The Stacks

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...

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 continue our conversation on banned books with Virginia State Senator Ghazala Hashmi . Senator Hashmi t...

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. On today's episode we're joined by Alison Bechdel author of the frequently banned graphic memoir Fun Home , and...

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. On today's episode we talk with the director of the Warren County - Vicksburg Public Library , Katrina Stokes ab...

Today we are joined by Tessa Miller, and author and journalist whose work focuses on chronic illness, disability, and health justice. We discuss Tessa's debut book, What Doesn't Kill You: A Life with Chronic Illness - Lessons from a Body in Revolt and how publishing a memoir brought on a whole new level of anxiety and insecurities around being a writer and living with chronic illness. We also talk...

Today on The Stacks Book Club we're discussing Nella Larsen's 1929 classic novel Passing . We're joined again by Cree Myles , the creative force behind Penguin Random House' All Ways Black , to discuss this story racial passing in the 1920's. This episode touches on the history of passing, the 2021 film adaptation , and the central question of freedom. There are spoilers on this episode. Stay tune...

Today we're joined by Kendra James; writer, podcast producer, and editor, to discuss her debut book, Admissions: A Memoir of Surviving Boarding School . We talk about Kendra's experiences as the first African American legacy student at the Taft School in Connecticut, the ways she came to terms with the racism she experienced, and who she is writing for. We also talk pettiness, writing in the bathr...

This week we've got a repeat guest, the unmatched talent that is, Jason Reynolds. We're talking about his new book, Ain't Burned all the Bright , a collaboration with his friend, artist, Jason Griffin. We talk today about creativity in 2020, working with collaborators, and our understandings and experiences around grief. You can hear Jason's first appearances on The Stacks here and here . The Stac...

Today we're joined by Cree Myles, the creative force behind Penguin Random Houses' All Ways Black , a platform that is focused on uplifting and centering the work of Black authors. We talk today about the competitive drive that keeps us motivated, balancing personal identity and reading choices, and the vibe we expect to find in heaven. The Stacks Book Club selection for December is Passing by Nel...