Next year, fans of the "Normal Gossip" podcast will have the chance to dig even further into the juiciest stories that have filled their ears over the last few years.
Host Kelsey McKinney is releasing a book, "You Didn't Hear This From Me: (Mostly) True Notes on Gossip," on Feb. 11. The essay collection covers everything from her thoughts on cultural icons like Brittany Spears to critical theory on gossip itself: how it can be weaponized, whether or not we should feel guilty for doing it, and its role in parasocial relationships.
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"Normal Gossip" was created during the pandemic after McKinney found herself missing gossip while everyone was isolated. She created the podcast to share listener-submitted stories of everyday people. The show, now in its fourth season, is one of the top 100 podcasts on Spotify and announced a tour this year.
"What I want this book to do is to be a space that people who don’t want to listen to the podcast or don’t care about stories you might tell your friend at a bar can still read this book and be like, ‘Oh, I’m fascinated by the way that gossip moves in the world or the way we use it and abuse it,’” the South Philly resident told Elle.
"You Didn't Hear This From Me" is McKinney's second book; her first is "God Spare the Girls," which is about two Texas sisters who discover a secret about their father, an evangelical pastor.
"Gossip is part of what makes us human. It was such a delight to not just collect more gossip, but also to dive into all my favorite questions, like: Why do we gossip? Can robots gossip? Are we actually entitled to every detail of a celebrity’s personal life? And is gossip really a sin? I can’t wait to share what I overheard — I mean, found — with readers,” McKinney said in a statement.
"You Didn't Hear This From Me" from Grand Central Publishing is available for preorder here.