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The Stacks

by Traci Thomas

The Stacks is your one stop shop to talk books and reading. Guests will join the host, Traci Thomas for lively discussions about books and the ways they have shaped their lives, and they way we all understand culture, race, politics, and more. The last Wednesday of each month Traci and guest will break down a book in detail as part of The Stacks Book Club.

Make sure to check the website www.thestackspodcast.com for more details, including upcoming The Stacks Book Club picks.

Episodes

Ep. 297 It's a Policy of Neglect with Nathan Thrall

1h 6m · Published 13 Dec 08:02

Journalist and author Nathan Thrall joins us to discuss his book A Day in the Life of Abed Salama: Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy. Nathan explains why he wanted to tell this story in 2023, and how the events of October 7th changed how his book about life for a Palestinian family was received. Nathan also shares what folks can do to impact change in the Israel-Palestine conflict.

The Stacks Book Club selection for December is Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. We will discuss the book on December 27th with Farah Karim-Cooper.

You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website:

https://thestackspodcast.com/2023/12/13/ep-297-nathan-thrall

Episode Transcript

Connect with Nathan: Twitter | Website

SUPPORT THE STACKS

Join The Stacks Pack on Patreon

To support The Stacks and find out more from this week’s sponsors, click here.

Purchasing books through Bookshop.org or Amazon earns The Stacks a small commission.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Unabridged: The NYC Late Show with Kiese Laymon

9m · Published 08 Dec 08:02

*patron-only bonus episode teaser*

We're back with friend of The Stacks, Kiese Laymon, with audio from the second New York live show on our national tour. Kiese discusses writing about real people in his life, and reveals what he would change about his memoir Heavy if he could revise it. Plus, we talk about first kisses, Beyonce, and Taylor Swift.

*This episode is exclusive to members of The Stacks Pack on Patreon. To join this community, get inside access to the show, and listen now, click the link below.

JOIN THE STACKS PACK TO LISTEN

You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website:

https://thestackspodcast.com/2023/12/08/tsu-28-nyc-tour-2

Connect with Kiese: Instagram | Website

SUPPORT THE STACKS

Join The Stacks Pack on Patreon

Purchasing books through Bookshop.org or Amazon earns The Stacks a small commission.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 296 Gatekeeping Around Shakespeare with Farah Karim-Cooper

59m · Published 06 Dec 08:02

Author and professor Farah Karim-Cooper joins The Stacks to talk about her book The Great White Bard: How to Love Shakespeare While Talking about Race. Farah reveals how she came to be a Shakespeare and race scholar, and how her work has been received thus far. We also discuss her favorite plays by Shakespeare, and the ways in which his legacy doesn't match up with who he was in his life.

The Stacks Book Club selection for December is Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. We will discuss the book on December 27th with Farah Karim-Cooper.

You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website:

https://thestackspodcast.com/2023/12/06/ep-296-farah-karim-cooper

Episode Transcript

Connect with Farah: Twitter

SUPPORT THE STACKS

Join The Stacks Pack on Patreon

To support The Stacks and find out more from this week’s sponsors, click here.

Purchasing books through Bookshop.org or Amazon earns The Stacks a small commission.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 295 Severance by Ling Ma -- The Stacks Book Club (Mitchell S. Jackson)

58m · Published 29 Nov 08:02

Author Mitchell S. Jackson returns for our book club discussion of Ling Ma's post-apocalyptic novel Severance. On this episode we try to piece together the story's timeline, unpack the ending, and we cast the TV show adaptation. We also discuss quote marks, capitalism, and the role of religion throughout the novel.

There are spoilers on this episode.

Be sure to listen to the end of today’s episode to find out what our December book club pick will be.

You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website:

https://thestackspodcast.com/2023/11/29/ep-295-severance

Episode Transcript

Connect with Mitchell: Instagram | Twitter | Website

SUPPORT THE STACKS

Join The Stacks Pack on Patreon

To support The Stacks and find out more from this week’s sponsors, click here.

Purchasing books through Bookshop.org or Amazon earns The Stacks a small commission.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Unabridged: The NYC Early Show with Kiese Laymon

13m · Published 24 Nov 08:02

*patron-only bonus episode teaser*

This Unabridged is a conversation with author and friend of The Stacks Kiese Laymon from our early show in New York City. We hear from Kiese about how he knows when his work is ready for an audience, and get intel on his forthcoming book. We also get into sports, hot topics, and the unmatched confidence of New Yorkers.

*This episode is exclusive to members of The Stacks Pack on Patreon. To join this community, get inside access to the show, and listen now, click the link below.

JOIN THE STACKS PACK TO LISTEN

You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website:

https://thestackspodcast.com/2023/11/24/tsu-27-nyc-tour-1

Connect with Kiese: Instagram | Website

SUPPORT THE STACKS

Join The Stacks Pack on Patreon

Purchasing books through Bookshop.org or Amazon earns The Stacks a small commission.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 294 People Just Have Never Seen It with Ali Stroker

55m · Published 22 Nov 08:02

Tony Award Winner Ali Stroker discusses her new middle grade novel Cut Loose!, co-written with Stacy Davidowitz. Ali reveals why she avoided having friends with disabilities in her youth, how she translates choreography for her wheelchair, and how her thinking around accommodations has changed over time. We also hear how she thinks about storytelling versus teaching her audience.

The Stacks Book Club selection for November is Severance by Ling Ma. We will discuss the book on November 29th with Mitchell S. Jackson.

You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website:

https://thestackspodcast.com/2023/11/22/ep-294-ali-stroker

Episode Transcript

Connect with Ali: Instagram | Twitter | Website

SUPPORT THE STACKS

Join The Stacks Pack on Patreon

To support The Stacks and find out more from this week’s sponsors, click here.

Purchasing books through Bookshop.org or Amazon earns The Stacks a small commission.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 293 Progress Is not Linear with Beto O'Rourke

1h 1m · Published 15 Nov 08:02

Texas politician and author Beto O'Rourke joins The Stacks to talk about his book We've Got to Try: How the Fight for Voting Rights Makes Everything Else Possible. We learn why Beto thinks voting rights is the most important battle we're currently fighting, what he says to people who don't feel represented or served by politicians, and whether he plans to run for office again.

The Stacks Book Club selection for November is Severance by Ling Ma. We will discuss the book on November 29th with Mitchell S. Jackson.

You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website:

https://thestackspodcast.com/2023/11/15/ep-293-beto-orourke

Episode Transcript

Connect with Beto: Instagram | Twitter | Website

SUPPORT THE STACKS

Join The Stacks Pack on Patreon

To support The Stacks and find out more from this week’s sponsors, click here.

Purchasing books through Bookshop.org or Amazon earns The Stacks a small commission.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 292 Writing Toward Beauty with Jesmyn Ward

1h 7m · Published 08 Nov 08:02

Award-winning author Jesmyn Ward joins The Stacks to discuss her latest novel Let Us Descend. She reveals how the book came to her, and how audience plays into her writing process. We also learn why Jesmyn changed her normal writing process for this book, how she writes to the center of emotions in her fiction, and how her level of success impacts her ability to write.

The Stacks Book Club selection for November is Severance by Ling Ma. We will discuss the book on November 29th with Mitchell S. Jackson.

You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website:

https://thestackspodcast.com/2023/11/08/ep-292-jesmyn-ward

Episode Transcript

Connect with Jesmyn: Instagram | Twitter

SUPPORT THE STACKS

Join The Stacks Pack on Patreon

To support The Stacks and find out more from this week’s sponsors, click here.

Purchasing books through Bookshop.org or Amazon earns The Stacks a small commission.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 291 I've Never Read for Pleasure with Mitchell S. Jackson

56m · Published 01 Nov 07:02

Award-winning author Mitchell S. Jackson joins the show to discuss his new book Fly: The Big Book of Basketball Fashion. He explains why he wanted to write about the intersection of basketball and fashion in this hybrid of lookbook and cultural commentary. We also get into basketball's best and worst dressed, what winning the Pulitzer has meant to Mitchell and why he never reads for pleasure.

The Stacks Book Club selection for November is Severance by Ling Ma. We will discuss the book on November 29th with Mitchell S. Jackson.

You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website:

https://thestackspodcast.com/2023/11/01/ep-291-mitchell-jackson

Episode Transcript

Connect with Mitchell: Instagram | Twitter | Website

SUPPORT THE STACKS

Join The Stacks Pack on Patreon

To support The Stacks and find out more from this week’s sponsors, click here.

Purchasing books through Bookshop.org or Amazon earns The Stacks a small commission.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 290 Tar Baby by Toni Morrison -- The Stacks Book Club (Minda Honey)

1h 9m · Published 25 Oct 07:02

It's time for our annual Toni Morrison read for The Stacks Book Club! Author, Minda Honey is back to discuss Tar Baby, a novel about colorism, the class divide and gender roles. We dig into the book's title, unpack the ending and question who we were rooting for throughout the book.

There are spoilers on today's episode.

Be sure to listen to the end of today’s episode to find out what our November book club pick will be.

You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website:

https://thestackspodcast.com/2023/10/25/ep-290-tar-baby

Episode Transcript

Connect with Minda: Instagram | Twitter | Website

SUPPORT THE STACKS

Join The Stacks Pack on Patreon

To support The Stacks and find out more from this week’s sponsors, click here.

Purchasing books through Bookshop.org or Amazon earns The Stacks a small commission.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Stacks has 436 episodes in total of explicit content. Total playtime is 405:52:20. The language of the podcast is English. This podcast has been added on February 22nd 2023. It might contain more episodes than the ones shown here. It was last updated on May 31st, 2024 20:13.