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I recently interviewed Claire Hoffman, one of my favorite writers. We discussed a number of topics, including the current state of journalism, her favorite writers, and what’s on her syllabus. If you haven’t read her profile of Joe Francis, I would recommend doing so immediately. It’s fantastic.
Anyway, here’s a bit more on Claire from the intro: Claire Hoffman rose to prominence while at the Los Angeles Times after an article she wrote on Joe Francis, the impresario behind Girls Gone Wild, was published in 2006. "Baby, Give Me A Kiss" is bold and daring, graphic, and deeply personal in a way not normally seen at the Times. It begins with Francis holding Hoffman’s arms behind her back against her will, pushing her face against a car, and yelling wildly. From there the reader is given a first hand tour through the seedy universe of Francis. It became an instant sensation on the internet, amassing more hits than any other article in the Los Angeles Times‘ history. Since then, Hoffman has waded through the world of polygamist Mormons for Portfolio, spent a night at Amy Winehouse’s flat for Rolling Stone, and most recently had soup with Prince for The New Yorker. She is currently a contributing editor to Rolling Stone, and an Assistant Professor of Journalism at UC Riverside.
You do an awesome interview, Brian, and chose a great subject for this one. I definitely share your appreciation for Claire Hoffman’s work and for the unbelievable collection of stories Joseph Mitchell left behind. “Joe Gould’s Secret” isn’t much of a movie, but it’s worth watching if you love the tales of Professor Sea Gull. As for David Grann, I’ve got to vote his profile of Rickey Henderson, “Stealing Time,” as my favorite.
You are truly an artist. I love your photos,because it’s simply
reality. I wanted to know if you could contact Claire Hoffman
for me. I have a water color, still life. I belive it could be her
mother’s, but the spelling of her first name Claire is different.
it’s beautiful. I recently purchased it. Kathy