Peggy Orenstein

Journalist and Renowned author of "Waiting for Daisy"

Peggy Orenstein is the author, most recently, of the New York Times best-selling memoir, “Waiting for Daisy: A Tale of Two Continents, Three Religions, Five Infertility Doctors, An Oscar, An Atomic Bomb, A Romantic Night and One Woman's Quest to Become a Mother.”

Her previous books include “Flux: Women on Sex, Work,” “Kids, Love and Life in a Half-Changed World,” and the best-selling “SchoolGirls: Young Women, Self-Esteem and the Confidence Gap.”  Her newest book “Cinderella Ate My Daughter” will be published in 2010.

A contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine, where she writes "The Way We Live Now" column, Peggy has also written for such publications as The Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Vogue, Elle, Discover, More, Mother Jones, Salon, O: The Oprah Magazine, and The New Yorker, and has contributed commentaries to NPR’s All Things Considered. Her articles have been anthologized multiple times, including in “The Best American Science Writing.”

Recent articles include "What's Wrong With Cinderella," "Kindergarten Cram," and "Growing Up on Facebook," all in The New York Times Magazine, as well as the hilariously titled "My So-Called Retirement: In Which I Confront the Recession, My Investments and a Kick-Ass Pair of Biker Boots."

She has been a keynote speaker at numerous colleges and conferences and has been featured on, among other programs, Nightline, Good Morning America, The Today Show, NPR's Fresh Air and Morning Edition and CBC's As It Happens.

Peggy was recognized for her “Outstanding Coverage of Family Diversity,” by the Council on Contemporary Families and received a “Books For a Better Life Award” for “Waiting for Daisy.” Her work has also been honored by the Commonwealth Club of California, the National Women's Political Caucus of California, and Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Additionally, she has been awarded fellowships from the United States-Japan Foundation and the Asian Cultural Council.

Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Peggy is a graduate of Oberlin College and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, filmmaker Steven Okazaki, and their daughter, Daisy Tomoko.