The Stoop

Did someone say, Afro-futuristic audio space drama? We got you.

What is the problem with Duran Durag? Find out in this intergalactic Blackity-Blacktic space comedy, His Saturn Return. From Pineapple Street Studios’ production The 11th, creator, writer, and performer Sai Sion stars in a cosmic audio drama as he plays the cocky and charming, smooth and clumsy and always getting into trouble Duran Durag.

It’s high time for Duran to learn some important life lessons. The all-knowing DJ Saturn is not playing when he sends this young Black space alien on a series of challenges that reveal what it is to live in a universe that doesn’t orbit around ego. Will the missions he’s sent on ground him, or will his swagger get in the way of growing up?

We don’t often hear stories about Black men struggling with infertility.

Today, it’s personal. Leila takes a walk through a town close to her heart- Charleston, South Carolina- to discover the Black presence in the architecture, and buildings that hold countless stories and secrets from history about Blackness. As she learns about the hands that built Charleston, she also questions her role in the changes…

When we have feet in two worlds, how do we choose to live in one place, and not the other?

‘Black don’t crack’ is said like it’s a badge of honor, but is this phrase making us more insecure about aging? Hana and Leila explore the phrase with writer Patia Braithwaite who writes, ‘Black don’t crack is stressing me out.’  We also Stoop it with Dr. Michelle Henry, a dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon who explains what really happens to our skin as we age, and what she’s seeing when it comes to her Black patients. Is ‘Black don’t crack’ causing more harm than good?

We’re Stoopin it in Australia and meet Indigenous journalist Rhianna Patrick as she navigates this question- why do I call myself ‘Black’?

Angelica Lindsey-Ali is known to tens of thousands of Muslims worldwide as The Village Auntie. She’s a Black American Muslim therapist, wellness educator, public health professional and- sexpert. Through her platforms, she advises Muslim women on how to tap in to their femininity. She teaches them about arousal and erotic dance, and says female sexual pleasure is a neglected part of Muslim teachings, and a sacred act of worship that’s rooted in ancestral African ritual and practice.

Why do some of us feel shame about the foods we eat? We ask people how they feel about eating foods that are used to stereotype Black people, and unpack the history behind some of this food shaming. From choosing what to drink on a flight, to a watermelon eating contest- we’re trying to get to the root of this with American Studies professor, Dr. Psyche Williams-Forson, Anthropologist Dr. Gail Myers, and award-winning chef Bryant Terry.

Hana and Leila have been doing some dreaming. What do their dreams mean? In this season finale, they talk to someone who can help - Dr. Loma Flowers, a psychiatrist and dream interviewer. Plus, they dig into the world of dreaming and the significance of dreams in Black cultures.

It’s June- and with  summer, comes Pride!  RuPaul’s Drag Race veterans Bob the Drag Queen, Shangela, and BeBe Zahara Benet join Leila and Hana to talk about appropriation, forgiveness, drag names, and culture. Y’all better sashay on over here!