May 23, 2024
Joanna Rakoff is the author of the international bestselling memoir My Salinger Year and the bestselling novel A Fortunate Age, winner of the Goldberg Prize for Fiction and the Elle Readers’ Prize. Rakoff’s books have been translated into twenty languages, and the film adaptation of My Salinger Year opened in theaters worldwide in 2021 and is now streaming. She has been the recipient of fellowships and residencies from MacDowell, Sewanee, Bread Loaf, Jerome Foundation, Authors’ Guild, PEN, Ragdale Foundation, Art OMI/Ledig House, and Saltonstall; and has taught at Columbia University, Brooklyn College, and Aspen Words. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian, O: The Oprah Magazine, Vogue, Elle, Porter, and elsewhere, and her new memoir, The Fifth Passenger, is forthcoming from Little, Brown in 2024.
The film adaptation of My Salinger Year stars Margaret Qualley as Joanna and Sigourney Weaver as her boss. Directed by Oscar-nominee Philippe Falardeau, the film opened in sixty-five countries in 2021, and is available for streaming wherever you rent movies.
In this episode:
Discovering the real theme of your memoir
The game Joanna plays with herself to make her stories come alive
How to build out every character in your memoir so they are not one dimensional
The experience of having your writing adapted into a movie
Why it’s essential to add research into your memoir
The fine art of excavating memories
The power of fear to bring out creativity when writing
Tips for writers on how to write without distraction
Connect with Joanna:
Instagram: @Joanna Rakoff https://www.instagram.com/JoannaRakoff
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JoannaRakoffAuthor/
Order My Salinger Year on Estelle’s Bookshop
https://bookshop.org/p/books/my-salinger-year-joanna-rakoff/9799872?ean=9780307947987
Other Episodes Mentioned
Episode #39 Kelly McMasters: The Literary Gifts of the Leaving Season
https://estelleserasmus.com/39-the-literary-gifts-of-the-leaving-season/
Episode #81 The Art of Shaping a Compelling Story Featuring Maggie Smith
https://estelleserasmus.com/81-the-art-of-shaping-a-compelling-story-featuring-maggie-smith/
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https://www.shondaland.com/live/family/a46102451/im-learning-to-listen-in-new-ways/
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https://www.writersdigest.com/getting-published/what-to-do-pre-launch-to-get-your-book-noticed
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https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-resist-ai-temptation-writing/