The Stacks

Karla Corneji Villavicencio is the author of The Stacks Book Club selection for September, The Undocumented Americans . On today's episode we get a deeper (and spoiler free) look at the book, and why Karla felt compelled to tell these stories now. We also discuss the audience Karla had in mind while writing, her ideal writing setup, and why discribing women of color as "strong" is a form of erasur...

Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman are the friends behind the podcast Call Your Girlfriend , and now the authors of the New York Times Best Selling book Big Friendship: How We Keep Each Other Close . Today we talk about the obstacles they found in researching their book on friendship, finding their voice, the questions that come up in interracial friendships, and about their idea of "shine theory". The...

Our guest today is Lupita Aquino, the reader behind successful bookstagram account Lupita Reads . Lupits is known for her incredible book recommendations and vibrant photos. Our conversation covers the evolving relationship between publishers and book influencers, activism in the book community, and the authors she finds crush-wrothy. The Stacks Book Club selection for September is The Undocumente...

Brit Bennett ( The Vanishing Half , The Mothers ) is back for our annual discussion of a Toni Morrison novel. This year, we're taking on Sula , Morrison's novel about the bonds between women. Our conversation dives into feminist commentary throughout the book, the desire to create lasting communal art, and the ways Morrison uses gruesome violence and unexpected humor to show us a world that is dee...

Morgan Jerkins author of This Will Be My Undoing joins the podcast today to discuss her newest books Wandering in Strange Lands: A Daughter of the Great Migration Reclaims Her Roots . Morgan shares details of the evolution of the book, the complex relationships between Black and Indigenous people, and how the lack of documentation has helped to obscure Black histories. Tune in on August 26th when...

Young Adult author Liara Tamani is our guest today, and we discuss her newest book All the Things We Never Knew . Liara shares how she came to write for young people, the ways she finds authenticity in her characters, why social media isn’t for her, and the ways school curriculum doesn’t always serve students. Tune in on August 26th when we discuss Sula by Toni Morrison for The Stacks Book Club wi...

Our guest today is Brit Bennett, author of The Mothers , and her latest book, an instant New York Times #1 Bestseller, The Vanishing Half . Brit shares what it has been like having her book optioned by HBO, publishing in the middle of a pandemic and civil rights movement, and how she balances research and creativity. We also talk about the books that Brit loves and the types of characters that exc...

We are thrilled to welcome Kiese Laymon ( Heavy , Long Division ) back to The Stacks for our July book club discussion of Breathe: A Letter to My Sons by Imani Perry. This deeply personal and evocative book brings up many questions that we grapple with around Black identity and family. We also talk about the ways revision is a powerful tool in education and the tradition of the epistolary form. Th...

Our guest today is Traci Thomas. Thats right, Traci, the host of The Stacks, is finally spilling her answers to all The Stacks questions. She is talking about what she's reading, what books make her angry, and pretty much all things books. The best part is, her guest host is none other than her husband, Mr. Stacks. It’s an episode unlike any other, but still has all the book recommendations you co...

Our guest today is Meena Harris, founder and CEO of the Phenomenal Woman Action Campaign and author of a new children's book, Kamala and Maya's Big Idea . We talk about teaching young people to use their voice to make change, the need for diversity in children's books, and what it was like witnessing her aunt, Kamala Harris, run for President of the United States.  The Stacks Book Club select...

The Stacks is honored to welcome James McBride, author of National Book Award winning novel The Good Lord Bird , and his critically acclaimed memoir The Color of Water . His newest book, Deacon King Kong , is an Oprah's Book Club pick. We talk today about how James names his characters, they way he thinks about his success, and the role of art and history in American culture.  The Stacks Book...

The Stacks is thrilled to welcome Kiese Laymon to the show. If you're a longtime fan of the podcast, you've heard Kiese mentioned countless times from authors and readers alike. Kiese is an author ( Heavy , How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America ), essayist, and professor at The University of Mississippi. Today we discuss living revision, writing sentences, crafting nonfiction and the d...

Today for The Stacks Book Club we are discussing Savage Appetites by Rachel Monroe with our guest Emma Copley Eisenberg ( The Third Rainbow Girl ). Our conversation dives into the three driving forces in the book; women, crime, and obsession. We also examine the impulse to solve crimes, why victim statements can be complicated, and what kind of killers get their narratives revisited. There are no...

It's time for part two of The Stacks x The LadyGang conversation about White Fragility by Robin Diangelo. If you missed part one be sure to check it out over on The LadyGang's feed ( Apple | Spotify ). Today Traci, Keltie, Becca and Jac talk about some harmful and common mistakes white people make, how to apologize, ways to teach your kids about race, and so much more. You can find everything we d...

In 2006, at the age of 22, Bakari Sellers made history as the youngest person ever elected to the South Carolina state legislature, and the youngest African American elected official in the country. He is now a CNN analyst and the author of a brand new memoir, My Vanishing Country . We talk today with Bakari about the civil rights movements of the past and present, how he hopes we move forward as...

Today we welcome debut author and co-founder of Blue Stoop in Philadelphia, Emma Copley Eisenberg. Emma's book The Third Rainbow Girl: The Long Life of a Double Murder in Appalachia , is an investigation of the murder of two young women--showing how a violent crime casts a shadow over an entire community. We talk about True Crime as a genre, and how the phrase "both, and" became to motto of Emma's...

We're discussing The Giver by Lois Lowry today as part of The Stacks Book Club with guest, Sue Thomas aka Traci's mom. The Giver is an award winning classic children's book about a utopia and what we sacrifice for peace and stability. Today we focus in on communal memory, how children learn about atrocities, and the ways in which we read novels differently. There are spoilers in this episode. You...

R. Eric Thomas is the author of Here for It and the writer behind Elle.com's daily column "Eric Reads the News" . Eric joins the show to talk about centering his identities of Black, Christian, Gay, and American in Here for It , his collection of humorous and thoughtful essays. We also discuss pop culture as a unifying force, Maxine Waters, and how dreams really do come true (and how badly we need...

Today our guest is Ethan Strauss, a basketball reporter for The Athletic and the author of The Victory Machine: The Making and Unmaking of the Warriors Dynasty . The book is a workplace drama about one of basketball's greatest teams, but this episode is more than sports talk. We get into Ethan's love of subculture narratives, being a reporter versus an author, and the "sadness of success". This is...

On today's episode we have one of the earliest supporters of The Stacks and one of Traci's biggest fans, Sue Thomas, better known as Traci's mom. That's right, in honor of Mother's day get to know the person who gave Traci her love of reading and so many book recommendations. The Stacks Book Club selection for May is The Giver by Lois Lowry, we will discuss the book with Sue Thomas on May 27th. Yo...

Its The Stacks Book Club day, and we're discussing the 2019 National Book Award winner in fiction, Trust Exercise by Susan Choi. Our guest is Brandon Taylor, author of Real Life , and if you missed Brandon's first episode you can hear it here . Trust Exercise looks at fiction, perspective, and truth as it ventures back to a 1980's performing arts high school. On this episode we discuss the many tw...

Priya Parker, the author of The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why it Matters , is helping us take a deeper look at how we can create collective meaning in modern life, one gathering at a time. Not only do we discuss Priya's amazing book, but we also talk about connecting with purpose when we cannot be physically together. She shares insight into her new podcast Together Apart which is about ga...

Abi Daré is the debut novelist of The Girl with the Louding Voice . Her book is a coming of age story about a Nigerian girl, Adunni, who is sold into marriage by her father, and the the journey she goes on to find her voice. Today we talk with Daré about how her characters haunt her thoughts, her unique writing process, and her unexpected day job. Remember, The Stacks Book Club selection for April...

Wow, No Thank You is the most recent essay collection from the hilarious and charming Samantha Irby. We talk today with Samantha about her new book, how she pitches her collections, and what sort of mood she strikes when she sits down to writes (its not what you think). This episode, like Irby's writing, is sure to make you laugh out loud. Remember, The Stacks Book Club selection for April is Trus...

Today marks the start of our third year here at The Stacks, and there is no better way to celebrate than by talking a whole lot about books! Thank you to all our listeners for their love and support, and we can't wait for year three! Make sure to listen to the introduction today to hear about some changes to the podcast. Our Guest today is Brandon Taylor, debut author of one of 2020's buzziest boo...