Tag: Satire

Ep. 314 Being Chesty with Andrew Boryga

~ TheStacksPodcast ~ Leave a comment

First-time novelist and award-winning writer Andrew Boryga talks about his new book Victim, a satirical take on diversity initiatives, self-promotion and the art of the hustle. Andrew reveals how he thought about audience while composing the book, and discusses the difference between attention and privilege.

The Stacks Book Club selection for April is The January Children by Safia Elhillo. We will discuss the book on April 24th with Hala Alyan.

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 Andrew: Instagram | Twitter | Website | Substack
Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | 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 – March 2024

~ TheStacksPodcast ~ Leave a comment

This month we are reading the New York Times bestselling novel Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu. It follows Willis Wu, a generic background actor in his own life, as he’s flung into stardom and adventure by a sudden spotlight. When one of his daily visits to the Golden Palace restaurant turns into a big production, Willis is called to action and sent down a rabbit hole of buried potential, history and family legacy. The darkly hilarious and deeply personal story touches on race, assimilation and culture, examining how we reckon with all the roles we are assigned to play.

We will discuss Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu on Wednesday, March 27th. You can find out who our guest will be by listening to our March 6th 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 Interior Chinatown via this link using the code STACKS10 at checkout! (Or get your copy of our March 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.

Unabridged: No One Wants to Talk About the Sex with Kiley Reid

~ TheStacksPodcast ~ Leave a comment

This episode features audio from a February live show at Vroman’s Bookstore with NYT bestselling novelist Kiley Reid (Such a Fun Age, Come and Get It). Kiley talks about her approach to character development and satire; she also reveals what she hopes her audiences take away from her work, and why she primarily cares about being entertaining.

*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 Kiley: 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.

Ep. 304 Erasure by Percival Everett — The Stacks Book Club (Zach Stafford)

~ TheStacksPodcast ~ Leave a comment

Vibe Check host Zach Stafford returns to discuss our January book club selection, the 2001 satirical novel Erasure by Percival Everett. Our conversation today delves into ownership of art and stories, what the joke of the novel is, the title of the book, and we even dabble (spoiler-free) into the movie based on the book, American Fiction.
There are spoilers for the book, Erasure, on today’s episode.

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

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 Zach: Instagram | Twitter | 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 – January 2024

~ TheStacksPodcast ~ Leave a comment

Happy New Year! Our January 2024 book club selection is the satirical novel Erasure by Percival Everett, a prolific author whose work we’ve previously discussed on The Stacks. In a powerful and hilarious indictment of racial bias and stereotyping in publishing, disgruntled writer Thelonious “Monk” Ellison unintentionally strikes gold when he parodies popular Black fiction under a pseudonym. The book was published in 2001 and has been adapted into the critically-acclaimed 2023 film American Fiction. Its experimental structure features multiple embedded narratives and POVs. Everett has produced more than 34 novels, poetry collections, short stories and paintings since his start in 1983.

We will discuss Erasure by Percival Everett on Wednesday, January 31st. You can find out who our guest will be by listening to our January 3rd 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 Erasure via this link using the code STACKS10 at checkout! (Or get your copy of our January 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. 295 Severance by Ling Ma — The Stacks Book Club (Mitchell S. Jackson)

~ TheStacksPodcast ~ Leave a comment

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.

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 Mitchell: 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 — November 2023

~ TheStacksPodcast ~ Leave a comment

This month’s Stacks Book Club selection is Severance, a novel by Ling Ma. Part post-apocalyptic horror, part office satire – and a biting indictment of late-stage capitalism – it tracks millennial Candace Chen through the outbreak and aftermath of a fever which leaves most Americans dead. Carrying a dangerous secret of her own, a conflicted Candace joins a group of survivors intent on rebuilding society from the ground up. The book is a hilarious, deadpan coming-of-age tale and a poignant family story. Severance is the author’s first novel; it won a 2018 Kirkus Prize, was a New York Times Notable Book of 2018, and was shortlisted for the 2019 Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award.

We will discuss Severance by Ling Ma on Wednesday, November 29th. You can find out who our guest will be by listening to our November 1st 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 Severance via this link using the code STACKS10 at checkout! (Or get your copy of our November 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.

The Stacks Book Club – June 2023

~ TheStacksPodcast ~ Leave a comment

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. 266 We Are the Ones Who Make the World with Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

~ TheStacksPodcast ~ Leave a comment

Award-winning author Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah joins us for a spoiler-free discussion of his new novel Chain-Gang All Stars. He shares the pressures he’s felt ahead of releasing his second book, and his trepidation around how the book will be received in prison abolition spaces. Plus, we find out what makes revision so important to Nana, and how he thinks about employing violence in the book to help tell this story.

The Stacks Book Club selection for May is This Boy We Made by Taylor Harris. We will discuss the book on May 31st with Nicole Chung.

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.

Photo: Alex M. Philip

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

Connect with Nana: 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.

Ep. 151 Truth and Satire with Mateo Askaripour

~ TheStacksPodcast ~ Leave a comment

Our guest today is Mateo Askaripour, the debut author of Black Buck which is a New York Times Bestseller. We talk about writing satire, Mateo’s respect for his readers, and the ways he looked to other authors for inspiration throughout his process.

The Stacks Book Club selection for February is The New Wilderness by Diane Cook, we will discuss the book with Vann Newkirk on Wednesday February 24th.

LISTEN NOW

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Overcast | Stitcher

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

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is IMG_9743-1024x767.jpg

Connect with Mateo: Instagram | Twitter | Website

Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Apple Podcasts | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads

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.