It’s The Stacks' Book Club Day, and we are joined once again by Ceara O’Sullivan to discuss The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by Michael Finkel. The book explores the ethos of Stéphane Bréitwieser—the titular art thief in question—who stole and kept over two billion dollars worth of art. Together, we discuss Finkel's portrayal of Bréitwieser, the myriad of twists throughout this story, and what this book has to say about crime, ownership, and punishment. There...
Jun 25, 2025•1 hr 14 min
*Patreon- and Substack-only bonus episode teaser, click here for the full episode * We’re halfway through 2025 so this month on The Stacks Unabridged, we've got a literary check-in with friends of the pod, Sara Hildreth and Cree Myles! Together, we discuss the books that blew us away during the first half of the year, the titles we're most looking forward to for the second half of 2025. Plus we share the best backlist we've read and a few award season predictions. You can find everything we disc...
Jun 20, 2025•16 min
Mia McKenzie is on the show this week discussing her newest book, These Heathens , a coming of age story set in 1960s Georgia. She talks about how she approached fictionalizing real figures from the civil rights movement, the importance of queer representation in her work, and how her grandmother inspired the protagonist in the novel. The Stacks Book Club pick for June is The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by Michael Finkel. We will discuss on Wednesday, June 2...
Jun 18, 2025•55 min
This week on the Stacks, we are joined by New York Times bestselling crime fiction author, S.A. Cosby, to talk about his brand new book, King of Ashes . Cosby gives us insights into being a self-proclaimed lazy writer, and his approach to violence on the page. We also talk about why he considers reading an integral part of his writing process, and what the genre of “Southern noir” means to him. The Stacks Book Club pick for June is The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obse...
Jun 11, 2025•59 min
This week on the Stacks, we are joined by Saturday Night Live writer, actor, and host of the Petty Crimes podcast, Ceara O’Sullivan. Ceara talks about how writing for TV has impacted her TV watching life, the importance of editing in storytelling, and what it’s like to read a memoir by a person you know. The Stacks Book Club pick for June is The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by Michael Finkel. We will discuss on Wednesday, June 25th with Ceara O’Sullivan retur...
Jun 04, 2025•1 hr 3 min
It’s the Stacks’ Book Club Day, and we’re discussing Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley with returning guest, Kara Brown. We share our thoughts on the story’s twists and turns, especially the big reveal. Then we dive deeper to discuss the significance of this book on the literary landscape, and what about the novel does and doesn’t hold up when viewed through a modern-day lens. There are spoilers on this episode. Be sure to listen to the end of today’s episode to find out what our June book ...
May 28, 2025•1 hr 1 min
This week on the Stacks, we are joined by author and essayist, Frederick Joseph, to discuss his newest book (and his first foray into YA fiction), This Thing of Ours . He shares with us about how he’s able to write every day without writer’s block, and why he decided not to sell his books in Target. We also spend time exploring Frederick’s favorite and least favorite book classics. The Stacks Book Club pick for May is Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley. We will discuss on Wednesday, May 28th...
May 21, 2025•1 hr 5 min
*Patreon- and Substack-only bonus episode teaser, click here for the full episode * It's Cowboy Carter SZN and we're breaking down Beyoncé's latest tour with friend of the pod and podcast host extraordinaire Sam Sanders. We talk about Queen Bey's latest tour, the good and the not so good, plus our thoughts on Blue Ivy's exposure and the future of stadium tours. We also quickly gab about the Pulitzer drama, Gwenyth Paltrow, and Lionel Richie. You can find everything we discuss on today's show on ...
May 16, 2025•16 min
Today we are joined by Daria Burke, an award-winning business leader, investor, speaker, and now author. She is here to discuss her memoir, Of My Own Making , which is about how she healed from childhood trauma to build her life. Daria talks about how systemic and personal harms are intertwined, how she engaged with leading experts in the fields of trauma work, and her shift from survival to success. The Stacks Book Club pick for May is Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley. We will discuss on ...
May 14, 2025•56 min
Today on The Stacks, we’re talking with screenwriter and producer, Kara Brown. She shares what she looks for when adapting a book to the screen, and the key to making sure an adaptation is a success. We also discuss Kara’s love of massive tomes, the three writers that inspired her career, and her problematic fave. The Stacks Book Club pick for May is Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley. We will discuss on Wednesday, May 28th with Kara Brown returning as our guest. You can find everything we d...
May 07, 2025•1 hr 5 min
It’s the Stacks’ Book Club Day, and we’re discussing Blessing the Boats by Lucille Clifton with returning guest, Tiana Clark. We discuss how Clifton welcomes audiences usually excluded from poetry and how her work still manages to have urgency 25+ years later. We also work through some of the poems that were challenging for us, and uncover some hidden meanings. Be sure to listen to the end of today’s episode to find out what our May book club pick will be. You can find everything we discuss on t...
Apr 30, 2025•1 hr 6 min
Today on The Stacks, Brian Goldstone is here to talk about his book, There Is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America . The book examines the growing phenomenon of the "working homeless"—people who work full time and still remain unhoused—by following five families in Atlanta over the course of a few years. Goldstone explains how he connected with the families he followed in the book, who officially is counted as homeless, and why he decided to center his book in Atlanta. The Stacks Boo...
Apr 23, 2025•1 hr 6 min
*Patreon- and Substack-only bonus episode teaser, click here for the full episode * In this episode of The Stacks Unabridged, we are joined once again by author Kiese Laymon, to discuss his first children’s book, City Summer, Country Summer , and the emotional resonance of sports narratives. We also share how we’re staying human in the midst of so much inhumanity. You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/unabridged/2025/4/18/tsu-...
Apr 18, 2025•16 min
This week, food and culture writer, Giaae Kwon joins us to discuss her debut book, a collection of essays, I'll Love You Forever: Notes from a K-Pop Fan . We talk about what defines K-pop and the aspects of its fandom: from parasocial relationships to the exoticization of K-pop and its "idols." The Stacks Book Club pick for April is Blessing the Boats: New and Selected Poems 1988–2000 by Lucille Clifton. We will discuss the book on April 30th with Tiana Clark returning as our guest. You can find...
Apr 16, 2025•59 min
This week, we’re joined by Geri Halliwell-Horner, also known as Ginger Spice from the Spice Girls. She discusses her second installment in the Rosie Frost series, Rosie Frost: Ice on Fire . Determined to learn her family history with Bloodstone, Rosie must discover what she’s really made of as a new danger puts her new home and all she that she loves at risk. Halliwell-Horner also shares her journey from pop music sensation to middle grade novelist, and how her relationship with the phrase, “gir...
Apr 09, 2025•39 min
This week, we're kicking off National Poetry Month with poet and essayist Tiana Clark. Tiana's newest collection, Scorched Earth: Poems , explores themes of heartbreak, identity, and radical self-acceptance. In this conversation, Tiana reflects on what it means to be vulnerable in poetry, how she approaches the lyric “I,” and what she looks for when reading other poets’ work. The Stacks Book Club pick for April is Blessing the Boats: New and Selected Poems 1988–2000 by Lucille Clifton. We will d...
Apr 02, 2025•1 hr 7 min
It’s The Stacks Book Club Day, and we’re discussing They Were Her Property: White Women as Slave Owners in the American South by Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers with returning guest Tembe Denton-Hurst. We highlight the moments in the book that really stood out to us, from the brutality to the pervasiveness of slavery, and consider how white women have been protected by—and complicit in—the building of the American economy. We also reflect on the role of academic books and how we engage with them as re...
Mar 26, 2025•1 hr 5 min
*Patreon- and Substack-only bonus episode teaser, click here for the full episode * In this episode of The Stacks Unabridged, we’re joined by author and critic Emily St. James to discuss her new book, Woodworking . We explore the recent evolution of anti-trans legislation, what it tells us about the current political moment, and trans rep in pop culture. Plus, Emily offers us her entries into the trans literary canon. You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website: htt...
Mar 21, 2025•15 min
This week, we’re joined by author Torrey Peters to discuss her new book, Stag Dance: A Novel & Stories , a collection that explores the complexities of desire, identity, and gender. Torrey shares how she freed herself to write after the success of her debut novel, Detransition, Baby , discusses her thoughts on the relationship between gender and genre, and what she finds most exciting about writing trans stories. The Stacks Book Club pick for March is They Were Her Property by Stephanie E. ...
Mar 19, 2025•1 hr 2 min
This week, we’re joined by author and journalist Omar El Akkad to discuss his new book, One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This , which serves as a powerful reckoning with what it means to live in a West that betrays its fundamental values. Omar shares how writing nonfiction compares to his novels, how he anticipates and thinks about potential criticism, and what it means to resist despair in the face of empire. The Stacks Book Club pick for March is They Were Her Property by Stepha...
Mar 12, 2025•1 hr
This week, we’re joined by Tembe Denton-Hurst, staff writer at New York Magazine’s The Strategist and author of the novel Homebodies . Tembe shares why she thinks it is important to read in community with others, how seeing herself on the page changed her life, and the popular book she can’t stand. The Stacks Book Club pick for March is They Were Her Property by Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers. We will discuss the book on March 26th with Tembe Denton-Hurst returning as our guest. You can find everythi...
Mar 05, 2025•1 hr 4 min
It’s The Stacks Book Club Day, and we’re unpacking Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov with returning guest Ira Madison III. This literary classic is widely studied, but why? We explore what makes this novel a classic, why it’s still taught today, and what Nabokov wanted readers to take away from his most infamous work. There are spoilers on this episode. Be sure to listen to the end of today’s episode to find out what our March book club pick will be. You can find everything we discuss on today's show o...
Feb 26, 2025•1 hr 4 min
This week, journalist and activist Rebecca Nagle joins us to discuss her debut book, By the Fire We Carry: The Generations-Long Fight for Justice on Native Land . We discuss her decision to expand her podcast, This Land , into a book, the deliberate erasure of Indigenous people in the United States, and how she approaches the idea of "objectivity" in journalism. The Stacks Book Club pick for February is Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. We will discuss the book on February 26th with Ira Madison III re...
Feb 19, 2025•58 min
*Patreon- and Substack-only bonus episode teaser* In this episode of The Stacks Unabridged, author and ESPN writer David Dennis Jr. joins us to break down Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show. We get into the performance itself, the layers behind it, and how it fits into his ongoing beef with Drake. Plus, we discuss the reaction to the show and what it says about Kendrick’s place in music and culture. You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website: https://www.the...
Feb 14, 2025•17 min
This week, scholar and author Eve L. Ewing joins us to discuss her new book, Original Sins: The (Mis)education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of American Racism . We examine the differences between schooling and education, the purpose of schools and how their design perpetuates inequality, and how we can change them for the better. Eve also shares how her experience as a middle school teacher has shaped her as a writer. The Stacks Book Club pick for February is Lolita by Vladi...
Feb 12, 2025•1 hr 10 min
This week, writer and host of the podcast Keep It! , Ira Madison III joins us to discuss his essay collection, Pure Innocent Fun . We talk about nostalgia, how the book has changed Ira’s identity as a writer, and why he considers literature to be the ultimate form of gossip. The Stacks Book Club pick for February is Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. We will discuss the book on February 26th with Ira Madison III returning as our guest. You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' w...
Feb 05, 2025•54 min
It’s The Stacks Book Club Day, and we’re diving into The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley with returning guest J Wortham. We explore the book’s layered genres, discuss its most compelling moments, and reflect on the parts that didn’t quite land. Plus, we consider the question: is it possible to unplug from empire? There are spoilers on this episode. Be sure to listen to the end of today’s episode to find out what our February book club pick will be. You can find everything we discuss on today...
Jan 29, 2025•1 hr 6 min
This week, we're joined by journalist and debut author Michael Waters to discuss his book, The Other Olympians: Fascism, Queerness, and the Making of Modern Sports . We explore the history of gender surveillance and sex testing for athletes, as well as how sports have become the frontier for transgender political battles. Michael also shares his approach to navigating the evolving landscape of language in gender identity. The Stacks Book Club pick for January is The Ministry of Time by Kaliane B...
Jan 22, 2025•51 min
In today's special bonus episode, we’re offering some counterprogramming to the inauguration with a discussion of Toni Morrison’s lecture, “ Goodness: Altruism and the Literary Imagination .” Saeed Jones joins us to explore Morrison’s thoughts on how goodness sustains itself in the face of evil and what it means to lean into our own goodness as we move into 2025 and beyond. The Stacks Book Club pick for January is The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley. We will discuss the book on January 29th ...
Jan 20, 2025•1 hr 6 min
*Patreon- and Substack-only bonus episode teaser* In this episode of The Stacks Unabridged, Cree Myles ( All Ways Black ) and Sara Hildreth ( Fiction Matters ) are back to reflect on 2024 as a year in books and share the titles they’re most excited to read in the first half of 2025. From last year’s standouts to exciting new releases, this conversation is a must-listen for book lovers updating their TBRs. You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website: https://www.thes...
Jan 17, 2025•15 min
