The Stacks

The Stacks


Latest Episodes

Unabridged: No One Wants to Talk About the Sex with Kiley Reid
February 23, 2024

*patron-only bonus episode teaser*This episode features audio from a February live show at Vroman's Bookstore with NYT bestselling novelist Kiley Reid (Such a Fun Age, Come and Get It). Kiley talks about her approach to character development and satire;

Ep. 307 A Story We Tell Backward with Lauren Markham
February 21, 2024

This episode features a discussion with journalist and writer Lauren Markham about her new book A Map of Future Ruins: On Borders and Belonging. She explains why Greece interested her as a base for her writing about immigration, and how the border is used

Ep. 306 I Love Our Romance Community with Tia Williams
February 14, 2024

Romance novelist Tia Williams visits the show to discuss her latest book A Love Song for Ricki Wilde. Tia shares why she wanted to venture into historical romance, how being a beauty editor has helped her create characters, and why telling this fated-mate

Ep. 305 Going from Pet to Threat with Uché Blackstock
February 07, 2024

Physician, educator and author Uch Blackstock shares her New York Times Bestselling book Legacy: A Black Physician Reckons with Racism in Medicine. The book is both a memoir and an indictment of disparities in our healthcare system. We hear what legacy m

Ep. 304 Erasure by Percival Everett -- The Stacks Book Club (Zach Stafford)
January 31, 2024

Vibe Check host Zach Stafford returns to discuss our January book club selection, the 2001 satirical novel Erasure by Percival Everett. Our conversation today delves into ownership of art and stories, what the joke of the novel is, the title of the book,

Unabridged: Our Most Anticipated Books of 2024 with Cree Myles and Sara Hildreth
January 26, 2024

*patron-only bonus episode teaser*For today's Unabridged, book lovers Cree Myles (All Ways Black) and Sara Hildreth (Fiction Matters) join us to reveal their most anticipated reads for the first half of 2024. We talk about our reading goals for the year

Ep. 303 The Culmination of My Psycho-Spiritual Self with Kaveh Akbar
January 24, 2024

We are joined by poet and debut novelist Kaveh Akbar to discuss his book Martyr!, the story of a newly sober, orphaned son of Iranian immigrants on a quest for answers and meaning. Kaveh explains how fonts play into his revision process, and why he wanted

Ep. 302 We Shouldn't Be Asking You This Question with Carolina Ixta
January 17, 2024

Educator and author Carolina Ixta joins The Stacks to discuss her debut novel Shut Up, This is Serious. Set in East Oakland, the story explores teen friendship, generational cycles and authenticity. Carolina talks about the process of writing about sex in

Ep. 301 What Makes a Recipe Good with Sohla El-Waylly
January 10, 2024

Chef, restaurateur and media personality Sohla El-Waylly joins to talk about her debut cookbook, Start Here: Instructions for Becoming a Better Cook: A Cookbook. We find out how Sohla balances difficulty, time, and ingredients while writing recipes for ho

Ep. 300 A Lover of Place with Zach Stafford
January 03, 2024

Writer, Vibe Check cohost, and Tony winning Producer, Zach Stafford joins The Stacks to discuss being a journalist, his many jobs over the year, and of course, books!. Zach reveals his surprise problematic favorite book, explains how his love of geography