Mona Simpson’s recent novel My Hollywood tells the story of Claire and Lola, a new mother and her Filipina nanny, whose lives entwine amidst the glitter of Los Angeles—kept shiny by its immigrant laborers. Discussing her motivation in writing the book she said, “I thought a lot about the question, ‘Can you buy love?’ We all want children raised with love. Can you get that by hiring it? It’s an interesting question.” Her 1992 novel Anywhere But Here, about a colorful mother-daughter relationship, was made into a major motion picture staring Susan Sarandon and Natalie Portman. Simpson is also the author of The Lost Father, A Regular Guy, and Off Keck Road. Her work has been awarded numerous prizes including a Guggenheim and a Literature Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She lives in Santa Monica and is professor of English at UCLA where she also produces “Some Favorite Writers,” a free literary series at the Hammer Museum.