In conversation with podcaster and author Kelsey McKinney

“America’s most talented comic writer” (The New Republic), Samantha Irby is the author of four essay collections, including Wow, No Thank you.; Meaty; New Year, Same Trash: Resolutions I Absolutely Did Not Keep; and the New York Times bestseller We Are Never Meeting in Real Life. In her celebrated long-running blog, bitches gotta eat, she offers hot takes on her sometimes messy personal life, pop culture, and, of course, food. Named one of the most anticipated books of 2023 by TIME magazine, Oprah Daily, and numerous other media outlets, Irby’s latest essay collection delves into, among other issues, the minutiae of restaurant dress codes, speaking with teenagers, and the shifting moods of the insane dog she adopted during the pandemic.

Kelsey McKinney is the host and writer of the podcast Normal Gossip, a features writer at defector.com, and a widely published freelance writer. She is also the author of God Spare the Girls, a 2021 debut novel that was recommended by Elle, Refinery29, and Oprah Daily, among many other media outlets.