Podcast Summary: Totally Booked with Zibby

Episode: My Kids’ Teacher, Ani Katz, Writes Another Novel

Host: Zibby Owens
Guest: Ani Katz
Date: March 10, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, recorded live at the Whitby, Zibby Owens interviews novelist, photographer, and teacher Ani Katz—who also happens to have taught one of Zibby’s children. The conversation centers on Ani’s second novel, Haven, the writing process behind it, balancing teaching with writing, the complexities of dark fiction, and Ani’s journey to becoming a published author. The episode offers a blend of personal anecdotes, insights into craft, and thoughts on nurturing young writers and resilience in creative life.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction & Personal Connection (04:19 – 04:55)

• Zibby introduces Ani as a former teacher of her son and the only novelist at the Totally Booked Live event.
• Warm exchange highlighting their shared history and mutual excitement.

2. The Premise of Haven (05:02 – 06:11)

• Ani shares her “elevator pitch”:
  “It is like Rosemary’s Baby but with tech bros instead of Satanists. So that’s the basic premise.” (05:02, Ani Katz)
• The inspiration came from a friend’s family story: a couple with a new baby in a party house at Fire Island—and, in the fictional version, “the baby is going to go missing, which is not what happened in real life, just what happened in the novel.”

3. From Thriller to Social Commentary (06:11 – 07:18)

• Ani speaks about wanting to write a locked room thriller with few characters and a constrained setting.
• The project grew deeper as she layered in personal and political anxieties:
  “It became much more than just that original thriller.” (07:13, Ani Katz)

4. Motherhood: Yearning, Anxiety, and Authenticity (07:18 – 09:42)

• Zibby spotlights themes of motherhood, identity, memory, trust, and the uncertainty of early parenting in Haven.
• Ani reveals she wrote most of the book before becoming a mother, during a long, difficult fertility journey:
  “What informed most of my writing about motherhood was not being a mother yet, desiring to be a mother and experiencing a really painful medicalized path... that was really alienating and produced a lot of anxiety.” (07:56, Ani Katz)
• After her daughter’s birth, Ani revised the novel to add details gleaned from firsthand experience:
  “One detail... when you have the newborn and you wake up from whatever pocket of sleep you've gotten and you're convinced that the baby is stuck under the blankets with you... because of the sleep deprivation.” (09:04, Ani Katz)

5. Corporate Tech, Ethical Dilemmas, and Societal Fears (09:52 – 11:59)

• Discussion of Adam’s job in the novel—working in tech’s ethically gray areas:
  “What’s today’s sort of ethically murky job that affords you a lot of privilege... but has certain baggage attached? And I thought, well, of course he works in tech.” (10:15, Ani Katz)
• Ani connects her narrative to real-world technological anxieties and the mistrust of institutions post-pandemic:
  “There are all these tech companies... purporting to make life better, but are they really making life better, or is it just sort of adding more noise?” (10:51, Ani Katz)
• She returns to the Rosemary’s Baby analogy: “Where is the evil coming from and where... is the demand to make these sort of compromises that really ultimately threaten our own humanity?” (11:46, Ani Katz)

6. Artistic Journey: From Visual Art to Writing (11:59 – 14:42)

• Ani’s path: Passion for visual arts → writing in high school → back to art and photography in college → rediscovering writing while in an MFA program for photography.
• Turning point:
  “The work that I was making felt like it really needed text to go along with it. And so I started writing more and more.” (13:14, Ani Katz)
• Encouragement from a professor led her to write her first (unpublished) novel; she describes this as “the process of figuring out, ‘yes, I can do this.’”
• Ani fell into teaching, but found it deeply rewarding alongside her creative pursuits.

7. Publishing the First (and Second) Novel (17:44 – 21:19)

• Ani’s first published novel, A Good Man, originated from a friend's family tragedy, resulting in a dark, unreliable narrator-driven story.
• She reflects on the challenges of selling a very dark debut:
  “It was so, it is so dark that we had a lot of editors who were interested... and then they would come back and say, actually, not sure how we’re going to market this.” (19:48, Ani Katz)
• Ani credits her agent’s persistence and shares the anxiety of waiting for news during her teaching job.
• Memorable moment:
  “I’d sneak outside... and there was a dog park right next to the school. And I’d be sort of crouched down out of the wind next to this dog park... as she was telling me about, you know, yet another roadblock that we were hitting. It’s a very visceral memory of that time.” (20:57, Ani Katz)

8. Navigating Rejection and the Role of Teaching (21:25 – 22:55)

• Ani describes teaching as a healthy counterbalance to rejection in the publishing world:
  “It was actually great to just go back into the classroom... helping these kids grow as people and... with their own creative work and writing... has been one of the best things for me.” (22:51, Ani Katz)

9. Writing and Reading Darkness (22:55 – 24:26)

• Zibby questions the origins of Ani’s dark storytelling.
• Ani candidly notes:
  “I am drawn to dark books. Especially when I was writing Haven, I actually was reading a lot of science fiction, speculative horror, these authors... not afraid to go to a place of something really sort of disturbing.” (23:12, Ani Katz)
• She reflects on art’s ability to mirror dark times and her own tendency to move toward exploring discomfort, even when she sets out to write something light.

10. Parental Reactions and Being a Teacher-Author (24:31 – 25:33)

• Many parents at her school are aware of her books:
  “I had parents the year that [my first book] came out who... told me that they read it, they loved it, they were really happy that their child was in my class. Which if you’ve read the book is an interesting thing to say.” (24:31, Ani Katz)
• Notably, she notices a spike in sales when class lists are sent to parents.

11. Fostering Young Writers (25:33 – 27:22)

• Zibby asks how Ani helps young people find their voices and keep hope.
• Ani describes her optimism for her students:
  “They are resilient, but they are definitely paying attention... they see what worries their parents. That rubs off on them as well... My goal is for them to... meet their authentic selves... If they need to make something dark... it’s my job to just help them find where they need to go...” (25:50, Ani Katz)
• She emphasizes being a supportive presence rather than a strict guide.

12. What’s Next? (27:22 – 28:06)

• Ani reveals she has written a middle grade novel:
  “The elevator pitch for that one is that it’s Blade Runner set at a New York City private school.” (27:46, Ani Katz)
• Zibby expresses excitement about reading Ani's upcoming work.

Notable Quotes

• On the book's concept:
  “It is like Rosemary’s Baby but with tech bros instead of Satanists.”
  —Ani Katz (05:02)

• On portraying motherhood:
  “What informed most of my writing about motherhood was not being a mother yet, desiring to be a mother and experiencing a really painful medicalized path to motherhood that was really alienating and produced a lot of anxiety.”
  —Ani Katz (07:56)

• On ethical gray areas in tech:
  “Are they really making life better, or is it just sort of adding more noise?”
  —Ani Katz (10:51)

• On managing rejection:
  “It was actually great to just go back into the classroom... helping these kids grow as people... has been one of the best things for me in my own creative practice.”
  —Ani Katz (22:51)

• On nurturing students:
  “If they need to make something dark... it's my job to just help them find where they need to go and be there... waving at the shore in case they need help.”
  —Ani Katz (25:50)

• On her upcoming work:
  “It’s Blade Runner set at a New York City private school.”
  —Ani Katz (27:46)

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |-------------|--------------------------------------------------------------| | 04:19 | Episode begins, Zibby & Ani reconnect, book introduction | | 05:02 | Ani describes the premise of Haven | | 07:18 | Discussing motherhood in fiction & life | | 09:52 | The tech industry, secrets, and conspiracy themes in Haven | | 11:59 | Ani’s path from art to writing | | 17:44 | How her first published novel came to be | | 19:48 | Struggles of selling a dark debut | | 21:25 | Coping with rejection & teaching as a creative stabilizer | | 22:55 | Attraction to dark fiction & dark times | | 24:31 | How parents react to her dual role as teacher and novelist | | 25:33 | Teaching, resilience, and the next generation of storytellers| | 27:22 | Ani’s forthcoming middle grade novel |

Memorable Moments

• The warm, witty banter about Ani having been Zibby’s son’s third-grade teacher, and whether “she’s just saying that” about her son being a favorite student (04:23 – 04:41).
• Ani’s memorable, quirky descriptor for her new book’s core hook (“Rosemary’s Baby meets tech bros”—05:02).
• Honest reflection on how creative limits shaped Haven ("I work really well with limitations..."—06:33).
• Candid discussion of the paradox of parents buying her book after learning she’s their child’s teacher (24:31).
• The delightfully dystopian elevator pitch for her next project: Blade Runner in a prep school (27:46).

Overall Tone & Style

Friendly, intimate, and openly reflective—the conversation is marked by mutual respect, candor, and a shared love of books and teaching. Ani speaks with humility and self-awareness, not shying away from dark themes or the realities of publishing. Zibby’s warmth and curiosity foster a relatable, conversational tone throughout the interview.

For Listeners

• Fans of literary thrillers, dark fiction, and stories inspired by real-life complexities will particularly enjoy this conversation.
• Aspiring writers will appreciate the frank discussion on navigating creative careers, setbacks, and the importance of creative community and resilience.
• Educators and parents will find insight in Ani’s comments on nurturing young voices in a challenging world.

Tip

If you’re curious about the book Haven or want to support teacher-authors, this episode is a must-listen for its blend of craft, personal journey, and behind-the-scenes insights!