The Stacks

Today on The Stacks, I’m joined by award-winning New Yorker staff writer, New York Times best-selling author, and investigative journalist, Patrick Radden Keefe, to talk about his newest book, London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family’s Search for Truth. Set in London, this true crime story chronicles the sudden death of 19-year-old Zac Brettler and his family’s quest to uncover the details of his secret double life. Today, we discuss how Patrick balances sources' expectations with his own integrity, the connection between his reading habits and his writing, and the meaning behind the title.
The Stacks Book Club pick for April is Room Swept Home by Remica Bingham-Risher. We’ll be discussing the book with Mahogany L. Browne on Wednesday, April 29.
You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2026/4/8/ep-419-patrick-radden-keefe
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Today on The Stacks, we’re joined by poet, writer, organizer, and educator Mahogany L. Browne. Mahogany is the author of three novels and several poetry collections, including Woke: A Young Poet’s Call to Justice and the National Book Award–longlisted book, A Bird in the Air Means We Can Still Breathe. Today, we talk about who pushed her toward writing for young people, how she’s celebrating her birthday this year, and what motivates her to keep doing the work.
The Stacks Book Club pick for April is Room Swept Home by Remica Bingham-Risher. We’ll be discussing the book with Mahogany L. Browne on April 29.
You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2026/4/1/ep-418-mahogany-l-browne
Connect with Mahogany: Website | Instagram | Facebook
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It’s The Stacks Book Club day and Morrison Month here on The Stacks, and today, we're diving into Paradise by Toni Morrison with award-winning writer, professor, and On Morrison author, Namwali Serpell. This book tells the story of Ruby, a small, all-black town in rural Oklahoma founded by the descendants of freed slaves, and its violent conflict with a nearby convent of women. We chat about the novel’s complexity, how it tackles faith and gender, and its connection to Beloved and Jazz.
There are spoilers in this episode.
Listen to the end of the episode to hear what our April book club pick will be!
You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2026/3/25/ep-417-paradise
Connect with Namwali: Website | X/Twitter
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The 98th Academy Awards ceremony was this past Sunday, and we’ve got a lot to talk about. Today, I’m joined by Vibe Check co-hosts and friends of the pod, Saeed Jones and Zach Stafford, to recap all things Oscars, discussing everything from our Timothée Chalamet burnout to why people pitted Sinners and One Battle After Another against each other, and a whole lot more. This is a follow-up to my pre-Oscars chat with Saeed and Zach last week on Vibe Check—you can listen to that episode here.
*This episode is exclusive to members of The Stacks Pack on Patreon and our Substack subscribers.
You can find links to everything we discuss on today’s show on The Stacks Website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/unabridged/2026/3/20/tsu-57-saeed-jones-zach-stafford
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Connect with Zach: Instagram | Threads
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Today on The Stacks, we’re joined by award-winning author T Kira Madden to discuss her newest book, Whidbey. This novel follows three women whose lives intersect in the wake of a man’s murder. We chat about the questions that are left in the wake of trauma, her unique writing process, and how she tricks herself to keep writing fun.
The Stacks Book Club pick for March is Paradise by Toni Morrison. We’ll be discussing the book with Namwali Serpell on March 25th.
You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2026/3/18/ep-416-t-kira-madden
Connect with T Kira: Instagram | Website | Threads
Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Threads | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Youtube | Subscribe
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.