On Monday’s St. Louis on the Air, listeners heard host Don Marsh in conversation with bestselling novelist Anna Quindlen. She was in town last week for a book-signing event presented by St. Louis County Library, and Marsh interviewed her on stage before an audience of more than 200 people.
Among many other topics, the discussion touched on Quindlen’s decision to give up a Pulitzer Prize-winning career in journalism to become a full-time novelist.
“I like to do something until I feel like I’ve gotten good at it, and then do something entirely different,” Quindlen said of that shift years ago.
She offered her perspective on the current U.S. presidency, recent developments in journalism, her latest novel’s connections to issues of class and race, and the ways in which women are expressing themselves in 2018 – particularly among younger generations.
“My first reaction is to say that after what I saw at the podium during the gun-control march, the young women of America don’t need any help from me,” Quindlen said when asked what advice she would offer them. “But what I think I would say to any young woman I know is, ‘Don’t waste time on things that don’t matter.’
“I look back to the years where I was worried about how I looked and who liked me and who didn’t like me, and I’d like those hours back. It’s hard to stay strong, but this looks like the generation that might be able to do it, and I’m really looking forward to seeing what they do next.”
Catch up on the full interview:
St. Louis on the Air brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. St. Louis on the Air host Don Marsh and producers Mary Edwards, Alex Heuer, Evie Hemphill and Lara Hamdan give you the information you need to make informed decisions and stay in touch with our diverse and vibrant St. Louis region.
