The Stacks

We're thrilled to have writer and host of The Extraordinary Negroes Podcast, Jay Connor, back with us this week for The Stacks Book Club, discussing Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates. This episode is spent talking about the three major themes from the book: race, violence, and the Black body, and how those themes are ever present in American society. There are no spoilers this week. We cover a lot of topics, and you can find links to everything below, in the show notes. Use the...

This week our guest is Jay Connor. Jay is a writer, and the creator and co-host of The Extraordinary Negroes podcast. Jay discuss his winding life path through many cities and many careers. We also talk about what books Jay is into and what writers he admires. We cover a lot of topics this week, and its all in the show notes below.Use the links below when you shop on Amazon and iTunes to help support The Stacks. BOOKS Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates Black Panther: A Nation Under...

Stylist and CEO Ashley North is back this week for The Stacks Book Club and our discussion of Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes. The book is Rhimes' memoir on the year she decided to say yes to everything and use the power of yes to change her life. The book brings up topics surrounding the desire to be professionally successful and personally fulfilled. We talk about motherhood as a "job", the myth of doing it all, and if we would ever do our own Year of Yes. We talk in detail about the book,...

Our guest this week is celebrity stylist, TV personality, and CEO of her own lifestyle brand, Ashley North. Ashley is most well known for being Kevin Hart's stylist and now she's sitting down with The Stacks to discuss reading. She talks about the not so glamorous parts of being a stylist, her daughters' love of books, and diversity in school reading curriculum. We cover a lot of topics this week, and its all down there in the show notes. Use the links below when you shop on Amazon and...

This week Lauren Fanella is here for The Stacks Book Club. This week we talk about Reincarnation Blues by Michael Poore. In this book, Milo, a human who has been reincarnated almost 10,000 times, is on a quest for perfection and everlasting life. The book touches on a lot of social justice issues, Love, and of course Death. We talk about these themes, who we would cast in the TV show, and more. There are spoilers this week, if you plan on reading this book, wait to listen to the episode...

This week our guest is Lauren Fanella, Lauren is a book reader and reviewer on #bookstagram, you might know her as @literarylauren_. Lauren is a lover of books by and about unconventional women, she reads for joy, and she's not scared of a big sad book. We talk about Lauren's reading habits, what books she's looking forward to reading, and how books help her to see the world differently. Here are links to all the things we dicsussed this week on the show. BOOKS Medical Apartheid by Harriet...

This week, author Ross Asdourian is back to discuss our The Stacks Book Club book The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg. We talk about how habits work, the habits we want to change, and we look at two current political movements as habit formers in the community. While we do discuss many examples from the book in this episode, we don't really spoil anything, as this is a non-fiction book without any plot twists or turns. So feel free to enjoy it,...

We’re excited to welcome Ross Asdourian to our show this week. Ross is the debut author of a hilarious memoir, Broken Bananah: Life, Love, and Sex…Without a Penis, the story of that one time he broke his penis. We don’t just talk about Ross’ unmentionables, we also talk about the process of writing your own book, self-publishing, and more. Of course Ross is also answering all of your favorite The Stacks questions. You can find a list of all the things we discuss this week right here. BOOKS...

This week Aaron Dolores, founder of Black Arrow FC is back and we're discussing How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization by Franklin Foer. This book takes a look at the world's most popular sport, and how changes in the social and political landscapes are mirrored on the pitch. With The World Cup in full swing, we discuss racism in soccer, we hypothesize as to why Americans aren't that into the sport, and we encourage you to pick a team and start rooting. There...

This week we're joined by Aaron Dolores, founder of Black Arrow FC, a lifestyle brand that focuses on the intersection of soccer and Black culture. The World Cup starts tomorrow, so we're talking about Soccer and how it relates to the Black experience. We also discuss story telling in the Black community, when reading doesn't come so easily, and how challenges in your reading life can effect your relationship to books. Check out everything we discuss right here in the show notes. BOOKS...

This week, actress Vella Lovell (Crazy Ex- Girlfriend, The Big Sick) is back on The Stacks. This week we're talking about New Boy by Tracy Chevalier. New Boy is part of the Hogarth Shakespeare series, in which modern day authors retell Shakespeare's classic works. New Boy is an adaptation of William Shakespeare's Othello, set in a 1970's elementary school in Washington D.C. We talk about this book in comparison to its source material, where Chevalier's book wins and where it misses. Just...

Actress Vella Lovell (Crazy Ex- Girlfriend, The Big Sick) joins us this week to nerd out on books. Vella talks about reading as an actor, examining scripts for clues to her character's inner workings, and being a good scene partner. Vella also talks about trusting Oprah's Book Club recommendations and her love of self help books, especially as a spiritual guide for working actors. We also talk about why it doesn't matter how you read, it just matters that you pick up a book and get...

Choreographer Sam Pinkleton is back in time for The Stacks Book Club to take on true crime, with Vulgar Favors: The Assassination of Gianni Versace by Maureen Orth. Vulgar Favors examines the serial killer Andrew Cunanan, who murdered 5 men in 1997 culminating in the murder of fashion designer Gianni Versace. We discuss Cunanan and his victims, but mostly we focus on the tone of the book. We examine the term "gay crime" and why we find this and so much of the book to be problematic. While...

This week on the show we are talking all things books with Tony nominated choreographer, Sam Pinkleton, best known for his work on the Broadway show, Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812. Sam and Traci discuss using books as an entry point to new worlds, the mythology of the present, and a handful of their favorite true crime books. Sam and Traci cover a lot of ground this week, and you can find everything they discuss here in the show notes. BOOKS A Higher Loyalty by James Comey What...

On this week of The Stacks, we discuss Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin with our guest, TV writer Chris Maddox. Giovanni's Room is a classic American novel written in 1956, and the topics of masculinity, isolation, and love deferred are as relevant now as they were then. Our conversation traverses these themes from the book, and more, like what we think of the title and who we think should star in the film version. There are spoilers in this episode, so if you've yet to read the book...

This week I am joined by TV writer and actor, Chris Maddox. Reading is a huge part of Chris' professional life, and creative habit. Chris shares the kind of stories that excite him when he's looking to write new TV shows and books that have helped shape him as a writer. We get to know Chris this week, before The Stacks Book Club conversation about James Baldwin's classic, Giovanni's Room. Here are all the books we talk about this week: Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy Crime and Punishment by...

On this week of The Stacks, PhD candidate Sarah Fong is back, and we're talking about Jesmyn Ward's memoir, Men We Reaped. Our conversation dives into the deaths of five Black men in Ward's life, and what these deaths say about the greater experience of Black people in America. We discuss substance abuse, mental health, grief, systemic racism and a lot more. There are spoilers in this episode, so if you've yet to read the book proceed with caution. Here are links to other things we...

On this week of The Stacks we are joined by Sarah Fong, a PhD Candidate in American Studies. Sarah is currently writing her dissertation on U.S. practices of social welfare, particularly as they relate to histories of slavey and colonization. This week we talk about the writing process, reading for work vs. reading for pleasure, and the power of books to teach us new things, and allow us to make changes in the world. Get to know Sarah this week, before next week's The Stacks Book Club...

On this week of The Stacks, high school English teacher Dallas Lopez is back, and we're talking about Exit West by Mohsin Hamid. This is our very first The Stacks Book Club (TSBC) episode. Join us as we discuss the fears of leaving your home behind, the power of the human spirit to carry on, who we think should be in the movie, and a lot more. There are spoilers in this episode, so if you've yet to read the book, listen at your own risk. Here are links to other things we mentioned this...

On this week of The Stacks we talk with High School English Teacher, Dallas Lopez. He tells us about how he used to hate reading, and how self-help books helped him to find his way into reading. We discuss books that Dallas loves, and books he doesn't, and books that at one point or another fit in both categories. This week you'll get to know Dallas before next week's The Stacks Book Club conversation about Exit West by Moshin Hamid. Here is a list of all the books mentioned on this week's...