Today we speak with journalist and professor Caleb Gayle about his new book We Refuse to Forget: A True Story of Black Creeks, American Identity, and Power. In our discussion of his career and American history, we cover Black people in the Creek Nation, forty acres and a mule, and what it means to be a citizen. We also ask why we are so consistently taught not to remember, and who benefits from our forgetting?

The Stacks Book Club selection for July is Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih. We will discuss the book on July 27th with Elamin Abdelmahmoud.

You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2022/07/13/ep-223-caleb-gayle

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Our guest for this episode is Elamin Abdelmahmoud - political and cultural commentator, Buzzfeed News senior culture writer and author of the new essay collection Son of Elsewhere: A Memoir in Pieces. We discuss the meaning of "elsewhere" in his work, and the complexity of loving something that doesn't align with your politics. We also get into Black music, and great books on music.

The Stacks Book Club selection for July is Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih. We will discuss the book on July 27th with Elamin Abdelmahmoud.

You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2022/07/06/ep-222-elamin-abdelmahmoud/

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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Journalist and author, David Dennis Jr. returns to discuss our June Book Club pick White Negroes: When Cornrows Were in Vogue... And Other Thoughts on Cultural Appropriation by Lauren Michele Jackson. Together we unpack writing for the white gaze, our feelings about (anti) racism since 2020, and the long tradition of categorizing Black artists as "urban" and white artists as "mainstream" no matter how similar their work. Plus, a peanut butter and jelly taste test to start things off.

Be sure to listen to the end of today's episode to find out what our July book club pick will be! 

You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2022/06/29/ep-221-white-negroes/

Connect with David: Instagram | Twitter

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Today we're joined by Justin Tinsley, senior culture writer at ESPN’s Andscape and author of the new book It Was All a Dream: Biggie and the World That Made Him. We talk about the culture, legends, women, and controversies that shaped The Notorious B.I.G.'s life, and place his story into a greater context. Justin also shares how he worked on multiple projects while writing this book, and what he thinks comes next.

The Stacks Book Club selection for June is White Negroes: When Cornrows Were in Vogue … and Other Thoughts on Cultural Appropriation by Lauren Michele Jackson. We will discuss the book on June 29th with David Dennis Jr.

You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2022/06/22/ep-220-justin-tinsley

Connect with Justin: Instagram | Twitter | Website

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This episode we talk with Oakland native and 2018 youth poet laureate Leila Mottley about writing her debut novel Nightcrawling at 17, and the process of adapting a true story to fiction. Leila imagines how it would be different if she wrote the book now, and insists she's really not exceptional among the countless talented young writers out there.

*Note: This was recorded shortly before the announcement of Nightcrawling as an Oprah's Book Club pick.

The Stacks Book Club selection for June is White Negroes: When Cornrows Were in Vogue … and Other Thoughts on Cultural Appropriation by Lauren Michele Jackson. We will discuss the book on June 29th with David Dennis Jr.

You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2022/06/15/ep-219-leila-mottley

Connect with Leila: Instagram | Twitter | Website

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Today we speak with Dr. Michael Eric Dyson - academic, minister and author - about his new book Unequal: A Story About America, which he co-wrote with Marc Favreau. We discuss the lies around bootstrap politics and personal responsibility, and our culture's hunger for all things history (except when it's by or about Black people). We also examine how the white gaze shapes how Black history is taught.

The Stacks Book Club selection for June is White Negroes: When Cornrows Were in Vogue … and Other Thoughts on Cultural Appropriation by Lauren Michele Jackson. We will discuss the book on June 29th with David Dennis Jr.

You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2022/06/08/ep-218-michael-eric-dyson

Connect with Dr. Dyson: Instagram | Twitter | Website

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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.

This episode we hear from cultural critic David Dennis, Jr - Senior Writer at ESPN’s Andscape and author of the new book The Movement Made Us: A Father, a Son, and the Legacy of a Freedom Ride. We talk about the similarities and differences between Black Lives Matter and the Civil Rights Movement, the book that inspired David's storytelling, and what it means to survive when you're planning to die.

The Stacks Book Club selection for June is White Negroes: When Cornrows Were in Vogue … and Other Thoughts on Cultural Appropriation by Lauren Michele Jackson. We will discuss the book on June 29th with David Dennis Jr.

You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2022/06/01/ep-217-david-dennis-jr

Connect with David: Instagram | Twitter

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SUPPORT THE STACKS

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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! Novena Carmel, musician and cohost of KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic, joins us again to unpack Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop by Danyel Smith. We talk about Danyel as a cultural icon, what it takes to be a superstar. and the joy of disco as a threat to whiteness.

Be sure to listen to the end of today's episode to find out what our June book club pick will be! 

You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2022/05/25/ep-216-shine-bright

Connect with Novena: Twitter | Instagram | Website

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Today we're joined by Danyel Smith, author of this month's book club pick, Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop. Danyel is an award-winning journalist, the creator and host of the Black Girl Song Book podcast, and former editor and chief of Vibe, and editor at Billboard. This episode gets into the erasure of black women in pop music, holding music institutions accountable, and the cost of crossing over to the "mainstream".

The Stacks Book Club selection for May is Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop by Danyel Smith.We will discuss the book on May 25th with Novena Carmel.

You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2022/05/18/ep-215-danyel-smith

Connect with Danyel: Instagram | Twitter

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To support The Stacks and find out more from this week’s sponsors, click here.

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This week, we speak with Van Lathan Jr., prolific podcaster, Oscar winning producer, and author of the new memoir Fat, Crazy, and Tired: Tales from the Trenches of Transformation. Our conversation covers vulnerability, feeling [un]comfortable in our own skin, and the struggle of loving our bodies. We also get into mourning the future, and the journey of becoming who we think we need to be. 

The Stacks Book Club selection for May is Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop by Danyel Smith.We will discuss the book on May 25th with Novena Carmel.

You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2022/05/11/ep-214-van-lathan

Connect with Van: Twitter | Instagram

Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Subscribe

SUPPORT THE STACKS

Join The Stacks Pack on Patreon

To 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.