Joyce Maynard on J.D. Salinger, Survival, and Writing Through ADHD
Sun Jan 25 2026
Joyce Maynard has been writing for 53 years. At 18, she landed on the cover of the New York Times Magazine, caught the eye of J.D. Salinger, and disappeared into a relationship that would define her for decades—until she finally told her story and was called a "predator" by Maureen Dowd. In this conversation, Joyce talks about being canceled before canceling was a thing, surviving as a Me Too survivor before Me Too became a movement, and why she returned to Yale at 65 only to discover she reads in the 17th percentile.
TIMELINE:
00:35 Being canceled before it was a thing
01:47 The New York Times Magazine cover story at 18
03:29 JD Salinger's letter and the beginning of their relationship
04:30 Moving in with Salinger and giving up Yale
05:39 Keeping the secret for 25 years
06:22 Writing "At Home in the World" and the backlash
08:26 When 18-year-olds dating 53-year-olds was "romantic"
09:41 The Charlie Rose interview (and what happened after)
10:27 Why the culture turned against her in 1998
11:23 Can you separate the artist from the art?
13:25 Teaching memoir to women in Guatemala
15:45 Writing family sagas and "How the Light Gets In"
16:31 Growing up in a problematic family
17:00 Mother's writing bootcamp from age 3
22:23 Including real-world events (Trump, January 6th) in fiction
24:09 Writing is not therapy or catharsis
29:43 Throwing away manuscripts that aren't good enough
30:08 Discovering ADHD at Yale at age 65
32:08 The D-minus French exam that changed everything
34:22 Reading in the 17th percentile
36:39 The gift of ADHD
40:39 "You cannot be a writer if you're not a reader" - and why that's wrong
41:48 Character-first vs. plot-first writing
43:33 Never knowing where the story will end (vs. John Irving)
44:18 No outlines - "outline is for a term paper"
46:22 Finding inspiration in news headlines
47:49 Why some stories are memoir and others are fiction
50:48 On sensitivity readers and the transgender character
51:44 When characters display "politically incorrect" attitudes
52:57 Fear of cancellation from the left
53:29 Trigger warnings at Yale and the softening of everything
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Joyce Maynard has been writing for 53 years. At 18, she landed on the cover of the New York Times Magazine, caught the eye of J.D. Salinger, and disappeared into a relationship that would define her for decades—until she finally told her story and was called a "predator" by Maureen Dowd. In this conversation, Joyce talks about being canceled before canceling was a thing, surviving as a Me Too survivor before Me Too became a movement, and why she returned to Yale at 65 only to discover she reads in the 17th percentile. TIMELINE: 00:35 Being canceled before it was a thing 01:47 The New York Times Magazine cover story at 18 03:29 JD Salinger's letter and the beginning of their relationship 04:30 Moving in with Salinger and giving up Yale 05:39 Keeping the secret for 25 years 06:22 Writing "At Home in the World" and the backlash 08:26 When 18-year-olds dating 53-year-olds was "romantic" 09:41 The Charlie Rose interview (and what happened after) 10:27 Why the culture turned against her in 1998 11:23 Can you separate the artist from the art? 13:25 Teaching memoir to women in Guatemala 15:45 Writing family sagas and "How the Light Gets In" 16:31 Growing up in a problematic family 17:00 Mother's writing bootcamp from age 3 22:23 Including real-world events (Trump, January 6th) in fiction 24:09 Writing is not therapy or catharsis 29:43 Throwing away manuscripts that aren't good enough 30:08 Discovering ADHD at Yale at age 65 32:08 The D-minus French exam that changed everything 34:22 Reading in the 17th percentile 36:39 The gift of ADHD 40:39 "You cannot be a writer if you're not a reader" - and why that's wrong 41:48 Character-first vs. plot-first writing 43:33 Never knowing where the story will end (vs. John Irving) 44:18 No outlines - "outline is for a term paper" 46:22 Finding inspiration in news headlines 47:49 Why some stories are memoir and others are fiction 50:48 On sensitivity readers and the transgender character 51:44 When characters display "politically incorrect" attitudes 52:57 Fear of cancellation from the left 53:29 Trigger warnings at Yale and the softening of everything