
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. We will discuss the book on October 26th with Anthony Christian Ocampo.
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Everything we talk about on today’s episode can be found below in the show notes and on Bookshop.org and Amazon.
- Brown and Gay in LA by Anthony Christian Ocampo
- California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Pomona, CA)
- New Girl (Fox)
- Max Greenfield
- Hudson Booksellers
- The Latinos of Asia by Anthony Christian Ocampo

- Will and Grace (NBC)
- The Abbey (West Hollywood, CA)
- Fairest by Meredith Talusan
- Grindr
- Kiese Laymon
- Bad City by Paul Pringle
- Los Angeles Times
- University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA)
- “Former USC medical school dean used hard drugs while employed at university, attorney says” (Adam Elmahrek and Paul Pringle, LA Times)
- Breathe by Imani Perry
- The Office by Andy Greene
- Bachelor Nation by Amy Kaufman
- All the Pieces Matter by Jonathan Abrams
- Only Plane in the Sky by Garrett M. Graff
- How We Fight for Our Lives by Saeed Jones
- The Book of Delights by Ross Gay
- Dear America by Jose Antonio Vargas
- Ace by Angela Chen
- “Ep. 130 The Politics of Sex with Angela Chen” (The Stacks)
- The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson
- You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero
- Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
- How the Word is Passed by Clint Smith
- Ordinary Girls by Jaquira Díaz
- Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
- This Is Why They Hate Us by Aaron H. Aceves
- Go Ahead in the Rain by Hanif Abdurraqib
- The White Lotus (HBO)
- Mike White
- Heavy by Kiese Laymon
- Afterparties by Anthony Veasna So
- Fiona and Jane by Jean Chen Ho
- Lot by Bryan Washington
- My Time Among the Whites by Jennine Capó Crucet
- Diet Coke
- Taco Bell
- Pepsi
- Diet Mountain Dew
- Diet Vanilla Cherry Coke
- Cactus Cooler
- Bel Canto Books (Long Beach, CA)
- Philippine Expressions Bookshop (San Pedro, CA)
- Meredith Talusan
- Matt Ortile
- Albert Samaha
- Erin Entrada Kelly
- Skylight Books (Los Feliz, CA)
- I Can’t Date Jesus by Michael Arceneaux
- Unforgetting by Roberto Lovato
- Concepcion by Albert Samaha
- He’s Just Not That Into You by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo
- It’s Called a Breakup Because It’s Broken by Greg Behrendt and Amiira Ruotola-Behrendt
- Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay
- America Is Not the Heart by Elaine Castillo
- Dogeaters by Jessica Hagedorn
- World of Wonders by Aimee Nezhukumatathil
- The Body Papers by Grace Talusan
- The Groom Will Keep His Name by Matt Ortile
- How to Read Now by Elaine Castillo
- Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay
- Thick by Tressie McMillan Cottom
- South to America by Imani Perry
- “Ep. 118 Living the Revision with Kiese Laymon” (The Stacks)
- “Ep. 204 A Journey South with Imani Perry” (The Stacks)
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