Janny Scott, THE BENEFICIARY
Totally Booked with Zibby
04/13/20
•25m
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Janny Scott is the author of the New York Times best-selling book A Singular Woman: The Untold Story of Barack Obama's Mother and most recently, The Beneficiary: Fortune, Misfortune and the Story of My Father. As a reporter for The New York Times from 1994 to 2008, Janny was a member of the reporting team that won the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting. Janny’s latest book, The Beneficiary, was chosen as one of The New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2019 and one of NPR's Favorite Books of 2019. This family memoir explores three generations of Janny’s wealthy, aristocratic, Pennsylvania family and the effect this upbringing had on her and, primarily, her father. Jenny shared that her inspiration for the story was the combination of a literary urge to learn to write in a different way, combined with a deeply emotional feeling about her dad. Janny and I discussed her father’s journals and the role alcoholism has played in her family’s story. Janny shared her thoughts on family wealth and why it can often be a double-edged sword. Be sure to listen for the bit of family lore about The Philadelphia Story and Janny’s visits to a place she calls “The Bureau."
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(Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.)
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Previous Episode
Ashley Prentice Norton, THE CHOCOLATE MONEY
April 10, 2020
•21m
Ashley Prentice Norton is the author of novels The Chocolate Money and If You Left. Ashley and I discussed both her books during this interview! The Chocolate Money (which I read years ago at a book club I was in!) follows a dysfunctional family dynamic (and is almost a memoir). If You Left deals with a privileged but damaged Manhattan wife whose marriage is threatened. Ashley bravely talked about her struggles with depression, enduring electric shock therapy and continuing to write throughout. We discussed the flawed notion that manic depression leads to a creative life and how to deal with the worries that constantly seems to be surrounding us. I loved hearing about Ashley's creative process and her feeling that "timed writing" is the best way to write.
** 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.
Next Episode
Joanna Hershon, ST. IVO
April 14, 2020
•25m
Joanna Hershon is the author of the novels, Swimming, The Outside of August, The German Bride, A Dual Inheritance and, as of the pub day today (!!), St. Ivo. St. Ivo is a psychological/emotional story that centers on a married couple with something out of control in their lives (don’t want to spoil the plot!!) and how they cope during a reunion with two old friends during a weekend in the country. This book deals with how individuals cope with uncertainty and is a timely read for this moment in time! Joanna and I discussed how being what she calls a “recovering actress” influences her writing and her interest in how humans move through the stages of trauma and loss. Joanna shared how writing can feel like time spent with a companion and the idea that writers are often exploring their unconscious anxieties through their work. Make sure you listen in to hear about the encounter on the subway that inspired this book! Joanna's writing has appeared in Granta, The New York Times, One Story, Virginia Quarterly Review, and two literary anthologies, Brooklyn Was Mine and Freud’s Blind Spot. She teaches in the creative writing department at Columbia University and lives in Brooklyn with her husband, the painter Derek Buckner.
** 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.
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