The Stacks

Poet and author Erika L. Sánchez joins The Stacks to discuss Crying in the Bathroom , her new memoir about growing up in the 90s as a misfit daughter of Mexican immigrants. We talk about religion and mental health, being loud and funny, and finally feeling ready to write about difficult topics. The Stacks Book Club selection for July is Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih. We will disc...

Today we speak with journalist and professor Caleb Gayle about his new book We Refuse to Forget: A True Story of Black Creeks, American Identity, and Power . In our discussion of his career and American history, we cover Black people in the Creek Nation, forty acres and a mule, and what it means to be a citizen. We also ask why we are so consistently taught not to remember, and who benefits from o...

Our guest for this episode is Elamin Abdelmahmoud - political and cultural commentator, Buzzfeed News senior culture writer and author of the new essay collection Son of Elsewhere: A Memoir in Pieces . We discuss the meaning of "elsewhere" in his work, and the complexity of loving something that doesn't align with your politics. We also get into Black music, and great books on music. The Stacks Bo...

Journalist and author , David Dennis Jr. returns to discuss our June Book Club pick White Negroes: When Cornrows Were in Vogue... And Other Thoughts on Cultural Appropriation by Lauren Michele Jackson. Together we unpack writing for the white gaze, our feelings about (anti) racism since 2020, and the long tradition of categorizing Black artists as "urban" and white artists as "mainstream" no matte...

Today we're joined by Justin Tinsley, senior culture writer at ESPN’s Andscape and author of the new book It Was All a Dream: Biggie and the World That Made Him . We talk about the culture, legends, women, and controversies that shaped The Notorious B.I.G.'s life, and place his story into a greater context. Justin also shares how he worked on multiple projects while writing this book, and what he...

This episode we talk with Oakland native and 2018 youth poet laureate Leila Mottley about writing her debut novel Nightcrawling at 17, and the process of adapting a true story to fiction. Leila imagines how it would be different if she wrote the book now, and insists she's really not exceptional among the countless talented young writers out there. *Note: This was recorded shortly before the annou...

Today we speak with Dr. Michael Eric Dyson - academic, minister and author - about his new book Unequal: A Story About America , which he co-wrote with Marc Favreau. We discuss the lies around bootstrap politics and personal responsibility, and our culture's hunger for all things history (except when it's by or about Black people). We also examine how the white gaze shapes how Black history is tau...

This episode we hear from cultural critic David Dennis, Jr - Senior Writer at ESPN’s Andscape and author of the new book The Movement Made Us: A Father, a Son, and the Legacy of a Freedom Ride . We talk about the similarities and differences between Black Lives Matter and the Civil Rights Movement, the book that inspired David's storytelling, and what it means to survive when you're planning to di...

It's The Stacks Book Club Day! Novena Carmel, musician and cohost of KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic , joins us again to unpack Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop by Danyel Smith. We talk about Danyel as a cultural icon, what it takes to be a superstar. and the joy of disco as a threat to whiteness. Be sure to listen to the end of today's episode to find out what our June...

Today we're joined by Danyel Smith, author of this month's book club pick, Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop . Danyel is an award-winning journalist, the creator and host of the Black Girl Song Book podcast, and former editor and chief of Vibe, and editor at Billboard. This episode gets into the erasure of black women in pop music, holding music institutions accountable,...

This week, we speak with Van Lathan Jr., prolific podcaster, Oscar winning producer, and author of the new memoir Fat, Crazy, and Tired: Tales from the Trenches of Transformation . Our conversation covers vulnerability, feeling [un]comfortable in our own skin, and the struggle of loving our bodies. We also get into mourning the future, and the journey of becoming who we think we need to be. ...

Today we're joined by musician and DJ Novena Carmel, cohost of KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic . We get into our childhood reading habits, Novena's radio show experience, and curating a playlist for the city. We also discuss finding one's own rhythm, being the daughter of a music legend, and the power of vibrations.   The Stacks Book Club selection for May is Shine Bright: A Very Persona...

We welcome back Nate Marshall today to discuss Cortney Lamar Charleston's poetry collection Doppelgangbanger , which grapples with the tensions that impact a Black boy's struggle through self-destructive definitions of manhood. We discuss the narratives around coming of age in the suburbs and the city, and ask ourselves, is there really such a thing as an objectively good poem? Be sure to listen t...

Today we're speaking with Julie Otsuka, whose nationally-bestselling novel The Swimmers explores what happens to a group of obsessed recreational swimmers when a crack appears at the bottom of their local pool. Our conversation covers the art of crafting sentences and finding the right voice. We also discuss the joy of writing in cafes, and the element of surprise. There are no spoilers on this ep...

Today we're joined by the delightful Danny Pellegrino, author of How Do I Un-Remember This?: Unfortunately True Stories , a collection of essays about growing up as a closeted gay kid in small-town Ohio. We discuss the need to spotlight books in pop culture, the responsibility of media to tell stories that include gay characters, and how we handle grief. Traci also urges Danny to start his own LGB...

In this episode we speak with the lauded writer, educator and MC Nate Marshall, whose latest poetry collection Finna was named one of NPR's best books of 2020. We discuss poetry's early-2000s pop culture heyday, its evolving cultural voice and our first introductions to the oft-intimidating, wonder-evoking art form. The Stacks Book Club selection for April is Doppelgangbanger by Cortney Lamar Char...

Today on The Stacks Book Club we speak again with Imani Perry, author of the New York Times bestselling South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon Line to Understand the Soul of a Nation . In our discussion of Toni Morrison's novel A Mercy , we talk destroying ourselves over heartbreak, treating people tenderly and the book's central metaphor of the house. We also touch on the seduction of...

Today we're joined by Julissa Arce, author, and education and immigration activist. On this episode we have a conversation around Julissa's third book, You Sound Like a White Girl: A Case for Rejecting Assimilation . We talk about the myths around U.S. citizenship, colorism in Latine communities, plus the histories that the Black-white binary excludes. The Stacks Book Club selection for February i...

Our guest today is author and poet Destiny O. Birdsong. Destiny's debut novel, Nobody's Magic , is about three Black women with Albinism in Shreveport, LA. We talk about the ways Destiny approached representation and nuance when writing about Albinism, her personal training ground for crafting dialogue, and the pressures people can feel around grief. The Stacks Book Club selection for February is...

Stephanie Foo is a writer and radio producer, most recently on This American Life , and she is the author of What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma . Today we talk about Stephanie's journey toward healing from Complex PTSD , fighting model minority stereotype, and the lasting impact of generational trauma. The Stacks Book Club selection for February is A Mercy by Toni Morrison...

Imani Perry is the author of seven books including her latest, the New York Times bestselling, South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon Line to Understand the Soul of a Nation . She is an American interdisciplinary scholar of race, law, literature, and African-American culture, and the Hughes-Rogers Professor of African American Studies at Princeton University. Imani shares with us today...

Today for The Stacks Book Club we're discussing I Live a Life Like Yours , a memoir by Jan Grue, which explores his experiences as a wheelchair user in Norway. We are joined by author and journalist, Tessa Miller ( What Doesn't Kill You ) for this conversation on the importance of community, accessibility, and pushing back against stereotypical depictions of disabled people. There are no spoilers...

Our guest today is Rachel Lindsay, the first Black Bachelorette and author of Miss Me with That: Hot Takes, Tidbits, and a Few Hard Truths . Rachel is also co-host of the podcast Higher Learning and a corespondent on Extra . We talk today about her experiences in Bachelor Nation, working with a ghost writer, and when she knew she was ready to write this book. You can find everything we discuss on...

In light of the recent wave of book bannings taking place across The United of States, The Stacks is spending all week talking with people who are impacted by the bannings, ranging from students to educators, authors, and more, to help us think about what is at stake and what we can do.  To wrap up Banned Books in The Stacks we've brought back friend of the podcast Kiese Laymon to help us mak...

In light of the recent wave of book bannings taking place across The United of States, The Stacks is spending all week talking with people who are impacted by the bannings, ranging from students to educators, authors, and more, to help us think about what is at stake and what we can do. We start today's episode with Mississippi high school student Timya Wright. Timya shares how she feels about adu...