This is Fresh Air. I'm Terry Gross. Our guest, comedian writer and actor,

a partner, Non-Chairla, is known for her stand-up about her anxiety and depression.

Now she has a book about having a poster syndrome. She talked about it with Fresh

Air's Anne-Marie Baldenado.

By most measures, comedian, actor, and writer, Aparna Non-Chairla,

has had a lot of career success. She's a stand-up comic, who's consistently been on lists of

the funniest people right now, and comedians to watch for her humor that she herself calls

low-key and cerebral. She's had specials on Netflix and Comedy Central. She has a comedy

album called Just Putting It Out There. She's written for shows like Totally Bias with W.

Kamau Bell and Late Night with Seth Meyers, and she's written for The New York Times.

If this interview was happening at any other time, and there wasn't a writer's guild of

America Strike and a SAG actress strike, I'd be asking her about all this and her many acting

roles, including parts in shows like Bojack Horseman, Corporate, Space Force, and Master of None.

Instead, I'll be asking her about her book of personal essays. In it, she examines her life

in career and the anxiety and depression that she often talks about in her stand-up.

You know, sometimes when you tell people you have anxiety, they're always like, well,

you know, there's nothing to fear, but fear itself. It's like, okay, have you checked out

some of Fear's work? It's like pretty much turning out solid gold hits.

And like if you don't have anxiety, the way I would describe it is like there's an edgy improv

group in your brain, and it just needs like a one-word suggestion

to spin like countless scenarios that no one's comfortable with.

I mean the whole time you're just like, when will this show be over? I just came to be supportive.

...