Please Don’t Sit on My Bed in Your Outside Clothes is Phoebe Robinson’s latest essay collection that promises to “make you laugh until you pee a little, feel until you want to rage a little, and think until you go back to laughing a little.” We spoke with author Phoebe Robinson about the inspiration for Please Don’t Sit on My Bed in Your Outside Clothes, her favorite Brooklyn bookstores, and more!
Please Don’t Sit on My Bed in Your Outside Clothes
By Phoebe Robinson • Narrated by the author
“Strikes the perfect balance of brutally honest and laugh out loud funny. I didn’t want it to end.”
Mindy Kaling, New York Times bestselling author of Why Not Me?
Please tell us a little bit about what inspired you to write this book and how this story took shape for you.
Early on quarantine, I was noticing all the funny ways my boyfriend and I were adjusting to being inside with each other all the time and I thought “Huh, that could be an essay.” Plus, the truth is I was subconsciously looking for a creative outlet since so much of my work dried up because of COVID. So as I was having all these thoughts about quarantining, the state of the world with the Summer 2020 uprisings, missing traveling, etc., I thought there might be a book if I could crack that nut. And I did, so here we are! 🙂
In two sentences or less, what’s something that might surprise Libro.fm listeners about your audiobook?
This is probably my most vulnerable book, so I allowed moments of seriousness without immediately trying to diffuse it with humor. Maturity, baby!
Have you listened to your own audiobook?
I don’t listen to my audiobooks. After writing them and spending hours recording the audiobook, I’m like…”I trust the editor. I need a break from myself.”
Are you an audiobook listener? If so, what are some of your favorite audiobooks?
I don’t listen to them that often ONLY because I love the weight of a book in my hand. I love smelling the books. Haha. Hard to smell an mp3, but when I figure that out, I’ll be audiobooking left and right.
I do love anything by Mindy Kaling! She makes me laugh so much!
Why Not Me?
By Mindy Kaling • Narrated by the author, Greg Daniels & B. J. Novak
What have independent bookstores and/or booksellers meant to you personally and professionally?
I love Greenlight Bookstore and Books Are Magic. I live in Brooklyn, so I like being able to pop over to them and buying until my heart’s content.
Header photo by Yavez Anthonio