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 delightful ways. The Stacks Book Club selection for March is Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay . We will discuss t...
Mar 01, 2023•54 min
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 flaws in the criminal legal system especially in regard to American tribal lands. There are spoilers ...
Feb 22, 2023•58 min
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 The Round House by Louise Erdrich. We will discuss the book on February 22nd with Mina Kimes. You c...
Feb 15, 2023•57 min
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 their storytelling. The Stacks Book Club selection for February is The Round House by Louise Erdrich...
Feb 08, 2023•50 min
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 book on February 22nd with Mina Kimes. You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' websi...
Feb 01, 2023•56 min
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 memoir Spare . Be sure to listen to the end of today's episode to find out what our book club pick wil...
Jan 25, 2023•1 hr 2 min
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 whether the police can be reformed. We also discuss how the authors feel their own identities played i...
Jan 18, 2023•59 min
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 problem with body positivity. The Stacks Book Club selection for January is The Meaning of Mariah Ca...
Jan 11, 2023•1 hr 2 min
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 Stacks Book Club selection for January is The Meaning of Mariah Carey by Mariah Carey with Michaela Angel...
Jan 04, 2023•57 min
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 decisions. Be sure to listen to the end of today's episode to find out what our book club pick will be...
Dec 28, 2022•1 hr 4 min
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 December 28th with Greta Johnsen. You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks'...
Dec 21, 2022•58 min
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-checking process was like. We also ask, 'who is the audience for this book?' The Stacks Book Club selec...
Dec 14, 2022•1 hr 10 min
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 December is True Biz by Sarah Nović. We will discuss the book on December 28th with Greta Johnsen. Y...
Dec 07, 2022•1 hr 2 min
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 so many so-called reforms look like prison and policing, and what solutions might work in their pla...
Nov 30, 2022•1 hr 8 min
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 his positionally as a Black and queer writer discussing disease. The Stacks Book Club selection for...
Nov 23, 2022•59 min
Today Jonathan Abrams joins The Stacks to discuss his third book The Come Up: An Oral History of the Rise of Hip-Hop . In unpacking the massive undertaking, the NYT staff writer and sports reporter addresses what goes into crafting a good oral history, and why he wanted to tell this particular story now. Plus, we get into the best diss tracks and rap beefs of all time. The Stacks Book Club selection for November is Prison by Any Other Name: The Harmful Consequences of Popular Reforms by Maya Sch...
Nov 16, 2022•55 min
Renowned sports journalist Jemele Hill joins the show to discuss her powerful new book Uphill: A Memoir . We talk about how she organized and thought about telling her story, how she cultivated he sources as a journalist. Jemele also reveals how she navigates the challenging relationship between her own identity as a Black woman and the world of sports. The Stacks Book Club selection for November is Prison by Any Other Name: The Harmful Consequences of Popular Reforms by Maya Schenwar and Victor...
Nov 09, 2022•58 min
Today we welcome Mariame Kaba - activist and author of the book We Do This 'Til We Free Us : Abolitionist Organizing and Transforming Justice , and her latest, No More Police: A Case for Abolition , which she cowrote with Andrea J. Ritchie. In discussing her lifelong devotion to anti-violence, we learn why Mariame doesn't center herself in the work toward abolition, and why she does not consider herself a writer. She also explains the difference between punishment and consequences and shares som...
Nov 02, 2022•1 hr 6 min
Today professor and author Anthony Christian Ocampo returns to unpack the memoir Fairest by Meredith Talusan. The book is about Talusan's childhood in the Philippines, immigration to the US, experiences at Harvard, and eventual transition. Traci and Anthony discuss the subjective nature of beauty, and what it means to have an author reckon with their past in a memoir. They differ considerably on their opinions of the book, and lean into a conversation about critique, representation, and responsi...
Oct 26, 2022•1 hr 9 min
Today we welcome Pakistani-British writer Kamila Shamsie, author of the new novel Best of Friends and past The Stacks Book Club pick, Home Fire . We discuss the shifting of global political climates, the idea of 'girl fear' and Kamila stresses the importance of giving new writers a chance to mature, and we tackle the question, "How do you write after success?" The Stacks Book Club selection for October is Fairest by Meredith Talusan. We will discuss the book on October 26th with Anthony Christia...
Oct 19, 2022•50 min
Actor, activist and Traci's very dear college friend Brandon Kyle Goodman joins The Stacks to talk about their new book You Gotta Be You: How to Embrace This Messy Life and Step Into Who You Really Are . Together, we ponder its central question: "Who would I be if society never got its hands on me?" We also discuss manipulative friendships, chosen family, pronouns and Brandon's experiences coming into their non-binary identity. The Stacks Book Club selection for October is Fairest by Meredith Ta...
Oct 12, 2022•58 min
This episode, we speak with Anthony Christian Ocampo, Ph.D - sociology professor and author of Brown and Gay in LA : The Lives of Immigrant Sons , an homage to second-generation gay men of color. We discuss the delicate art of writing as an academic while making the work accessible to laypeople, and why Anthony puts himself in his work. We also cover talking bad about books, and current renaissance of Filipinx literature. The Stacks Book Club selection for October is Fairest by Meredith Talusan....
Oct 05, 2022•58 min
Today, publisher Lisa Lucas returns to help us break down the 2021 crime novel The Trees by Percival Everett. In discussing the page-turning thriller, we admire the brilliance of the humor and history on every page, and the mastery Percival Everett himself. We also ask questions around the future, past, and present of the United States in the face of palpable political tensions. There are spoilers on this episode. Be sure to listen all the way to end of the episode to find out what our October b...
Sep 28, 2022•56 min
Today we speak with Saeed Jones - award-winning author of the new poetry collection Alive at the End of the World . Our conversation covers the art of embracing chaos and finding humor, and how Saeed considers his poems in relation to the reading and the performance of poetry. Saeed also explains why he thinks of all his poems as traps. The Stacks Book Club selection for September is The Trees by Percival Everett. We will discuss the book on September 28th with Lisa Lucas. You can find everythin...
Sep 21, 2022•58 min
Andrea Elliott joins us to discuss her investigative reporting career and her Pulitzer Prize winning book Invisible Child: Poverty, Survival & Hope in an American City . We go over how this remarkable story came to be, and how it shifted from what Andrea first anticipated. We also get into what can and should change about the ethics of journalism, and the challenge of protecting children from themselves in the media. The Stacks Book Club selection for September is The Trees by Percival Evere...
Sep 14, 2022•1 hr
Lisa Lucas, Senior Vice President at Pantheon and Schocken, is our first ever book publisher to join the podcast. We discuss the path that led Lisa to her current role and how she sees book purchasing as integral to the push for diversity in publishing. We also talk about what inclusivity does and should mean in the world of books. The Stacks Book Club selection for September is The Trees by Percival Everett. We will discuss the book on September 28th with Lisa Lucas. You can find everything we ...
Sep 07, 2022•58 min
Author Ingrid Rojas Contreras joins us again to talk about our book club selection How to Write An Autobiographical Novel by Alexander Chee. Our discussion of this essay collection covers the artists' relationship to critical reviews, and how much day jobs and everyday life inform art. We also ask, how important is truth to fiction, and what constitutes a life well-lived? You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2022/08/31/ep-230-how...
Aug 31, 2022•1 hr 2 min
Award-winning novelist Mohsin Hamid joins this episode of The Stacks to talk about his newest book The Last White Man . We discuss what inspired the story, his exploration of how whiteness works through fiction, and the ongoing conversation between a reader and the author. We also get into Mohsin's monastic writing rituals, his elite professors, and how his writing fills a need in his understanding of life. The Stacks Book Club selection for August is How To Write An Autobiographical Novel by Al...
Aug 24, 2022•56 min
Today we're joined by entrepreneur and author Marisa Renee Lee, whose book Grief is Love: Living with Loss offers a framework for healing after tragedy. We discuss grief's connection to capitalism and white supremacy, and how our relationship with love is connected to our relationship with loss. We also ask, how can we help people who are grieving, and why are Americans so bad at it? The Stacks Book Club selection for August is How To Write An Autobiographical Novel by Alexander Chee. We will di...
Aug 17, 2022•58 min
Emmy Award winner W. Kamau Bell and bestselling author Kate Schatz visit The Stacks to discuss their joint effort Do the Work!: An Antiracist Activity Book . They break down how the process of co-writing, how they decided to write for white audiences, and explain why we need an adult activity book for antiracism in the first place. We also ask, what do we do when we mess up; what makes a good apology? The Stacks Book Club selection for August is How To Write An Autobiographical Novel by Alexande...
Aug 10, 2022•59 min
