The Drag: Stories The Drag

In growing cities like Austin, Texas, neighborhood development is a hot topic of conversation — new high-rise apartments and retail options appear in what feels like each week. In the midst of this urban growth, a less concrete addition to neighborhoods is gaining popularity: community gardens. Shared gardening can foster community, promote sustainability and provide emotional support, and many garden enthusiasts are advocating for more of these spaces in growing cities. In this episode from Sarah Brager, you’ll hear from college students who eagerly await workdays in their community garden, and a longtime Austin resident who’s been cultivating her plot for decades, to learn why they chose to get their hands dirty each week.

Bring your grocery bags and roll in the shopping carts because in this episode, we’ll be delving
into how international grocery stores can serve as safe havens for those who seek out cultural
communities. From the experiences of a young girl transitioning from the Philippines to America
because of political tensions, to a Japanese woman moving to San Diego for her love of the
ocean, each journey tells a story of longing, love, acceptance and community.

In this special episode from Data Dives, host Carolyn Parmer explains the existing mental health services and barriers to these resources at UT.

Four of The Drag's graduating seniors -- Leni Steinhardt, Tamara Rodriguez, Mackenzie Matwick and Heather Stewart -- share their goodbyes to The Drag and UT. 

Health and wellness company Botanic Tonics has become one of the largest brands to
specialize in kratom-based drinks with their popular Feel Free tonic. However, Feel Free tonics
are marketed and labeled as “sober-alternatives”. Since 2020, Botanic Tonics has grown to
become the official sponsor of multiple college sports teams, including The University of Texas
at Austin. In this episode, Hope Gullatt looks into the misleading promotion of kratom and its
long lasting effects on the brain.

Matthew Held, Kaiya Little, and Ella Barnes all have something in common: Inanimate objects. They’ve all got a special connection to their possessions. For Matt, it’s hunting knives. For Kaiya, it’s a dream catcher. Ella, who hosts this episode, explores these connections we have with inanimate objects – inspired by her love for her grandparents’ dark side of the moon vinyl.