Michael Maren

Michael Maren (born November 15, 1955)^[1] is an American journalist, screenwriter, and director. He spent seventeen years as a foreign correspondent based in Africa,^[2] writing for The Village Voice,^[3] Newsweek,^[4] The New Republic,^[5] Harper's,^[6] GQ,^[7] The New York Times Magazine,^[8] among others. His book about his experiences in Somalia, entitled The Road to Hell, was called "the seminal critique of foreign aid" by The New Yorker.^[9] In 2012 he wrote and directed his first feature film, A Short History of Decay.^[10] His newest feature film, Shriver, is currently in production.^[11]

Early life and education[]

Maren grew up in Andover, Massachusetts and graduated from Northfield Mt. Hermon in 1973. As an undergraduate he attended Hartwick College in Oneonta, New York. In 1984, Maren earned his master's degree from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs.^[12]

Career[]

Aid work[]

Maren joined the Peace Corps in 1977 and served for two years teaching English and Physics at a secondary school in rural Kenya.^[13][14] He remained in Kenya, running the food-for-work program with the Catholic Relief Services; later he worked for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Somalia, serving as a food assessment specialist on the Somali border with Ethiopia.^[15]

Journalistic writing[]

During his time at Columbia, Maren worked for Africa Report Magazine as a contributing editor.^[16] Later, he went on to publish articles in The Nation, The New York Times, Harper's, The Village Voice, and other publications.^[17] Much of this work centered on war and famine and the culpability of aid organizations; he wrote in Harper's magazine:^[18]

Because reporters are as dependent on aid organizations as the organizations are on them. It would have been impossible, for example, for the press to cover Somalia without the assistance of PVOs. There's no Hertz counter at the Mogadishu airport, and no road maps available at gas stations. If a journalist arrives in Africa from Europe or the United States and needs to get to the interior of the country, PVOs are the only ticket. journalists sleep and eat with PVO workers. When they want history and facts and figures, they turn to the PVOs.^[19]

Maren chronicled his experiences abroad in his book, The Road to Hell: The Ravaging Effects of Foreign Aid and International Charity, published in 1997 by The Free Press.

Screenwriting[]

In 1999,^[20] Maren began working as a screenwriter. He's written scripts for HBO, Sony Pictures, and several independent producers; he's also taught screenwriting at Wesleyan University, The Provincetown Fine Arts Work Center,^[21] and the Taos Writers’ Conference.^[22]

Maren wrote, directed and produced his first feature film, A Short History of Decay--"a dark comedy about stepping up when your parents are going downhill"^[23]—in 2012; the film stars Bryan Greenberg, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Linda Lavin, Harris Yulin, Kathleen Rose Perkins and Benjamin King. The film was released theatrically in May 2014.^[24] The New York Times called the film "well-observed" and noted its strength in portraying family relationships.^[25]

His second feature, Shriver, began production in Los Angeles in February, 2020. Filming was temporarily suspended in March due to COVID-19.;^[26] but resumed and was completed in April, 2021.^[27] The film stars Michael Shannon, Kate Hudson, Don Johnson, and Zach Braff.^[28][29] Shriver is based on the novel of the same name written by Chris Belden.

Personal life[]

In 1997, Maren married writer Dani Shapiro.^[30] They have a son, Jacob,^[31] and they live in Litchfield County, Connecticut.^[32]

References[]

Maren's Testimony on aid to Africa before the House Committee on International Relations

External links[]

• Michael Maren at IMDb
• As the Script Turns
• New York Times review of The Road to Hell
• New York Times Wedding Announcement
• Personal Web Site
• As The Script Turns