Kristin Marguerite Doidge
Kristin Marguerite Doidge is the author of NORA EPHRON: A BIOGRAPHY (Chicago Review Press). She is an award-winning journalist and professor based in Los Angeles. Her writing has been featured in The Atlantic, Marie Claire, FORTUNE, Bustle, GOOD Magazine, and other publications. She holds a master's degree in specialized journalism from the University of Southern California's Annenberg School of Journalism and teaches at Loyola Marymount University.
Twitter: @KMarguerite_USC
Instagram: @KitiandBrieDog
Are there particular films that have influenced your writing?
I watched a ton of movies with my siblings and friends growing up, and they definitely had an impact on me as a writer. Two of my favorite Audrey Hepburn movies, Charade and Breakfast at Tiffany’s, come to mind as particularly influential. I was, unsurprisingly, drawn to stories with interesting female leads, such as A League of Their Own and Clueless. I remember walking out of the theater after seeing Clueless and thinking about how I hadn’t really seen anything so irreverent on screen before. Another pivotal moment was realizing The Birdcage was directed by Mike Nichols with a script by Elaine May. Every moment in that movie makes me laugh to this day. Looking back, it feels like each movie experience informed my path to writing a biography about a beloved female filmmaker—and hopefully I will get to write more in the future.
Favorite non-reading activity?
Watching movies, of course! And taking walks and short naps with my doggie.
Is your go to comfort food sweet or savory? Is it something you make yourself? Does food inspire your writing?
Having just finished my first book, a biography about OG foodie (and filmmaker and essayist) Nora Ephron, I’d say the food/writing relationship goes both ways. Reading Nora’s work and revisiting her films, essays, and books can make you hungry. My favorite comfort food is usually something salty or savory, like potato chips, but as long as I can remember, I’ve been crazy about candy. The phrase “like a kid in a candy store” could describe me in an actual candy store or in a bookstore.
Have you ever experienced Imposter Syndrome?
Absolutely. It was especially present for me in journalism school at USC. I was in a cohort of about 20 women earning master’s degrees; each of them are incredibly talented and accomplished people, as are the faculty and other students. I couldn’t help but wonder if they’d meant to admit Christian Dodge instead…
What brings you great joy?
So many things. I feel joyful when I’m writing and the words and ideas start making sense or seem to fit together in a new way I hadn’t thought of before. I feel joyful when I hear the pitter-patter of my doggie’s toes on the floor of the apartment or his collar clinging against the water bowl, and I feel most joyful when I make other people laugh or get to laugh with them.
