

The Stacks
Traci Thomas
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
Mentioned books

Feb 16, 2022 • 1h 3min
Ep. 202 Even the Bachelorette Gets Insecure with Rachel Lindsay
Our guest today is Rachel Lindsay, the first Black Bachelorette and author of Miss Me with That: Hot Takes, Tidbits, and a Few Hard Truths. Rachel is also co-host of the podcast Higher Learning and a corespondent on Extra. We talk today about her experiences in Bachelor Nation, working with a ghost writer, and when she knew she was ready to write this book.You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2022/02/16/ep-202-rachel-lindsayThe Stacks Book Club selection for February is I Live a Life Like Yours by Jan Grue, we will discuss the book on February 23rd with Tessa Miller.Connect with Rachel: Instagram | Twitter | Higher LearningConnect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | SubscribeSUPPORT THE STACKSJoin The Stacks Pack on PatreonTo 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.

Feb 11, 2022 • 54min
Day 5 -- Banned Books in The Stacks with Kiese Laymon
In light of the recent wave of book bannings taking place across The United of States, The Stacks is spending all week talking with people who are impacted by the bannings, ranging from students to educators, authors, and more, to help us think about what is at stake and what we can do. To wrap up Banned Books in The Stacks we've brought back friend of the podcast Kiese Laymon to help us make sense of this entire week of programming. Kiese is the author of the banned book, Heavy, as well as Long Division and How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America. We talk today about how it feels to have your work banned, what children have a right to know, and what else Kiese sees as tied to this wave of book You can find links to everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2022/02/11/banned-books-day-5Connect with Kiese: Twitter | Instagram | WebsiteConnect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | SubscribeSUPPORT THE STACKSJoin The Stacks Pack on PatreonTo 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.

Feb 10, 2022 • 45min
Day 4 -- Banned Books in The Stacks with Timya Wright and Azar Nafisi
In light of the recent wave of book bannings taking place across The United of States, The Stacks is spending all week talking with people who are impacted by the bannings, ranging from students to educators, authors, and more, to help us think about what is at stake and what we can do.We start today's episode with Mississippi high school student Timya Wright. Timya shares how she feels about adults telling young people what books they can have access to and the kinds of books she wishes were taught in school. Then we're joined by Azar Nafisi, the bestselling author of Reading Lolita in Tehran and the forthcoming Read Dangerously:The Subversive Power of Literature in Troubled Times. We talk about Azar's about the need to nurture freedom. We also hear about authors Rebecca Carroll, R. Eric Thomas, and R. O. Kwon's favorite banned books.You can find links to everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2022/02/10/banned-books-day-4Connect with Azar: Twitter | Instagram | WebsiteConnect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | SubscribeSUPPORT THE STACKSJoin The Stacks Pack on PatreonTo 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.

Feb 9, 2022 • 47min
Day 3 -- Banned Books in The Stacks with Ghazala Hashmi and Hannah Oliver Depp
In light of the recent wave of book bannings taking place across The United of States, The Stacks is spending all week talking with people who are impacted by the bannings, ranging from students to educators, authors, and more, to help us think about what is at stake and what we can do. We continue our conversation on banned books with Virginia State Senator Ghazala Hashmi. Senator Hashmi talks about the legality of book banning as well as the efforts that the governor of her state has put in place to report teachers for "divisive" lessons . Then we talk with Hannah Oliver Depp, owner of Loyalty Bookstores, about censorship versus curation.You can find links to everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2022/02/09/banned-books-day-3Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | SubscribeSUPPORT THE STACKSJoin The Stacks Pack on PatreonTo 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.

Feb 8, 2022 • 55min
Day 2 -- Banned Books in The Stacks with Alison Bechdel and Kelsey Reynolds
In light of the recent wave of book bannings taking place across The United of States, The Stacks is spending all week talking with people who are impacted by the bannings, ranging from students to educators, authors, and more, to help us think about what is at stake and what we can do. On today's episode we're joined by Alison Bechdel author of the frequently banned graphic memoir Fun Home, and she shares why she hates having to talk about the banning of books. Then we get into a conversation about the comfort level of students with high school English teacher Kelsey Reynolds. We also hear from TV writer and actor Brandon Kyle Goodman, and actress and podcast host Becca Tobin, about their favorite banned books.You can find links to everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2022/02/08/banned-books-day-2Connect with Alison: Website | Instagram | TwitterConnect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | SubscribeSUPPORT THE STACKSJoin The Stacks Pack on PatreonTo support The Stacks and find out more from this week’s sponsors, click here.The Stacks Book Club selection for February is I Live a Life Like Yours by Jan Grue, we will discuss the book on February 23rd with Tessa Miller.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.

Feb 7, 2022 • 50min
Day 1 -- Banned Books in The Stacks with Katrina Stokes and Thursday Williams
In light of the recent wave of book bannings taking place across The United of States, The Stacks is spending all week talking with people who are impacted by the bannings, ranging from students to educators, authors, and more, to help us think about what is at stake and what we can do. On today's episode we talk with the director of the Warren County - Vicksburg Public Library, Katrina Stokes about curating a collection and the process of banning a book in public libraries. Then we talk with Thursday Williams, an actor from the Broadway play What the Constitution Means to Me, and a current college student, about what's at stake for young people and the things we aren't taught in school. We also hear from authors Hanif Abdurraquib and Tessa Miller about their favorite banned books.You can find links to everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2022/02/07/banned-books-day-1Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | SubscribeSUPPORT THE STACKSJoin The Stacks Pack on PatreonTo support The Stacks and find out more from this week’s sponsors, click here.The Stacks Book Club selection for February is I Live a Life Like Yours by Jan Grue, we will discuss the book on February 23rd with Tessa Miller.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.

Feb 2, 2022 • 1h 4min
Ep. 201 The Language of Chronic Illness with Tessa Miller
Today we are joined by Tessa Miller, and author and journalist whose work focuses on chronic illness, disability, and health justice. We discuss Tessa's debut book, What Doesn't Kill You: A Life with Chronic Illness - Lessons from a Body in Revolt and how publishing a memoir brought on a whole new level of anxiety and insecurities around being a writer and living with chronic illness. We also talk about graphic language, writing for multiple audiences, and prioritizing books by disabled and/or chronically ill authors.You can find links to everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2022/02/02/ep-201-tessa-millerThe Stacks Book Club selection for February is I Live a Life Like Yours by Jan Grue, we will discuss the book on February 23rd with Tessa Miller.Connect with Tessa: Instagram | Twitter | WebsiteConnect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | SubscribeSUPPORT THE STACKSJoin The Stacks Pack on PatreonTo 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.

Jan 26, 2022 • 1h 9min
Ep. 200 Passing by Nella Larsen -- The Stacks Book Club (Cree Myles)
Today on The Stacks Book Club we're discussing Nella Larsen's 1929 classic novel Passing. We're joined again by Cree Myles, the creative force behind Penguin Random House' All Ways Black, to discuss this story racial passing in the 1920's. This episode touches on the history of passing, the 2021 film adaptation, and the central question of freedom.There are spoilers on this episode.Stay tuned to the end of the episode to find out what our February Book Club pick will be.You can find links to everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2022/01/26/ep-200-passingConnect with Cree: Instagram | TwitterConnect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | SubscribeSUPPORT THE STACKSJoin The Stacks Pack on PatreonTo 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.

Jan 19, 2022 • 1h
Ep. 199 A Tapestry of Microaggressions with Kendra James
Today we're joined by Kendra James; writer, podcast producer, and editor, to discuss her debut book, Admissions: A Memoir of Surviving Boarding School. We talk about Kendra's experiences as the first African American legacy student at the Taft School in Connecticut, the ways she came to terms with the racism she experienced, and who she is writing for. We also talk pettiness, writing in the bathroom, and figure skating.The Stacks Book Club selection for December is Passing by Nella Larsen, we will discuss the book on January 26th with Cree Myles.You can find links to everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2022/01/19/ep-199-kendra-jamesConnect with Kendra: Twitter | InstagramConnect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | SubscribeSUPPORT THE STACKSJoin The Stacks Pack on PatreonTo 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.

Jan 12, 2022 • 1h 5min
Ep. 198 We'll Be Okay with Jason Reynolds
This week we've got a repeat guest, the unmatched talent that is, Jason Reynolds. We're talking about his new book, Ain't Burned all the Bright, a collaboration with his friend, artist, Jason Griffin. We talk today about creativity in 2020, working with collaborators, and our understandings and experiences around grief. You can hear Jason's first appearances on The Stacks here and here.The Stacks Book Club selection for December is Passing by Nella Larsen, we will discuss the book on January 26th with Cree Myles.You can find links to everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2022/01/12/ep-198-jason-reynoldsConnect with Jason: Twitter | Instagram | WebsiteConnect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | SubscribeSUPPORT THE STACKSJoin The Stacks Pack on PatreonTo 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.


