Totally Booked with Zibby

Author Rex Ogle returns to discuss his second memoir,  Punching Bag , which is a follow up to his debut memoir,  Free Lunch.  Rex and Zibby talk about the moments in Rex's childhood that ended up being so significant as he grew older, why his abusive past is important to talk about even though doing so is often painful, and the ways in which he is trying to reach kids who might be i...

"I want to offer the world my very best. I don't want to deprive the world of the best version of me." Professor, author, and principal tubist for the New Mexico Philharmonic Richard Antoine White joins Zibby to talk about his debut memoir,  I'm Possible . The two discuss how the tuba found Richard, what experiences are on his infinite bucket list, and why teaching is the greatest t...

Debut novelist Naomi Krupitsky joins Zibby to talk about her book,  The Family , which is an instant  New York Times  bestseller as well as a Read With Jenna Book Club and a Barnes and Noble Discovery pick. The two talk about how the relationship between the two protagonists was inspired by Naomi's own lifelong friendships, the research she did to help make her story feel...

"I think women don't prioritize the time they need just to be — just to have space, have no one in their space, time to think. It solves a lot." Zibby is joined by memoirist, columnist, and creative director Kimberly Harrington to discuss her latest collection of essays,  But You Seemed So Happy: A Marriage, in Pieces and Bits . Kimberly shares how writing these essays helped her refine...

Journalist Ericka Sóuter joins Zibby to talk about her first book,  How to Have a Kid and a Life: A Survival Guide . The two talk about the six questions Ericka believes all women should ask themselves at least once a year, how to make and maintain mom friends, and what countless mothers have told her about loneliness and burnout. Ericka also shares how she formed her own...

Writer and host of the podcast  This is Good For You , Nichole Perkins, joins Zibby to talk about her memoir in essays,  Sometimes I Trip on How Happy We Could Be.  The two talk about the historic lack of Black romantic leads in books, movies, and TV, the experiences that shaped Nichole’s perception of love and relationships, and how the pandemic inspired her to pursue her passions...

"I learn something from all of my students. I think they teach me far more than I ever teach them." Mori Taheripour, negotiation expert and professor at the Wharton school, joins Zibby to discuss her first book,  Bring Yourself . Mori shares the best lessons from her seventeen years of teaching, why the secret to being a great negotiator is simply being a better person, and which of her own n...

Zibby is joined by award-winning journalist Danielle Friedman to discuss her first book,  Let's Get Physical , about the modern evolution of women's fitness movements. Zibby and Danielle talk about their respective relationships with exercise, which societal norms changed alongside each new development, and the tragic backstory behind the barre phenomenon. Danielle also shares why she in...

"The more that I achieve, the more I realize that achievements have nothing to do with the value of who you are as a person." Psychiatrist, professor, and writer Adam Stern joins Zibby to talk about his debut memoir,  Committed , which combines his medical experience with the story of his cancer diagnosis. The two discuss when Adam realized he had a story that has yet to be told, how psy...

Professor and  New York Times  bestselling writer Tracey Michae’l Lewis-Giggetts joins Zibby to talk about her eighteenth book,  Black Joy . Tracey shares the traumatic experience of losing her cousin to racialized gun violence, as well as memories of her grandmother that seem to bring her back to life. Zibby and Tracey also discuss how children often bring out a sense of innocence...

Zibby is joined by best-selling writer Tessa Hadley to talk about her latest — and highly anticipated — novel,  Free Love , which captures the emotions and consequences of a 1960s affair. The two talk about how Tessa has relaxed into her writing style over the course of her last four books, her journey from a lifelong writer and storyteller to published author in her forties, a...

Zibby is joined by debut novelist Brendan Slocumb to talk about one of her favorite new releases,  The Violin Conspiracy , which is this month's GMA pick! Brendan shares which parts of the book were inspired by his own life story, how this book grew from a failed attempt at a science fiction manuscript in 2007, and what he loves most about teaching music. Brendan also shares how he wrote...

Poet and author Zoe Whittall joins Zibby to discuss her latest novel,  The Spectacular . Zoe shares how her recent relationships inspired the multigenerational story, as well as how her experience of losing a pregnancy at the start of the pandemic deepened its significance. Zoe and Zibby also talk about the importance of writing commercially for and about the queer community, why grappli...

Zibby is joined by Judy Bolton-Fasman to talk about her debut memoir,  Asylum , and the different threads throughout her life that led to that title. The two discuss the unique dynamic that existed between Judy's parents and how it fostered a number of secrets she sought to uncover throughout her childhood, as well as the different iterations this project has taken over th...

Executive editor of  Electric Literature  Halimah Marcus joins Zibby to talk about her new anthology,  Horse Girls , which was inspired by her lifelong love of horses. The two discuss the unique dynamic that seems to exist between women and horses, how each essay — penned by an impressive roster of writers — captures a piece of this relationship, and what events in Halimah's pe...

Screenwriter Jenny Pentland joins Zibby to discuss her first memoir,  This Will Be Funny Later , which largely looks at her life following the success of her mother Rosanne Barr's show. The two talk about the different ways seeking control has manifested in their lives, how motherhood often feels like a constant effort to not make the mistakes your parents made, and why it was cathartic...

Zibby is joined by writer and journalist Margarita Gokun Silver to talk about her collection of essays,  I Named My Dog Pushkin (And Other Immigrant Tales) , which follows her journey from growing up in the Soviet Union to America. The two discuss the role Judaism played in Margarita's upbringing and family history in the USSR, how their time at Yale overlapped by a few years, and what e...

Novelist Sarah Hall joins Zibby to discuss her not-quite-pandemic book,  Burntcoat , which was just nominated for this year's National Book Critics Circle Awards. Sarah also shares how her role as a single mother inspired elements of this novel, the ways in which writing has allowed her to truly express herself throughout her life, and what notions of identity and relationships she sough...

New York Times  best-selling novelist María Amparo Escandón joins Zibby to talk about her book,  L.A. Weather , which was a Reese's Book Club Pick. The two talk about the things all mothers find themselves fearing, why María's father would call with weather reports for L.A. even though he lived in Mexican City, and what inspired her to start writing when she was in the second g...

Bestselling author Allison Larkin joins Zibby to talk about her latest novel,  The People We Keep , and its protagonist who Allison loves dearly. The two discuss the fifteen-year journey Allison went on to write this book, the reason she feels such a deep connection to the story, and why she didn't feel the need to create a main character who everyone finds likable. Allison also shares h...

Zibby is joined by Ariana Neumann to discuss her award-winning first book,  When Time Stopped , which is part memoir and part detective story about her father's family history. Although Ariana thought she knew the story of the Holocaust, in researching how her own family found inventive ways to survive the horrors they faced she learned there is still so much we don't know. Ariana and Zi...

"I've been the beneficiary and the lucky recipient of this extraordinary life that I never anticipated in a million years." Journalist, newscaster, and co-founder of Katie Couric Media, Katie Couric, joined Zibby for an event with the Temple Emanu-El Streicker Center to discuss her memoir,  Going There . Katie shares stories about her beloved parents, how she met her second husband after losi...

Zibby is joined by essayist, poet, and playwright José Vadi to discuss  Inter State , his collection of essays about his relationship with his home state of California. José shares how he first found his way to writing and publication through his poetry, which projects he's worked on to document his grandfather's personal history, and what he is working on next. (For those who have...

Journalist and bestselling author Susan Orlean joins Zibby to discuss her new collection,  On Animals , which was inspired in part by her quarantine puppy. Susan and Zibby talk about Susan's Literati Book Club, how the underlying question of her collected work is "What is it like to coexist on a planet with these other creatures?," and why this collection was a nice go-between her last n...

Bestselling novelist Jewell Parker Rhodes returns to talk about her latest book,  Paradise on Fire,  and the racial disparities that exist when it comes to children's access to nature. Zibby and Jewell discuss how although the novel is intended for middle-grade readers, there is a heaviness to it that reflects the struggle we are facing in the global fight against climate change. Je...