While St. Louis doesn’t have as many first-generation Irish immigrants as it used to, there are still strong cultural ties in the city. Eimear Arkins, a St. Louis transplant from County Clare, Ireland, is working to strengthen those ties. In this encore episode, she shares her thoughts on local holiday customs and how Americans can engage with Irish culture in meaningful ways.

Eimear Arkins on connecting with your Irish heritage

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Betty Bayer opened Betty’s Books in 2021 to sell illustrated literature. For the last three years she’s curated and produced a community zine for Free Comic Book Day to celebrate comic books and the community she’s fostered at her store in Webster Groves. Along with stocking titles for graphic novel fans, Betty’s Books makes space for people who are typically not embraced by the mainstream comic book industry — people of color, members of the LGBTQ community, women and children. She’s joined by illustrator Alain McAlister to discuss the broad range illustrated storytelling encompasses.

How Betty’s Books celebrates inclusivity during Free Comic Book Day

Hundreds of demonstrators decrying Israel’s military attacks in Gaza marched through St. Louis University and briefly occupied a portion of Grand Blvd. on Wednesday. STLPR correspondent Jason Rosenbaum discusses what he saw and heard at the protest, and why SLU responded differently than Washington University, where police arrested more than 100 people at a protest last weekend. Two students also share why they are calling on SLU and Wash U to cut ties with weapons manufacturers like Boeing.

Gaza solidarity protest at St. Louis University campus ends with no arrests

St. Louis band Old Capital Square Dance Club recently discovered that their 2019 album was altered — someone took their songs, changed their tempo and pitch-shifted the vocals. The doctored tracks were on Spotify under the name Marico Charlotte. It’s estimated that playlists made of copyrighted songs may generate tens of thousands of dollars for whoever is behind them. We talk with Old Capital bandmates Jesse McClary, Drew Lance, and Zach Anderson about this experience and what the band has in store for the coming year.

Old Capital Square Dance Club makes lemonade out of lemons after copyright infringement

No matter how you prefer to enjoy it – popped, grilled, or in tortilla form – corn is beloved by cultures across the globe. The Missouri Botanical Gardens is putting a spotlight on the humble crop in a new exhibition, "Kernels of Culture: Maize Around the World," showcasing just how versatile corn is.

Eimear Arkins on connecting with your Irish heritage

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