Aisha Harris wants everyone to take pop culture more seriously.
鈥淚t's often seen as the desert or the counterprogramming to the real stuff that's happening,鈥� she said. 鈥淥bviously, there are some things that are more important than others, but I also think that pop culture and politics go absolutely hand-in-hand in every way possible.
鈥淚f that weren't true,鈥� she adds, 鈥渢hen we wouldn't have people trying to ban books, we wouldn't have people trying to ban drag queens.鈥�
In her new book 鈥淲annabe: Reckonings with the Pop Culture That Shapes Me,鈥� the co-host of NPR鈥檚 鈥淧op Culture Happy Hour鈥� podcast shares her experiences as a Black, suburban '90s-kid turned-30-something, city-dwelling journalist while digging into the shifting ways we interact with pop culture 鈥� and how it touches us in ways we may not even realize.
Harris joined St. Louis on the Air host Elaine Cha in June before a live audience to discuss 鈥淲annabe: Reckonings with the pop culture that shapes me.鈥� Listen to the conversation on , or by clicking the play button below.
鈥�鈥� brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by , , , and . is our production intern. The audio engineer is . Send questions and comments about this story to talk@stlpr.org.
