Her short stories have appeared in the New Yorker, Paris Review, and other publications.[3] She has also written music and film reviews, as well as articles about children's media, for the Village Voice.[3] Her first book, the sci-fi novel The Only Ones, was published by Two Dollar Radio in 2015. The Washington Post's Nancy Hightower named it one of the best science fiction books of 2015.[4]
Dibbell married music critic Robert Christgau, who introduced her to music criticism in 1974.[3][5] They adopted a daughter, Nina Dibbell Christgau.[6]