The Stacks
by Traci Thomas
Latest episode
Ep. 450 Buy the Book, Don’t Read It with Mona Chalabi
Ep. 450 Buy the Book, Don’t Read It with Mona Chalabi
About this podcast
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
The newest 50 of 531 episodes
- Ep. 450 Buy the Book, Don’t Read It with Mona Chalabi · 1 h 4 minToday on The Stacks, we’re joined by Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist, writer, and illustrator, Mona Chalabi, to talk about her debut book, Ten Lives: How What We Have Shapes…
- Ep. 449 I Just Like to Make Everything Nerdy with Phoebe Robinson · 54 minToday on The Stacks, we’re joined by talented multi-hyphenate Phoebe Robinson. Phoebe is a stand-up comedian; the bestselling author of You Can’t Touch My Hair: And Other Things…
- Ep. 448 Last Chance Live! by Helena Haywoode Henry — The Stacks Book Club (Jess Lee) · 1 h 15 minIt’s The Stacks Book Club Day, and we’re once again joined by DEI consultant, friend of the pod, and the reader behind Literary Intersections, Jess Lee, to chat about our October…
- Unabridged: The Death of Nonfiction with Tajja Isen · 18 min*Patreon and Substack-only bonus episode teaser, click here for the full episode*On today’s bonus episode, we’re joined by writer, editor, and voice actor Tajja Isen to talk…
- Ep. 447 The Church Never Apologizes with Deesha Philyaw · 1 h 2 minToday on The Stacks, we’re joined by author, speaker, and National Book Award finalist Deesha Philyaw to talk about her newest book, The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman…
- Ep. 446 Hope Comes From Knowing Your Values with Min Jin Lee · 1 h 0 minToday on The Stacks, we’re joined by National Book Award finalist, New York State Author Laureate, and best-selling author, Min Jin Lee, to talk about her newest book, American…
- Ep. 445 What's a Shadow Daddy? with Jess Lee · 1 h 2 minToday on The Stacks, we’re joined by Jess Lee, DEI consultant, friend of the pod, and the reader behind the Instagram, Literary Intersections. We chat about the popularity of…
- Ep. 444 Brother, I’m Dying by Edwidge Danticat — The Stacks Book Club (Natalie Green) · 1 h 1 minIt’s The Stacks Book Club day, and Natalie Green, Director of Programs and Partnerships at The National Book Foundation, is back to discuss Edwidge Danticat’s critically…
- Unabridged: The Book Trends That Are Annoying Us · 18 min*Patreon and Substack-only bonus episode teaser, click here for the full episode*Y’all know how much I love being a hater and how easily things annoy me, so we’re dedicating a…
- Ep. 443 The Dark Underside of America with Kai Bird · 57 minToday on The Stacks, we’re joined by Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer, journalist, and author Kai Bird to discuss his new book, American Scoundrel: Roy Cohn's Dark Journey from…
- Ep. 442 I Put My Readers Through the Ringer with Marlon James · 1 h 0 minToday on The Stacks, we’re joined by Booker Prize–winning novelist Marlon James to talk about his newest book, The Disappearers. This novel follows a brutal attack on eight gay…
- Ep. 441 Finding Healthy Heat with Priya Parker · 59 minToday on The Stacks, we’re joined by facilitator, strategic advisor, and best-selling author, Priya Parker to talk about her new book, The Art of Fighting: The Transformative…
- Ep. 440 Books Tell a Different Story with Natalie Green · 1 h 4 minToday on The Stacks, we’re joined by Natalie Green, the Director of Programs and Partnerships at The National Book Foundation. We talk about what The National Book Foundation…
- Ep. 439 Fish Tales by Nettie Jones — The Stacks Book Club (Sequoia Holmes) · 1 h 5 minIt’s The Stacks Book Club Day, and Sequoia Holmes, host of the Black People Love Paramore and Freshly Pop’d podcasts, is back to chat about our August pick, Fish Tales by Nettie…
- Unabridged: Reading Translated Literature with Martha Adams · 13 min*Patreon and Substack-only bonus episode teaser, click here for the full episode*On today’s bonus episode, I’m talking all things translated lit with Martha Adams, the author of…
- Ep. 438 Hot Odyssey Summer with Paul Yoon · 56 minToday on The Stacks, we’re joined by award-winning author Paul Yoon to talk about his latest book, Etna. Told from the perspective of Etna, an ex-military dog, this book follows…
- Ep. 437 I Do a Ton of People Watching with De'Shawn Charles Winslow · 54 minToday on The Stacks, we’re joined by award-winning author De’Shawn Charles Winslow to talk about his latest book, The Fervent Whites. Set in 1982 in the Hudson Valley community…
- Ep. 436 Intoxicated by the Microphone with Sequoia Holmes · 55 minToday on The Stacks, we’re joined by Sequoia Holmes, the award-winning host of the Black People Love Paramore and Freshly Pop’d podcasts. We’re chatting about bouncing back from…
- Ep. 435 Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo — The Stacks Book Club (Julianna Haubner) · 1 h 7 minIt’s The Stacks Book Club day, and we're joined by nonfiction editor Julianna Haubner to discuss our July pick, Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai…
- Unabridged: World Cup Recap with Brady Thomas · 18 min*Patreon and Substack-only bonus episode teaser, click here for the full episode*You knew this episode was coming. Now that the World Cup has officially wrapped up, I'm doing a…
- Ep. 434 Traci Turns 40 with Rachel Lindsay, Sam Sanders, Becca Tobin, and Kiese Laymon · 1 h 43 minToday on The Stacks, we’re celebrating Traci’s 40th birthday! That’s right, it’s her actual birthday today, and she’s invited her friends—media personality and Higher Learning…
- Ep. 433 A Con Man Caper with Pamela Colloff · 1 h 3 minToday on The Stacks, we’re joined by ProPublica reporter and The New York Times Magazine staff writer, Pamela Colloff, to discuss her book, Catch the Devil: A True Story of…
- Ep. 432 There’s No Hiding from a Sibling with Shannon Sanders · 56 minToday on The Stacks, we’re joined by author Shannon Sanders to discuss her debut novel, The Great Wherever. This book follows Aubrey Lamb, a young Black woman who inherits her…
- Ep. 431 What Does an Editor Do? with Julianna Haubner · 1 h 9 minToday on The Stacks, we’re joined by book editor, Julianna Haubner. Julianna is an executive editor at Flatiron Books, where she acquires narrative nonfiction, history, pop…
- Ep. 430 The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho — The Stacks Book Club (Mary H. K. Choi) · 1 h 1 minToday is The Stacks Book Club Day, and we’re joined by bestselling author Mary H.K. Choi (Pool House) to discuss our June pick, The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho. This allegorical…
- Unabridged: 2026 Mid-Year Book Check-In with Sara Hildreth and Cree Myles · 15 min*Patreon and Substack-only bonus episode teaser, click here for the full episode*Now that we’re officially halfway through 2026, it’s time for a little mid-year book check-in…
- Ep. 429 All Journalism Has a Point of View with Justine van der Leun · 1 h 13 minToday on The Stacks, we’re joined by award-winning independent journalist and author Justine van der Leun to talk about her newest book, Unreasonable Women: Three Stories of…
- Ep. 428 A Life in Baseball with Dusty Baker · 60 minToday on The Stacks, we’re joined by legendary former major league baseball player and manager, Johnnie B. “Dusty” Baker Jr., to talk about his new memoir, Crossroads: A Memoir…
- Ep. 427 I Love Books So Much with Mary H.K. Choi · 1 h 4 minToday on The Stacks, we’re joined by best-selling author Mary H.K. Choi to discuss her newest novel, Pool House. Set against the backdrop of Hollywood, this book explores the…
- Ep. 426 Lonely Crowds by Stephanie Wambugu — The Stacks Book Club (Chanda Prescod-Weinstein) · 1 h 15 minIt’s The Stacks Book Club Day, and we’re once again joined by award-winning author, theoretical physicist, and cosmologist, Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, to discuss Lonely Crowds by…
- Ep. 425 Why Do People Repeatedly Kill with Imani Thompson · 53 minToday on The Stacks, we’re joined by author Imani Thompson to discuss her debut novel, Honey. This book follows Yrsa, a Black PhD student whose accidental murder of a problematic…
- Unabridged: What's in a Translation with Daniel Hahn · 13 min*Patreon and Substack-only bonus episode teaser, click here for the full episode*In this bonus episode, I’m joined by writer, editor, and translator Daniel Hahn to discuss his…
- Ep. 424 Why Kim Kardashian Is the Icon of Our Time with MJ Corey · 57 minToday on The Stacks, we’re joined by writer, psychotherapist, podcast host, and creator of The Kardashian Kolloquium, MJ Corey, to discuss her debut book, Dekonstructing the…
- Ep. 423 Normalize Bringing Up Quantum Field Theory with Chanda Prescod-Weinstein · 1 h 2 minToday on The Stacks, we’re joined by award-winning theoretical physicist and cosmologist, Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, to discuss her newest book, The Edge of Space-Time: Particles…
- Ep. 422 Room Swept Home by Remica Bingham-Risher — The Stacks Book Club (Mahogany L. Browne) · 1 h 15 minIt’s The Stacks Book Club Day, and we’re joined by Mahogany L. Browne to discuss our April pick, Room Swept Home by Remica Bingham-Risher. In this beautiful poetry collection…
- Ep. 421 What I Love About Love with Adrienne Thurman · 51 minToday on The Stacks, we’re joined by Adrienne Thurman to discuss her debut novel, Don’t Tell Me How It Ends. This book follows Kaia Harper, a floundering 20-something who’s sworn…
- Unabridged: Poetry Therapy 2.0 · 13 min*Patreon and Substack-only bonus episode teaser, click here for the full episode*Happy National Poetry Month! We’re celebrating by bringing back another installment of Poetry…
- Ep. 420 We Read One Poem at a Time with Ada Limón · 1 h 3 minToday on The Stacks, we’re joined by the 24th Poet Laureate of the US, Ada Limón, to discuss her 11th book, Against Breaking: On the Power of Poetry. Derived from her final…
- Ep. 419 I Don’t Want You to Know Where I’m Going with Patrick Radden Keefe · 60 minToday on The Stacks, I’m joined by award-winning New Yorker staff writer, New York Times best-selling author, and investigative journalist, Patrick Radden Keefe, to talk about…
- Ep. 418 I Write and Speak Unlawfully with Mahogany L. Browne · 1 h 1 minToday on The Stacks, we’re joined by poet, writer, organizer, and educator Mahogany L. Browne. Mahogany is the author of three novels and several poetry collections, including…
- Ep. 417 Paradise by Toni Morrison — The Stacks Book Club (Namwali Serpell) · 1 h 13 minIt’s The Stacks Book Club day and Morrison Month here on The Stacks, and today, we're diving into Paradise by Toni Morrison with award-winning writer, professor, and On Morrison…
- Unabridged: Let’s Never Talk About These Oscars Again with Saeed Jones and Zach Stafford · 15 minThe 98th Academy Awards ceremony was this past Sunday, and we’ve got a lot to talk about. Today, I’m joined by Vibe Check co-hosts and friends of the pod, Saeed Jones and Zach…
- Ep. 416 I Only Wrote By Lava Lamp with T Kira Madden · 59 minToday on The Stacks, we’re joined by award-winning author T Kira Madden to discuss her newest book, Whidbey. This novel follows three women whose lives intersect in the wake of a…
- Ep. 415 The Feeling of Being Known with Tayari Jones · 57 minToday on The Stacks, we’re joined by bestselling author Tayari Jones to talk about her newest book, Kin. This novel follows the lifelong friendship between Vernice and Annie, two…
- Ep. 414 Toni Morrison Broke the Novel Form Open with Namwali Serpell · 1 h 13 minToday on the show, we’re joined by writer, literary critic, and Harvard University professor Namwali Serpell to discuss her latest book, On Morrison. In this book, Namwali offers…
- Ep. 413 Indigo by Beverly Jenkins — The Stacks Book Club (Jasmine Guillory) · 1 h 15 minIt’s The Stacks Book Club day, and we’re joined by New York Times bestselling romance novelist Jasmine Guillory to discuss Indigo by Beverly Jenkins. Set in 1858, this book…
- Ep. 412 The Racial Caste System of America with Dorothy Roberts · 1 h 3 minToday on The Stacks, we’re joined by author, sociologist, law professor, and social justice advocate Dorothy E. Roberts to discuss her newest book, The Mixed Marriage Project: A…
- Unabridged: Bad Bunny Bowl with Vanessa Díaz & Petra Rivera-Rideau · 13 minWe're back for the second annual Super Bowl breakdown bonus episode. That's right, we're digging into Bad Bunny's incredible performance at this year's Super Bowl. I’m joined by…
- Ep. 411 I Don’t Believe Any Moment in History Is Dry with Heather Ann Thompson · 1 h 2 minToday on The Stacks, we’re joined by Pulitzer Prize-winning author, historian, activist, and professor, Heather Ann Thompson, to discuss her new book Fear and Fury: The Reagan…
- Ep. 410 Romance Is Helpful When Times Are Scary with Jasmine Guillory · 59 minToday on The Stacks, we’re joined by New York Times bestselling romance novelist Jasmine Guillory. We chat about her journey from high-powered attorney to successful contemporary…
