Totally Booked with Zibby

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Serena Burdick, THE GIRLS WITH NO NAMES Apr 17, 2020

Show notes

Before social distancing, I sat down with Serena Burdick, who is the author of the historical novel The Girls with No Names. She's also the author of Girl in the Afternoon, and is the 2017 International Book Award winner for historical fiction. I was enthralled by her book and totally think it should be a play. Serena and I talked about this story of two sisters, her relationship with her older sister, how societal norms change, Serena's love of storytelling and characters (and how that led her to pursue acting in her twenties!), and separating her research process from her writing process and her advice to aspiring authors: even if you feel discouraged, finish the work so you have something complete you can work with!

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Fanny Singer, ALWAYS HOME Apr 16, 2020

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Fanny Singer is the author of Always Home: A Daughter's Recipes & Stories with a forward by Alice Waters, her mother. In 2015, the mother-daughter duo published My Pantry, which Fanny also illustrated. Her new book, Always Home, is an immersive and sensory experience: a fusion of recipes, stories about food, and her special and inseparable bond with her mother. We talked about mother-daughter relationships, how food is a meaningful way to show and share love, and how you can use the dinner table as a way to feel part of a team or bigger collective - all of which feels really perfect for the moment we're in right now. I was so honored that Fanny joined my virtual book club this week. She absolutely delighted the group!

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Marisa Meltzer, THIS IS BIG Apr 15, 2020

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Marisa Meltzer is the author of This Is Big: How the Founder of Weight Watchers Changed the World (and Me). She co-authored How Sassy Changed My Life and also Girl Power, and is a contributor to New York Magazine and The New York Times. Her work has also appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Slate, Elle, and Teen Vogue. The inspiration for her newest book, This Is Big, was sparked when she read The New York Times obituary of Jean Nidetch, the founder of Weight Watchers. Part biography and part memoir, Marisa combines two compelling stories: her own journey with weight and body image, and her immersion into the world of Weight Watchers to research Jean's fascinating life and entrepreneurial impact. Marisa and I talked about our personal relationships to dieting, eating habits as a product of our society, and the complicated influence food has on girls and young women in particular. I think this conversation and her book will resonate strongly with a lot of people because it explores how nuanced transformation - physical and emotional - really is.

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Joanna Hershon, ST. IVO Apr 14, 2020

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Joanna Hershon is the author of the novels, Swimming, The Outside of August, The German Bride, A Dual Inheritance and, as of the pub day today (!!), St. Ivo. St. Ivo is a psychological/emotional story that centers on a married couple with something out of control in their lives (don’t want to spoil the plot!!) and how they cope during a reunion with two old friends during a weekend in the country. This book deals with how individuals cope with uncertainty and is a timely read for this moment in time! Joanna and I discussed how being what she calls a “recovering actress” influences her writing and her interest in how humans move through the stages of trauma and loss. Joanna shared how writing can feel like time spent with a companion and the idea that writers are often exploring their unconscious anxieties through their work. Make sure you listen in to hear about the encounter on the subway that inspired this book! Joanna's writing has appeared in Granta, The New York Times, One Story, Virginia Quarterly Review, and two literary anthologies, Brooklyn Was Mine and Freud’s Blind Spot. She teaches in the creative writing department at Columbia University and lives in Brooklyn with her husband, the painter Derek Buckner.

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Janny Scott, THE BENEFICIARY Apr 13, 2020

Show notes

Janny Scott is the author of the New York Times best-selling book A Singular Woman: The Untold Story of Barack Obama's Mother and most recently, The Beneficiary: Fortune, Misfortune and the Story of My Father. As a reporter for The New York Times from 1994 to 2008, Janny was a member of the reporting team that won the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting. Janny’s latest book, The Beneficiary, was chosen as one of The New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2019 and one of NPR's Favorite Books of 2019. This family memoir explores three generations of Janny’s wealthy, aristocratic, Pennsylvania family and the effect this upbringing had on her and, primarily, her father. Jenny shared that her inspiration for the story was the combination of a literary urge to learn to write in a different way, combined with a deeply emotional feeling about her dad. Janny and I discussed her father’s journals and the role alcoholism has played in her family’s story. Janny shared her thoughts on family wealth and why it can often be a double-edged sword. Be sure to listen for the bit of family lore about The Philadelphia Story and Janny’s visits to a place she calls “The Bureau."

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Ashley Prentice Norton, THE CHOCOLATE MONEY Apr 10, 2020

Show notes

Ashley Prentice Norton is the author of novels The Chocolate Money and If You Left. Ashley and I discussed both her books during this interview! The Chocolate Money (which I read years ago at a book club I was in!) follows a dysfunctional family dynamic (and is almost a memoir). If You Left deals with a privileged but damaged Manhattan wife whose marriage is threatened. Ashley bravely talked about her struggles with depression, enduring electric shock therapy and continuing to write throughout. We discussed the flawed notion that manic depression leads to a creative life and how to deal with the worries that constantly seems to be surrounding us. I loved hearing about Ashley's creative process and her feeling that "timed writing" is the best way to write.

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Tara Schuster, BUY YOURSELF THE F*CKING LILLIES Apr 09, 2020

Show notes

Tara Schuster is the author of Buy Yourself the F*cking Lilies: And Other Rituals to Fix Your Life, from Someone Who's Been There. This humorous and honest book explores Tara's neglectful childhood and how she learned to reparent herself and reframe her thinking. I want to hire Tara to be my on-call reframer!! She has such great advice for finding gratitude and joy in every day. Tara and I discussed the 25th birthday call that forced her to change her life and her homemade curriculum of self-care. Tara shared what it looks like to nurture herself in the ways her parents never did and the moment she finally spoke honestly with her father about her childhood. Tara has some wonderful ideas on how to stat positive and mentally healthy during this moment. I loved the reminder that quarantine isn't supposed to be a productivity vacation! We should all just give ourselves a break. (As I am sure you can guess this episode does contain adult language!) FYI, Tara is currently the vice president of talent and development at Comedy Central and is the executive in charge of Light's Out with David Spade. She was formerly the executive in charge of the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning Key & Peele, Midnight, and numerous other shows. Her plays have been performed at the International Fringe Festival and her writing has been featured in The New Yorker and Forbes online. She is no joke.

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Dibs Baer, LADY TIGERS IN THE CONCRETE JUNGLE Apr 08, 2020

Show notes

Dibs Baer is a former entertainment writer and editor who worked in the magazine industry for 15+ years. She has written and co-written six books including the New York Times bestseller I Didn't Come Here to Make Friends. Dibs' newest book, Lady Tigers in the Concrete Jungle: How Softball and Sisterhood Saved Lives in the South Bronx, centers on a junior high softball coach Chris Astacioand his journey to create not only a team but a safe space for his female students. It was so heartbreaking to hear about the realities these girls were facing growing up in one of the most dangerous, poverty-stricken neighborhoods in America. The story is hard to hear, but the intrepid spirit of their coach is beyond inspiring. Dibs and I chatted about her personal relationship with the women on the team and the lack of female-driven sports movies. (I mean, why IS that?) We discussed life after the implosion of the magazine industry and her experiences as a ghostwriter. So interesting! I loved Dibs' advice to just keep going and how it only takes one person to say yes!

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Casey Schwartz, ATTENTION: A LOVE STORY Apr 07, 2020

Show notes

Casey Schwartz is the author of Attention: A Love Story which is part memoir and part comprehensive journalistic exploration of our culture's flagging ability to pay attention. Casey writes about her struggle with Adderall, her parents, psychedelic science, and the four incredible writers who inspire her. Casey and I discussed the idea that Silicon Valley is literally hijacking us through our phones and why are we giving away our attention so casually. Casey shared her personal experience with the #MeToo movement and the rock bottom moment that ended up yielding the best possible outcome for her. I have a long-time personal connection with Casey's mom, author Marie Brenner, and I loved being able to share my memories with Casey.

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Laura Prepon, YOU AND I, AS MOTHERS Apr 06, 2020

Show notes

Laura Prepon, the actress and author of You and I, As Mothers, and I chatted live on my Instagram Live show last week (“Z-IGTV”). This podcast is a recording of our live conversation. Laura is not only an actor in the Netflix show Orange Is the New Black, but she directed, too. She was a cast member of That '70s Show from 1998 to 2006 and has appeared in Girl on the Train and many other films and TV shows. Laura is the New York Times bestselling author of the wellness book The Stash Plan. Her most recent book, You and I, As Mothers, is an emotional and raw first-person look at being a new mom. I really enjoyed chatting with Laura about the shift of priority that comes with motherhood and why hearing, “Girl, it’s hard,” was the best advice she got. Laura discusses why postpartum anxiety can happen at any stage of motherhood and the dinner that inspired her to share her personal stories of loss. Laura, mom to a toddler and a 4-week-old baby, is simply amazing. We can all learn from her that mom fails are unavoidable. Great advice for this moment in time we are all living through! For more, watch our interview on @zibbyowens Instagram TV Live Episode 21.4.

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