Frances Anderton is the host of DnA: Design and Architecture, aired monthly on 89.9 KCRW and KCRW.com. She is producer of KCRW’s national and local current affairs shows, To The Point, and Which Way, LA?, both hosted by Warren Olney. Anderton is also an L.A. Editor for Dwell Magazine and a contributor to Huffington Post. Before interviewing architect Michael Maltzan for Zócalo, Anderton sat down for our In The Green Room Q&A.
Q. What is the last habit you tried to kick?
A. Biting my nails.
Q. Who was your childhood hero?
A. My father.
Q. What do you consider to be the greatest simple pleasure?
A. Eating with friends.
Q. Where would we find you at 10 a.m. on a typical Saturday?
A. Making bread with my daughter.
Q. What do you wish you had the nerve to do?
A. Surf.
Q. What is your favorite word?
A. Brilliant.
Q. Who is your favorite fictional character?
A. At the moment, an Indian detective called Vish Puri. He’s in a new series by Tarquin Hall, who has spent a lot of time in India and writes the most fantastic stories, embedded within Punjabi culture, that capture the new India.
Q. What is your favorite cocktail?
A. Mimosa.
Q. What profession would you like to practice in your next life?
A. Something non-cerebral.
Q. Whose talent would you like to have?
A. Obama’s.
Q. What is your most prized material possession?
A. My Honda Insight.
Q. If you could take only one more journey, where would you go?
A. China.
Q. Who is the one person living or dead you most want to meet for dinner?
A. Obama.
To read more about Anderton’s interview with Michael Maltzan, click here.
*Photo by Aaron Salcido.
by Stephan Salisbury
The introduction to Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Stephan Salisbury’s investigative memoir Mohamed’s Ghosts is titled “How to Take Down A Mosque.” It’s an eye-grabber for anyone who is watching closely the controversy around the Park51 Islamic community center and mosque slated to be built in Lower Manhattan.