Winnie Holzman is a Wizard with Words

I will forever be indebted to today’s guest. In fact, because of Winnie Holzman’s startling talent, I have been changed for good. Because on no less than four distinct occasions, her enviable ear for the nuances of speech and behavior have crafted stories that have left me drop-jawed, moved, and entertained. First, Winnie was one of the writers of thirtysomething, one of the few TV series that has ever gotten as deeply under the skin of my generation. If you match the ages of the cast, you watched this show swearing Winnie had been hiding under your bed, eavesdropping on all your dates, arguments, and therapy sessions as you tried to navigate your life and loves during what I found to be my most complicated decade. Then, though My So-Called Life lasted only 19 episodes, no TV series has ever nailed teenage yearning as aptly. Those years propelled by angst and the desperate quest for happiness, colliding with feelings of rebellion, insecurity generated by the need to be noticed, and of course, non-stop sexual frustration and confusion. 30 years later, my so-called life remains eerily valid. You can catch it on Hulu. You really should. Finally, and most gloriously, Winnie Holzman has dominated our holiday season for two years running because she not only wrote the book to that little musical that will never close called Wicked, but she and Dana Fox adapted Gregory Maguire’s novel to co-author the screenplays to the first film and its sequel. Combined, they are a glorious testimony to the power of friendship, individuality, and the magic that happens when you defy gravity. Right now, Winnie Holzman doesn’t need Glinda’s help to be popular, which is why I am over the rainbow to have her here on The Happy Grownup.