FictionMatters Reading in Public No. 22: The state of book criticism with Traci Thomas of The Stacks
Hey, readers!
It’s a Reading in Public first today. I have the pleasure of sharing an extremely fun and impassioned conversation with one of my favorite book people—IN PODCAST FORM!!
Traci Thomas is the creator and host of The Stacks Podcast, an incredible podcast doing some of the best and most thoughtful interviews and book discussions on the internet. I asked Traci to join me after she made an astute off-hand comment to me about the frustrating state of book reviews and book criticism. Traci was kind enough to join me to talk about how we talk about books, and she offered me some new ways to think about reviewing books. We get into what makes a review helpful for readers, why Traci is adamant about reviewing every book she reads, why so many traditional book reviews are unhelpful, the best places to find good cultural criticism, and—of course—that Jesmyn Ward pan that kicked off this whole conversation. We also discuss why we'd like to see readers have more fun with reviews and why book reviewing feels so different from other forms of cultural criticism.
You can listen to our conversation on your desktop, in the Substack app, or in your favorite podcast player by clicking here and following the instructions. Traci and I get very passionate in our conversation, including some adult language so be cautious about listening with littles in the car. You can find a full podcast transcript by opening today’s post in a browser or on the Substack app, but I will warn you that the AI generated notes aren’t especially helpful or easy to follow. I hope you’ll get the chance to listen to our conversation in full, because it’s really fun and extremely illuminating!
Most importantly, be sure you’re following along with Traci’s incredible work by subscribing to The Stacks Podcast, following her on Instagram, and joining her Stacks Pack Book Club. Following Traci’s work has made me a better thinker and reader and I’m always eager to see what she’s reading and who she’s talking to next.
Correction: After this episode aired, someone in the know informed Traci and I that Jennifer Wilson who wrote the NYT review of the Let Us Descend is in fact a very well regarded and well respected literary critic with writing and cultural commentary in many different publications. While I stand by our criticism of that review, we got it wrong when we said that Wilson was an untested critic. As Traci so astutely said in the episode, public book criticism is part of the discourse and our work is also fair game for critique and correction. I’ve loved seeing your responses to our discussion and can’t wait to hear what further insights this conversation prompts!
All the Mentions
* The Woman in Me by Britney Spears
* Pageboy by Elliot Page
* Craft in the Real World by Matthew Salesses
* Traci’s conversation with Jesmyn Ward
* Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward
* NYT review of Let Us Descend
* Taffy Brodesser Akner’s Taylor Swift profile
* Thick by Tressie McMillan Cottom
* Into It: Why Literary Criticism is Broken
* Into It: Country Music’s Race Problem
* Andscape
* Shine Bright by Danyel Smith
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-Sara
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