Talks & Entertainment

A close friendship is one of the most influential and important relationships in our lives. But for all the rosy sentiments surrounding friendship, most people don’t talk much about what it really takes to stay close for the long haul.

In Big Friendship, Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman—hosts of the hit podcast “Call Your Girlfriend”—tell the story of their equally messy and life-affirming friendship in an honest and hilarious book chronicling the first decade in each other’s lives.

Aminatou and Ann define “big friendship” as a strong, significant bond that transcends life phases, geographical locations, and emotional shifts. And they should know: the two have had moments of charmed bliss and deep frustration, of profound connection and gut-wrenching alienation. They have weathered life-threatening health scares, getting fired from dream jobs, and one unfortunate Thanksgiving dinner eaten in a parking lot in Rancho Cucamonga. Through interviews with friends and experts, they have come to understand that their struggles are not unique and that the most important part of a big friendship is making the decision to invest in one another again and again.

Aminatou and Ann will be in conversation with Mari Andrew, a writer, artist, and New York Times bestselling author of Am I There Yet?: The Loop-de-loop, Zigzagging Journey to Adulthood.