I Couldn't Throw It Out

I Couldn't Throw It Out

Revisit pop culture history as former People Magazine reporter Michael Small and guests decide the fate of the treasures they've saved for decades, including never-heard celebrity interviews, rare memorabilia, and maybe a little junk. Will it be an epic case of Swedish Death Cleaning? Or an epic fail?

Recent Episodes

Mother's Day Ritual: Share what she gave you
May 7, 2026

Mother's Day Ritual: Share what she gave you

Have you saved treasures from your mom? Find and share them for a revealing -- and emotional -- tribute

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My Fun, Strange Adventures with Fabio
April 2, 2026

My Fun, Strange Adventures with Fabio

How I helped the long-haired, bare-chested model leap from the cover of romance novels to the cover of People Magazine
Olympics Outtake? The Treasure Toss
Feb. 23, 2026

Olympics Outtake? The Treasure Toss

Watch or listen as artist Joyce Seymore commits the daring feat of throwing out an item she saved for 50 years (8-minute mini-episode)
What a much-loved partner left behind
Jan. 19, 2026

What a much-loved partner left behind

Janny Scott explains how saving things helped her grieve – and preserve her connection with journalist Joseph Lelyveld
Happy Ending! A Violinist's Dream Comes True
Dec. 16, 2025

Happy Ending! A Violinist's Dream Comes True

You heard how I smashed violins as kid (in a previous episode). Hear how I saved one as an adult.

Recent Blog Posts

My Mom - The Performer
May 9, 2026

My Mom - The Performer

Do you have videos of your mom on your phone?  If so, Mother's Day is the time to share them. So I'll start the trend.  Here are favorite videos of my mom Doris. You can tell she's a born performer from the unusual letters we share in our …

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Missing mom on Mother's Day? This story's for you
May 7, 2026

Missing mom on Mother's Day? This story's for you

On Mother's Day, I feel lucky that my mom -- who died eight years ago -- left behind her ideas about motherhood and mortality. She ripped into her own mother, in a funny way, in a letter to my sister and me. (Hear it on our Mother's Day …

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Joe Lelyveld: Remembering A Great Journalist
Jan. 20, 2026

Joe Lelyveld: Remembering A Great Journalist

A few months ago, I didn't understand that Joseph Lelyveld was one of the greatest journalists of our time.  Two of his books were on our shelves. But I had never read them. And even though I met Joe briefly at a party, he barely said a word to…

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About the Hosts

Michael Small Profile Photo
Michael Small

Host

Michael Small, the host of I Couldn't Throw It Out, was a PEOPLE Magazine reporter for 15 years before becoming a manager of websites for Wired, Entertainment Weekly, and Rolling Stone, among others. Most recently, he was a product manager at MSNBC.com and NBC News Digital.

Michael can be seen telling stories on Youtube in the NYC storytelling showcase Tale. His plays have been presented in the New York International Theater Festival and The HOWL Festival. He and BT McNicholl co-wrote the book for the musical The IT Girl, which debuted Off Broadway in 2001 and is now performed regionally. His new musical The History of Light, which updates Gilbert and Sullivan songs with pop and hip-hop, was performed in a public reading at L.A.'s La Mirada Theater.

Michael's 1992 book Break It Down: The Inside Story of Rap included interviews with more than 60 hip-hop artists. And, yes, he also ghostwrote the biography of the superhunk Fabio. If you need a copy, let him know.

Sally Libby Profile Photo
Sally Libby

Co-Host

Sally LIbby, the co-host of I Couldn't Throw It Out, has a book of humorous verse in the works about the movers and shakers in world history. She and Michael Small co-wrote a parody of tax preparation manuals called Up Your Income Tax. (Unfortunately, the publisher went out of business when the book was being printed. More on that in the podcast.) After college, Sally worked at ad agencies in Boston and Miami before deciding to focus on raising her two children, including the podcast's art director Riley Welsh. Sally is a life-long lover of puns and dogs, and an inveterate question asker, which earned her a major role on I Couldn't Throw It Out.