The Stacks

Today on The Stacks, we’re celebrating Traci’s 40th birthday! That’s right, it’s her actual birthday today, and she’s invited her friends—media personality and Higher Learning co-host Rachel Lindsay, award-winning journalist and podcast host Sam Sanders, actress, podcaster, and author Becca Tobin, and bestselling author Kiese Laymon—to put her in the hot seat and ask all their burning questions. They interview her about everything from her biggest regrets to her goals for the next decade and all her feelings about turning forty.

Our book club pick for July is Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo. We will be discussing the book with Julianna Haubner on Wednesday, July 29th.

You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2026/7/22/ep-434-traci-turns-40

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Today on The Stacks, we’re joined by ProPublica reporter and The New York Times Magazine staff writer, Pamela Colloff, to discuss her book, Catch the Devil: A True Story of Murder, Deception, and Injustice on the Gulf Coast. This book delves into the life of career con man Paul Skalnik, whose pattern of trading fabricated prison confessions for his own freedom landed a Vietnam veteran on death row for a murder he didn’t commit. We talk about the power of investigative journalism, the hard lessons Pamela has learned as a journalist, and why people are fascinated by con men.

Our book club pick for July is Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo. We will be discussing the book with Julianna Haubner on Wednesday, July 29th.

You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2026/7/15/ep-433-pamela-colloff

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Today on The Stacks, we’re joined by author Shannon Sanders to discuss her debut novel, The Great Wherever. This book follows Aubrey Lamb, a young Black woman who inherits her late father’s share of a Tennessee farm filled with family history, secrets, and the ghosts of her ancestors. We talk about why she chose to use a ghost as her narrator, how she transitioned from writing a short story collection to an epic family novel, and her process for researching and planning the book's scope.

Our book club pick for July is Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo. We will be discussing the book with Julianna Haubner on Wednesday, July 29th.

You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2026/7/8/ep-432-shannon-sanders

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Today on The Stacks, we’re joined by book editor, Julianna Haubner. Julianna is an executive editor at Flatiron Books, where she acquires narrative nonfiction, history, pop culture, and social science books. We chat about her job as an editor, what she looks for in a proposal, who gets to write narrative nonfiction, and her surprising choice for her most-hated book.

Our book club pick for July is Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo. We will be discussing the book with Julianna Haubner on Wednesday, July 29th.

You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2026/7/1/ep-431-julianna-haubner

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Today is The Stacks Book Club Day, and we’re joined by bestselling author Mary H.K. Choi (Pool House) to discuss our June pick, The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho. This allegorical novel follows Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy whose quest from Spain to the Egyptian desert in search of buried treasure transforms into a life-changing journey of self-discovery. We discuss the book’s legacy, how it relates to the cultural phenomena of “girl boss” and “the manosphere,” and which parts we loved and hated.

There are spoilers in this episode.

Make sure you listen to the end of the episode to find out our July book club pick!

You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2026/6/24/ep-430-the-alchemist

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*Patreon and Substack-only bonus episode teaser, click here for the full episode*

Now that we’re officially halfway through 2026, it’s time for a little mid-year book check-in with friends of the pod, Cree Myles (All Ways Black) and Sara Hildreth (Fiction Matters)! Together, we gush about the books we loved (and hated) from the first half of the year, the titles we’re most excited for in the second half of the year, and all the bookish trends defining 2026. Get ready for lots of reading inspo, juicy hot takes, and of course, book gossip.

You can find links to everything we discuss on today’s show on The Stacks Website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/unabridged/2026/6/19/tsu-60-sara-hildreth-cree-myles

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Today on The Stacks, we’re joined by award-winning independent journalist and author Justine van der Leun to talk about her newest book, Unreasonable Women: Three Stories of Violence, Imprisonment, and Extraordinary Survival. Based on seven years of reporting, research, and interviews with over 1000 incarcerated women, this book explores criminalized survival—a phenomenon in which people who defend themselves against abuse are subsequently prosecuted and even imprisoned—through the stories of three women who had to kill their attackers to survive. We talk about how Justine came to these types of stories, the details of the survey she conducted, and what she looked for in the women she spotlighted.

The Stacks Book Club pick for June is The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho. We’ll be discussing the book with Mary H.K. Choi on Wednesday, June 24th.

You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2026/6/17/ep-429-justine-van-der-leun

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Today on The Stacks, we’re joined by legendary former major league baseball player and manager, Johnnie B. “Dusty” Baker Jr., to talk about his new memoir, Crossroads: A Memoir in Baseball and Life. In this book, Dusty reflects on his extraordinary life and baseball career while sharing the hard-earned wisdom and lessons he learned along the way. We discuss his thoughts on baseball's evolution over the years, his perspectives on winning and losing, and whether he thinks we’ll see a resurgence of Black American players in the MLB.

The Stacks Book Club pick for June is The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho. We’ll be discussing the book with Mary H.K. Choi on Wednesday, June 24th.

You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2026/6/10/ep-428-dusty-baker

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Today on The Stacks, we’re joined by best-selling author Mary H.K. Choi to discuss her newest novel, Pool House. Set against the backdrop of Hollywood, this book explores the complex relationship between Stevie and her mother, Moon, as they share their glass-walled pool house when financial struggles force them to rent out their home. We chat about what it’s like publishing a book in today’s literary landscape, her very specific snack and beverage lineup, and her journey into adult novels after establishing a YA career.

The Stacks Book Club pick for June is The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho. We’ll be discussing the book with Mary H.K. Choi on Wednesday, June 24th.

You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2026/6/3/ep-427-mary-hk-choi

Connect with Mary: Instagram | Threads | Substack | Website

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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, and we’re once again joined by award-winning author, theoretical physicist, and cosmologist, Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, to discuss Lonely Crowds by Stephanie Wambugu. Set in the early ‘90s, this book traces the decades-long friendship between Ruth and Maria, whose intense childhood bond is tested in adulthood by the glamorous yet competitive nature of the New York City art world. Chanda and I chat about the complicated balance of making art and making money, discuss how first-person writing plays into the unreliable narrator trope, and try to figure out who exactly is on the cover.

There are spoilers on this episode.

Listen to the end of the episode to hear what our June book club pick will be!

You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2026/5/27/ep-426-lonely-crowds

Connect with Chanda: Instagram | Website | Bluesky

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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.