Ep: 1821 Andrea Simon - Did You Have The Life You Wanted?

Anita’s journey into adulthood begins in 1968, when she graduates college, leaves her Brooklyn family home, and settles in Greenwich Village at a moment of cultural upheaval. Against a backdrop of school strikes, the Stonewall and Attica uprisings, and the rise of second-wave feminism, she navigates gang violence, restricted career opportunities, entrenched gender expectations, and the quiet damage of family secrets. Over time, Anita reflects on love, ambition, and loss, posing a difficult question to herself and her friends: “Did you have the life you wanted?”—one that elicits unexpected and painful truths. Spanning five decades from 1968 to 2019, Andrea Simon honors the women of the 1970s, the legacy they left their daughters, and the enduring power of female friendship. She is an award-winning writer and photographer based in New York City.  She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the City College of New York and has mentored many writers.