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On Theme

Black stories are more than a fad. We know them. We love them. They change our lives. And on this podcast, Black stories are the default. 

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Introducing: On Theme

Who doesn't love a great beginning? Katie and Yves introduce themselves and discuss the art and science of capturing audiences’ imagination by examining the first episodes of “Abbott Elementary” and “I May Destroy You.”
 
Follow us on Instagram @onthemeshowEmail us at hello@ontheme.show

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This Is the Beginning

Dear Audience,
 
In today’s episode, we pour back into Black stories a modicum of the love that they’ve given us.
 
In admiration & gratitude,
 
Katie + Yves

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A Love Letter to Black Stories

Art inspires. But what happens when the lives we see on the screen leave us feeling disappointed with our own lives? In this episode, Katie and Yves talk with Dr. Joy Harden Bradford of Therapy for Black Girls about what to do when our expectations don’t match our reality.
 
Follow Dr. Joy on social media @hellodrjoy Buy Dr. Joy's book "Sisterhood Heals"

Follow us on Instagram @onthemeshowEmail us at hello@ontheme.show.FM

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TV FOMO IRL

Katie and Yves are joined by journalist and author of “When Crack Was King,” Donovan X. Ramsey. They discuss his new book, the media’s role in exacerbating the devastating effects of crack, how hip-hop artists memorialized the early days of crack in their rhymes, and the unhinged PSAs put out during the crack era. (Ahem, looking at the Partnership for a Drug Free America PSA: “Make no mistake — drug abuse is the new slavery.”)
 
Follow Donovan on X and Instagram @DonovanXRamsey
 
Follow us on Instagram @onthemeshow
 
Email us at hello@ontheme.show

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Addicted to Anti-Blackness

There are Black folks who are real-life colleagues with the supernatural. Then there are Black folks who are sacrificial fictional characters in problematic storylines. Then there’s the other other “magical Negro”: the one who performs the art of magic. Katie and Yves delve into the history of Black magicians and the significance of the stories they told. Then they return to the present for a conversation with modern-day magician Nicole Cardoza.
 
Keep up with Nicole Cardoza:
 
 blackgirlmagician.com • @nicoleacardoza on Instagram
 
Follow us on Instagram @onthemeshow
 
Email us at hello@ontheme.show

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The Other OTHER Magical Negro

In today’s episode, Yves has beef with jokes about Black people running away from danger in horror movies. But the best stories have dramatic reversals, and even the most stubborn minds can be changed. Katie and Yves get into the complexity of the well-intentioned jokes and speak with Dr. Robin R. Means Coleman, a horror expert who isn’t afraid to look in the mirror and say “Candyman” five times.
 
Follow Dr. Means Coleman on X @MeansColeman
 
Purchase “The Black Guy Dies First” and "Horror Noire"
 
Follow us on Instagram @onthemeshow
 
Email us at hello@ontheme.show

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Toward the Danger

If you’re an artist, it’s pretty much guaranteed that you’re going to create art that you’re not happy with at some point. But when Black artists have to look back at past works that didn’t age well on the race front, the regret can run deep. In this episode, Katie and Yves dive into Octavia E. Butler’s, Viola Davis's, and Ernest Hogan’s stories of remorse and reckoning.
 
Follow Coley Gilchrist @coleygilchrist
 
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Email us at hello@ontheme.show

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We Might Regret This Episode Later

Oh, shoot! Your best friend’s wedding is tomorrow and you didn’t prepare a toast. No worries. In this episode, Katie and Yves break down the key ingredients of the perfect toast using examples from their favorite movies and TV shows.
 
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Email us at hello@ontheme.show

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Raising Our Glasses

Who do you go to for advice? In this episode, Katie and Yves revisit Princess Mysteria’s 1920s advice column and speak with author and podcast host Damon Young about advice, storytelling, and faulty iPhone chargers.
 
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Email us at hello@ontheme.show

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Advice For The Wise…And Otherwise

Katie and Yves head to the movies to watch American Fiction. Afterward, they discuss the anatomy of the Black Struggle Industrial Complex™ using examples from the movie and Erasure by Percival Everett.
 
Buy Erasure by Percival Everett
 
Follow us on Instagram @onthemeshow
 
Email us at hello@ontheme.show
 
Visit our website ontheme.show

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The Black Struggle Industrial Complex

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