NPR's 'Pop Culture Happy Hour' Coming to San Francisco!

These days, it's impossible to keep up with the continuous avalanche of new albums, books, TV shows, and movies. How does one even begin to parse through it all to find something worthwhile? You could read a newspaper (but the ink-smudged fingers!); you could ask a cool-looking stranger (but the debilitating shyness!): or you could listen to NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour, a weekly podcast featuring all the cultural things that make host Linda Holmes, and panelists Stephen Thompson and Glen Weldon happy.

As luck would have it, the whole gang is passing through San Francisco on their West Coast tour on Oct. 21, 2016 for a live rendition of their show, featuring former editor of The Toast (R.I.P.) and Slate's new "Dear Prudence" advice columnist Mallory Ortberg. Enter our giveaway to win free tickets!

For a taste of what the night will be like, here are a few top-notch episodes of Pop Culture Happy Hour, along with a few gems from Mallory Ortberg, to tide you over until Friday's live show:

https://www.acast.com/popculturehappyhour/small-batch-ta-nehisi-coates-on-black-panther

https://www.acast.com/popculturehappyhour/small-batch-another-round-s-heben-nigatu-and-tracy-clayton

https://www.acast.com/popculturehappyhour/downton-abbey-and-nostalgia-as-a-genre

http://the-toast.net/2016/05/12/every-track-listing-from-1997s-middle-of-nowhere-and-the-corresponding-beatles-song-it-is-better-than/

http://the-toast.net/2016/06/02/cats-i-would-like-to-own-in-art-even-though-they-are-probably-dead-now/

http://the-toast.net/2016/06/21/every-meal-in-great-expectations-ranked-in-order-of-how-upsetting-it-is/

And if you don't already listen to KQED Pop's own pop culture podcast, The Cooler, a. how dare you? and b. start now!

See you all at the Pop Culture Happy Hour live event!