June 15, 2023

Sneak Peek: Writer Samantha Irby makes the case for enjoying frivolous things

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Summary

Podcast Episode Summary

The main topic of this episode of Apple News In Conversation is Samantha Irby's new book, "Quietly Hostile," a collection of essays that showcase her humorous and relatable writing style. The episode features a conversation between Shamita and Samantha Irby, where they discuss her writing process, handling deadlines, and the importance of embracing frivolous things in life.

Key Points:

Samantha Irby emphasizes the importance of liking what you like, no matter how seemingly frivolous it may seem.
She discusses her writing process, stating that she only writes when she knows where the story is going to end.
Irby shares her approach to handling deadlines, which involves focusing on the story's ending and making everything else "low stakes."
The conversation touches on the significance of embracing the little things in life, which often go unappreciated.
Irby also shares her perspective on life, stating that it can be terrible, but that's no reason to not do what makes you happy.

Participants:

Shamita: The host of Apple News In Conversation
Samantha Irby: The guest writer and author of "Quietly Hostile"

Embracing your interests and passions, no matter how frivolous they may seem, is essential to a happy and fulfilling life.
Having a clear understanding of where your writing is headed can help you stay focused and productive.
Deadlines can be managed by focusing on the story's ending and making the rest of the process "low stakes."
Appreciating the little things in life can bring joy and make life more meaningful.

Show Notes

Samantha Irby is many things: blogger; essayist; and writer for shows like Shrill, And Just Like That …, and Work in Progress. Above all, she is a master of transforming seemingly mundane moments of everyday life into high comedy. Irby sat down with Apple News In Conversation host Shumita Basu to talk about her new book, Quietly Hostile, her writing process, turning herself into a TV character, and why frivolous things matter. This is a preview of their conversation.

Transcript

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Shumita Basu: Hey there, it's Shamita here. On this week's episode of Apple News In Conversation, hear the incredibly funny writer Samantha Irby make the case for liking what you like, no matter how frivolous it seems.

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Samantha Irby: I'm never moved to do things like that, right. I will sit in my car and grip the steering wheel and feel like I'm about to explode, it's just inside and it's always about things that don't matter that much, yeah it's the little things.

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Shumita Basu: Yes. Yes. That you keep just simmering below the surface.

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Samantha Irby: We talk about her process, whether it's writing for television shows like the Sex and the City reboot, her blog, or her books. I think that the difference between my book writing and my other writing is I write to an ending, I know where it's going to go. If I don't know where it's going to go, I don't write it.

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Shumita Basu: How she handles deadlines.

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Samantha Irby: I think I maybe learned too early that, like, if you don't die at the end, it's fine. Yeah, everything below death is low stakes. Yes! Yeah, and even then, if it's peaceful, I'll take it.

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Shumita Basu: And why frivolous things matter.

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Samantha Irby: Life is terrible. And if you're old enough to not have to do things for school assignments, then you should do whatever you want that makes you happy.

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Shumita Basu: My full conversation with Samantha Irby is out now. To find it, search for Apple News in conversation in the podcast app.