Connie Martinson
Encyclopedia
Constance Frye Martinson (born April 11, 1932 in Boston, Massachusetts
) is an American writer and television personality. Since its 1979 debut, she has hosted the syndicated television show Connie Martinson Talks Books, which airs on public television. She is married to American film director Leslie H. Martinson
. A member of the National Book Critics Circle
, she writes a column for the Beverly Hills Courier
.
Martinson graduated in 1953 from Wellesley College in Massachusetts with a bachelor of arts degree and was awarded the Davenport Prize for speech and literature. She worked as an editor for Writer magazine in Boston before moving to Los Angeles with her husband, film and television director Leslie Martinson. Prior to parlaying her love of literature into a self-financed half-hour television series on books, she was involved in public relations for the Coro Foundation and taught at the University of California, Los Angeles
and the University of Judaism.
The Connie Martinson Talks Books Collection, now donated to Claremont Graduate University
, consists of nearly 3,000 television interviews (L.A. CityView Channel 35, Government-access television cable TV and PBS in New York
) with authors of fiction and nonfiction taped over the last 30 years. Included in the collection are interviews with Maya Angelou, Ray Bradbury
, Al Gore, Rosa Parks, Gore Vidal, Studs Terkel and Joyce Carol Oates. One of her most famous interviews took place in 1995 when she interviewed a then little-known author named Barack Obama
about his first book, Dreams From My Father
. Interviews with a diverse group of best-selling authors include Matthew Pearl
, Cathy Scott
, Ved Mehta
, Roger Cohen
, and Vincent Bugliosi
.
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
) is an American writer and television personality. Since its 1979 debut, she has hosted the syndicated television show Connie Martinson Talks Books, which airs on public television. She is married to American film director Leslie H. Martinson
Leslie H. Martinson
Leslie "Les" H. Martinson is an American television and film director. He is married to television host and writer Connie Martinson.-Career:...
. A member of the National Book Critics Circle
National Book Critics Circle
The National Book Critics Circle is an American tax-exempt organization for active book reviewers. Its flagship is the National Book Critics Circle Award....
, she writes a column for the Beverly Hills Courier
Beverly Hills Courier
The Beverly Hills Courier is a free weekly tabloid-sized print newspaper of circulation in Beverly Hills and the surrounding communities, and a daily web newspaper. The publication was founded by now-publisher emeritus March Schwartz in 1965 with the editorial guidance of his managing editor Arthur...
.
Martinson graduated in 1953 from Wellesley College in Massachusetts with a bachelor of arts degree and was awarded the Davenport Prize for speech and literature. She worked as an editor for Writer magazine in Boston before moving to Los Angeles with her husband, film and television director Leslie Martinson. Prior to parlaying her love of literature into a self-financed half-hour television series on books, she was involved in public relations for the Coro Foundation and taught at the University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
and the University of Judaism.
The Connie Martinson Talks Books Collection, now donated to Claremont Graduate University
Claremont Graduate University
Claremont Graduate University is a private, all-graduate research university located in Claremont, California, a city east of downtown Los Angeles...
, consists of nearly 3,000 television interviews (L.A. CityView Channel 35, Government-access television cable TV and PBS in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
) with authors of fiction and nonfiction taped over the last 30 years. Included in the collection are interviews with Maya Angelou, Ray Bradbury
Ray Bradbury
Ray Douglas Bradbury is an American fantasy, horror, science fiction, and mystery writer. Best known for his dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 and for the science fiction stories gathered together as The Martian Chronicles and The Illustrated Man , Bradbury is one of the most celebrated among 20th...
, Al Gore, Rosa Parks, Gore Vidal, Studs Terkel and Joyce Carol Oates. One of her most famous interviews took place in 1995 when she interviewed a then little-known author named Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
about his first book, Dreams From My Father
Dreams from My Father
Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance is a memoir by United States President Barack Obama. It was first published in July 1995 as he was preparing to launch his political career, five years after being elected the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review in...
. Interviews with a diverse group of best-selling authors include Matthew Pearl
Matthew Pearl
Matthew Pearl is an American novelist and educator. His novels include The Dante Club, The Poe Shadow and The Last Dickens and have been published in more than 40 countries.-Biography:...
, Cathy Scott
Cathy Scott
Cathy Scott is an American true crime writer and investigative journalist, born and raised in San Diego, United States growing up in nearby La Mesa, California...
, Ved Mehta
Ved Mehta
Ved Parkash Mehta is a writer who was born in Lahore, British India to a Hindu family. He lost his sight at the age of four as the result of an attack of cerebrospinal meningitis...
, Roger Cohen
Roger Cohen
Roger Cohen is a British-born journalist and author. He is a columnist for The New York Times and International Herald Tribune. He has worked as a foreign correspondent in fifteen different countries.- Biography :...
, and Vincent Bugliosi
Vincent Bugliosi
Vincent Bugliosi is an American attorney and author, best known for prosecuting Charles Manson and other defendants accused of the Tate-LaBianca murders. His most recent books are Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy , The Prosecution of George W...
.
External links
- Connie Martinson Official website
- The series Connie Martinson Talks Books is being digitized as a project of The Drucker Institute and the Claremont CollegesClaremont CollegesThe Claremont Colleges are a prestigious American consortium of five undergraduate and two graduate schools of higher education located in Claremont, California, a city east of downtown Los Angeles...
Digital Library - Internet Movie Database listing, Connie Martinson