Unabridged: The NYC Late Show with Kiese Laymon

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

Everything we talk about on today’s episode can be found below in the show notes. You can also find what we talked about on Amazon.

Connect with Kiese: Instagram | Website
Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Subscribe

To contribute to The Stacks, join The Stacks Pack, and get exclusive perks, check out our Patreon page. If you prefer to support the show with a one time contribution go to paypal.me/thestackspod.


The Stacks participates in affiliate programs. We receive a small commission when products are purchased through links on this website, and this comes at no cost to you. This in no way effects opinions on books and products reviewed here. For more information click here.

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

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.

LISTEN NOW

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Overcast | Stitcher | Transcript

Everything we talk about on today’s episode can be found below in the shownotes and on Bookshop.org and Amazon.

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

Connect with Ali: Instagram | Twitter | Website
Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Subscribe

To contribute to The Stacks, join The Stacks Pack, and get exclusive perks, check out our Patreon page. If you prefer to support the show with a one time contribution go to paypal.me/thestackspod.


The Stacks participates in affiliate programs. We receive a small commission when products are purchased through links on this website, and this comes at no cost to you. This in no way effects opinions on books and products reviewed here. For more information click here.

The Stacks Book Club – October 2023

It’s that time again for our annual Toni Morrison read, and this year we’ve selected Tar Baby, a beautiful and gutting love story originally published in 1981. It tells the story of Black fashion model Jadine Childs, the protege of a rich, white couple in the Caribbean whose polished veneer is upended one evening by a hungry Black intruder named Son. Jadine and Son are soon drawn together in a whirlwind affair that takes them from Florida to New York and back to the island as they grapple with the cultural differences, fears and prejudices that threaten their bond. The book is a riveting and suspenseful, poetic, tragicomic story about the many complex dynamics across and within racial boundaries.

We will discuss Tar Baby by Toni Morrison on Wednesday, October 25th. You can find out who our guest will be by listening to our October 4th episode. If you’d like even more discussion around the book, consider joining The Stacks Pack on Patreon and participating in The Stacks’ monthly virtual book club.

LA’s indie bookstore Reparations Club offers you 10% off your copy of Tar Baby via this link using the code STACKS10 at checkout!
(Or get your copy of our October book on Bookshop.org or Amazon.)


To contribute to The Stacks, join The Stacks Pack, and get exclusive perks, check out our Patreon page (https://www.patreon.com/thestacks). We are beyond grateful for anything you’re able to give to support the production of The Stacks.

The Stacks participates in affiliate programs. We receive a small commission when products are purchased through links on this website, and this comes at no cost to you. This in no way effects opinions on books and products reviewed. For more information click here.

Ep. 278 We’re Giving Him Drugs with Sam Sanders

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 of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi. We will discuss the book on August 30th with Sam Sanders.

LISTEN NOW

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Overcast | Stitcher | Transcript

Everything we talk about on today’s episode can be found below in the show notes and on Bookshop.org and Amazon.

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

Connect with Sam: Instagram | Twitter | Into It | Vibe Check
Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Subscribe

To contribute to The Stacks, join The Stacks Pack, and get exclusive perks, check out our Patreon page. If you prefer to support the show with a one time contribution go to paypal.me/thestackspod.


The Stacks participates in affiliate programs. We receive a small commission when products are purchased through links on this website, and this comes at no cost to you. This in no way effects opinions on books and products reviewed here. For more information click here.

The Stacks Book Club – June 2023

The Stacks’ June book club selection is Oreo by Fran Ross. First released in 1974, it’s a satirical take on one Philadelphia woman’s quest of self-discovery. Raised by her grandparents, born of a Black mother, and spurred on by a mysterious note, Oreo navigates the brothels, subways and studios of Manhattan to seek her long-lost Jewish father. The book is a parody of the Theseus odyssey with a modern feminist twist. Steeped in seventies pop culture, it makes use of standard English, Yiddish and black vernacular in what author Paul Auster called “a rollicking little masterpiece.” Fran Ross was born in 1935 in Philly and wrote comedy for Richard Pryor; her articles appeared in magazines including Essence and Playboy. Oreo is widely considered ahead of its time and was Ross’ only novel before her death in 1985.

We will discuss Oreo by Fran Ross on Wednesday, June 28th. You can find out who our guest will be by listening to our June 7th episode. If you’d like even more discussion around the book, consider joining The Stacks Pack on Patreon and participating in The Stacks’ monthly virtual book club.

Order your copy of our June book on Bookshop.org and Amazon.


To contribute to The Stacks, join The Stacks Pack, and get exclusive perks, check out our Patreon page (https://www.patreon.com/thestacks). We are beyond grateful for anything you’re able to give to support the production of The Stacks.

The Stacks participates in affiliate programs. We receive a small commission when products are purchased through links on this website, and this comes at no cost to you. This in no way effects opinions on books and products reviewed. For more information click here.

Ep. 239 The Purpose of a System Is What It Does with Mariame Kaba

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 some incredible book recommendations.

The Stacks Book Club selection for November is Prison By Any Other Name by Maya Schenwar and Victoria Law. We will discuss the book on November 30th with Mariame Kaba.

LISTEN NOW

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Overcast | Stitcher | Transcript

Everything we talk about on today’s episode can be found below in the show notes and on Bookshop.org and Amazon.

Connect with Mariame: Twitter | Website
Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Subscribe

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

To contribute to The Stacks, join The Stacks Pack, and get exclusive perks, check out our Patreon page. If you prefer to support the show with a one time contribution go to paypal.me/thestackspod.


The Stacks participates in affiliate programs. We receive a small commission when products are purchased through links on this website, and this comes at no cost to you. This in no way effects opinions on books and products reviewed here. For more information click here.

Unabridged: Be the Host with the Most Delicious Snacks with Katherine Lewin (Episode 2)

We’re back with another installment of The Stacks Pack exclusive show, The Stacks: Unabridged. In preparation for all your holiday hosting needs, and in honor of Traci’s extreme love of food and gatherings we’re talking dinner parties with the owner of Big Night, Katherine Lewin. Big Night is a new store in Brooklyn, NY dedicated to hosting perfect dinner parties. Katherine helps us release some of the pressures of hosting and gives us tips for being the best guest ever. Plus snacks. Duh.

*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

Everything we talk about on today’s episode can be found below in the show notes. You can also find what we talked about on Amazon.

Connect with Katherine: Instagram | Website
Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Subscribe

To contribute to The Stacks, join The Stacks Pack, and get exclusive perks, check out our Patreon page. If you prefer to support the show with a one time contribution go to paypal.me/thestackspod.


The Stacks participates in affiliate programs. We receive a small commission when products are purchased through links on this website, and this comes at no cost to you. This in no way effects opinions on books and products reviewed here. For more information click here.