#52 A Conversation with Claire Dederer About Monsters

In this episode:

• How Claire’s viral article led to her writing her book [2:32]

• Why Claire decided to add a memoiristic approach to this book, rather than just a journalistic approach [8:22]

• The process and structure of Claire’s book [12:32]

• Claire’s opinion on ‘cancel culture’ and how she approaches writing about it [18:58]

• Adding a humanizing element to the book through memoir [29:13]

• The importance of writing with scene [34:29]

 

Claire Dederer is a bestselling memoirist, essayist, and critic. Her books include the national bestseller Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma and the critically acclaimed memoir Love and Trouble: A Midlife Reckoning, as well as Poser: My Life in Twenty-three Yoga Poses. Dederer is a longtime contributor to The New York Times. Her essays, criticism, and reviews have also appeared in The Paris Review, The Atlantic, The Nation, Vogue, and many other publications. She began her career as the chief film critic for Seattle Weekly. She is the recipient of a Hedgebrook residency and a Lannan Foundation residency. 

Connect with Claire:

Website: https://www.clairedederer.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairedederer/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/claire.dederer/

X: https://twitter.com/ClaireDederer

Read Monsters: https://www.clairedederer.com/monsters

Connect with Estelle:

Her website: https://estelleserasmus.com (sign up for her newsletter and receive her pitching guide).

Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: Available wherever books are sold at https://estelleserasmus.com/books/writing-that-gets-noticed/

Adjunct Instructor, NYU (Sign up for her latest classes) https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/1068-estelle-erasmus.html

 

Her substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus/

X (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/EstelleSErasmus

Threads: https://www.threads.net/@estelleserasmus

Blue Sky: @estelleserasmus.bsky.social