The Stacks

Award-winning author Jesmyn Ward joins The Stacks to discuss her latest novel Let Us Descend . She reveals how the book came to her, and how audience plays into her writing process. We also learn why Jesmyn changed her normal writing process for this book, how she writes to the center of emotions in her fiction, and how her level of success impacts her ability to write. The Stacks Book Club select...

Award-winning author Mitchell S. Jackson joins the show to discuss his new book Fly: The Big Book of Basketball Fashion . He explains why he wanted to write about the intersection of basketball and fashion in this hybrid of lookbook and cultural commentary. We also get into basketball's best and worst dressed, what winning the Pulitzer has meant to Mitchell and why he never reads for pleasure. The...

It's time for our annual Toni Morrison read for The Stacks Book Club! Author, Minda Honey is back to discuss Tar Baby , a novel about colorism, the class divide and gender roles. We dig into the book's title, unpack the ending and question who we were rooting for throughout the book. There are spoilers on today's episode. Be sure to listen to the end of today’s episode to find out what our Novembe...

*patron-only bonus episode teaser* This Unabridged episode features audio from our Washington DC stop of The Stacks Tour, featuring bestselling author and friend of the show Jason Reynolds. We discuss Jason's bath routine, the real story behind his book Ghost and our favorite guest on The Stacks. *This episode is exclusive to members of The Stacks Pack on Patreon . To join this community, get insi...

Children's book author and artist Oliver Jeffers joins to discuss his first all-ages illustrated book Begin Again: How We Got Here and Where We Might Go - Our Human Story. So Far. We talk about cultivating a sense of optimism, the relationship between distance and perspective and the importance of the stories we tell ourselves. We also ask what reconciliation and justice look like if we want to mo...

Columnist and commentator Michael Harriot joins The Stacks to talk about his book Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America . Michael reveals why he wanted to write a book about American history told from the perspective of Black people, how he thinks of connecting to his audience, and what makes this moment different than other moments in American history. The Stacks Book Club selecti...

Political and relationship essayist Minda Honey is here to discuss her new book The Heartbreak Years: A Memoir . We talk about Minda's experience of being Black and Filipina, colorism and the internet's lack of nuance, how her exes have taken her writing about them and how she cured racism with this book. Also, we hear about Minda's reading tracker and annual mega-reading challenge. The Stacks Boo...

We're thrilled to welcome back podcaster Brittany Luse to discuss Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma by Claire Dederer for The Stacks Book Club. We discuss how race does and doesn't show up in the book, and what worked for us versus what didn't. We also consider the nature of punishment and redemption when it comes to monstrous celebrities, and ask whose genius we miss out on when we make space for the mon...

Myriam Gurba visits The Stacks to discuss her new essay collection Creep: Accusations and Confessions . Myriam describes how a question about catharsis inspired the book, how she knows when she's ready to write about a topic or an event, and how thinking about her audience informs her writing. We also learn how humor plays into Myriam's work, and how her ancestors showed up in her writing process....

*patron-only bonus episode teaser* This episode of The Stacks Unabridged features audio from our Chicago show on the Live in The Stacks tour. Humorist, TV writer and author Samantha Irby joins to talk about her new book Quietly Hostile : Essays . We also discuss books we love, books we hate and Hunter Biden's memoir. This is an edited version of the live show, so if you want more, come join u...

Politician, activist and author Stacey Abrams joins us to discuss her romantic suspense novel The Art of Desire , written under her pen name Selena Montgomery. We learn where her pseudonym came from and why she chose to re-release the book. We also talk about how Stacey's political life is influenced by her creative life and vice versa, what comes next for her, and how romance writing has changed...

Today we're joined by award-winning journalist and cultural critic Brittany Luse upon her first anniversary as host of NPR's It's Been a Minute . We discuss curiosity as a foundational principal of Brittany's life, and what comes easily versus what's more difficult as a veteran podcaster. We also hear about how she decides what to cover on the show, and Brittany's book club with her niece. The Sta...

Introducing  Vibe Check , a podcast where hosts Sam Sanders, Saeed Jones, and Zach Stafford make sense of what’s going on in news and culture – and how it all feels. On this episode of Vibe Check, Sam, Saeed and Zach talk about the literary works that they turn to frequently, what purpose they serve in each of their lives, and why. You can find Vibe Check on every podcast...

Podcaster and journalist Sam Sanders returns to discuss You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi for The Stacks Book Club. In our conversation of this romance novel, we wonder if the book actually qualifies as such under the rules of romance novels. We also discuss how the story feels like real life because it mirrors the messiness of actual love stories, who we are rooting for,...

*patron-only bonus episode teaser* This Unabridged features audio from our first stop on The Stacks tour in Oakland with Leila Mottley . We talk about her book Nightcrawling and share our reality TV hot takes. We also give audience book recommendations with a special guest. This is an edited version of the live show, so if you want more, come join us on tour! Get your tickets here . *This episode...

Podcaster and author Jennifer Baker discusses her YA novel Forgive Me Not , how she created its alternate juvenile justice system and what she wanted to teach young people about incarceration and grief. Plus, we hear about how Jennifer and her editor worked together to edit the book, the many ways in which publishing has changed and stayed the same, and who decides who the villain is. The Stacks B...

After living with the retinitis pigmentosa for decades, Andrew Leland; writer, audio producer, and teacher, decided to write about blindness in his debut book, The Country of the Blind: A Memoir at the End of Sight . We discuss how he thought about specificity while addressing a broad audience and why writing about ableism felt so risky to him. We also talk about the concept of "blind thought" and...

Emmy-nominated journalist Nora Neus is here to discuss her illuminating new book 24 Hours in Charlottesville: An Oral History of the Stand Against White Supremacy . The book chronicles the events of 2017, where armed neo-Nazi demonstrators descended on the University of Virginia campus and downtown Charlottesville. Nora explains why she didn't interview white nationalists for the book, how she fou...

Sam Sanders, host of the Into It and Vibe Check podcasts, joins us to discuss the history of objectivity in journalism, what identity is and how people wield it, and what it's like having co-hosts and working with friends. We also hear how Sam decides which books to feature on his podcasts and how much he should share with his audience. The Stacks Book Club selection for August is You Made a Fool...

*patron-only bonus episode teaser* Friend of The Stacks David Dennis Jr. is back to help us break down the 2019 HBO limited series Watchmen , in honor of our July book club episode about Alan Moore's iconic graphic novel. We discuss David's obsession with the show, its pivotal race moments and one special ingredient that the series added to its source material. *This episode is exclusive to member...

Cartoonist and author Joel Christian Gill returns for book club day to discuss the graphic novel Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. We dissect this 12 part comic and learn about the thematic and formal elements in play. We also talk about the role of God, Batman, and women in the book, and finally Joel shares why Watchmen is considered to be the greatest comic of all time?  There are sp...

Journalist Donovan X. Ramsey joins us to talk about his illuminating narrative nonfiction book When Crack Was King: A People's History of a Misunderstood Era . Donovan explains exactly what crack is, talks about the disparities in crack sentencing, and the ways the media and rap music influenced the era. The Stacks Book Club selection for July is Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons . We will d...

Physician and writer Ricardo Nuila joins The Stacks to discuss The People's Hospital : Hope and Peril in American Medicine , about Ben Taub county hospital in Houston, TX. Dr. Nuila breaks down the difference between public and private hospitals, how medical costs are calculated, and what individuals can do to help change the healthcare system. He also shares why he thinks we need both public and...

Cartoonist and educator Joel Christian Gill joins us to talk about his new book Stamped from the Beginning: A Graphic History of Racist Ideas in America , an illustrated adaptation of Ibram X. Kendi's 2017 release. He gives us a brief history of comics in American culture and discusses the medium as a sneaky way to teach people things. We also get into color theory, the difference between comics a...

*patron-only bonus episode teaser* Podcasters and co-authors Jamilah Mapp and Erica Dickerson join Unabridged to talk about their new book A Good Mom's Guide to Making Bad Choices . We get into their collaborative process, how they've embraced changing their minds in public and they explain how they navigate privacy with their daughters, plus more! *This episode is exclusive to members of The Stac...