The Accidental Nebraskan - Meghan Daum Info

Meghan Daum moved to Lincoln from New York City in 1999. An essayist in the tradition of Joan Didion, Daum, born in 1970, is one of the most celebrated nonfiction writers of her generation, widely recognized for her fresh provocative approach and her ability to unearth hidden fault lines in the American landscape. Daum delves into the center of things while closely examining the detritus that spills out along the way. She speaks to questions at the root of the contemporary experience with precision and well-balanced irony, often implicating herself as much as she does the targets that fascinate and horrify her. Her essays and articles have appeared in The New Yorker, Harper's, The New York Times Book Review, Harper's Bazaar, Vogue, GQ, Nerve, and Self. She is a commentator for National Public Radio's MORNING EDITION and a regular contributor to THIS AMERICAN LIFE. Her essay collection, entitled My Misspent Youth, will be published in March 2001 by Open City Books. Daum is a graduate of Vassar College and holds an M.F.A. from Columbia. She currently lives on a farm near Raymond, Nebraska.

Link to some of Meghan's stories for National Public Radio:

Meghan Daum on Nebraska Farmers
Commentator Meghan Daum talks about Nebraska farmers in drag. (3:51) Meghan Daum on Nebraska Farmers

Midwestern Blues
Commentator Meghan Daum realizes that people like to make fun of the Midwest, but she couldn't believe it when someone tried to pick her up by teasing her about where she's from. (4:00) Midwestern Blues

Clinton to Nebraska
President Clinton is visiting Nebraska--- for the first time during his presidency. It's the only state he hasn't yet visited in his two terms. Commentator Meghan Daum says she has her reservations about the visit.

The Perfect Turkey
Commentator Meghan Daum gives us her tips on how to prepare the perfect Turkey. (3:30) The Perfect Turkey

Commentary
Commentator Meghan Daum says she has trouble figuring out the meaning behind the finger wave... a polite, one-digit salute given by one Midwestern driver to another as they pass on the highway. (2:21) Commentary

Big City Problems?
Commentator Meghan Daum has left New York City for a small farm house in Nebraska, but she has found that some small communities still have big city problems. (3:17) Big City Problems?

ADDITIONAL RADIO COMMENTARY

To hear Meghan's stories for Public Radio International's program "This American Life" visit http://thisamericanlife.org.

Here are a few of the stories you'll find there:

The Book that Changed My Life / Little Sod Houses for You and Me:
Writer Meghan Daum goes to DeSmet, South Dakota, where Laura Ingalls Wilder lived and where many of the books she wrote in the series Little House on the Prairie are set. It turns out to be remarkably similar to what Meghan had pictured before she went: the people seem like they are genuinely trying to hold on to the values Laura Ingalls Wilder writes about in her books. (15 minutes)

Dolls:
Meghan Daum, with an anti-doll story explaining why she hated them, even as a little girl.

The Secret World of Daytime:
In a World Full of Soybeans, The Men Turn to Love. At one grain elevator on the outskirts of Lincoln, Nebraska, during the slow months, the five burly men who load corn, soybeans, wheat and milo onto trains spend their work hours watching soap operas. Meghan Daum gets them to explain what they like about the Young and the Restless. (9 minutes)

PRINT PUBLICATIONS
The New Yorker:
"My Misspent Youth," October 18 & 25, 1999. Essay about how mythos of bohemian life in New York City resulted in financial demise.

Harper's Bazaar:
"The Reclusive Shopper," November 2000. Reported essay on the psychology of the reclusive shopper.