Stay ConnectedThe 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.
Copyright: © Copyright © 2002-2021 The Stacks, LLC. All rights reserved.
Today 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. This novel follows Scharisse Freeman, the successful wife of a megachurch pastor, whose carefully curated life begins to unravel when her secret past comes to light. In this episode, we chat about Deesha’s 20-year journey of writing this novel, how she defines success, and why she wanted to write about hypocrisy in the church.
Our book club pick for October is Last Chance Live! by Helena Haywoode Henry. We will discuss the book with Jess Lee on Wednesday, October 28th.
You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2026/10/21/ep-447-deesha-philyaw
Connect with Deesha: Website | Instagram | Threads | Bluesky | Facebook
Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Threads | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Youtube
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 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 Hagwon. In this sweeping novel, a Korean family is forced to relocate and rebuild after their middle-class life is upended by the 1997 Asian financial crisis. Lee shares how she uses real-life interviews in her fiction, her thoughts on the importance of education, and her approach to remaining hopeful in moments of despair.
Our book club pick for October is Last Chance Live! by Helena Haywoode Henry. We will discuss the book with Jess Lee on Wednesday, October 28th.
You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2026/10/14/ep-446-min-jin-lee
Connect with Min Jin Lee: Website | Instagram | Threads | Bluesky | X/Twitter
Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Threads | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Youtube
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 joined by Jess Lee, DEI consultant, friend of the pod, and the reader behind the Instagram, Literary Intersections. We chat about the popularity of romantasy, the meaning of tropes like Shadow Daddies and fae, and why Jess thinks the genre might be making people dumber.
Our book club pick for October is Last Chance Live! by Helena Haywoode Henry. We will discuss the book with Jess Lee on Wednesday, October 28th.
You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2026/10/7/ep-445-jess-lee
Connect with Jess: Instagram | Threads
Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Threads | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Youtube
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 Natalie Green, Director of Programs and Partnerships at The National Book Foundation, is back to discuss Edwidge Danticat’s critically acclaimed memoir, Brother, I’m Dying. This National Book Award finalist explores Danticat’s relationship with her two father figures—her uncle Joseph, who raised her as a child in Haiti, and her father, Mira, whom she reunited with in the U.S. when she was 12—and the impact of their deaths. Natalie and I discuss why we think this is a successful memoir, the moments that stuck with us most, and the many ways that politics and policies affect our lives.
There are spoilers in this episode.
Listen to the end of the episode to find out what our October book club pick is!
You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2026/9/30/ep-444-brother-im-dying
Connect with the National Book Foundation: Instagram | Website
Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Threads | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Youtube
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*
Y’all know how much I love being a hater and how easily things annoy me, so we’re dedicating a whole episode to the most annoying trends in books these days! I’ve invited Sara Hildreth (Fiction Matters), friend of the pod and one of my favorite book people, to rant with me about secrets, tropes, and the state of literary awards.
You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/unabridged/2026/9/25/tsu-63-sara-hildreth
Connect with Sara: Instagram | Fiction Matters | Novel Pairings | Substack
Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Threads | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Youtube
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 joined by Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer, journalist, and author Kai Bird to discuss his new book, American Scoundrel: Roy Cohn's Dark Journey from Joe McCarthy to Donald Trump. This book explores the life of high-powered lawyer and fixer, Roy Cohn, and how his controversial four-decade career directly influenced modern politics. In this episode, we talk about why he chose to cover Roy Cohn’s life now, how biographers shape stories, and the most surprising source for the book.
Our book club pick for September is Brother, I’m Dying by Edwidge Danticat. We will be discussing the book with Natalie Green on Wednesday, September 30th.
You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2026/9/23/ep-443-kai-bird
Connect with Kai: Website | X/Twitter
Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Threads | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Youtube
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 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 actors in 1980s Jamaica and the ways it impacts each of the victims. We chat about how he infuses his books with pop culture, what he thinks about people calling his work “difficult,” and why 2026 is the year of the revenge novel.
Our book club pick for September is Brother, I’m Dying by Edwidge Danticat. We will be discussing the book with Natalie Green on Wednesday, September 30th.
You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2026/9/16/ep-442-marlon-james
Connect with Marlon: Instagram | Website | X/Twitter
Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Threads | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Youtube
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 joined by facilitator, strategic advisor, and best-selling author, Priya Parker to talk about her new book, The Art of Fighting: The Transformative Power of Conflict. In this book, Priya draws on research and her personal experience as a conflict facilitator to explore the ways that building healthy conflict can strengthen our friendships, relationships, and communities. We talk about how to build spaces that can thrive with conflict, , why “renovation” is a powerful model for approaching fights, and why it’s important to prioritize both self-help and group help.
Our book club pick for September is Brother, I’m Dying by Edwidge Danticat. We will be discussing the book with Natalie Green on Wednesday, September 30th.
You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2026/9/9/ep-441-priya-parker
Connect with Priya: Instagram | Website | Threads | Substack
Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Threads | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Youtube
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 joined by Natalie Green, the Director of Programs and Partnerships at The National Book Foundation. We talk about what The National Book Foundation does, the details of Natalie’s role, and the NBF programming that’s been resonating most with readers.
Our book club pick for September is Brother, I’m Dying by Edwidge Danticat. We will be discussing the book with Natalie Green on Wednesday, September 30th.
You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2026/9/2/ep-440-natalie-green
Connect with the National Book Foundation: Instagram | Website
Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Threads | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Youtube
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 Sequoia Holmes, host of the Black People Love Paramore and Freshly Pop’d podcasts, is back to chat about our August pick, Fish Talesby Nettie Jones. Set in the 1970s, this dark, satirical novel-in-vignettes follows Lewis Jones, a freewheeling young woman partying her way through NYC and Detroit until her independent lifestyle is upended by her relationship with the handsome yet cruel Brook. In this episode, Sequoia and I discuss the difference between the book’s marketing and its actual content, the distinction between an unlikable character and an anti-hero, and the ways this book is in conversation with the work of its original editor, Toni Morrison.
Listen to the end of the episode to find out what our September book club pick is!
You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2026/8/26/ep-439-fish-tales
Connect with Sequoia: Instagram | Substack | TikTok
Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Threads | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Youtube
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Our TOPPODCAST Picks 
