Anjuli Sastry Krbechek Anjuli Sastry is a former senior producer on It's Been a Minute and a 2021 Nieman Journalism Foundation Visiting Fellow.
Anjuli Sastry
Stories By

Anjuli Sastry Krbechek

Photo by Suresh Sastry
Anjuli Sastry
Photo by Suresh Sastry

Anjuli Sastry Krbechek

Former Senior Producer, It's Been a Minute

Anjuli Sastry (she/her) is a former producer on It's Been a Minute and a 2021 Nieman Journalism Foundation Visiting Fellow. During her Nieman fellowship in spring 2021, Sastry created, hosted and produced the audio and video series Where We Come From. The series tells the stories of immigrant communities of color through a personal and historical lens.

From 2017 to 2022, Sastry was a producer on the NPR podcast and weekend radio show It's Been a Minute. In that role, Sastry cut interviews, wrote scripts, booked guests, scored episodes, planned future coverage, led editorial direction of episodes and more. She produced episodes that look at gun violence in Oakland, a deep dive into the history of drag culture and interviews with folks like John Legend and Jennifer Lopez. She also produced live shows in places like Iowa and Chicago and directed weekly tapings of It's Been a Minute.

Sastry started her career at NPR on the flagship newsmagazine All Things Considered. In this role, Sastry led the show's social media team, was the lead producer for the 25th anniversary of the Los Angeles Riots series and reported in the Southwest and Mexico with Melissa Block and Elissa Nadworny for the special series Our Land.

She's worked as a producer for Marketplace and Press Play at KCRW, and her work has appeared in NPR's Life Kit, Morning Edition, Weekend All Things Considered and ABC News.

Sastry has been awarded for her work on It's Been a Minute by the Los Angeles Press Club and National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association. She is a co-founder of the Marginalized Genders and Intersex People of Color Mentorship Program at NPR. She and her co-founders received the NPR Diversity Success employee award for their work in 2018. She was also part of the inaugural 2018 Online News Association Journalism Mentorship Collaborative and has spoken about mentorship at Werk It: A Women's Podcast Festival and the Third Coast International Audio Festival.

Story Archive

Tuesday

Frederic Reglain/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images; CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images; Drew Allyn; Gladys Knight

Danyel Smith gives Black women in pop their flowers in 'Shine Bright'

In this conversation from April 2022, former guest host Juana Summers sits down with author Danyel Smith to chat about her book, Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop. They talk all about Black women in music — like Gladys Knight, Mahalia Jackson and Whitney Houston — whose true genius and contributions have not yet been fully recognized.

Danyel Smith gives Black women in pop their flowers in 'Shine Bright'

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1144332037/1144690258" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Tuesday

The Jackson 5. Bruce Talamon/Taschen hide caption

toggle caption
Bruce Talamon/Taschen

Bruce Talamon on photographing Black excellence in the 1970s

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1101795491/1101835236" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Monday

Charlie Harding and Nate Sloan host the podcast Switched On Pop and are co-authors of the book Switched On Pop: How Popular Music Works, and Why it Matters. Ellyn Jameson/Switched On Pop hide caption

toggle caption
Ellyn Jameson/Switched On Pop

What makes Drake's 'God's Plan' a hit pop song

Attention to all the music lovers out there! All month, we're revisiting our best music episodes from It's Been a Minute. In this episode from February 2020, former host Sam Sanders is joined by Nate Sloan and Charlie Harding, co-hosts of the podcast Switched On Pop. They break down what makes a song: why certain pop songs become ear worms and what their form and structure mean for the future of music. Sloan and Harding deconstruct songs in their 2020 book, Switched On Pop: How Popular Music Works and Why It Matters.

What makes Drake's 'God's Plan' a hit pop song

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1094187535/1095166456" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Friday

MONTGOMERY, AL - MARCH 30: Sydney Duncan holds a sign during a rally at the Alabama State House to draw attention to anti-transgender legislation introduced in Alabama on March 30, 2021 in Montgomery, Alabama. There are so far 192 anti-LGBTQ bills under consideration in state legislatures across the United States. Of those, 93 directly target transgender people. Julie Bennett/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Julie Bennett/Getty Images

Friday

Mask mandates on public transportation are no longer in effect following a ruling by federal judge on April 18, 2022. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

Tuesday

Danyel Smith, author of Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop. Drew Allyn/Drew Allyn hide caption

toggle caption
Drew Allyn/Drew Allyn

Danyel Smith highlights Black female artists who defined pop music in 'Shine Bright'

Guest host Juana Summers talks with Danyel Smith about her new memoir, Shine Bright: A Personal History of Black Women in Pop. As a previous editor-in-chief for both Billboard and Vibe magazines, host of the Black Girl Songbook podcast, and longtime music reporter, Danyel uses her expertise to spotlight the stories of pop powerhouses like Gladys Knight, Mahalia Jackson, Whitney Houston, and more. Danyel crafts a love letter to Black women in pop, capturing the intimate details of who they were, their influence on her, and how their music changed pop forever.

Danyel Smith highlights Black female artists who defined pop music in 'Shine Bright'

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1092933738/1093410698" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Friday

This Jan. 6, 2015, file photo shows an Etsy mobile credit card reader, in New York. Mark Lennihan/AP hide caption

toggle caption
Mark Lennihan/AP

Friday

Simone Ashley as Kate Sharma and Jonathan Bailey as Anthony Bridgerton in season two of Bridgerton. Liam Daniel/Netflix hide caption

toggle caption
Liam Daniel/Netflix

Friday

Two people sitting on a bench wearing protective masks using their phones as the coronavirus continues to spread across the United States on March 27, 2020 in New York City. Cindy Ord/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Cindy Ord/Getty Images

Friday

Overview of the Oscar statue at "Meet the Oscars" at the Time Warner Center on February 25, 2010 in New York City. Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images

And the Oscar goes to...

A trimmed telecast? A crowd-sourced award? DJ Khaled as a presenter? The Oscars are back like you've never seen them before. Guest host Elise Hu is joined by Pop Culture Happy Hour host and reporter Aisha Harris and NPR film critic Bob Mondello to talk about these new changes and their top picks for who's taking home the big awards of the night. Then, they play a game of Who Said That.

And the Oscar goes to...

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1088815094/1088901988" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Friday

ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 18: A year ago, activists demonstrate outside Gold Spa the shooting where three women were gunned down on in Atlanta, Georgia. Megan Varner/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Megan Varner/Getty Images

One year later, the Atlanta spa shootings; plus, tech on TV

It's been one year since the Atlanta-area spa shootings that claimed eight lives, six of whom were Asian women. Guest host Elise Hu reflects on the event with Nicole Chung, author of the memoir All You Can Ever Know and a contributing writer for The Atlantic. They discuss their own experiences and the unprecedented violence that Asian Americans—especially Asian American women—are facing.

One year later, the Atlanta spa shootings; plus, tech on TV

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1087291024/1087606024" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Monday

Amanda Seyfried as Elizabeth Holmes in The Dropout. Beth Dubber/HULU hide caption

toggle caption
Beth Dubber/HULU

Friday

Sam Sanders says goodbye to NPR. Josh Huskin/Josh Huskin hide caption

toggle caption
Josh Huskin/Josh Huskin

Sam says goodbye

It's Been A Minute is sticking around, but before our beloved Sam Sanders takes flight we've got news to cover! In Sam's last episode as host, he's joined by NPR Weekend Edition Sunday host Ayesha Rascoe and NPR Congressional Correspondent Susan Davis to talk about the latest in politics news from gas prices to Ukraine to the upcoming US midterms. He then plays a special game of Who Said That? with his Aunt Betty and her friend, Lynette Maxwell.

Sam says goodbye

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1085785081/1086127627" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Friday

Women look at a screen displaying exchange rate at a currency exchange office in St. Petersburg, Russia, Tuesday, March 1, 2022. In the days since the West imposed sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, ordinary Russians are feeling the painful effects — from payment systems that won't operate and problems withdrawing cash to not being able to purchase certain items. Dmitri Lovetsky/AP hide caption

toggle caption
Dmitri Lovetsky/AP

Sanctions 101

In the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, global powers have put the pressure on with sanctions upon sanctions. But what does that even mean? Class is in session as Sam attends Sanctions 101 with Cardiff Garcia, host of The New Bazaar, and Stacey Vanek Smith, co-host of The Indicator. They talk about how economic sanctions are supposed to work and whether they can be effective enough to change anything on the ground.

Sanctions 101

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1084144509/1084635172" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Friday

People hold up signs and bags of Skittles candy during a rally in support of Trayvon Martin at Freedom Plaza in Washington, on Saturday, March 24, 2012. Jacquelyn Martin/AP hide caption

toggle caption
Jacquelyn Martin/AP

Trayvon, ten years later

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1082855107/1083227730" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Friday

MIAMI, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 01: Matthew Hoerl of MoNA Gallery wearing a VR headset at the DCentral Miami Conference. Organizers say this is the largest in-person combined NFT and DeFi conference in history, and includes the MoNA Gallery that describes itself as seeding the open metaverse through the creation and use of unique 3D spaces. Joe Raedle/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Ok. I guess we'll talk about the metaverse.

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1081508190/1081836066" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Tuesday

Constance Marie (L) and Gloria Calderón Kellett (R) star in With Love (Amazon Prime Video). Calderón Kellett is also the creator and showrunner of the series. Kevin Estrada/Amazon Prime Video hide caption

toggle caption
Kevin Estrada/Amazon Prime Video

Producer Gloria Calderón Kellett on making and sustaining Latinx TV

Streaming has totally changed the face of TV, but in all its abundance, who gets to make a show, and which shows live to see another season? Sam chats with TV writer and producer Gloria Calderón Kellett (One Day at a Time, With Love), who has long grappled with this question. They talk about what it takes to make something for your people in the industry right now, what she's doing to claim space for Latinx creatives and how she copes with it all.

Producer Gloria Calderón Kellett on making and sustaining Latinx TV

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1079426066/1080747476" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Friday

Jabari Banks (left) as Will and Jordan L. Jones (right) as Jazz in a scene for the new Peacock show Bel-Air. Peacock/Peacock hide caption

toggle caption
Peacock/Peacock

The demand for salary transparency, plus a new fresh prince of 'Bel-Air'

Victoria Walker, former The Points Guy senior travel reporter, didn't think much about tweeting her salary when she quit her job and offering advice for anyone interested in applying. But the tweet went viral and sparked a wider conversation about pay transparency. Sam asks Victoria why she did it and talks with Wall Street Journal workplace reporter Lauren Weber about why pay transparency matters.

The demand for salary transparency, plus a new fresh prince of 'Bel-Air'

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1079872725/1080206845" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Tuesday

Cover art for Red Carpet: Hollywood, China, and the Global Battle for Cultural Supremacy, written by Erich Schwartzel. Erich Schwartzel hide caption

toggle caption
Erich Schwartzel

Friday

A man walks past the Olympic rings on the exterior of the National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, which will be a venue for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. Mark Schiefelbein/AP hide caption

toggle caption
Mark Schiefelbein/AP

It's all politics at the Winter Olympics, plus 'This Is Dating'

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1077957794/1078358061" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Friday

Aniq (Sam Richardson) and Yasper (Ben Schwartz) search for clues about their classmate's murder in The Afterparty on Apple TV+. Apple TV+ hide caption

toggle caption
Apple TV+

Whodunit at 'The Afterparty' plus the lie of 'Laziness'

Sam sits down to chat, sing, improv and of course play Who Said That with actors Ben Schwartz and Sam Richardson, stars of the new murder mystery The Afterparty on Apple TV+. Then, Sam revisits his 2021 conversation with Devon Price, author of Laziness Does Not Exist, where they discuss the lie of laziness and what it means for productivity.

Whodunit at 'The Afterparty' plus the lie of 'Laziness'

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1076168476/1076521021" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Friday

André Leon Talley attending "The Gospel According To André" premiere and Q&A at BMCC Tribeca PAC on April 25, 2018 in New York City. Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival hide caption

toggle caption
Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival

Friday

The campus of Georgetown University in Washington, DC. Georgetown University and several other schools including Yale, MIT, and Notre Dame were named in a lawsuit alleging that they colluded to limit financial aid. Win McNamee/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Win McNamee/Getty Images

The financial aid conspiracy; plus, 'For Colored Nerds'

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1072552609/1073231570" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Friday

Supporters of former U.S. President Donald Trump gathering outside the Capitol building in Washington D.C., United States on January 06, 2021. Pro-Trump rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol as lawmakers were set to sign off President-elect Joe Biden's electoral victory in what was supposed to be a routine process headed to Inauguration Day. Anadolu Agency/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Anadolu Agency/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Revisiting the January 6 insurrection, one year later

  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1070944740/1071379572" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript