Watching the relationship between Julia Child and Judith Jones in “Julia” on Max inspired me to read “The Tenth Muse,” and I cannot wait to read “The Editor.” What a rich, fascinating, and complex life. I thoroughly enjoyed this interview!
I’m so glad Judith Jones is getting some airtime. I discovered her years ago when I read Julia Child’s memoir, My Time in France, and wanted to dive deeper. I found Judith Jones’ Cooking for One, about how her cooking had changed after her husband died, and Love Me, Feed Me, a cookbook for yourself and your dog. We still make Judith’s “scrap soup” when we need to use up bits and bobs left from the week. Thanks for shining a light on this brilliant woman!
Wonderful interview. "...she didn’t let the onslaught of information, and the fear that the news (nearly always) incites, diminish her verve. Instead, she responded to the possibility of paralysis by overwhelm with curiosity and ardor." This is a sorely needed recipe for sanity in these overwhelming times. Thank you!
So lovely to see Judith Jones get her day in the sun with this new biography, and thank you Anne for asking such great questions. More books about women in publishing please! I loved Stet, Diana Athill's autobiography, and Lady with the Borzoi about Blanche Knopf-- but there are so many more stories to be told!
I'm curious--how much time do you give folks with your questions? Do they receive them in writing and respond in writing? I've always wondered because they read so well, which isn't always true of a "transcript", yet nor do the answers read fully as narrative, there is a spoken cadence to them oftentimes. Another great one.
I get asked this fairly often so I feel like I should write a post on it at some point! Short answer: when I was doing interviews for my book, I felt like my answers were always conversational but also disjointed.....also, academics often shy from interviews in broader audience publications because it's so hard to be as precise as you'd like (and cite!) The first one of these I did, all the way back in 2020, I thought: what if I just put together the question in a Google Doc, and then the interviewee can answer with as much precision and care as they'd like? (And come back to ask follow-up questions if needed). It always works well for me/my brain, because I often get flustered when I'm interviewing someone and feel like I need to spend a lot of time digressing....plus there's the massive bonus of NO TRANSCRIBING.
My guess is I’m not the only subscriber who would love to hear more about the production side of your newsletter - how you select topics, what research and publication assistance you have, how you manage topics that feel very sensitive, all of the behind the scenes stuff. Thanks for sharing this glimpse and I hope we hear more in the future!
I love this and would love more conversations about intergenerational friendships in general. My husband and I are 10 years apart on age (and bridge generations, he's Gen X and I'm full Millennial). This lends itself naturally to a more age-diverse friend group, and I have benefitted greatly from not limiting my intimate friendships to those my own age. I've got girlfriends in their 70s and in their 20s.
Some years back we had a dinner party with my parents (Boomers) and a young friend and protégé of mine from work who is ~10 years younger than me. After dinner we sat around sipping wine in my living room and my ambitious young friend peppered us with questions about career and life and our experiences, and generally we all got on like gang-busters. Afterwards my mother commented what a great opportunity this was for the young man, to have access to this multi-generational wisdom, advice, and mentorship. Until he moved away he and my father golfed together once a month and had quite a delightful friendship.
In my experience these kinds on intergenerational intimacies outside of family units are rare, and it's our loss.
Watching the relationship between Julia Child and Judith Jones in “Julia” on Max inspired me to read “The Tenth Muse,” and I cannot wait to read “The Editor.” What a rich, fascinating, and complex life. I thoroughly enjoyed this interview!
I’m so glad Judith Jones is getting some airtime. I discovered her years ago when I read Julia Child’s memoir, My Time in France, and wanted to dive deeper. I found Judith Jones’ Cooking for One, about how her cooking had changed after her husband died, and Love Me, Feed Me, a cookbook for yourself and your dog. We still make Judith’s “scrap soup” when we need to use up bits and bobs left from the week. Thanks for shining a light on this brilliant woman!
Wonderful interview. "...she didn’t let the onslaught of information, and the fear that the news (nearly always) incites, diminish her verve. Instead, she responded to the possibility of paralysis by overwhelm with curiosity and ardor." This is a sorely needed recipe for sanity in these overwhelming times. Thank you!
So lovely to see Judith Jones get her day in the sun with this new biography, and thank you Anne for asking such great questions. More books about women in publishing please! I loved Stet, Diana Athill's autobiography, and Lady with the Borzoi about Blanche Knopf-- but there are so many more stories to be told!
This was such an interesting interview. Love to see friendships, and intergenerational friendships especially, memorialized in this way.
"children are our great editors," omg what a beautiful thought 🥰
This interview was exactly what I didn't know I needed to read this morning!
I’m sold! I just bought the book and look forward to re-reading this interview after I’ve read it.
What a complex and fascinating interview!
I'm curious--how much time do you give folks with your questions? Do they receive them in writing and respond in writing? I've always wondered because they read so well, which isn't always true of a "transcript", yet nor do the answers read fully as narrative, there is a spoken cadence to them oftentimes. Another great one.
I get asked this fairly often so I feel like I should write a post on it at some point! Short answer: when I was doing interviews for my book, I felt like my answers were always conversational but also disjointed.....also, academics often shy from interviews in broader audience publications because it's so hard to be as precise as you'd like (and cite!) The first one of these I did, all the way back in 2020, I thought: what if I just put together the question in a Google Doc, and then the interviewee can answer with as much precision and care as they'd like? (And come back to ask follow-up questions if needed). It always works well for me/my brain, because I often get flustered when I'm interviewing someone and feel like I need to spend a lot of time digressing....plus there's the massive bonus of NO TRANSCRIBING.
My guess is I’m not the only subscriber who would love to hear more about the production side of your newsletter - how you select topics, what research and publication assistance you have, how you manage topics that feel very sensitive, all of the behind the scenes stuff. Thanks for sharing this glimpse and I hope we hear more in the future!
I learned so much from this. Thank you!
Wonderful interview! I'm really looking forward to reading this book!
Who will play her in the movie? I kept thinking Cate Blanchett or perhaps Carey Mulligan.
I love this and would love more conversations about intergenerational friendships in general. My husband and I are 10 years apart on age (and bridge generations, he's Gen X and I'm full Millennial). This lends itself naturally to a more age-diverse friend group, and I have benefitted greatly from not limiting my intimate friendships to those my own age. I've got girlfriends in their 70s and in their 20s.
Some years back we had a dinner party with my parents (Boomers) and a young friend and protégé of mine from work who is ~10 years younger than me. After dinner we sat around sipping wine in my living room and my ambitious young friend peppered us with questions about career and life and our experiences, and generally we all got on like gang-busters. Afterwards my mother commented what a great opportunity this was for the young man, to have access to this multi-generational wisdom, advice, and mentorship. Until he moved away he and my father golfed together once a month and had quite a delightful friendship.
In my experience these kinds on intergenerational intimacies outside of family units are rare, and it's our loss.