Totally Booked with Zibby

Zibby interviews author Beth Nguyen about Owner of a Lonely Heart, a powerful memoir of a mother-daughter relationship fragmented by the Vietnam War and resettlement. Beth shares her immigration and refugee story, revealing that her mother did not flee to the United States with the rest of their family and has, since then, spent less than 24 hours with her. Beth also talks about motherhood, baking, writing to make sense of her feelings, teaching MFA students at the University of Wisconsin, the three books she is currently reading, and why she has a giant Keanu Reeves pillow.Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3EW4zFGShare, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today!** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode. (Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Zibby is joined by author and journalist Dina Gachman to discuss her compassionate and compelling new essay collection, So Sorry for Your Loss: How I Learned to Live with Grief, and Other Grave Concerns. Dina describes the grief she felt after losing her mother and sister only two years apart and what it was like to put her experience on paper. She also talks about her sister’s alcoholism, her go-to grief books, and her writing journey (from blogging for a lamp store to ghostwriting celebrity books). Finally, she shares her best advice for aspiring writers. Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/467MDUaShare, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today!** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode. (Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brandon J. Wolf, a passionate LGBTQ+ activist and survivor of the Pulse nightclub shooting, speaks to Zibby about his raw, daring, and breathtakingly honest debut, A Place for Us: A Memoir. Brandon shares his story, from being a queer, mixed-race kid in a conservative town and losing his mother to finding community in Florida and experiencing the 2016 tragedy that killed his friends. He also shares what community and safe space means to him, the difficulty of revisiting his worst memories, his family’s response to his story, and his new role as an activist. Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/46seUVgShare, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today!** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode. (Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Zibby interviews author Andrew Ridker about Hope, a hilarious, heartfelt, and impeccably written novel about a year of crisis for a seemingly perfect, affluent Jewish family of four. Andrew talks about his book's relatable family dynamics and humor; the inspiration behind the story; the college poetry class that started his writing career; and the topic of his next novel. He also shares his best advice for aspiring writers (it involves having a little bit of delusional faith in yourself!). Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/48vM5ckShare, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today!** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode. (Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

American journalist Damien Cave joins Zibby to discuss his impactful and gripping new parenting book, Parenting Like an Australian: One Family’s Quest to Fight Fear and Dive into a Better, Braver Life. Damien discusses the parts of Australian parenting he has adopted–from letting his kids take risks to trusting his community to help. He also describes his international career in journalism, his complicated relationship with his mom, and his best advice for aspiring writers. Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3PrHiA4Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today!** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode. (Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Zibby interviews New York Times bestselling author Steph Catudal about Everything All at Once, a heart-wrenching, sincere, and lyrical memoir about her experience with grief. Steph describes what it was like to lose her father to lung cancer at fourteen and then endure her husband’s battle with the same disease during COVID. She also talks about how writing has always helped her process her emotions and explains how her vulnerable social media posts evolved into this beautiful memoir. Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/461GSY6Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today!** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode. (Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Zibby is joined by New York Times bestselling author Elise Loehnen to discuss On Our Best Behavior: The Seven Deadly Sins and the Price Women Pay to Be Good, a groundbreaking, stunning exploration of the ancient rules women unwittingly follow in order to be considered “good.” Elise explores how the deadly sins continue to circumscribe women’s behavior, including her own (for example: a fear of gluttony drives women to ignore their appetites). She also talks about her fascinating research, her podcast, and her hopes for this book. Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/48r2y1xShare, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today!** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode. (Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

GMA Book Club Pick alert! Zibby speaks to debut author Elizabeth Castellano about Save What’s Left, an irreverent, hilarious, and unexpectedly tender novel about a sixty-year-old woman who moves to a small beach town looking for peace, only to find herself in an all-out war with her neighbors. Elizabeth describes her upbringing in a tiny Long Island beach town (her elementary school had nine students!) and her path to writing, starting with the humor column in the high school newspaper. She also shares her favorite books and authors and her best advice for aspiring writers.Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3PvdAtQShare, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today!** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode. (Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Zibby interviews art historian and author J. Vanessa Lyon about Lush Lives, a deliciously queer novel about bold women unafraid to fight for what they love, set in the high-stakes world of art and auction in New York City. J. Vanessa describes her lifelong love of art as the daughter of an artist and antiques dealer. She also shares what it was like to work at an auction house right after college and how she brought that subculture to life in this story. Finally, she describes her publishing journey (with Roxane Gay as her editor and publisher!) and the book she is working on next. Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/46g9ooLShare, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today!** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode. (Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Superstar comedian Aparna Nancherla joins Zibby to discuss her hilarious and strikingly astute memoir in essays, Unreliable Narrator: Me, Myself, and Impostor Syndrome. Aparna describes her writing process (as a “procrastinating perfectionist”), her relationship with her body, her history with anxiety and depression, and her unexpected, unplanned career as a stand-up comedian.Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3EHYIDAShare, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today!** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode. (Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.