Podcast appearances and mentions of Judith Freeman

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a friend is “one joined to another in mutual benevolence and intimacy. Not ordinarily applied to lovers or relatives…a boon companion.” It first appears in “Beowolf” in 1018 A.D. as “freondum.”  Though the opposite of “fiend,” both words root in the same Germanic word soup for “love” and “hate,” so therefore inextricably intertwined. Here, two old friends, Teresa Jordan and Judith Freeman, both remarkable and accomplished writers and artists, born and bred in the American West, examine their own enduring relationship through the lens of Judith's latest novel, the incisive, insightful, at times ruthless “MacArthur Park.” The novel's core finds two older women, both accomplished writers and artists, born and bred in the American West, attempting to re-kindle their lifelong friendship after intimate convolutions blew them apart. Spoiler alert: marrying the same man may become a problem. No, not Teresa and Judith; her characters Verna and Jolene as they road trip across the West towards some notion of their shared childhood. What destroys friendships? Can good intentions alone heal those implosive moments of toxic intimacy almost inevitable in friendships? Who here has not lost a friend?SHOW NOTES: Please spend some time on both their websites to appreciate the depth and quality of their respective creativity.Judith Freeman: https://judithfreemanbooks.com/Discussed in the Podcast:Carolee Schneeman: https://www.moma.org/artists/7712Judy Chicago: https://www.judychicago.com/Elena Ferante: http://elenaferrante.comValeria Luiselli: “Lost Children Archive”: https://www.valerialuiselli.com/ Here's great conversation about writing with Judith's friend Barbara Feldon, yes, that Barbara, from “Get Smart:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NM1Vi-q1dg A special shout-out for her novel “Red Water” where Judith imagines John D. Lee's extraordinary frontier life and his disturbing, still controversial role in the Mountain Meadows Massacre through the eyes of three of his nineteen wives. Emma is a vigorous and capable Englishwoman who loves Lee unconditionally. Ann, a bride at thirteen, is an independent adventurer. Rachel, though she married Lee to be with his first wife, her sister Agatha Woolsey, is also utterly devoted to him.Teresa Jordan: https://teresajordan.com/In addition to all the writing, painting, sketching and storytelling you can find on her website, Teresa just returned from her residency at the Mesa Refuge, having been awarded the Marion Weber Healing Arts Fellowship to evolve her year of painting and drawing a different bird every single day into a book.

Red Water On September 11, 1857, a group of 120 emigrants en route to California was attacked and slaughtered by Mormon settlers and their Indian allies. Twenty years later, John D. Lee, a Mormon and a participant in the massacre, was executed by a firing squad at the same spot and thus entered history as the scapegoat for all those responsible for what came to be known as the Mountain Meadow Massacre in southern Utah. “Red Water,” by Judith Freeman, published in January 2002, is the story of the life of John D. Lee, as told by three of his nineteen wives. Judith Freeman describes early Mormon belief, the sense of persecution felt by the Mormons, and the sisterhood of his wives in marriage. Judith Freeman recommends “Why Did I Ever,” by Mary Robinson. Originally Broadcast: March 5, 2002

At twenty-two, Judith Freeman was working in the LDS Church-owned department store in the Utah town where she'd grown up. In the process of divorcing the man she had married at seventeen, she was living in her parents' house with her four-year old son, who had already endured two heart surgeries. She had abandoned Mormonism, the faith into which she had been born, and she was having an affair with her son's surgeon, a married man with three children of his own. It was at this fraught moment that she decided to become a writer.

 How does one become a writer? For acclaimed novelist Judith Freeman— born the sixth child of eight in a devout Mormon household, married at seventeen, and divorced  at twenty-two with a young child—it was an unlikely path. In her arresting, lyrical memoir set in the patriarchal cloister of Utah in the 1950s and 1960s, she explores the circumstances and choices that informed her course through a thicket of profound difficulties towards becoming. Joined by L.A. native and novelist Michelle Huneven, Freeman visits ALOUD to share her illuminating portrait of resilience and self-discovery. Click here for photos from the program. 

Tom Lutz is back this week and joins Laurie and Seth to discuss schmaltz (sentimental art, not rendered chicken fat), and whether it is necessary in our cultural diet. Also they debate the merits of Laura Poitras' Academy Award-winning documentary "Citizen Four", and Judith Freeman talks about a great book she just read, Rachel Cusk's "Outline."

Joining us this week is cultural historian Leo Braudy to talk about a trend that he's noticed among award-winning acting performances. Also, author Judith Freeman drops by the studio to discuss literary tourism and her historical memoir about Raymond Chandler, The Long Embrace.

Judith Freeman talks about her latest book “The Long Embrace: Raymond Chandler and the Woman He Loved”. Chandler drew on many real events and people to create his iconic Los Angeles mystery novels. Freeman discusses Chandler’s real-life sources, including a 1922 celebrity murder case that became the inspiration for much of Chandler’s work. A Haynes Foundation Lecture.

Judith Freeman talks about her latest book “The Long Embrace: Raymond Chandler and the Woman He Loved”. Chandler drew on many real events and people to create his iconic Los Angeles mystery novels. Freeman discusses Chandler’s real-life sources, including a 1922 celebrity murder case that became the inspiration for much of Chandler’s work.

Judith Freeman talks about her latest book “The Long Embrace: Raymond Chandler and the Woman He Loved” (2007). Chandler drew on many real events and people to create his iconic Los Angeles mystery novels. Freeman discusses Chandler’s real-life sources, including a 1922 celebrity murder case that became the inspiration for much of Chandler’s work.

The Lone Reader; one librarian talks about the books he reads. The Long Embrace by Judith Freeman  Music: Venus, by Gustav Holst Performer: U.S. Air Force Band   time: 0:02:04 size: 1.939 mb  

Judith Freeman’s The Long Embrace (2007)— about novelist Raymond Chandler and his wife—was described as “part biography, part detective story, part love story, and part séance” by novelist Janet Fitch. Freeman’s novel Red Water was named one of the Los Angeles Times’ 100 Best Books of 2002. She divides her time between rural Idaho and Los Angeles, where she teaches in the writing program at the University of Southern California.  

Judith Freeman’s The Long Embrace (2007)— about novelist Raymond Chandler and his wife—was described as “part biography, part detective story, part love story, and part séance” by novelist Janet Fitch. Freeman’s novel Red Water was named one of the Los Angeles Times’ 100 Best Books of 2002. She divides her time between rural Idaho and Los Angeles, where she teaches in the writing program at the University of Southern California.  

Set For LifeThe writer discusses her novel about passion and American right-wing conspiracies.

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