Maurice Carlos Ruffin is the author of We Cast a Shadow, and joins The Short Stacks to tell us about his process in writing this satirical, speculative fiction novel. We get to talk about what music fueled this novel, how his hometown of New Orleans figures into his work, and how he finds balance between being a writer and lawyer.

There are no spoilers on this episode.

You can find links to everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2019/11/04/ss25

Connect with Maurice: Twitter | Instagram

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Today on The Stacks we welcome author of Black Card, Chris L. Terry. Chris shares how he balanced his book to pull from his personal experiences as a mixed kid in Richmond, VA, and still maintain a wholly fictional premise and characters. We also talk about the racist idea of being "Black enough", and why Chris doesn't believe in having a go-to book recommendation. 

You can find links to everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2019/10/30/ep-83-chris-l-terry

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Chase Darkness with Me is Billy Jensen's true crime book about his journey into solving murder cases. We get to talk about this book, and all the complicated issues it brings up with Jac Vanek (LadyGang, The First Degree). We look at the merits of crowd sourced crime investigation, how we treat victims who aren't pretty white women, and how the current obsession with true crime is a little problematic.

There are minor spoilers on this episode.

You can find links to everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2019/10/23/ep-82-chase-darkness-with-me

Connect with Jac: Instagram | LadyGang | The First Degree | Jac Vanek

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Chloe Benjamin author of, The Stacks Book Club pick for October 2019, The Immortalists joins the show to talk about how this epic family saga came to be. She shares how she kept track of her research and characters, addressing uncertainty in the world, and which character in this book is her favorite. She also talks about the gorgeous cover, and so much more!

There are no spoilers in this episode.

You can find links to everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2019/10/21/ss24

Connect with Chloe: Instagram | Twitter | Website

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Today we welcome Jac Vanek to The Stacks. Jac is the CEO of fashion and lifestyle brand, Jac Vanek. She is also one third of the LadyGang, and a co-host on The First Degree podcast. Jac takes us on a journey through her "emo-kid" past, tells us who made her into a reader, and shares why she loves writing in her books.

You can find links to everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2019/10/16/ep-81-jac-vanek

Connect with Jac: Instagram | LadyGang | The First Degree | Jac Vanek

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When it comes to our own deaths we can never really know when its coming, or can we? That is the question at the center of The Stacks Book Club pick, The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin. Jenna Ushkowitz is back with us to discuss this book, the vivid characters inside the story, free will vs. magic, and how America deals with grief.

There are spoilers in this episode.

You can find links to everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2019/10/09/ep-80-the-immortalists

Connect with Jenna: Instagram | Twitter | Showmance Podcast | Showmance Instagram

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Today on The Short Stacks we're joined by author, academic, and podcast host (Hear to Slay) Tressie McMillan Cottom. Her latest book Thick: And Other Essays is on The National Book Award Longlist for nonfiction, and is the center of our conversation. Cottom explains the power in centering the experiences of Black women, and we get into the nitty gritty of writing snacks and beverages.

There are no spoilers on this episode.

You can find links to everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2019/10/07/ss23

Connect with Tressie: Twitter | Instagram | Hear to Slay Podcast | Hear to Slay Instagram

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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.

You might know her from Glee or Showmance Podcast, but today you're going to see actress and producer Jenna Ushkowitz in a whole new way. She sits down with us to talk about her reading habits and why, as a type A person, she struggles with reading sometimes feeling like "work". We also discuss sourcing material for TV and film projects, book buying bans, and her love of canine protagonists.

You can find links to everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2019/10/02/ep-79-jenna-ushkowitz

Connect with Jenna: Instagram | Twitter | Showmance Podcast | Showmance Instagram

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We are talking about Educated by Tara Westover on The Stacks Book Club today. Author and podcast host Sarah Enni helps us break down why this story became a mega-bestseller and why its the book that everyone is still talking about. We also debate the role of fact versus memory in memoir, and what this book means in the current political climate.

There are spoilers on this episode.

You can find links to everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2019/09/25/ep-78-educated

Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram | Twitter | First Draft Website | First Draft Instagram | First Draft Twitter

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Author and historian Ibram X. Kendi joins us today on The Short Stacks to talk about his New York Times Bestselling book, How to be an Antiracist. We discuss how he came to write this book as a mix of history and memoir. Then he shares his advice for discussing racism with loved ones, and gives us plenty of book and author recommendations to continue on our antiracist journeys.

There are no spoilers on this episode.

You can find links to everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2019/09/23/ss22

Connect with Ibram: Twitter | Instagram | Website | Facebook

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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.