This week on The Stacks, essay writer and culture critic, Tre Johnson, joins us to discuss his debut book, Black Genius: Essays on an American Legacy, which examines how black American culture has driven American ingenuity. Tre shares how his grandfather inspired him to write Black Genius and how the book has evolved over the years. We also talk about the struggle of balancing a 9-5 job and making time to write, plus why he decided to leave his job and how that impacted his life as a writer. You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2025/8/13/ep-384-tre-johnson Connect with Tre: Website | Instagram | Twitter Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

*Patreon and Substack-only bonus episode teaser, click here for the full episode* This month you're getting a bonus bonus episode of The Stacks Unabridged. Because we love summer and books, Sara Hildreth of Fiction Matters is here to talk about summer reading guides. We hand out a few literary superlatives like, best book to read on an airplane and most dramatic. Plus we share some books we've read since the guides were dropped that we think you should at to your reading lists. If you haven't gotten The Stacks’ Nonfiction Reading Guide or Sara's Paperback Summer Reading Guide, be sure to grab those and get to listening. You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/unabridged/2025/8/8/tsu-49-sara-hildreth CConnect with Sara: Instagram | Fiction Matters | Novel Pairings | Substack Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Journalist, Alexis Madrigal, joins the Stacks to discuss his debut book, The Pacific Circuit: A Globalized Account of the Battle for the Soul of an American City—the “American city” in question being Oakland, CA. Today, Alexis gives us insight into why he wanted to tell the story of Oakland in particular, and why it matters in broader national and global context. He also explains how COVID impacted this book, both his personal writing process and the city of Oakland at large. For the month of August, the Stacks Book Club pick will be Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. We will discuss the book on Wednesday, August 27th with Alexis Madrigal returning as our guest. You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2025/8/6/ep-383-alexis-madrigal Connect with Alexis: Instagram | Website Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It’s The Stacks Book Club Day, and we're discussing Toni Morrison's God Help the Child with Dana A. Williams, author of Toni at Random. Together, we talk about the themes that show up in God Help the Child that have echoes from Morrison's earlier work—generational trauma and racialized beauty. We also discuss why Toni Morrison wanted to write a contemporary novel, the great names in the book, and who we would cast in the film. There are spoilers on this episode. Be sure to listen to the end of today’s episode to find out what our August book club pick will be. You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2025/7/30/ep-382-god-help-the-child Connect with Dana: Instagram | Bluesky | Website Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Haley Cohen Gillian, the director of the Yale Journalism Initiative, joins us this week to discuss her new book, A Flower Traveled in My Blood: The Incredible True Story of the Grandmothers Who Fought to Find a Stolen Generation of Children, which chronicles the grandmothers who searched for their children and grandchildren who were disappeared by Argentina's brutal dictatorship. In this episode, Haley gives us insight into how she came across this history and how she grappled with the moral complexities throughout. She also talks about the subjectivity of truth and details her research process and organization. The Stacks Book Club pick for July is God Help the Child by Toni Morrison. We will discuss next Wednesday, July 30th with Dana A. Williams. You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2025/7/23/ep-381-haley-cohen-gilliland Connect with Haley: Instagram | Website Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on the Stacks, journalist Megan Greenwell joins to discuss her debut book, Bad Company: Private Equity and the Death of the American Dream. She breaks down the ins and outs of private equity, how it works, why it harms communities, and if there is an ethical path for the industry. The Stacks Book Club pick for July is God Help the Child by Toni Morrison. We will discuss next Wednesday, June 30th with Dana A. Williams. You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2025/7/16/ep-378-megan-greenwell Connect with Megan: Instagram | Website Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

*Patreon- and Substack-only bonus episode teaser, click here for the full episode* For this month’s bonus episode, we’re mixing things up a little—this time, Traci is the one being interviewed! The fine folks at LARB Radio Hour, Medaya Ocher and Eric Newman, speak with Traci to discuss the impact of social media on publishing, the content creator life, and the way readers discover books today. At the end of the episode, Medaya, Eric, and Traci offer readers a rundown of recommendations for the books getting us through 2025. You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/unabridged/2025/7/11/tsu-48-larb Connect with LARB Radio: Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Youtube | Podcast Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Mandii B and WeezyWTF, the co-hosts of the Decisions, Decisions podcast, join us today to discuss their New York Times Best-selling book, No Holes Barred: A Dual Manifesto of Sexual Exploration and Power. They talk about the challenges of staying sex positive while writing about their own shame and which parts of the book they were most nervous about having published. We also talk about how the changing political landscape has impacted the kinds of conversations they have around sex. The Stacks Book Club pick for July is God Help the Child by Toni Morrison. We will discuss on Wednesday, June 30th with Dana A. Williams. You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2025/7/9/ep-379-mandii-b-weezywtf Connect with WeezyWTF: Instagram Connect with Mandii B: Instagram Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on the Stacks, we are joined by author and African-American literature professor, Dana A. Williams. She has written a brand new book called Toni at Random: The Iconic Writer’s Legendary Editorship, which chronicles Morrison's time as an editor at Random House. Dana shares with us the behind the scenes story of how her book title came to be, her favorite Morrison book, and why she chose God Help the Child for our July Book Club Pick. The Stacks Book Club pick for July is God Help the Child by Toni Morrison. We will discuss on Wednesday, June 30th with Dana A. Williams returning as our guest. You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2025/7/2/ep-378-dana-williams Connect with Dana: Instagram | Bluesky | Website Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It’s The Stacks' Book Club Day, and we are joined once again by Ceara O’Sullivan to discuss The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by Michael Finkel. The book explores the ethos of Stéphane Bréitwieser—the titular art thief in question—who stole and kept over two billion dollars worth of art. Together, we discuss Finkel's portrayal of Bréitwieser, the myriad of twists throughout this story, and what this book has to say about crime, ownership, and punishment. There are spoilers on this episode. Be sure to listen to the end of today’s episode to find out what our July book club pick will be. You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2025/6/25/ep-377-art-thief Connect with Ceara: Instagram | Tiktok | Petty Crimes Podcast Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

*Patreon- and Substack-only bonus episode teaser, click here for the full episode* We’re halfway through 2025 so this month on The Stacks Unabridged, we've got a literary check-in with friends of the pod, Sara Hildreth and Cree Myles! Together, we discuss the books that blew us away during the first half of the year, the titles we're most looking forward to for the second half of 2025. Plus we share the best backlist we've read and a few award season predictions.  You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/unabridged/2025/6/20/tsu-47-sara-hildreth-cree-myles Connect with Cree: Instagram | Twitter | All Ways Black | Substack Connect with Sara: Instagram | Fiction Matters | Novel Pairings | Substack Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Subscribe 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.

Mia McKenzie is on the show this week discussing her newest book, These Heathens, a coming of age story set in 1960s Georgia. She talks about how she approached fictionalizing real figures from the civil rights movement, the importance of queer representation in her work, and how her grandmother inspired the protagonist in the novel. The Stacks Book Club pick for June is The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by Michael Finkel. We will discuss on Wednesday, June 25th with Ceara O’Sullivan returning as our guest. You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2025/6/18/ep-376-mia-mckenzie Connect with Mia: Instagram | Website | BGD Blog Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on the Stacks, we are joined by New York Times bestselling crime fiction author, S.A. Cosby, to talk about his brand new book, King of Ashes. Cosby gives us insights into being a self-proclaimed lazy writer, and his approach to violence on the page. We also talk about why he considers reading an integral part of his writing process, and what the genre of “Southern noir” means to him.  The Stacks Book Club pick for June is The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by Michael Finkel. We will discuss on Wednesday, June 25th with Ceara O’Sullivan returning as our guest. You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2025/6/11/ep-375-sa-cosby Connect with S.A. Cosby: Instagram Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on the Stacks, we are joined by Saturday Night Live writer, actor, and host of the Petty Crimes podcast, Ceara O’Sullivan. Ceara talks about how writing for TV has impacted her TV watching life, the importance of editing in storytelling, and what it’s like to read a memoir by a person you know.  The Stacks Book Club pick for June is The Art Thief by Michael Finkel. We will discuss on Wednesday, June 25th with Ceara O’Sullivan returning as our guest. You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2025/6/4/ep-374-ceara-osullivan Connect with Ceara: Instagram | Tiktok Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It’s the Stacks’ Book Club Day, and we’re discussing Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley with returning guest, Kara Brown. We share our thoughts on the story’s twists and turns, especially the big reveal. Then we dive deeper to discuss the significance of this book on the literary landscape, and what about the novel does and doesn’t hold up when viewed through a modern-day lens. There are spoilers on this episode. Be sure to listen to the end of today’s episode to find out what our June book club pick will be. You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2025/5/28/ep-373-devil-in-a-blue-dress Connect with Kara: Instagram | Website Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on the Stacks, we are joined by author and essayist, Frederick Joseph, to discuss his newest book (and his first foray into YA fiction), This Thing of Ours. He shares with us about how he’s able to write every day without writer’s block, and why he decided not to sell his books in Target. We also spend time exploring Frederick’s favorite and least favorite book classics. The Stacks Book Club pick for May is Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley. We will discuss on Wednesday, May 28th with Kara Brown returning as our guest. You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2025/5/21/ep-372-frederick-joseph Connect with Frederick: Instagram | Website Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

*Patreon- and Substack-only bonus episode teaser, click here for the full episode* It's Cowboy Carter SZN and we're breaking down Beyoncé's latest tour with friend of the pod and podcast host extraordinaire Sam Sanders. We talk about Queen Bey's latest tour, the good and the not so good, plus our thoughts on Blue Ivy's exposure and the future of stadium tours. We also quickly gab about the Pulitzer drama, Gwenyth Paltrow, and Lionel Richie. You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/unabridged/2025/5/16/tsu-46-sam-sanders Connect with Sam: Twitter | Instagram Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Subscribe 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.

Today we are joined by Daria Burke, an award-winning business leader, investor, speaker, and now author. She is here to discuss her memoir, Of My Own Making, which is about how she healed from childhood trauma to build her life. Daria talks about how systemic and personal harms are intertwined, how she engaged with leading experts in the fields of trauma work, and her shift from survival to success. The Stacks Book Club pick for May is Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley. We will discuss on Wednesday, May 28th with Kara Brown returning as our guest. You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2025/5/14/ep-371-daria-burke Connect with Daria: Instagram | Website Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today on The Stacks, we’re talking with screenwriter and producer, Kara Brown. She shares what she looks for when adapting a book to the screen, and the key to making sure an adaptation is a success. We also discuss Kara’s love of massive tomes, the three writers that inspired her career, and her problematic fave. The Stacks Book Club pick for May is Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley. We will discuss on Wednesday, April 30 with Kara Brown returning as our guest. You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2025/5/7/ep-370-kara-brown Connect with Kara: Instagram | Website Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It’s the Stacks’ Book Club Day, and we’re discussing Blessing the Boats by Lucille Clifton with returning guest, Tiana Clark. We discuss how Clifton welcomes audiences usually excluded from poetry and how her work still manages to have urgency 25+ years later. We also work through some of the poems that were challenging for us, and uncover some hidden meanings. Be sure to listen to the end of today’s episode to find out what our May book club pick will be. You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2025/4/30/ep-369-blessing-the-boats Connect with Tiana: Instagram | Website | Twitter Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Subscribe 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.