Writer Hilton Als on Prince and ‘What Joan Didion Means’
Description
For the holiday week, we’re revisiting one of our favorite conversations with Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and critic Hilton Als.
At the top, we unpack his approach to writing profiles (5:50 ), inspired by the words of photographer Diane Arbus (6:10 ), and how he captured Prince in a new, two-part memoir entitled My Pinup (7:55 ). Then, Als reflects on his upbringing in Brownsville, Brooklyn (10:25 ), a timely passage from his 2020 essay "Homecoming" (14:40 ), and formative works by writers Adrienne Kennedy (20:58 ) and the late Joan Didion (27:05 ).
On the back-half, we discuss the interplay of memory and writing (36:38 ), Hilton’s writing routine (40:55 ), his sources of hope today (44:30 ), and to close, a dialogue from Jean Rhys’ unfinished autobiography Smile Please (48:25 ).
Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at sf@talkeasypod.com.
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