it. And what she found was a rich history of how public noise works in our culture: who is allowed to make (or avoid it), who gets punished – and the companies that seem to get off scot-free.

Manuela shares her reporting with Brittany and they dive deep into the politics and policy of noise.

For more episodes about culture and civic life, check out:
Is your neighborhood riddled with dog poop?
The safety and power of knowing your neighbors
Is your city shaped by yuppie taste?

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Social media has made it easy for everyone to give their opinion...so why do people hate critics?

To answer that question Brittany is joined by Lovia Gyarkye, culture editor at Hammer and Hope, a magazine dedicated to Black culture and politics. Lovia’s spent the bulk of her career researching, reflecting, and writing about the films, artists, and celebrities we’ve come to love. And in that process, she’s found ways to embrace curiosity and skepticism, two essential parts of being a critic.

Today on the show, Lovia defines what being a critic means for her, the ‘thinking’ problem so many of us face, and the power of giving something your sustained attention. 

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How do you know what's safe to eat?

You don't. And after a summer full of food recalls from lettuce to blueberries and even jalapeños, a regular trip to the grocery store can start to feel like a dangerous game. But how are the flaws in our food safety system creating issues beyond what we choose to grab in the produce aisle? To find out, Brittany is joined by Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal.

Want more episodes on food, access, and power? Check these out:

The politics of hunger
Think the Medicaid cuts don't affect you? Think again.

You can read Eric's piece, "Should We Be Afraid of Our Food?" in the Atlantic.

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