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Dr. Elizabeth Cohen, LIGHT ON THE OTHER SIDE OF DIVORCE

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Dr. Elizabeth Cohen, LIGHT ON THE OTHER SIDE OF DIVORCE

Dr. Elizabeth Cohen, aka The Divorce Doctor, joins Zibby to discuss her book, Light on the Other Side of Divorce. Through her work as a clinical psychologist focused on helping those going through the end of their marriage, Dr. Cohen strives to take the shame and suffering out of the process and directs her patients instead to think about how they can find their strength again. She offers some of her best tips and tricks for rebuilding yourself to Zibby and opens up about how her own experience with divorce helped shaped the approach she shares with others.

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Mary Kay Andrews, THE NEWCOMER

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Mary Kay Andrews, THE NEWCOMER

"I think my work defines me. I feel as though if I'm not writing, who am I?" Mary Kay Andrews —bestselling author of 26 novels— joins Zibby to talk about her two latest books, The Newcomer and The Santa Suit. Mary Kay shares how the pandemic both changed her writing habits and inspired her and a few fellow writers to start "Friends and Fiction." The group livestreams their conversations and interviews to an audience that has grown to well over 50,000, and they encourage listeners to continue supporting independent bookstores. Mary Kay also tells Zibby what she learned during her career that has allowed her to remain such a prolific author.

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Mira Jacob, GOOD TALK

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Mira Jacob, GOOD TALK

Zibby is joined by Mira Jacob to talk about her latest book, Good Talk, which was named one of the best books of 2019 by the New York Times Book Review. The graphic memoir was the result of Mira's attempts to answer her young son's questions about race in America while dealing with the political developments of 2016— especially those that took place within her own family. Mira tells Zibby how she was able to assemble this book despite not being an illustrator or a memoirist and how her husband's family has received her side of their shared story.

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Bethany Saltman, STRANGE SITUATION

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Bethany Saltman, STRANGE SITUATION

Writer and poet Bethany Saltman didn't set out to write a memoir but when her research into the life and studies of Mary Ainsworth overlapped with her own childhood, she knew she had to delve into her past. Bethany tells Zibby about how Ainsworth's attachment theories apply to the complicated relationship she had with her older brothers, in which ways her familial past has affected her connection to her own daughter, and what the dynamic with her mother is like today.

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Phoebe Robinson, PLEASE DON'T SIT ON MY BED IN YOUR OUTSIDE CLOTHES

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Phoebe Robinson, PLEASE DON'T SIT ON MY BED IN YOUR OUTSIDE CLOTHES

Zibby is joined by Phoebe Robinson, stand-up comedian, co-creator of 2 Dope Queens, and founder of Tiny Reparations Books, to talk about her latest essay collection, Please Don't Sit on My Bed in Your Outside Clothes. Phoebe shares what inspired her to write a series of essays about the pandemic that did not give readers a simple play-play-play of her quarantine life, why writing an essay about her decision not to have children felt so necessary, and how becoming a boss offered her a new level of empathy for others.

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Jayne Allen, BLACK GIRLS MUST DIE EXHAUSTED

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Jayne Allen, BLACK GIRLS MUST DIE EXHAUSTED

Although Jayne Allen has been writing all of her life, it wasn't until 2016 when she adopted a pseudonym that she finally felt comfortable publishing her debut novel, Black Girls Must Die Exhausted. Now, Jaunique Sealey (the woman behind Jayne Allen) serves as Vice President of Strategy & Community for Zibby Books and her novel is Target's October Book Club pick. Jaunique and Zibby talk about the importance of creating complex characters, why they both like drafting individual scenes first and stitching them together after, and how Jaunique found time in her busy career to write such a beautiful and necessary story.

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R.J. Palacio, PONY

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R.J. Palacio, PONY

After years spent writing within the world of her bestselling book, Wonder, R.J. Palacio's new novel Pony is a stunning change of pace. Set in the American frontier in the 1850s, the "quick epic," as R.J. calls it, grapples with big themes like life, death, and family. R.J. tells Zibby about how her own orphanhood inspired elements of the story, why she scrapped the first version of her manuscript after two years of work and began it from scratch, and the role music played in helping her complete the novel.

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Paula Hawkins, A SLOW FIRE BURNING

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Paula Hawkins, A SLOW FIRE BURNING

Paula Hawkins, the bestselling author of The Girl on the Train, joins Zibby to discuss her latest novel, A Slow Fire Burning which debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. Paula shares how she found her way to thriller writing after working as a business journalist and a rom-com ghostwriter for years, as well as why she has always been drawn to darker stories. The two also talk about how Paula's writing process helps her create such intriguing characters, where she used to go pre-pandemic when she needed inspiration, and what she wants to do next that's not writing.

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Gregg Behr & Joan Koenig, WHEN YOU WONDER, YOU'RE LEARNING and THE MUSICAL CHILD

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Gregg Behr & Joan Koenig, WHEN YOU WONDER, YOU'RE LEARNING and THE MUSICAL CHILD

"This whole notion that learning needs to be difficult to be effective is just wrong. I always used to say a laughing child is a learning child— science proves it now." Gregg Behr, co-author of When You Wonder, You're Learning, and Joan Koenig, author of The Musical Child, come together to talk to Zibby about the importance of emphasizing wonder and creativity in young kids' lives. The three all share ideas about how to make imagination a daily habit in the classroom and at home, which of Mister Rogers' lessons are still essential to teach young children today, and why it is so important that your kids see you express joy.

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Brian Platzer & Abby Freireich, TAKING THE STRESS OUT OF HOMEWORK

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Brian Platzer & Abby Freireich, TAKING THE STRESS OUT OF HOMEWORK

Zibby is joined by Brian Platzer and Abby Freireich, two Manhattan teachers who also run New York's only tutoring company fully staffed by professional classroom teachers, to talk about their new book, Taking the Stress Out of Homework. Brian and Abby share their top tips for how parents can assist with homework in non-invasive ways, the importance of teaching young students how to back-plan their schedules, and why their book doesn't offer a one-size-fits-all approach to learning.

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Renée Rosen, SOCIAL GRACES

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Renée Rosen, SOCIAL GRACES

Although Renée Rosen's latest book is a work of fiction, she manages to tell the incredible true story of the feud between Alva Vanderbilt and Caroline Astor in The Social Graces. Set during the Gilded Age, the book comments on the societal absurdities and paradoxes of the era and examines how women were able to create their own way in the world at a time when they had few guaranteed rights.

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Pam Jenoff, THE WOMAN WITH THE BLUE STAR

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Pam Jenoff, THE WOMAN WITH THE BLUE STAR

Zibby hosted a meeting of the Peloton Moms Book Club where they were joined by Pam Jenoff to discuss her latest novel, The Woman with the Blue Star. Pam answered questions about how her career in the U.S. Foreign Service continues to inspire her books, where she draws the line between the real historical stories she uncovers and the fiction she writes, and how she has found time to write eleven novels (hint: she gets up earlier than she would like).

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Fran Drescher, CANCER SCHMANCER

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Fran Drescher, CANCER SCHMANCER

Zibby is joined by creator and star of The Nanny and founder of The Cancer Schmancer Movement, Fran Drescher, to talk about her 2003 New York Times bestseller, Cancer Schmancer, and how its release changed her life forever. After sharing her journey battling uterine cancer, Fran realized just how common her story was and set out on a mission to help everyone live cleaner and healthier lives. If you'd like to participate in Fran's Mahjong Tournament fundraiser, hosted by Modern Mahjong and benefitting the Cancer Schmancer Movement, sign up at cancerschmancer.org.

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Ruth Ozeki, THE BOOK OF FORM AND EMPTINESS

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Ruth Ozeki, THE BOOK OF FORM AND EMPTINESS

Award-winning writer, professor, and Zen Buddhist priest Ruth Ozeki joins Zibby to discuss her latest novel, The Book of Form and Emptiness. The two talk about capturing the imagination of children's books for adults, how social norms in every culture determine where the line is drawn between creativity and mental illness, and why Ruth sees books as living things.

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Ben Mezrich, THE ANTISOCIAL NETWORK

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Ben Mezrich, THE ANTISOCIAL NETWORK

Ben Mezrich, the bestselling author of Bringing Down the House and The Accidental Billionaires (which was adapted into The Social Network), joins Zibby to discuss his latest thriller, The Antisocial Network. The book chronicles the GameStop stock scandal that took place earlier this year. Ben discusses why his stories often read very cinematically, his unusual path to becoming a writer, and the ways in which his young kids' internet habits reveal our society's economic future.

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Nathan Harris, THE SWEETNESS OF WATER

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Nathan Harris, THE SWEETNESS OF WATER

"I can assure you that moms do find time to read. At least, my mom did." Zibby is joined by Nathan Harris whose debut novel, The Sweetness of Water, was selected as an Oprah Book Club Pick, was on President Obama's 2021 Summer Reading List, and was longlisted for this year's Booker Prize. Nathan shares why he was initially scared to write a novel set immediately after emancipation, how his mom reacted when he told her Oprah had just called him, and the importance of finding a supportive community to share your literary universe with.

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Daisy Dowling, WORKPARENT

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Daisy Dowling, WORKPARENT

Zibby is joined by Daisy Dowling, her beloved fourth-grade teacher's daughter, to discuss Daisy's new book, Workparent. After serving as a corporate executive coach assisting mothers and fathers trying to strike the right work-life balance, Daisy realized there are lessons every working parent can learn. She shares why she made sure to include advice for all types of families, how she structured her research as if she were an architect, and the importance of figuring out your own working-parent template while not comparing yourself to anyone else.

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Jenny Lisk, FUTURE WIDOW

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Jenny Lisk, FUTURE WIDOW

When Jenny Lisk's husband started feeling dizzy one day, they had no idea the cause would be terminal brain cancer. In an instant, Jenny had to become a caretaker to her husband while also figuring out how she was going to parent their two kids as a widow. Now five years later, Jenny hosts the Widowed Parent Podcast and has written her first book, Future Widow, to offer the advice she wishes she had to those in her position as well as friends and family looking to help.

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Fredrik Backman, ANXIOUS PEOPLE

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Fredrik Backman, ANXIOUS PEOPLE

"People affect each other in ways you're not aware of and in ways that you're not expecting." Fredrik Backman, the bestselling author of Beartown and A Man Called Ove, joins Zibby to discuss his latest novel, Anxious People, the #1 bestseller which is now out in paperback. The two talk about the lifelong effects of losing loved ones to suicide, as well as why Fredrik prefers to work through the tragic death of his friend in his comedic books instead of his dramatic stories. They also connect over their shared belief that parenthood is often a thankless job.

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Hank Phillippi Ryan, HER PERFECT LIFE

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Hank Phillippi Ryan, HER PERFECT LIFE

Zibby is joined by 37-time Emmy award-winning journalist and bestselling author Hank Phillippi Ryan to discuss her latest novel, Her Perfect Life. Hank shares which elements of her own life inspired storylines for her protagonist and when she decided to take the leap into writing fiction. Hank also tells Zibby about the inner conflict that arises when breaking a news story and where she draws the line between hurting and helping people.

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