How Do You Define Family?
Veteran journalist and celebrity interviewer, Glenn Plaskin, is the author of Katie Up and Down the Hall. This is the true story of how his dog, Katie, turned five neighbors into a family. During this podcast, Glenn shared the real-life escapades that Katie had that brought him closer to his neighbors to create a family like no other. He also shared with us which celebrities he and Katie met and interviewed as well as what it’s been like since Katie’s passing with his new cocker spaniel, Lucy.
BIO:
Veteran journalist and celebrity interviewer Glenn Plaskin is the bestselling author of Horowitz: The Biography of Vladimir Horowitz and Turning Point: Pivotal Moments in the Lives of America’s Celebrities. His profiles and columns have appeared in the New York Times, the Daily News, San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Family Circle, US Weekly, Ladies Home Journal, Cosmopolitan, W, and Playboy.
His interview subjects have included such figures as Katharine Hepburn, Nancy Reagan, Calvin Klein, Senator Edward Kennedy, Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, Leona Helmsley, Barbara Walters, Diane Sawyer, Donald Trump, Al Pacino, and Meryl Streep. His TV appearances include The Today Show, Oprah, and Larry King Live. He lives in New York City. Visit the author’s website and read the full story at www.glennplaskin.com.
A native of Buffalo, N.Y. Plaskin was first trained as a classical pianist, studying under the renowned Kennedy Center honoree Leon Fleisher. With a dramatic change of career in his mid-20’s, he began writing culture profiles for the New York Times, securing his first book contract at age 26.
He was encouraged in his writing by then-Doubleday editor Jacqueline Onassis, who would later write: “I’ve known Glenn for some years and am his great admirer. He’s witty, articulate, and has this uncanny ability to draw people out and gain their confidence.”
His literary debut was a cause célèbre—the first-ever biography of the legendary pianist Vladimir Horowitz—published in the U.S., Canada, England, France, Germany, Japan, and Finland.
Plaskin’s Horowitz book was hailed by the New York Times as “a well-researched biography that will throw much light on Horowitz the man and the artist.” The Los Angeles Times opined: “It is done well, even masterfully.” The Chicago Tribune: “An absorbing well-written and well-balanced portrait…as delicious as a good detective thriller.”
Thereafter, the author established himself as one of the nation’s leading celebrity interviewers. As the Celebrity Service International wrote: “When it comes to the brutally competitive world of celebrity journalism, no one is more successful at nailing down the big names than entertainment reporter Glenn Plaskin.”
Among Plaskin’s interviews with film stars, politicians, TV personalities, and media figures are classic profiles of Harrison Ford, Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro, Mary Tyler Moore, Peter Jennings, Danielle Steel, Paul Newman, Carol Burnett, Leona Helmsley, Christopher Reeve, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Bill Gates, Colin Powell, Bill Cosby, Mike Wallace, among hundreds of others.
In recent years, Plaskin has gone beyond celebrity interviewing to writing articles and books focused on service, self-help, and inspiration. He has worked with many of the leading figures in this genre. Read the Celebrity Testimonials
“Glenn,” writes Susan Ungaro, the magazine’s former editor-in-chief, “is a master at celebrity interviews and service journalism—with a true gift for creating a compelling story that grips the reader from beginning to end.”
Plaskin, a resident of Battery Park City, is surrounded by more than 500 dogs in Lower Manhattan neighborhood, a waterside community that inspired this book and the remarkable events in it.