Zibby chats with poet, essayist, fiction writer, and assistant professor of English, Iheoma Nwachukwu, about his brilliant, ravishing, ruthless short story collection, JAPA AND OTHER STORIES, a finalist for the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Short Story Collection! Iheoma explains the meaning of “japa,” a Yoruba word central to the book, as it follows young Nigerian immigrants yearning for a new life in strange new territories and struggling to anchor themselves in their new homes, much l...
May 08, 2025•28 min•Season 23Ep. 93
TV writer turned novelist Jordan Roter joins Zibby to discuss MOMS LIKE US, a sharp, funny murder mystery set in the cutthroat (and neck-lifted) world of elite Los Angeles private school moms. Jordan shares how a frustrating back-to-school night and real-life glamping trip inspired this story; why she wrote it as a novel instead of a TV show; and the complicated, messy truths behind modern motherhood, competition, and community. She and Zibby dive into the book’s Big Little Lies-meets-Glass Onio...
May 07, 2025•28 min•Season 23Ep. 92
What could be steamier than a summer of fashion, frolicking, and fun in the Hamptons?! When one influencer is cancelled, she moves out east for the summer, only to find out her neighbor is the journalist is the one who canceled her! And wait until you read what comes next. Want to see Tinx and Zibby in conversation?! Here's the video on YouTube! Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3GSCEdG Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens ! Hosted on Acast. See aca...
May 06, 2025•27 min•Season 23Ep. 91
In this special episode (a live event at the Streicker Center!), Zibby is joined by #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Weiner to discuss THE GRIFFIN SISTERS’ GREATEST HITS, a deeply moving family saga set against the glitz and chaos of early 2000s pop stardom. In front of an enthusiastic audience, the two discuss the novel’s themes of fame, secrets, sisterhood, and the price of talent, delving into the dark side of celebrity culture. Jennifer also reflects thoughtfully on music, body ...
May 05, 2025•32 min•Season 23Ep. 90
Totally Booked : LIVE! In this special episode of the podcast (in-person at the Whitby Hotel with a live audience!), Zibby is joined by award-winning artist, designer, and host of the podcast Design Matters, Debbie Millman, to discuss LOVE LETTER TO A GARDEN, her beautifully illustrated gem of a book with recipes by her wife, Roxane Gay. Together, they explore Debbie’s unlikely journey into gardening and how it became a powerful metaphor for healing, growth, peace, and transformation. She also s...
May 02, 2025•25 min
Zibby is joined by licensed psychologist and dyslexia expert Dr. Lisa Rappaport to discuss PARENTING DYSLEXIA, a compassionate guide to help parents and others support dyslexic learners of all ages. Lisa shares her journey, from nearly dropping out of high school due to undiagnosed dyslexia to earning a PhD. Together, they reflect on the emotional toll of learning struggles, the shame that can surround them, and the transformative power of support, humor, and perseverance. With candid stories an...
May 01, 2025•22 min•Season 23Ep. 88
New York Times bestselling author, veteran film critic, and New Yorker staff writer David Denby chats with Zibby about EMINENT JEWS, which profiles Leonard Bernstein, Mel Brooks, Betty Friedan, and Norman Mailer. The conversation spans from Denby’s early years under the mentorship of Pauline Kael to his decades-long career at The New Yorker , before diving into the cultural impact and complex legacies of the book’s four iconic Jewish figures. Along the way, they discuss the evolution of Jewish i...
Apr 30, 2025•22 min•Season 23Ep. 87
Zibby chats with professor and award-winning journalist Lisa A. Phillips about her new book, FIRST LOVE: Guiding Teens Through Relationships and Heartbreak. Lisa delves into how parents can support their teens through first crushes, breakups, and young love, emphasizing the importance of validating teens’ feelings and offering practical strategies to help them heal, from setting social media boundaries to finding healthy distractions. She also touches on the science behind heartbreak and the add...
Apr 29, 2025•27 min•Season 23Ep. 86
Writer, entrepreneur, and founder of Latched Mama, Melissa Wirt, joins Zibby to discuss I WAS TOLD THERE’D BE A VILLAGE, a wise, honest, and heartening roadmap for finding and building your village—and transforming oppressive, solitary motherhood into a connected and joyful experience. Melissa shares the deeply personal story behind her book, from building a thriving online community for moms to confronting her own loneliness while raising six children on a farm. Together, they discuss the scien...
Apr 28, 2025•23 min•Season 23Ep. 85
Zibby interviews award-winning poet and psychiatrist Owen Lewis about A PRAYER OF SIX WINGS, a masterful, moving, and timely collection written in the wake of the October 7th attacks in Israel. Owen reflects on the heartbreak of watching global antisemitism resurge, the personal anguish of having family in Israel, and the urgent need to record this moment through poetry. He and Zibby talk about how, interwoven with headlines, personal stories, and lyrical snapshots of grief and resilience, Owen’...
Apr 25, 2025•23 min•Season 23Ep. 84
New York Times bestselling author Casey Sherman joins Zibby to discuss BLOOD IN THE WATER, a gripping, cinematic, jaw-dropping crime tale of greed, wealth, suspicion, and revenge, perfect for anyone who was fascinated by the Murdaugh murders. Casey delves into the twisted, real-life story of Nathan Carman, a man accused of murdering his mother and grandfather for a $50 million inheritance. He unravels the shocking layers of the years-long investigation, including a mysterious disappearance at se...
Apr 24, 2025•27 min•Season 23Ep. 83
Zibby chats with indie bookstore owner and host of the popular From the Front Porch podcast, Annie B. Jones, about her earnest, graceful, and beautifully written new book, ORDINARY TIME: Lessons Learned While Staying Put. Annie shares her journey from journalist to beloved bookseller in Thomasville, GA, and describes the unexpected beauty she’s found in staying rooted and building a quiet life, challenging the idea that loud lives matter most. Then, she delves into her reflections on small-town ...
Apr 23, 2025•31 min•Season 23Ep. 82
Bestselling French author Anne Berest returns to the podcast to discuss GABRIËLE, an atmospheric and exuberant novel about love, sex, art, revolution, and the life of her great-grandmother Gabriële Buffet-Picabia—muse and revolutionary partner to artist Francis Picabia. Anne discusses the legacy of creativity and pain in her lineage, the invisible labor of women who shape art behind the scenes, the fun she had co-writing with her sister, and the impact of being embraced by American readers. She ...
Apr 22, 2025•34 min•Season 23Ep. 81
Zibby interviews bestselling Israeli author, photojournalist, columnist, and activist Lihi Lapid about her latest novel, ON HER OWN (a tense and immersive psychological read about two families in crisis), and her earlier book, WOMAN OF VALOR, which will soon be published for the first time in the U.S. by our company, Zibby Publishing, with a new title, I WANTED TO BE WONDERFUL! This powerful memoir about motherhood, identity, sacrifice, and raising a daughter with severe autism left a lingering ...
Apr 21, 2025•32 min•Season 23Ep. 80
Jackie Goldschneider, star of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, chats with Zibby about THE WEIGHT OF BEAUTIFUL, the courageously candid memoir about her decades-long battle with anorexia and public journey to recovery. Jackie shares the origins of her disordered eating—from generational food trauma to cultural diet obsessions—and the emotional toll it took on her family, body, and joy. She and Zibby both reflect on their experiences with food, body image, and painful pressures of perfection. Fi...
Apr 18, 2025•29 min•Season 23Ep. 79
Zibby chats with Vanity Fair and New York Times contributor E. A. Hanks about her sparkling, heartfelt, poetic new memoir, THE 10: A Memoir of Family and the Open Road, which follows her solo, cross-country journey across the American southwest. E. A. Hanks shares the inspiration behind the road trip and then delves into her complex relationship with her mother, whose journals and poetry become part of the emotional terrain of the book. She also talks about grief, identity, navigating trauma, an...
Apr 17, 2025•25 min•Season 23Ep. 78
Beloved parenting expert, clinical psychologist, and #1 New York Times bestselling author Dr. Becky Kennedy chats with Zibby about her highly anticipated debut picture book, THAT’S MY TRUCK!, which tackles one of the most common parenting challenges: hitting. Dr. Becky shares the inspiration behind the book, the psychology of hitting, and the power of addressing kids’ behavior with empathy rather than punishment. She also shares her shift away from traditional parenting methods and the Good Insi...
Apr 16, 2025•30 min•Season 23Ep. 77
Acclaimed actress, screenwriter, and director Lake Bell joins Zibby to discuss her debut picture book, ALL ABOUT BRAINS, a joyfully whimsical exploration of all the ways people and their brains are different. Inspired by her own children, Nova and Ozzy, and their experiences with neurodivergence (including epilepsy, ADHD, and dyslexia), Lake shares the emotional journey that led her to write this empowering book. She and Zibby connect over shared parenting challenges and the importance of refram...
Apr 15, 2025•30 min•Season 23Ep. 76
Writer and poet Judith Viorst, who is now in her nineties, joins Zibby to discuss MAKING THE BEST OF WHAT’S LEFT: When You’re Too Old to Get the Chairs Reupholstered, a funny and poignant reflection on aging, widowhood, and the lessons she’s learned since losing her husband of over sixty years. With her trademark wit, wisdom, and unflinching eye for the agonies and absurdities of ordinary family life, Judith talks about life’s later chapter (the “Final Fifth”), touching on grief, community, and ...
Apr 14, 2025•22 min•Season 23Ep. 75
Dara Horn, winner of three National Jewish Book Awards and Kirkus Prize finalist, joins Zibby to discuss her irreverent, moving, and hilariously deadpan graphic novel for young readers, ONE LITTLE GOAT. Dara explains how she uses a talking scapegoat and a never-ending Seder to bring ancient stories to life for readers of all ages. She shares her childhood obsession with the passage of time and her deep connection to the Jewish tradition, and then dives into her acclaimed book, PEOPLE LOVE DEAD J...
Apr 11, 2025•29 min•Season 23Ep. 74
Zibby interviews NBC News correspondent and anchor Vicky Nguyen about her funny, nostalgic, and poignant new memoir, BOAT BABY. Vicky describes her family’s daring escape from communist Vietnam and her unlikely journey from refugee to reporter, sharing personal stories of resilience, identity, and family. She recounts unbelievable moments—like recognizing her uncle’s murderer while dining in a San Jose restaurant—and reflects on how she has navigated marriage, career, and motherhood. The convers...
Apr 10, 2025•24 min•Season 23Ep. 73
New York Times bestselling Irish author Colum McCann joins Zibby to discuss TWIST, an urgent and utterly compelling novel about a journalist reporting on the underwater cables that carry the world’s information—tiny fiber-optic tubes that carry words, images, memes, voices… Colum unpacks the mind-bending reality that 95% of our global communications travel through fragile cables at the bottom of the ocean. He shares the real-life inspiration behind his maritime thriller, blending geopolitics, un...
Apr 09, 2025•27 min•Season 23Ep. 72
Zibby interviews content creator, speaker, and bestselling author Jessica N. Turner about I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE BETTER THAN THIS, a manifesto of hope that will empower you to transform your circumstances and move forward with intention and purpose. Jessica shares the inspiration behind this book—navigating the unexpected end of her 16-year marriage after her husband came out as gay and learning to grieve, heal, and rediscover herself. She and Zibby reflect on friendship, resilience, body image, ...
Apr 08, 2025•30 min•Season 23Ep. 71
Disability advocate, eating disorder recovery coach, and debut author Jayne Mattingly chats with Zibby about THIS IS BODY GRIEF, a groundbreaking guide to mourning and accepting one’s ever-changing body. Jayne shares her experience of becoming disabled after a rare neurological diagnosis, navigating 19 brain and spine surgeries and a total hysterectomy, and grappling with the emotional toll of losing the body she once knew. Together, they explore the concept of “body grief”—a universal experienc...
Apr 07, 2025•26 min•Season 23Ep. 70
Zibby welcomes back author Jacqueline Friedland to discuss COUNTING BACKWARDS, a bold, gripping, and timely dual-timeline novel about how women’s bodies have been used against them in American society, both past and present. The book follows a young attorney who takes on a pro bono immigration case, only to uncover a shocking pattern of medical abuse at a detention center. Jaqueline shares the real-life inspirations behind the story, including her background as a lawyer and her deep fascination ...
Apr 04, 2025•27 min•Season 23Ep. 69
Debut novelist Meredith Turits joins Zibby to discuss JUST WANT YOU HERE, a riveting, honest, and incisive novel about love, lust, self-discovery, and the complications of youth. Meredith reveals the inspiration behind her protagonist, Ari, who navigates heartbreak, an impulsive move to Boston, and a complicated entanglement with her boss and his wife. She also reflects on her unexpected career path (she was the founding editor of Bustle!), her ten-year journey to publication, and the novel that...
Apr 03, 2025•23 min•Season 23Ep. 68
Zibby chats with former casting executive Tess Sanchez (who is married to actor and past podcast guest Max Greenfield!) about WE’VE DECIDED TO GO IN A DIFFERENT DIRECTION, a moving and witty essay collection about career upheaval, identity, and resilience. Tess reflects on a pivotal two-year period in her life that was filled with unexpected setbacks. She opens up about the shock of losing a career that had defined her for two decades, the struggle to reframe her sense of self beyond work, and t...
Apr 02, 2025•23 min•Season 23Ep. 67
Zibby Publishing author alert! Zibby is joined by New York Times bestselling and Thurber Prize-winning author John Kenney to discuss his razor-sharp, darkly comedic, and emotionally piercing new novel, I SEE YOU’VE CALLED IN DEAD. John delves into the story, which follows an obituary writer who accidentally publishes his own death notice, sparking chaos and unexpected self-discovery. John shares the deeply personal inspiration behind this book, touching on loss, the complexities of grief, and ho...
Apr 01, 2025•25 min•Season 23Ep. 66
Journalist turned novelist Sarah Harman joins Zibby to discuss her biting, twisty, utterly delightful thriller, ALL THE OTHER MOTHERS HATE ME, which follows a washed-up girl band star turned reluctant mom detective at the center of a missing child investigation. Sarah talks about her unconventional writing process, the challenges of creating an unlikable yet relatable protagonist, and balancing creative ambition and motherhood. She also talks about the pressures of “Plan B” careers, her experien...
Mar 31, 2025•21 min•Season 23Ep. 65
Zibby interviews Jenny Fielding, one of the most active global pre-seed investors, about her new book, VENTURE EVERYWHERE. Jenny shares her experiences traveling to over 100 countries to profile global entrepreneurs who are starting innovative companies far from Silicon Valley’s spotlight. She explores the entrepreneurial archetypes, from bold risk-takers to resilient thinkers, and then shares her unconventional path—from JP Morgan to launching her first startup inspired by the high cost of inte...
Mar 28, 2025•20 min•Season 23Ep. 64
