Beth Macy (born c. 1964) is an American journalist and non-fiction writer. She is the author of four published books, including national bestsellers ''Factory Man'' (2014) and ''Dope Sick'' (2018).

Early life

The daughter of a factory worker, Sarah Macy Slack, and a housepainter father, Macy grew up in

Urbana, Ohio Urbana is a city in and the county seat of Champaign County, Ohio, United States, west of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus. Urbana was laid out in 1805, and for a time in 1812 was the headquarters of the Northwestern army during the War of 1812. It is t ...

. She was the first in her family to attend college, receiving a bachelor's degree in

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (profes ...

from Bowling Green State University in 1986. She earned a master's degree in

creative writing Creative writing is any writing that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, or technical forms of literature, typically identified by an emphasis on narrative craft, character development, and the use of literary ...

from Hollins University in 1993.

Career

Macy was a reporter for ''

The Roanoke Times ''The Roanoke Times'' is the primary newspaper in Southwestern Virginia and is based in Roanoke, Virginia, United States. It is published by Lee Enterprises. In addition to its headquarters in Roanoke, it maintains a bureau in Christiansburg, ...

'' from 1989 to 2014. She writes essays and

op-ed An op-ed, short for "opposite the editorial page", is a written prose piece, typically published by a North-American newspaper or magazine, which expresses the opinion of an author usually not affiliated with the publication's editorial board. O ...

s for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' as well as magazines, radio and online journals. In 2010, she was awarded the Nieman Fellowship for Journalism by

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

. Her 2018 book, ''Dopesick'', was shortlisted for the 2019 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction.

Television adaptation

In June 2020,

Hulu Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television serie ...

gave a

limited series Limited series may refer to: *Limited series, individual storylines within an anthology series *Limited series, a particular run of collectables, usually individually numbered *Limited series (comics), a comics series with a predetermined number of ...

order for a new original production consisting of eight episodes based on Macy's book, '' Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors and the Drug Company that Addicted America''. The series was developed by

Danny Strong Daniel William Strong (born June 6, 1974) is an American actor, film and television writer, director, and producer. As an actor, Strong is best known for his roles as Jonathan Levinson in ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and Doyle McMaster in ''Gilmo ...

with

Michael Keaton Michael John Douglas (born September 5, 1951), known professionally as Michael Keaton, is an American actor. He is known for his various comedic and dramatic film roles, including Jack Butler in ''Mr. Mom'' (1983), Betelgeuse in ''Beetlejuice'' ( ...

starring.

Awards

In 2022, Macy was awarded with USC Scripter Award for her writing in addition to both Macy and her scripter Danny Strong won an additional award for the Dopesick episode "The people vs Purdue Pharma". During her acceptance speech, Macy talked about America's struggle with opioid addiction.

Works

* ''Factory Man: How One Furniture Maker Battled Offshoring, Stayed Local—and Helped Save an American Town'' (2014, Little Brown & Co., , ) * '' Truevine: Two Brothers, a Kidnapping, and a Mother's Quest: A True Story of the Jim Crow South'' (2016, Little, Brown & Co., , ) * ''Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company That Addicted America'' (2018, Little, Brown & Co., , ) * ''Finding Tess: A Mother’s Search for Answers in a Dopesick America'' (2019, Audible Original Audiobook
ASIN B07T2NSXHY

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Macy, Beth Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 20th-century American journalists 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American women writers American women essayists American women journalists Bowling Green State University alumni Hollins University alumni Journalists from Ohio Journalists from Virginia Nieman Fellows People from Urbana, Ohio Writers from Roanoke, Virginia