Have happy hour with BuzzFeed’s "Another Round" tonight

ow best to describe “Another Round,” the quirky BuzzFeed-produced podcast that centers around black female empowerment, but somehow remains fun and super chill? Think of them as your girlfriends at happy hour sipping a glass of chilled moscato or sauvignon blanc, dishing about the day, relationships, family, politics and Kanye’s new album. That's what "Another Round" is: That intimate and open conversation broadcast through the interweb.

Today, the quirky hosts of the podcast, BuzzFeed staffers Tracy Clayton and Heben Nigatu, bring a live taping of the show to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. They’ll talk about anything and everything regularly covered in the show, from Tracy’s obscure obsession with animals to Heben’s love for newborns, but also foster an open discussion around the lives of brown folks.

“People should come out because it’ll be really fun,” Clayton tells BLAC. “We really, really enjoy making the podcast. We really like the opportunity to do live shows. We can use visual aids and there are bigger conversations that we can have when people can actually see us. So, people can expect the things you get on the podcast like funny segments, discussions about serious things, and we’re going to talk about animals. I don’t want to spoil it, but I have strong feelings towards a particular animal,”

“And you might get a little mime performance too,” Nigatu laughs.

Prior to the shows launch, Clayton and Nigatu had been working together at the new media juggernaut and began to click. BuzzFeed already made its mission around helping cultivate stories around overlooked human experiences, particularly around subjects of color. The podcast became an extension of that.

Clayton and Nigatu know that when you and your experience is invisible to the world, everyday life becomes stressful — especially when you spend money on things like movies, shows, books and don’t see the diversity that should be there. Intersectionality exists, and “Another Round” gives it to you raw and uncut.

“BuzzFeed had hired an amazing producer [for BuzzFeed Audio], Jenna Weiss-Berman. Me and Tracy already worked together a bunch and we have this great chemistry,” says Nigatu, “So we really wanted the idea of happy hour with girlfriends. Hence ‘Another Round.’ So, I really think it's just a matter of combining the things we find interesting and the things we find funny, just in one conversation.”

And “Another Round” is right on time. A large majority of podcasts are often hosted by white male comedians, or squarely target the public-radio audience; think “Serial” and the like. Clayton and Nigatu center around their talks around blackness and what it truly means, giving us a voice in a world where we are often silenced.

“We create the show for people who look like us, which is young women of color primarily,” Clayton says. “We don’t really work to include anyone, we just go into the studio and wear our genuine and authentic selves. That's it.”

The live podcast will be taped in the Michigan Union Ballroom, 530 S State St. Rogel Ballroom, Ann Arbor. The event is free. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with a start time of 7:30 p.m. RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/buzzfeeds-another-round-at-university-of-michigan-tickets-23072091246.

Following the live broadcast of ‘Another Round’, there will be an after party at Club Above, 215 N. Main St., Ann Arbor. The cost to attend is $5.

Catch up with ‘Another Round’ podcasts at buzzfeed.com/anotherround and follow them on Twitter at @anotherround.