Totally Booked with Zibby

"To all of you writers who are struggling and aspiring out there, it's not an instant-gratification profession but it is the most rewarding thing when something that you make gets out into the world." Author and co-founder of A Mighty Blaze Jenna Blum joins Zibby to talk about her memoir, Woodrow on the Bench, and the beloved dog who inspired it. The two discuss the ways in which Jenna's dog Woodrow helped her manage the grief of losing her mother in 2018, why her journey to publication was far from linear, and the commitment both Jenna and Zibby have to uplifting members of the literary community. Read Jenna's essay for Moms Don't Have Time to Write's Grief column here.Purchase on Amazon or Bookshop.Amazon: https://amzn.to/3xxHBA4Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3lj0t0GSubscribe to Zibby's weekly newsletter here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Zibby is joined by the former mayor of Stockton, CA, Michael Tubbs, to discuss his debut memoir, The Deeper the Roots. Michael shares how his mother's approach to life helped propel him to become the youngest mayor of a major city in American history, why it is so important for authority figures to encourage students in their various pursuits, and what prompted him to file a lawsuit with the NAACP against a former teacher. Michael and Zibby also talk about what the experience was like for Michael to meet his father who is incarcerated and how he and his wife, Anna Malaika Tubbs, are the only married coupled to have both been on Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books.Purchase on Amazon or Bookshop.Amazon: https://amzn.to/3xJbo96Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3I25FjpSubscribe to Zibby's weekly newsletter here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Award-winning novelist Francine Prose joined Zibby for a Women on the Move event with the Temple Emanu-El Streicker Center to discuss her latest novel, The Vixen, which centers around the Rosenberg Trial. Francine shares some highlights from her research and which pieces of history were stranger than fiction. She also tells Zibby about the way she approaches and teaches writing, how her decades-long career inspired pieces of this story, and why this book took so long for her to write.Purchase on Amazon or Bookshop.Amazon: https://amzn.to/3EUHKQbBookshop: https://bit.ly/3qOE5ykSubscribe to Zibby's weekly newsletter here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Novelist Scarlett Thomas joins Zibby to discuss her debut memoir, 41-Love, about how she tried to play tennis competitively to put off her need to grow up. The two talk about their shared love for the game, how Scarlett wove a number of other sports stories into her own, and what happened in her life after quitting tennis that shaped the trajectory of the book. Scarlett also shares her fears about releasing such a deeply personal story into the world and whether or not she'd go through this experience again.Purchase on Amazon or Bookshop.Amazon: https://amzn.to/3o2cycvBookshop: https://bit.ly/3xzukH4Subscribe to Zibby's weekly newsletter here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"I love writing. I love telling stories. I love making people feel like they're not alone." Zibby is joined by New York Times bestselling author, blogger, and very funny woman Jen Mann to talk about her latest book, Midlife Bites. Jen explains how this project grew out of a blog post about her midlife crisis that went viral, why there is now nothing in her life she is unwilling to write about, and what she has been reading lately (hint: it made Zibby blush). Zibby also reads some of her favorite passages and shares the ways in which Jen's writing has helped her personally feel less alone.Amazon: https://amzn.to/2ZEoyYmBookshop: https://bit.ly/3FXI81gSubscribe to Zibby's weekly newsletter here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Literary giant Ann Patchett joined Zibby for a Women on the Move event with the Temple Emanu-El Streicker Center to discuss her memoir in essays, These Precious Days. Their conversation spans from topics like their mothers' glamour, the origin story of Ann's bookstore, Parnassus Books, why writers often persevere for far longer than is to be expected in such an uncertain industry, and how this book answers the question, "What did Ann Patchett do during the pandemic?" Ann also answers questions from the event's audience about what genre she finds harder to write, what surprising lessons she's learned during her ten years as a bookseller, and where to find the coat from the title essay about her late friend, Sooki Raphael.Purchase on Amazon or Bookshop.Amazon: https://amzn.to/3cYHhkkBookshop: https://bit.ly/3rluNvq Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams joins Zibby to discuss her first children's book, Stacey's Extraordinary Words, inspired by her own lifelong love for books and words. The two talk about the real-life spelling bee and teacher that helped bolster Stacey's confidence, where she finds her courage to put herself out there on the campaign trail and on the page, and, of course, their go-to ice cream flavors. Stacey also shares how her family started and continues to foster her passion for books and what she plans on working on next (besides her 2022 campaign).Purchase on Amazon or Bookshop.Amazon: https://amzn.to/3I4Mo0IBookshop: https://bit.ly/2ZEqsZ0 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"The idea of a unicorn space, it's magical. It is the antidote to burnout. It is a necessary must-have, but it actually won't exist until we claim it." Eve Rodsky, the bestselling author of Fair Play, joins Zibby to talk about her latest book, Find Your Unicorn Space, and why a form of genuine self-expression is essential to living a happy life. The two discuss the research and data Eve collected to formulate her theories, the importance of balancing the trio of friendships, self-care, and unicorn space, and why protecting ourselves from burnout with passion is a life-saving action. Eve also shares how her new Fair Play Policy Institute intends to help our society reevaluate the value of gendered domestic labor and what else she plans to do to help women everywhere.Purchase on Amazon or Bookshop.Amazon: https://amzn.to/3E7LfDhBookshop: https://bit.ly/3o2efGT Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After five years of working on their debut novel, The Last Season, Jenny Judson and Danielle Mahfood have officially gone from high school best friends to published co-authors. Jenny and Danielle join Zibby to discuss how they managed to write in one cohesive voice despite being both geographically distant and two individual people, the way in which their partnership held them accountable to the work over the course of many years, and why their differences in taste only served to make their story stronger.Purchase on Amazon.Amazon: https://amzn.to/3d21Uw2 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Zibby is joined by Corie Adjmi to discuss her short story collection, Life and Other Shortcomings, which was an International Book Award winner. The two talk about how Corie's marriage has inspired so much of her work, the phase of her life when she decided to try her hand at writing, and the ways in which her children have gotten involved in her career. Corie also shares why she decided to write this book as a series of stories about one character and how her role in the Orthodox Syrian Jewish community in Brooklyn inspired her upcoming debut novel.Purchase on Amazon or Bookshop.Amazon: https://amzn.to/31c26GiBookshop: https://bit.ly/3Elntnv Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.