The Stacks

Today on The Stacks, we are joined by journalist and writer John J. Lennon, who’s currently serving 28 years to life for murder at Sing Sing Correctional Facility. He is here to discuss his first book, The Tragedy of True Crime: Four Guilty Men and the Stories That Define Us, which explores society’s fascination with true crime through the personal stories of four convicted murderers, including himself. In our conversation, we dive into how Lennon’s experiences inform his writing, how he maintains focus while in prison, why he doesn’t use prison abolition language in his work, and his anxiety around his new book.

The Stacks Book Club pick for October is Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. We will discuss the book on Wednesday, October 29th, with Angela Flournoy returning as our guest.

You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2025/10/8/ep-393-john-j-lennon

Connect with John: Website

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This week on The Stacks we are joined by Angela Flournoy to discuss her new book, The Wilderness. Longlisted for the 2025 National Book Award and a finalist for the Kirkus Prize, The Wilderness is an expansive novel that covers the friendship of four black women over the course of twenty years. Today, we discuss maximalism in her writing style, how Angela aimed to write an era-defining novel, and what other works The Wilderness is in conversation with.

The Stacks Book Club pick for October is Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. We will discuss the book on Wednesday, October 29th with Angela Flournoy returning as our guest.

You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website:

https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2025/10/1/ep-392-angela-flournoy 

Connect with Angela: Instagram | Website

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It is The Stacks Book Club day and we're discussing The Lilac People by Milo Todd. Our guest for today's conversation is editor and author, Denne Michele Norris. The Lilac People follows a trans man and his partner as they attempt to survive Nazi Germany and the aftermath of the Allies’ takeover post-war. Together, we discuss the ways Milo Todd uses history to ground the book and its characters, the ever evolving language surrounding gender and identity, plus the ethical questions that arise in times of war.

There are spoilers in this episode.

Listen to the end of today's episode to find out what our October Book Club pick will be!

You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website:

https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2025/9/24/ep-391-the-lilac-people

Connect with Denne: Instagram | Podcast

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Today on The Stacks we are joined by former Vice President, Kamala Harris. She is here to discuss her brand new book 107 Days, which chronicles her historic run for the presidency in 2024. In our conversation we cover her biggest regrets from Biden to Gaza, how she balanced her instincts with the political polling, and what she sees as the path forward for America.

The Stacks Book Club pick for September is The Lilac People by Milo Todd. We will discuss the book on this Wednesday, September 24th with Denne Michele Norris.

You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website:

https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2025/9/23/ep-390-kamala-harris

Connect with Kamala: Instagram | Threads | Twitter | Facebook | Website

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

In this bonus episode, we’re heading down south to Jackson, Mississippi to join friends of the pod, Jason Reynolds and Hanif Abdurraqib, at the Mississippi Book Festival! Together, we celebrate each other's work, fight over the greatest band of all time, and then debate the state of music and literary criticism.

You can find links to everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks Website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/unabridged/2025/9/19/tsu-51-jason-reynolds-hanif-abdurraqib

Connect with Jason: Website | Instagram | Twitter

Connect with Hanif: Website | Twitter | Facebook

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This week on the Stacks, we’re talking literary suspense with Cleyvis Natera and her newest book, The Grand Paloma Resort, which takes place at a luxury resort in the Dominican Republic. Cleyvis explains what drew her to writing about the tourism industry, why she wanted to include the history of the Dominican Republic in her “beach read,” and how she explored sex work in its many forms throughout the book.

The Stacks Book Club pick for September is The Lilac People by Milo Todd. We will discuss the book on Wednesday, September 24th with Denne Michele Norris.

You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website:

https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2025/9/17/ep-389-cleyvis-natera

Connect with Cleyvis: Instagram | Twitter | Website

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Maggie Smith and Saeed Jones join us this week on the Stacks to discuss their anthology, The People’s Project: Poems, Essays, and Art for Looking Forward. With original work from twenty-seven authors exploring hope in times of difficulty, Maggie and Saeed discuss what inspired them to start the book and how they picked contributors for this project. We also spend some time sharing what keeps us from falling into despair before giving superlatives to the different works in The People’s Project.

For the month of September, the Stacks Book Club will be reading The Lilac People by Milo Todd. We will discuss the book on Wednesday, September 24th with Denne Michele Norris returning as our guest.

You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website:

https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2025/9/10/ep-388-maggie-smith-saeed-jones

Connect with Saeed: Instagram | BlueSky | Website

Connect with Maggie: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Website

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This week on The Stacks we are joined by Denne Michele Norris, the editor and chief of Electric Literature. She is the first Black, openly trans woman to helm a major literary publication. She is also behind two 2025 books, her debut novel, When the Harvest Comes and the anthology Both/And: Essays by Trans and Gender-Nonconforming Writers of Color. Today, we discuss her path to becoming “full time literary", and how she's using her seat at the table to bring more trans writers of color into the fold.

For the month of September, the Stacks Book Club will be reading The Lilac People by Milo Todd. We will discuss the book on Wednesday, September 24th with Denne Michele Norris returning as our guest.

You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website:

https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2025/9/3/ep-387-denne-michele-norris

Connect with Denne: Instagram | Podcast

Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Subscribe

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 talking about the plant world and nature with this month’s pick, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer. The wonderful journalist and author Alexis Madrigal is back for this conversation on this modern nonfiction classic. We discuss the influence this book has had on writers and readers alike, as well as the essays that stuck with us most. We also dig into Kimmerer's relationship with city people and how she pushes the boundaries of what is possible.

There are no spoilers in this episode.

Be sure to listen to the end of today’s episode to find out what our September book club pick will be.

You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website:

https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2025/8/27/ep-386-braiding-sweetgrass

Connect with Alexis: Instagram | Website

Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Subscribe

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

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

Another bonus episode this month? Heck yes! We're doing a deep dive into oral history with friend of the pod, journalist, and oral historian, Garrett M. Graff. He has written three stellar books of oral history: The Devil Reached Toward the Sky: An Oral History of the Making and Unleashing of the Atomic Bomb, When the Sea Came Alive: An Oral History of D-Day, and The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11. Today we get Garrett's insights into the key characteristics and importance of oral history, and the challenges that come with the form. We also spend some time on the decision to drop the atomic bomb, and workshop future oral history projects for Garrett.

You can find links to everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' Website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/unabridged/2025/8/22/tsu-50-garrett-graff

Connect with Garrett: Website | Twitter | Facebook

Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Subscribe

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