Writers face many struggles in their chosen craft. How do they get inspiration and explore their chosen subjects? How do they portray themselves to get an audience? Check out these documentaries about writers.
“City of Gold” (2016)
Acclaimed food writer Jonathan Gold sets off on a journey to explore the panoply of regional cuisines and trademark dishes to be found within the vast urban sprawl of Los Angeles. With eternal curiosity, razor-sharp intellect, and existential longing, Gold is a culinary geographer taking us where no critic has gone before.
“Author: The JT LeRoy Story” (2016)
The New York Times sent shockwaves through the literary world when it unmasked JT LeRoy, whose tough prose about a sordid childhood had captivated icons and luminaries internationally. Now viewers can journey down the infinitely fascinating rabbit hole of how Laura Albert breathed not only words, but life, into her avatar for a decade.
“Bird by Bird With Annie” (1999)
This documentary offers an intimate portrait of the celebrated writer Anne Lamott. It interweaves the story of Lamott’s life, in itself a deeply moving tale of addiction and redemption, grief and joy, intellect and faith, with one year’s worth of interviews, public lectures and readings, and footage of the writer at work.
