Jessica St. Clair on Her and Casey Wilson’s New Audiobook on Small Talk: ‘A Love Letter to Kim Kardashian’ (Exclusive)

Casey Wilson and Jessica St. Clair learned an important lesson about small talk from an unexpected source in a bathroom at the Javits Center in New York. “My best friend Lennon Parham and I had to pump breast milk,” St. Clair, 47, tells PEOPLE. “So we’re like two cows attached to these breast pumping machines. And it was some announcements for a television show that, of course, was probably canceled the next day, but we were forced to be there. And who comes out of the booth? Kim Kardashian. And she walked her little Skims paw right up to me and put her hand on my shoulder and said, ‘I’ve been there.'” “If this book is nothing more than a love letter to Kim Kardashian, I’m fine with that,” she adds.

Kim Kardashian.

Steve Granitz/FilmMagic

The book in question is the upcoming audio book by Wilson and St. Claire, The art of small talk, announced exclusively with PEOPLE. The meeting of St. Claira with Kardashian is just one example of meaningful small talk — a topic that’s more influential than some might think, discussed by authors, actresses and comedians Wilson and St. Clair.

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The idea for the six-hour audiobook, says Wilson, was born out of the pandemic. “One loss we felt was simple: our lack of interaction with people, especially when you’re shooting with— with people you don’t know,” says Wilson, 43. “And for most people, we realized it’s an absolute nightmare. But for us it was like having a cable pulled out of the wall when we couldn’t talk to strangers.”

Casey Wilson.

Mike Rosenthal

“The reason we wrote this audiobook is because people who think they hate chatting, they don’t,” says St. Clair.

Wilson and St. Clair use humor and expert research to explore the many benefits of small talk. One way to look at it is as an act of kindness, both to yourself and to the other person. Another is to see it from different perspectives. Both Wilson and St. Clair agree that the audiobook, which will contain snippets of the participants’ small conversations, will be helpful for both introverts and extroverts. “Our instincts as extroverts, to help someone be better at a conversation, are actually the opposite of what an introvert needs,” says St. Clair. If both extroverts and introverts read the book, it would also be useful in bridging the gap between personality types.

Jessica St. Clair and Casey Wilson.

Getty (2)

“Whether or not you’re someone who thinks you’re comfortable talking, you might be making someone more uncomfortable without realizing it,” says St. Clair.The art of small talk will also include interviews with a variety of personalities, including mental health professionals and comedians, such as Colin Quinn and Amy Poehler, for whom St. Clair says they’re “some of the best chatters in the business.”

“She has a way of being in the world of small talk because, obviously, a lot of people want to talk to her, which makes everyone feel important, seen and heard. But as soon as she’s in, she’s out, so there are techniques,” adds Wilson.

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Amy Poehler. Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

However, both Wilson and St. Clair agree that small talk is more than just a way to fill the time. “I had an experience when someone tells you something [and] it’s almost like you’re meant to have that conversation,” says Wilson. “Jess and I believe there’s some cosmic, spiritual component to conversation that actually, even if you don’t believe it, just makes life more fun.” It can also save a life, said St. Clair knows. Small talk allowed her to get an earlier doctor’s appointment when she had a life-threatening medical scare.

Jessica St. Clair.

Christopher Polk/NBC

“When people see you as a person, as a human being with a soul, and that can be achieved through small talk, you can get these life-saving opportunities that you wouldn’t have,” she says.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Since the holidays are coming up, Wilson and St. Clair also came up with a few ways to keep the conversation going during family gatherings. One of their tips is to talk about “safe topics.” A few examples? Golden girlsTravis Kelce and Taylor Swift and cults. “Just things that everyone can rally around and have an opinion on that ultimately don’t matter,” Wilson says.The art of small talk will be available on March 5, 2024 from Pushkin Industries.

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Source: HIS Education