Today we are joined by author and activist Marlon Peterson. His book Bird Uncaged: An Abolitionist’s Freedom Song is out now and is both a memoir of Marlon’s time in prison and an indictment of a system that fails its citizens. We talk today about possibility, asking different questions, and romantic comedies. 

The Stacks Book Club selection for June is The Undying by Anne Boyer. We will discuss the book with Mychal Denzel Smith on Wednesday June 30th.

You can find links to everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2021/06/09/ep-167-marlon-peterson

Marlon: Instagram | Twitter | Website

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Our guest this week is Mychal Denzel Smith, the author of one of Traci’s favorite books from 2020, Stakes is High. Mychal’s writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and many other publications, and now he hosts the Open Form podcast. Today we talk about the difference between accountability and punishment, abolition, and what it means to want better for America.

The Stacks Book Club selection for June is The Undying by Anne Boyer. We will discuss the book with Mychal Denzel Smith on Wednesday June 30th.

You can find links to everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2021/06/02/ep-166-mychal-denzel-smith/

Connect with Mychal: Twitter | Instagram | Website | Open Form...

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Today is The Stacks Book Club day and we’re finally discussing Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy with author Jenny Lee. Jenny’s books Anna K and Anna K Away are modern day retellings of Anna Karenina which makes her the perfect person to do a deep dive into this mega-novel. Please be warned there are a lot of spoilers in the episode. Also, a huge thank you to everyone who read along with us, it's no small feat, and we’re honored you took the time to read along with us!

There are spoilers on this episode.

Be sure to listen until the end of the podcast to find out The Stacks Book Club pick for June!

You can find links to everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2021/05/26/ep-165-anna-karenina

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Our guest today is staff writer at The New Yorker, and award winning author Patrick Radden Keefe. We talk about his newest book Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty, and the ways the opioid crisis was directly connected to their drug OxyContin. We also discuss Patrick’s thinking around breaking a story, writing after the success of his bestselling book Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland, and his foray into podcasting with his show Wind of Change.

The Stacks Book Club selection for May is Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. We will discuss the book with Jenny Lee on Wednesday May 26th.

You can find links to everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2021/05/19/ep-164-patrick-radden-keefe

SUPPORT THE STACKS

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Today we're joined by Chanda Prescod Weinstein, a theoretical physicist specializing in early universe cosmology. She is the author of The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred. We talk today about science anxiety, the ways politics play into science, and how the cosmos are part of all of our lives.

The Stacks Book Club selection for May is Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy we will discuss the book with Jenny Lee on Wednesday May 26th.

You can find links to everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2021/05/12/ep-163-chanda-prescod-weinstein

Connect with Chanda: Twitter | Instagram

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

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Today on The Stacks we’re talking with TV writer and author Jenny Lee. Jenny is the author of Anna K a modern retelling of Anna Karenina set in the world of New York City’s teenage elite. Her brand new book is a sequel to the bestselling Anna K entitled, Anna K Away. We talk today about adapting a classic, what happens when the source material runs out, and the very real struggle of not always liking your work. 

The Stacks Book Club selection for May is Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy we will discuss the book with Jenny Lee on Wednesday May 26th.

Click here to be part of The Stacks fundraiser for Million Book Project.

You can find links to everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2021/05/05/ep-162-jenny-lee

SUPPORT THE STACKS

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.

On today's episode of The Stacks we're talking with poet, lawyer, and activist, Reginald Dwayne Betts about The Tradition by Jericho Brown for The Stacks Book Club. We discuss poems as fact or fiction, what happens when you hear a poem out loud, and the ways different poems can take on different meanings to different people. 

Click here to be part of The Stacks fundraiser for Million Book Project.

You can find links to everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2021/04/28/ep-161-the-tradition

SUPPORT THE STACKS

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.

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On this week's episode we're joined by Hanif Abdurraqib. Hanif is an author, poet, music and cultural critic, and the host of the podcast Object of Sound. We talk today about his newest book, A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance. We talk today about how Hanif expanded the definition of performance, restraint as a tool in writing, and finding gratitude amidst grief. 

Click here to be part of The Stacks fundraiser for Million Book Project.

You can find links to everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: 

Connect with Hanif: Instagram

SUPPORT THE STACKS

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

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Our guest today Rebecca Carroll. Rebecca is a writer, cultural critic, and podcaster. She is the author of multiple books including her memoir which came out in February and is titled Surviving the White Gaze. We discuss her life as a Black child adopted into a white family, how she continues to interrogate the white gaze, and her 2020 podcast Come Through with Rebecca Carroll.

There are no spoilers on this episode.

For the month of April, The Stacks is raising $50,000 for Million Book Project to bring books into prisons nationwide. Click here to donate.

Connect with Rebecca: Twitter | Instagram

SUPPORT THE STACKS

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.

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On today's episode we talk with poet, author, activist, and attorney Reginald Dwayne Betts (Felon). In the conversation we explore the ways we police and punish ourselves and the people around us, the conditions of worthiness, and the balance between form and word choice in poetry. Dwayne also shares about his nonprofit, Million Book Project, and the work they do to bring books into prisons.

Click here to be part of The Stacks fundraiser for Million Book Project. 

The Stacks Book Club selection for April is The Tradition by Jericho Brown, we will discuss the book with Reginald Dwayne Betts on Wednesday April 7th.

You can find links to everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2021/04/07/ep-158-reginald-dwayne-betts

SUPPORT THE STACKS

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.