The Stacks

Award-winning author Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah joins us for a spoiler-free discussion of his new novel Chain-Gang All Stars . He shares the pressures of releasing his second book on a topic that asks so much from the reader, and his trepidation around serving the cause of abolition in the prison space. Plus, we find out what makes revision so important to Nana, and how he thinks about employing vio...

Bestselling author Nicole Chung joins The Stacks to discuss her new book A Living Remedy: A Memoir . We talk about her process of writing and talking about grief in the midst and aftermath of COVID, and what it's like as a memoirist to be publicly known for her family life. We also hear what it's meant for Nicole to become a full-time writer, and how she uses vibes to organize her books. The Stack...

Poet and Above Ground author Clint Smith returns to discuss our April book club selection Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude , a poetry collection by Ross Gay. We discuss the moment of the book's release and why it's important within the context of the Black Lives Matter movement. We also argue that successfully engaging with a poem doesn't require understanding what a poem is about, and we ask how mu...

Today marks thirty years since the last day of the FBI siege on the Branch Davidians of Waco, Texas. We hear from three authors who released books on the events this year: Jeff Guinn ( Waco: David Koresh, the Branch Davidians, and a Legacy of Rage ), Stephan Talty ( Koresh: The True Story of David Koresh and the Tragedy at Waco ) and Kevin Cook ( Waco Rising: David Koresh, the FBI, and the Birth o...

Today, award-winning host of NPR's All Things Considered , and now New York Times bestselling author, Ari Shapiro joins us to discuss his new book The Best Strangers in the World: Stories from a Life Spent Listening . We discuss how Ari brings his identity to his storytelling, the difference between illuminating and influencing in journalism, and how he approaches writing interview questions. The...

Today we welcome author Clint Smith to The Stacks to talk about his new poetry collection Above Ground , a tribute to being a parent amidst the chaos of life. We discuss how he handled the pressure to follow up the bestselling and award-winning How the Word is Passed . We also get into how parenting has animated all facets of life, and how competition has facilitated Clint's relationship to litera...

Professor and Ride or Die author Shanita Hubbard returns to discuss the 2014 book of essays Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay. We look back at the collection and ask, how did the book hold up? Its mix of personal memoir, political commentary and pop culture references have us examining our relationship to the text from a new perspective in this spoiler-free episode. Be sure to listen to the end of today’...

Writer and Philadelphia native Joseph Earl Thomas joins the show to discuss his new book Sink: A Memoir , about coming of age amid chaos and finding a way through. He talks about why he wanted to write a memoir that centers childhood without growing into adulthood, the challenge of writing his story in the face of respectability politics and the push to write about "Black joy." The Stacks Book Clu...

Today we're joined by poet, writer and educator José Olivarez to discuss his new book Promises of Gold , a collection of poems exploring all forms of love, including friendship, romantic and cultural. We find out why José had someone else translate his collection into Spanish when Spanish is his first language. We also discuss how he thinks about organizing his poems on the page and in the book, a...

Prolific author, historian and educator Dr. Carol Anderson joins us to discuss her book The Second: Race and Guns in a Fatally Unequal America . We talk about what sparked her interest in writing it, and dissect the role of anti-blackness in the formation and upholding of the second amendment. Carol reveals how she thinks of her writing in terms of persuasion versus education, and why this is the...

Today professor and author Shanita Hubbard speaks with The Stacks about her book Ride or Die: A Feminist Manifesto for the Well-Being of Black Women . We discuss the cultural erasure of Black women and why the idea that they will "save the world" is manipulative. We also note how Black female essayists have been weaving together scholarly and pop cultural commentary in the most complex and delight...

It's The Stacks Book Club Day, and we're joined again by Mina Kimes of ESPN, to discuss Louise Erdrich's novel The Round House . This page-turning coming-of-age story is set in 1988 North Dakota and follows a boy and his friends seeking justice for a horrific crime. Today we talk about the merits of vengeance, the relationship between coming into ones sexuality and understanding consent, and the f...

Communications strategist and poet Camonghne Felix joins The Stacks to discuss her brand new memoir Dyscalculia: A Love Story of Epic Miscalculation . We talk about heartbreak as a kind of trauma, trying to understand the world, and the meaning of dyscalculia. We also get into Camonghne's experiences as a political speechwriter, and what that entails. The Stacks Book Club selection for February is...

Today we're joined by Lamya H., who has just released their debut book Hijab Butch Blues - a memoir about coming of age as a queer Muslim immigrant, that uses figures from the Quran as reference points. We discuss what is gained and what is lost from writing under a pseudonym, the complexities of choosing to be religious, and how Lamya approached the decision to include known religious figures in...

Award-winning ESPN reporter Mina Kimes joins the show to share her love of reading and the one book that inspired her career. Mina reveals how she ended up in sports journalism, how she handles online harassment, and what she would change if she were suddenly appointed NFL commissioner. The Stacks Book Club selection for February is   The Round House by Louise Erdrich. We will discuss the boo...

Chelsea Devantez, host of the Celebrity Book Club podcast, returns to discuss our January Book Club pick The Meaning of Mariah Carey by Mariah Carey with Michaela Angela Davis. In breaking down her memoir, we get into Mariah's relationships, her experience of race and her dynamic with her parents. We also couldn't help but compare aspects of Mariah's story to what Prince Harry shares in his new me...

Today we're joined by two award-winning journalists from the field of criminal justice and police misconduct. Ali Winston and Darwin BondGraham have coauthored the book The Riders Come Out at Night: Brutality, Corruption, and Cover-Up in Oakland , an exposé following many years of investigation. We get into why they wanted to write about the Oakland Police Department in the first place, and ask wh...

Author, activist and podcaster Aubrey Gordon talks to us today about her brand new second book - "You Just Need to Lose Weight": And 19 Other Myths about Fat People . She addresses the challenge of writing a book for both fat and thin people, and explains why she was initially apprehensive about "myth-busting." We also discuss what's wrong with how we frame fatness, why BMI is unreliable, and the...

Comedian and Emmy-nominated TV and film writer Chelsea Devantez joins our first Stacks episode of 2023. Her Celebrity Book Club podcast breaks down celeb memoirs with a roster of Chelsea's funniest friends. We get into how Chelsea started the show, and why she wants to spend time lifting up the stories of the rich and famous. We also ask ourselves why we love to hate these books so much. The Stack...

For our final book club pick of 2022, Greta Johnsen is back to discuss True Biz by Sara Nović, a novel about the teachers and students of a boarding school for the Deaf. We ask who the audience is for this book, and whether the Deaf community should have to teach hearing people about themselves. We also get into the topic of consent with children and parents, especially when it comes to medical de...

NPR Arts Desk reporter and Book of the Day podcast host Andrew Limbong joins The Stacks to count down his five favorite books of 2022. Traci shares her own list, making it our official top ten of the year. We also get into the trends we saw throughout 2022, and what we're looking forward to in 2023. The Stacks Book Club selection for December is True Biz by Sarah Nović. We will discuss the book on...

Washington Post reporters Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa join The Stacks to discuss their book His Name Is George Floyd: One Man's Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice . We talk about giving George Floyd the "presidential" biography treatment, and why they chose to tell his story now. They reveal how they tackled writing such a massive book with over 400 interviews, and what the fact-che...

Today we're joined by Greta Johnsen, host and producer of the Nerdette podcast from WBEZ Chicago, at host of HBO's House of the Dragon recap podcast . We get into Greta's positive approach to reviewing books and how she currates all things nerd. We also hold a grilled cheese debate and discuss the art of balancing book criticism with never having written a book. The Stacks Book Club selection for...

Today anti-violence activist and author Mariame Kaba returns to discuss Prison by Any Other Name: The Harmful Consequences of Popular Reforms by Maya Schenwar and Victoria Law for The Stacks Book Club. We highlight the depth of knowledge that this book provides about the history and current state of criminalization, and unpack the idea that prison is something that ties us all together. We ask why...

Journalist and academic Steven W. Thrasher joins the show to discuss his eye-opening new book The Viral Underclass: The Human Toll When Inequality and Disease Collide . Steven explains the idea of the viral underclass - those most societally vulnerable to disease transmission - and the criminalization of the sick. We also discuss his comparison of COVID-19 and HIV responses throughout the book and...