The Stacks

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...

Loyalty Bookstores owner Hannah Oliver Depp returns to discuss our June book club pick Oreo by Fran Ross. We talk about the history and context of this 1974 satire, including the story of Fran Ross herself. We wonder how to categorize this novel about a Black and Jewish teenaged girl who finds her self in man precarious situations, and we ask what to make of a book that pokes fun at just about eve...

Today we speak with Stacey Mei Yan Fong, creator of the project which spawned her new book 50 Pies, 50 States: An Immigrant's Love Letter to the United States Through Pie . We discuss how Stacey's thinking about America changed while creating this road trip of a cookbook, and we hear how she navigated the darker parts of America while celebrating the country. She also gives us her best baking tips...

Award-winning journalist, podcaster, and author Tre'vell Anderson joins The Stacks to discuss their new book We See Each Other: A Black, Trans Journey Through TV and Film . We talk about how the media portrayal of trans people impacts individuals and the conversation around trans rights, and the relationship between trans women and drag queens on screen. We also discuss the types of trans stories...

Today we're joined by the owner of Loyalty Bookstores , Hannah Oliver Depp. We hear about Hannah's road to owning her own bookstores in the Washington D.C. area, how she decides what to have in stock, and how indie bookstores influence the publishing world. We also discuss the best ways to support indie bookshops, and where the name Loyalty came from. The Stacks Book Club selection for June is Ore...

Author Nicole Chung returns to discuss our May book club selection This Boy We Made: A Memoir of Motherhood, Genetics, and Facing the Unknown by Taylor Harris. We discuss the importance of specificity in memoir, and how much likability and reliability matter. We also talk about where this book shines and where it falls short. Be sure to listen to the end of today’s episode to find out what our boo...

*patron-only bonus episode teaser* Here by popular demand is our first Unabridged mid-year best of's (so-far) episode, featuring a trio of our favorite bookish friends - Book Riot's Liberty Hardy, Lupita Aquino (aka @Lupita. Reads ) and Nerdette's Greta Johnsen. We list and discuss our favorite 2023 releases we've read, the backslist we're obsessed with, and a few picks we're looking forward to in...

Journalist and author Roxanna Asgarian joins The Stacks to talk about her new nonfiction book, We Were Once a Family: A Story of Love, Death, and Child Removal in America . We find out how Roxanna pushed back against true crime culture in writing about the 2018 Hart family tragedy. We also discuss how birth families are treated versus adoptive parents, how race and class factor into American child...

Bestselling author and illustrator Vashti Harrison joins us to talk about Big , her new storybook educating children on growth and self-love. We discuss how Vashti explored the adultification of black girls, and how she utilized the color pink throughout the book. She also explains how she thinks about parents and kids as her target audience, and the process of linking an author to an illustrator...