The Stacks

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

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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

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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 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

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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.

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.

Today we're joined by musician and DJ Novena Carmel, cohost of KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic. We get into our childhood reading habits, Novena's radio show experience, and curating a playlist for the city. We also discuss finding one's own rhythm, being the daughter of a music legend, and the power of vibrations.  

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/2022/05/04/ep-213-novena-carmel

Connect with Novena: Twitter | Instagram | Website

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.

We welcome back Nate Marshall today to discuss Cortney Lamar Charleston's poetry collection Doppelgangbanger, which grapples with the tensions that impact a Black boy's struggle through self-destructive definitions of manhood. We discuss the narratives around coming of age in the suburbs and the city, and ask ourselves, is there really such a thing as an objectively good poem?

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

You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2022/04/27/ep-212-doppelgangbanger/

Connect with Nate: Twitter | Instagram | Website

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

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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.

Today we're speaking with Julie Otsuka, whose nationally-bestselling novel The Swimmers explores what happens to a group of obsessed recreational swimmers when a crack appears at the bottom of their local pool. Our conversation covers the art of crafting sentences and finding the right voice. We also discuss the joy of writing in cafes, and the element of surprise.

There are no spoilers on this episode.

You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2022/04/20/ep-211-julie-otsuka

The Stacks Book Club selection for April is Doppelgangbanger by Cortney Lamar Charleston. We will discuss the book on April 27th with Nate Marshall.

Episode Transcript

Connect with Julie: 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.

Today we're joined by the delightful Danny Pellegrino, author of How Do I Un-Remember This?: Unfortunately True Stories, a collection of essays about growing up as a closeted gay kid in small-town Ohio. We discuss the need to spotlight books in pop culture, the responsibility of media to tell stories that include gay characters, and how we handle grief. Traci also urges Danny to start his own LGBTQIA+ book club, watch out Reese!

The Stacks Book Club selection for April is Doppelgangbanger by Cortney Lamar Charleston. We will discuss the book on April 27th with Nate Marshall.

You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2022/04/13/ep-210-danny-pellegrino/

Connect with Danny: Instagram | Twitter | Podcast | Website

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.

In this episode we speak with the lauded writer, educator and MC Nate Marshall, whose latest poetry collection Finna was named one of NPR's best books of 2020. We discuss poetry's early-2000s pop culture heyday, its evolving cultural voice and our first introductions to the oft-intimidating, wonder-evoking art form.

The Stacks Book Club selection for April is Doppelgangbanger by Cortney Lamar Charleston. We will discuss the book on April 27th with Nate Marshall.

You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2022/04/06/ep-209-nate-marshall

Connect with Nate: Twitter | Instagram | Website

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.

Today on The Stacks Book Club we speak again with Imani Perry, author of the New York Times bestselling South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon Line to Understand the Soul of a Nation. In our discussion of Toni Morrison's novel A Mercy, we talk destroying ourselves over heartbreak, treating people tenderly and the book's central metaphor of the house. We also touch on the seduction of beauty, and breathlessness.

There are spoilers on this episode.

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

You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2022/03/30/ep-208-a-mercy

Connect with Imani: 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.

Today we're joined by Julissa Arce, author, and education and immigration activist. On this episode we have a conversation around Julissa's third book, You Sound Like a White Girl: A Case for Rejecting Assimilation. We talk about the myths around U.S. citizenship, colorism in Latine communities, plus the histories that the Black-white binary excludes.

The Stacks Book Club selection for February is A Mercy by Toni Morrison, we will discuss the book on March 30th with Imani Perry.

You can find links to everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2022/03/23/ep-207-julissa-arce

Connect with Julissa: Instagram | Twitter | Website

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.