The space between lived experiences + mainstream culture

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It has been just over a year since I have last written. What started as an unintentional hiatus (new job, diminished time, increased stress, et cetera et cetera) became an intentional one in August 2014 — when eighteen-year-old Michael Brown was gunned down by policeman Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri.

The injustice and horrific abuse of power that followed has been documented by activists and protestors— (extra)ordinary individuals that demanded a larger, national conversation about contemporary race relations in America and the violence that has been heaped upon black bodies since before this nation was even a nation.

Trayvon Martin. Jordan Davis. Michael Brown. Antonio Martin. Eric Garner. Ezell Ford. Ledarius Williams. Tamir Rice. The list extends far before and after these black young men, killed by police.

Because of the relentless work of Deray McKesson and Netta Elzie (Ferguson organizers) and Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi (creators of the hashtag #blacklivesmatter) and many, many more, this conversation on racism in America has been amplified during the past seven months. Read More

The CW Podcast

We discuss the little broadcast TV network that is near and dear to our hearts: the CW. Did you watch the early days of UPN + WB, hosting weekly viewing parties of One Tree Hill? (Jacki did.) Did you unashamedly become addicted to the first few seasons of Gossip Girl? (Heather totes did. Blair Waldorf for life!) And how about that shift from teen-network to genre-network, with the rise of Arrow, The Flash, The 100, iZombie, Containment and Legends of Tomorrow? Jane the Virgin, Gilmore Girls, Beauty and the Geek, The Carrie Diaries…the gang’s all here. We ♥ you, CW. Foreva.

The Hype Podcast

We all hear about them. The buzz-worthy shows. The hyped up movies. The bestseller lists. In this episode, we talk about the phenomenon of HYPE: the times we resisted (or didn’t understand), the times we joined in, and the times we experienced a one-eighty in perspective. We piss on Breaking Bad and shower affection on Hamilton. We remember the Titanic frenzy with Leo + Kate and give names to fandoms – like Throners and Outlandians. And STILL we didn’t catch them all in the podcast: Marvel (someday we’ll do a superhero podcast, we swear), Gone Girl, anything by Jonathan Franzen (yawn)…So much hype. So much content. As Jacks says: Follow your heart.

The Sportsball Podcast

Football season is in full swing. Baseball just ended, and basketball has started. What better way to take part in sportball than to talk about our favorite sports movies? Heather struggles a bit with this topic, self-admittedly scraping the bottom of the barrel to come up with sports movies she has actually seen (yeah, that’d be Wimbledon there in the dregs). Jacks cheerfully rattles off a long list of sports movies she loves — she even has sub-categories like “sports movies that make me cry.” (!) Far be it to only focus on sports that involve, yep we’re going here, balls, we talk about surfing, gymnastics, cheerleading, hockey, roller derby and how much we want a Serena Williams movie.

The Monster Podcast

As Captain Holt would say, It’s Halloweeeeeen. For our favorite day of pumpkins and goulies, we present a podcast all about monsters. We endlessly debate on what is and is not a monster. Are you #TeamHeather or #TeamJacki? (Actually, don’t answer that. #TeamHacki all the way!) Zombies, Gmork, Predator, the Gentlemen from Buffy, Reavers…they all make an appearance. Things get deep towards the end. So thanks, monsters, for provoking questions about humanity and fear and stuff. XO

The Harry Potter Podcast

We’re back! After a year’s hiatus, This Is Pop is back with an all-new podcast about one of our all-time favorite topics: the magical, wizarding world of Harry Potter. It’s September, which means the return to Hogwarts. So return with us as we remember our most loved book-to-screen moments, obscure characters and spells of choice. Jacki shares her #HufflepuffProblems – and a fearfully ironic Patronus. Heather chooses her absolute top-favorite character in the Harry Potter universe…who isn’t who you may think it is.