Behind The Stack

Brett and Renee from @itsbooktalk on instagram and substack talk third quarter favs, and add a book we're looking forward to in the last quarter of the year. Books discussed include: Storytelling: A Writing Life by...

Brett sits down with Jordan Tannahill to discuss his latest book, 'The Living Realm'. They talk about London and latex, the books setting of Lake Teufelssee in Berlin and the forest around it. Aging and AIDS, boars...

Brett sits down with Chloe Benjamin to discuss Under Story. They talk mushrooms and multiverses, the inspiration, and the sheer construction of the novel, which character was inspired by someone in her life, the natural...

Brett sits down with Emil Wilson to discuss his debut novel, 'The Nightingales'. They talk art school and graphic novels, autobiographical fiction and what differed from real life. AIDS and his own experience working...

Brett sits down with Téa Obreht to discuss her latest novel, Sunrise. They talk early years and learning English, the mythology of heroes, good samaritans, some advice for writers, and a fantastic book rec. Téa's...

Brett sits down with author Josh Silver to talk about his debut adult novel, Fruit Fly. They talk his previous acting career, working as a mental health nurse, appropriation, intention, gay identity what's acceptable or...

Brett sits down with writer Ben Reeves to discuss his debut novel, Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurts. They talk about death obviously, but also his ideas for what death should look like and the rules involved...

Brett sits down with author Julie Buntin to discuss her novel Famous Men. They talk small towns and leaving them for big cities, coming of age and what comes with the transition from young girl to young woman, consent...

Brett sits down with writer/director and oncologist (you read that right!) Roshan Sethi to discuss his debut novel, The Simp. He unpacks his rise from medicine to the arts, and his drive behind all of it. Diversity...

Brett sits down with debut author Meg Charlton to discuss her timely book, Voyagers. They talk about childhood friends and the life events that bond us, choosing character perspective, the human capacity to normalize...

Brett talks with author Rasheed Newson about his latest book, 'There's Only One Sin In Hollywood.' They discuss dreamers in Hollywood and what it takes to succeed, Diahann Carroll and Sydney Poitier, and writing real...

Brett talks with Claire Fuller about her new novel, 'Hunger & Thirst'. They discuss writing without a plot, being drawn to dark stories, horror movies, book lists, and find out who became a character in the book. The...

Brett talks with writer Natalie Adler about her debut novel, 'Waiting On A Friend'. They discuss the inspiration for the book, belief in the paranormal, the AIDS crisis, getting married, caretaking lesbians, and a...

Brett sits down with author John Glynn to discuss his fiction debut, 'The Lost Book Of Lancelot'. They talk about his work as an editor, the massive source material behind this book, queering a legend, staying true to a...

Brett sits down with writer Djamel White to discuss his debut novel, 'All Them Dogs'. They talk about early reading and Roddy Doyle's Fighting Words, gangster inspiration, toxic masculinity and feeling like an outsider...