Professor Lynn McCann Publishes The Anti-Diet
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| Professor McCann loves working with her students. |
In addition to her success in the classroom, esteemed
Plaza College English Professor Lynn McCann recently celebrated another major
accomplishment: a published book!
Professor McCann recently spoke with Seasons about
revisiting a book she first wrote in 1966, and the steps she took to publish
the book once more … on her own!
Question: When did you first start writing The
Anti-Diet?
McCann: In 1966. We actually did have
electricity back then, but my typewriter was a manual, and it didn’t even have
a plug.
Question: What drew you to this particular
subject?
McCann: I never dreamed I’d write about
dieting. A good friend who had watched me overcome an eating problem by
increasing awareness instead of cutting calories suggested that I write about
the experience. “I can’t do that!” I said. “Sure you can!”
She said, and kept encouraging me. I finally gave it a try, and it took about
two years to write. It was a learning process.
Question: What response did your book receive
when it first came out?
McCann: I appeared on a radio talk show and a
TV program to promote the book in the U.S. I also went to London to
promote the book on TV there. It was exciting. But, I think the
book was a little ahead of its time, and I was disappointed when sales didn’t
go through the roof. After a while, I began to get letters from people
all over the country, and from Canada, saying that The Anti-Diet had
really helped them a lot.
Question: How many years passed between its
initial publication and your decision to revisit it?
McCann: It came out in the U.S. in 1971 and
in England in 1972. After many years, I noticed that some of the Anti-Diet ideas
had gone mainstream (“conscious eating,” “mindful eating”). Even Weight
Watchers was talking more about the importance of awareness and
satisfaction. When I started teaching at Plaza College five years ago, I
was already working on the revision.
Please click HERE to read the entire interview
