In this episode, we speak with Evelyn McDonnell on her latest book on the literary figure Joan Didion. Evelyn has written or edited eight books, from "Rock She Wrote: Women Write about Rock, Pop and Rap" to "The World According to Joan Didion." Her articles for The Miami Herald, The Village Voice, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Billboard, Ms., and elsewhere have won numerous awards. Evelyn is a professor of journalism and faculty director of Media, Arts & a Just Society at Loyola Marymount University.
Evelyn had been talking about writing this book for some time with her publishers. Trying to write a biography of a person who's still alive is never easy, especially for such a vaulted figure as Joan Didion.
After her death, the book had a context of also trying to explain Didion's legacy in the wake of many articles that came out on Didion. Evelyn wrote this book because there was so much interest in Joan Didion, but also hype around her.
Listen in to hear more about Didion's Contrasts and Transformations including significant connections between Evelyn and Joan.