KERA's Think KERA

Beyoncé might’ve been the first Black woman to hit No. 1 on the Billboard country album chart, but she stands on the shoulders of giants. Alice Randall, the first Black woman to write a No. 1 country hit, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the Black roots of country music, from Grand Ole Opry acts that broke boundaries, to rising stars shaping the genre’s bright future. Her book “My Black Country: A Journey Through Country Music’s Black Past, Present, and Future.”

More than half the U.S. population lives in the suburbs—so why all the dissing? Julie Beck is a staff writer at The Atlantic, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how dismissing the suburbs discounts the very rich lives of those who choose to live there—plus we’ll examine how nostalgia and convenience play a part in what makes a place feel like home. Her article is “What the Suburb Haters Don’t Understand.”

Being a “third culture” kid—someone pulled between their immigrant parents and U.S. culture—can take a mental toll. Sahaj Kaur Kohli is the founder of Brown Girl Therapy, a mental health and wellness community organization for adult children of immigrants, and an advice columnist for the Washington Post. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why seeking out therapy is really difficult for the children of immigrants—from finding someone aware of cultural nuances, to understanding why sometimes family isn’t supportive. Her book is “But What Will People Say?: Navigating Mental Health, Identity, Love, and Family Between Cultures.”

A running joke in the tech world is that flying cars are perpetually three to five years away. So when will they ever be a reality? New Yorker staff writer Gideon Lewis-Kraus joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the industry trying to create “electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles”—a.k.a. flying cars—and what it was like for him to actually fly one of the prototypes. His article is “Flight of Fancy.” 

We bandy about the phrase “gaslighting” a lot these days, maybe it’s time for a refresher on what it really means. Kate Abramson, associate professor of philosophy at Indiana University Bloomington, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss what defines gaslighting, what motivates perpetrators, and why the idea intrigues us so. Her book is “On Gaslighting.”

The Writers Guild of America strike was settled – so why is selling screenplays in Hollywood harder than ever? Daniel Bessner is a contributor to Harper’s Magazine and an associate professor at the University of Washington’s Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how investors are changing the business landscape for television and movie writers – and the ways writers hustle for any work. His article is “The Life and Death of Hollywood.”