The VAST Podcast

Donna talks with her special guest/co-host and daughter, Delaney.

A robber that no one takes seriously tries to rob patrons at a nail salon on July 3rd in ATL; congratulations to Yusef Salaam (boo to DJ Trump); the Supreme Court is a supreme mess; Threads (with an "S") and Spill are the new Twitter replacements (have you joined yet?); India. Arie criticizes Essence Fest for Megan Thee Stallion and Janelle Monae's perfomances; Keke Palmer's baby daddy gets dragged online for negatively commenting on her concert attire and Keke posts a response, of sorts.

An update on the story of the six-year-old who shot his teacher earlier this year; Trump is indicted for keeping classified documents (in his bathroom, among other places); Pride month has brought out the worst in some folks; the "grand wizard" of Florida got a shout-out at the Tony Awards; Mickey and Minnie went to a COGIC church service and a member of the denomination wants to show them the door; an unarmed Black FL mother of 4 was murdered by her White neighbor. Whew! On a lighter note, Kelis and Bill Murray are a couple (?); and Chika is the latest celeb to blame mental health issues for mean girl behavior.

Donna is back, sharing her story of winning the Teacher of the Year award at her school; discussing the legacy of Tina Turner; the entry of Ron DeSantis into the Republican race for president via a glitchy Twitter event; Da'Naia Jackson starts an "Infidelity Recovery Bootcamp".

Through the fire and a windstorm, Donna returns to full slate of sundry topics: a preacher who threatens to beat another preacher's a$$ over the microphone; Tennessee's governor and lieutenant governor get dragged for passing anti-drag legislation amidst alleged hypocritical actions by both men; Chris Rock's "Selective Outrage" is not must-see TV; the Oscars snub Angela Bassett again; Tems's gown was must-see (around) at the Oscars; it's Ciara's body and she can wear what she wants to; and finally, Law Roach announces his retirement.

On this episode: it's been a year since Russia invaded Ukraine; Rihanna (we've been pronouncing her name wrong) performed at the Super Bowl and is featured, along with her family, on the cover of Vogue Magazine (people are feeling a way about the cover photo); a women preacher has compared Beyonce fans to a witch's coven and another one gave a drummer 48 hours to repent for "disobedience" (not sure what would have happened if he didn't repent).

In this episode: updates in the case of the teacher shot by her 6-year-old student; DeSantis needs a seat; "The 1619 Project" on Hulu is compelling; Donna is watching "The Blacklist", "Truth Be Told" and "Your Honor"; The Grammys have a problem with Beyonce; Kirk Franklin and Maverick City unintentionally stir Grammy controversy while Chris Brown purposefully fans the flames.

It's January and Donna is back! This week, she's discussing the shooting of a teacher by her 6 year-old student; Tabitha Brown is winning, honey, and that's her business; another Black-owned hair care company was sold; the Bruce Family sold their beach back to LA County; and finally, some thoughts on the legacy of Dr. King.

'Twas the night before Christmas and the Tory Lanez trial has wrapped up with a guilty verdict; Atatiana Jefferson's killer was also found guilty; Megan Pete deserves better; Diddy is a daddy again; and Netflix and Prime shows "Glass Onion", "Wednesday", "Three Pines" and "Jack Ryan" series are very entertaining. Merry Christmas!

Brittney Griner has been released; the trial of Atatiana Jefferson's killer has begun; the Georgia run-off "erection", er, election is over (spoiler alert: Warnock won); average Ky teacher pay drops AGAIN; Kyrie Irving is dropped and Deion Sanders moves on; and Ava DuVernay gets a new Ben and Jerry's ice cream flavor.

Donna's plate of leftovers includes: the Warnock vs. Walker runoff; Trump gets trolled (insert eye-roll); Kyrie and Kanye are "unanchored"; pink-eye lashes; Balenciaga has kids, bears, and BDSM; and finally, my review of "Wakanda Forever".

Donna updates the Election Day races she was watching; Twitter's blue check program makes it an even messier mess; Nick Cannon is expecting child number 12; Hair Tales on Hulu is worth watching; and a brief discussion of Wakanda Forever (aka Black Panther 2).

It's Election Day in the USA! Since she didn't win the Powerball, Donna is back with a discussion of election races to watch; the Twitter mess; Kanye, Kyrie, and Nick Cannon doing the most; a teacher shortage in KY; and Wakanda Forever.

This episode is all about politics. Herschel Walker debates Raphael Warnock, John Kennedy (LA.) and Tommy Tuberville (AL.) race bait and Trump is subpoenaed by the Jan. 6th Committee.

Kim Burrell, (Kan)Ye, KBJ...oh my! (That's Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, BTW.) This week, Donna provides her spin on the aforementioned pop culture figures (first name K, get it?), and adds commentary on Herschel Walker and Lizzo and the Crystal Flute.

After an unplanned hiatus, Donna discusses (no spoilers ahead) "The Woman King" and some of the supposed controversy surrounding the movie (it still opened at #1, so there!). She also talks about the backlash over recent Hollywood casting choices featuring Black and Brown actors.

Donna discusses the movie "Honk For Jesus. Save Your Soul." with her guest, bestie and fellow church-girl, Valencia Cameron.

Before enjoying some delicious chips, Donna discusses Lizzo, fat-shaming and implicit bias against fat people.

This episode is dedicated to Donna's favorite drink, coffee. Beloved, if you're not drinking coffee, are you really living?

It's August and Donna is back to school! Unfortunately, many schools are starting significantly understaffed. Donna shares a few weird and funny stories that may help explain why.

It's back to school and Donna is thinking (and talking) about student and educator safety in light of recent mass shootings. During this episode, Donna interviews Tanya Anthony, an Illinois NRA Pistol Instructor and Range Safety officer.

Looking for some interesting folks to follow online? Need some compelling authors to read before the summer ends? Donna shares her favorite podcast and social media influences, along with her current trove of fantastic writers.

"Mean Girls" was a fictional movie, but mean girls in the church are real. Also, President Biden has COVID, Polio made a comeback (of sorts), and the House passed the Right to Contraception Act.

While reflecting on the recent 4th of July holiday and how its meaning has evolved, Donna discusses a recent trip to Washington D.C. that included stops at Howard University, the National Gallery of Art and the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

The VAST Podcast is a uniquely curated show about Various And Sundry Things, hosted by Donna Gay-Tyler. Episode topics will include nerd/sci-fi things, church things, education things and other random things. Donna is a self-proclaimed “blerd”, church girl/PK, and the ever-evolving queen of random things.