Poptarts

Latest Episodes:

Poptarts Episode 70: Janelle James! Nov 29, 2019

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Janelle James is a bi-coastal comedian who you may know from The Comedy Lineup on Netflix, Late Night with Seth Meyers, or from Crashing on HBO. She’s toured with Chris Rock and Amy Schumer and she’s now the boss lady of The Janelle James Comedy Festival, which is returning to Brooklyn for its second year December 5 through 7 at The Bell House and will feature big names including Ilana Glazer, the Lucas Brothers and Jaboukie Young-White. Her debut comedy album, Black and Mild is available on all major streaming networks and she’s currently a writer on Black Monday on Showtime. On this episode of BUST’s Poptarts podcast, she spills the T on what goes on behind-the-scenes at standup clubs today. (And she also describes what it was like to make out with Lenny Kravitz...oooOOOoooOOO!!!)

Poptarts Episode 69: Penny Arcade! Nov 15, 2019

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Penny Arcade is a true downtown N.Y.C. performance legend! She began her career as a teen actor in the 1960s at the avant-garde Playhouse of the Ridiculous, at the La Mama theater, and as one of Andy Warhol’s factory superstars before establishing herself as queen of the underground performance art scene. As a writer/director/ performer, feminism, intellectualism, and rebellion have always been at the forefront of her groundbreaking shows, which include Bitch Dyke FagHag Whore, Love Sex and Sanity, and Bad Reputation. In this episode of BUST’s Poptarts podcast, she gives us a hilarious and poignant look inside her five decades on the fabulous fringes of fame.

Poptarts Episode 68: Taxidermy Talk with Erin Derham! Nov 01, 2019

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Taxidermy—it’s an art form that requires practitioners to be sculptors, biologists, and naturalists all at once. The blood-and-guts aspects of preserving animals for display have traditionally made taxidermy a male-dominated space. But women are making a mark in the field like never before. Helping us discuss the topic on this episode of BUST’s Poptarts podcast is documentary filmmaker Erin Derham, whose new film, Stuffed, takes a deep dive into the state of the art.

Poptarts Episode 67: Michelle Tea! Oct 18, 2019

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Michelle Tea has been a beloved author in feminist literary circles for over 20 years. Her books for grown-ups include Modern Tarot, Valencia, and Black Wave, she’s got a YA fantasy trilogy that includes Mermaid in Chelsea Creek, Girl at the Bottom of the Sea, and Castle on the River Vistula, and she’s now penning gorgeous astrology books for little ones. She’s written for Harper’s, The Believer, Artforum, Cosmopolitan, Lenny Letter, and Buzzfeed, she created Drag Queen Story Hour, and she founded the online parenting journal Mutha Magazine in 2013 after she and her wife welcomed a son. She is an Aquarius with a Leo rising and a Sagittarius moon and in this episode of BUST’s Poptarts Podcast, she opens up about queer parenting, politics, polyamory, and more!

Poptarts Episode 66: Staceyann Chin! Oct 05, 2019

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Staceyann Chin is a poet, actor, performing artist, and activist. Her 2009 memoir The Other Side of Paradise received critical acclaim, she was a co-writer and in the original cast of Russell Simmons Def Poetry Jam on Broadway, and she’s written and performed four one-woman shows off-Broadway. She proudly identifies as Caribbean, Black, Asian, lesbian, a woman, and a resident of New York City, as well as a Jamaican national. And the first full-length collection of her poems, Crossfire: A Litany for Survival is out now. In this episode of BUST’s Poptarts podcast, she takes us inside her extraordinary immigrant’s journey and gives a performance of her work that will give you all the feminist chills.

Poptarts Episode 65: Wu-Tang's Secret Weapon—Sophia Chang! Sep 20, 2019

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For decades, Sophia Chang worked behind-the-scenes helping famous men advance their careers as a record exec, producer, and manager, including for the Wu-Tang Clan's RZA, GZA, and ODB, A Tribe Called Quest, Raphael Saadiq, and D’Angelo. Her relationship with the Wu-Tang Clan led her to a transformational journey studying Shaolin kung-fu. And now, in her new Audible Original memoir, The Baddest Bitch In The Room, she shares all the lessons she learned in the trenches of the music business and reveals how she finally put her own talents center stage. In this episode of BUST’s Poptarts podcast she teaches us all how to boost our own inner bad bitch to make our dreams come true.

Poptarts Episode 64: OMG CATS!!! With Kristen Sollee! Sep 05, 2019

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Spend any time on social media and it will become abundantly clear that cats are a global obsession. But what is it about them that makes them pop cultural catnip? Why are women so deeply infatuated with felines and what does their popularity say about us as a culture? Helping us sort it all out on this episode of BUST’s Poptarts podcast is Kristen Sollée. Kristen is a writer, curator, and educator whose latest book, Cat Call: Reclaiming the Feral Feminine—is all about cat archetypes in culture, myth, and magic. Meow!

Poptarts Episode 63: Podcasting 101 with Kristen Meinzer! Aug 23, 2019

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Have you ever thought about starting your own podcast? Millions of amateur broadcasters around the world already have! But it’s not easy to succeed. Which is why this episode’s guest, Kristen Meinzer—author of the new book, So You Want To Start A Podcast: Finding Your Voice, Telling Your Story and Building a Community That Will Listen—is here to show us all the ropes. Kristen is a friend of BUST and a true expert on this subject, so listen up and take notes!

Poptarts Episode 62: Margaret Cho! Aug 09, 2019

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Margaret Cho does it all. She’s a true stand-up comedy pioneer, an actor, an author, a singer/songwriter, a podcaster, a designer, an activist, and an all-around inspiration to outsiders everywhere. Rolling Stone named her one of the 50 best stand-up comics of all time and she’s been a friend of BUST since way back in 2000 when she graced the cover of our “Travel” issue. In this episode of BUST’s Poptarts Podcast, she reads Louis C.K. to filth, revisits her kerfuffle with Tilda Swinton, and discusses her status as a “bi-con” (iconic bisexual, natch). Miss it at your peril!

Poptarts Episode 61: The Moth's Catherine Burns! Jul 26, 2019

Show notes

The Moth’s artistic director Catherine Burns has helped present thousands of true stories told live on stage without notes by both big time writers and regular folks with a knack for engaging audiences. More than 500 Moth events are produced each year in more than 30 cities, The Moth podcast is downloaded more than 61 million times a year, and the Moth Radio Hour is broadcast on over 500 radio stations worldwide. There are also three Moth books—all edited by Catherine Burns—and in this episode of Poptarts, she shares all her insider secrets to great storytelling!

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