The Stacks

We're joined today by novelist and essayist Ingrid Rojas Contreras, whose new book The Man Who Could Move Clouds combines memoir with rich storytelling and an excavation of family and Colombian history. We discuss magical realism as a nonfiction genre, why it's useful to believe in ghosts, and ask the question, what responsibility do we owe to our pasts?

The Stacks Book Club selection for August is How To Write An Autobiographical Novel by Alexander Chee. We will discuss the book on August 31st with Ingrid Rojas Contreras.

You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2022/08/03/ep-226-ingrid-rojas-contreras

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It's The Stacks Book Club day, and we're discussing the classic Sudanese novel, Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih. We're joined again by Elamin Abdelmahmoud, author of Son of Elsewhere, to break down this novel that explores the tensions at the heart of colonialism. We also discuss the ways we project current events onto classic literature, how important an author's own biography is to understanding the text, and that ending!

There are spoilers in today's episode. Be sure to listen all the way to end of the episode to find out what our August book club pick will be!

You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2022/07/27/ep-225-season-of-migration

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Poet and author Erika L. Sánchez joins The Stacks to discuss Crying in the Bathroom, her new memoir about growing up in the 90s as a misfit daughter of Mexican immigrants. We talk about religion and mental health, being loud and funny, and finally feeling ready to write about difficult topics.

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/2022/07/20/ep-224-erika-l-sanchez

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

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/

Connect with Elamin: Instagram | Twitter

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SUPPORT THE STACKS

Join The Stacks Pack on Patreon

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

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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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Join The Stacks Pack on Patreon

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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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Join The Stacks Pack on Patreon

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

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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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Join The Stacks Pack on Patreon

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

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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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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.

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

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.