Zibby is joined by Sybille van Kempen, author of the Loaves & Fishes Farm Series cookbooks and owner of the Loaves & Fishes Foodstore, which Zibby has been visiting for nearly her entire life. Sybille talks about the importance of using local ingredients and why she wanted to create seasonal cookbooks. You can order the self-published series at loavesandfishes.us.
“Music is not about music. Music is about life. If we lose sight of what life is about, then our music suffers.” Grammy Award-winning musician Victor Wooten joins Zibby to talk about his new book, The Spirit of Music. The two discuss Victor’s rich cultural upbringing, the inspiration for his books, and the influence nature has on both his performances and his immersive music camp.
"The funny thing is, that's what we did as a family: some families take vacations, my family worked together." Lyn Nguyen talks with Zibby about her book, Mango and Peppercorns: A Memoir of Food, an Unlikely Family, and the American Dream, which she co-wrote with her mother Tung and her mother's business partner, Katherine Manning. Lyn shares stories about the mentalities her mother instilled in her, the relationship she has with Kathy ("she is, in many ways, my second mom"), and what life has been like at the family restaurant, Hy Vong, during the pandemic.
"I think most people do doubt their decisions. It's so human to just be like, 'Have I done the right thing here?'" Debut novelist and fellow podcaster Emma Gannon joins Zibby to talk about her shift from nonfiction to fiction writing, the research that helped to create her characters, and why she wanted to approach the weighty decision to have a child with lightness and humor.
"So many people in America focus on the concept of greatness, on power and prestige, and celebrity and money. I'm really interested in the folks who do the small things that make our communities click." Mark Shriver joins Zibby to discuss the everyday heroes who inspired his children's book, Hidden Heroes, as well as the lessons he continues to learn from his illustrious parents and the mentalities he hopes he has imparted on his own kids.
"I was born in 1960, which is pretty much when, as a culture, we started exercising. I was interested in the way my own life overlaid that cultural history." Cartoonist and memoirist Alison Bechdel talks with Zibby about her latest book, The Secret to Superhuman Strength, and the ways in which exercising has both reflected and shaped the stages of her life, from adopting new routines based on cultural trends to analyzing how exercise intersects with mortality.
Lisa Gardner joins Zibby to discuss her latest thriller, Before She Disappeared, as well as how she grew attached to both the story and the novel's protagonist, Frankie. Lisa also shares how her writing practice has shifted over her decades-long career and why she wants to tell different kinds of law enforcement stories.
"You're always three questions away from a world-class conversation.” Bestselling author of The Middle Place, Glitter and Glue, and Tell Me More Kelly Corrigan joins Zibby (for a second time!) to discuss her new picture book, Hello World!, which teaches readers of any age the importance of getting to know those around them. Everyone has a own story to share. Think: question marks, not periods.
"You can't control what's going to happen, but you can control the inputs that you put in to make a certain outcome more likely." Fitness coach and founder of Girls Gone Strong Molly Galbraith talks with Zibby about her journey of learning to love her body and the skills that helped her feel her most confident. Molly's book, Strong Women Lift Each Other Up, offers the tools she used to help women stop comparing themselves to others so that overcome their personal struggles and support one another.
"It's sort of an invitation to a million conversations.” Author, editor, and podcast host Stephanie Butnick shares the inspiration behind "The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia: From Abraham to Zabar’s and Everything in Between,” a book she wrote along with her fellow Tablet Magazine’s ‘Unorthodox’ cohosts. Between frequent interruptions, Stephanie and Zibby discuss all things Jewish in this candid, humorous, and accessible conversation.
Actress and author Robinne Lee discusses the inspiration behind the May-December romance in her novel, The Idea of You, and how birthing her first child lead to birthing her first publication. She shares with Zibby the deep attachment she felt to her characters and the separation anxiety she experienced once the book was complete, highlighting the trauma that comes with letting go of a fictitious love.
"I tried to write a narrative that would talk about the collisions of full-throttle life and what happens to women who are over forty who don't remain in that happily-ever-after state.” Gina Frangello discusses her new memoir, Blow Your House Down, and how through it she wants to challenge "the invisibility of middle-aged and older women and this false assumption that our inner lives and our changes and our evolutions just sort of stop after we get married and we have children.” She honestly discusses her past extramarital affair, and contemplates the surreal experience of leading many lives.
