Ann Druyan
| Ann Druyan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
June 13, 1949 Queens, New York, U.S. |
| Known for | Author, activist, producer |
| Spouse(s) | Carl Sagan (1981–1996; his death) |
| Children |
Alexandra Rachel "Sasha" Druyan Sagan (1982) Samuel Democritus Druyan Sagan (1991) |
Ann Druyan (/ˈdri.æn/ DREE-an;[1] born June 13, 1949) is an American author and producer specializing in productions about cosmology and popular science. She was a co-writer of the 1980 PBS documentary series Cosmos, hosted by Carl Sagan (1934–1996), whom she married in 1981. She is the creator/producer/writer of the follow-up, Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey.
She was in charge of music selections that were included with the pioneering spacecraft, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2.
Early life
Druyan was born in Queens, New York, the daughter of Pearl A. (Goldsmith) and Harry Druyan, who co-owned a knitware firm.[2][3][4]
Television and movie writing career
Druyan was one of the three writers of the TV series Cosmos: A Personal Voyage, along with Carl Sagan and Steven Soter, and a producer for the motion picture Contact.
Druyan is the chief executive officer and the co-founder of Cosmos Studios. In 2009, she distributed a series of podcasts called At Home in the Cosmos with Annie Druyan in which she described her works, the life of her husband, Carl Sagan, and their marriage.
In 2011, it was announced that Druyan would be part of the writing and production teams for a sequel to Cosmos: A Personal Voyage, to be called Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, which began airing in March 2014.[5][6] Episodes premiered on Fox and also aired on National Geographic Channel on the same night.[7]
Career as an author
Druyan and Sagan cowrote the books Comet, Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors, and sections of The Demon-Haunted World. She also wrote the updated introduction to Sagan's book The Cosmic Connection, the epilogue of Billions and Billions, and her own novel, A Famous Broken Heart.
Druyan was responsible for the selection of the music on the Voyager Golden Record for the exploratory missions of the Solar System — Voyager 1 and Voyager 2.
Activism
Druyan has served on the Board of Directors of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) for over 10 years and was president from 2006 to 2010.[8][9]
Honors
In November 2006, Druyan was a speaker at Beyond Belief: Science, Religion, Reason and Survival.
In January 2007, she was a juror at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, responsible for selecting the winner of the Alfred P. Sloan Prize for films about science and technology.[10]
Religious and philosophical views
In an interview with Joel Achenbach of the Washington Post, Druyan stated that her early interest in science stemmed from a fascination with Karl Marx. Achenbach commented that "She had, at the time, rather vaporous standards of evidence," a reference to her belief in the ancient astronauts of Erich von Däniken and the theories of Immanuel Velikovsky pertaining to the Solar System.[11] Druyan freely acknowledged her past views and also said that they changed dramatically after marrying Carl Sagan.
Awards
See also
References
- ↑ In the revised edition of Cosmos: A Personal Voyage, Ann Druyan introduces herself in a prologue to Episode No. 1 on YouTube.
- ↑ "On the trail of the meaning of life". Toronto Star. 28 November 1992. p. J.8.
- ↑ "Paid Notice: Deaths DRUYAN, PEARL A. (NEE GOLDSMITH)". NYTimes. May 1, 2005. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
- ↑ Davidson, Keay; Sagan, Carl (1999-09-13). "Carl Sagan: A life". ISBN 9780471252863.
- ↑ Vergano, Dan (2012-10-20). "Neil deGrasse Tyson tweets for science literacy". USA Today. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
- ↑ "neiltyson". Twitter.com. Retrieved 2012-06-22
- ↑ Wallenstein, Andrew. "TCA: Fox aims for repeat-free sked". Variety. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
- ↑ "About NORML, Ann Druyan". Archived from the original on 13 December 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-26.
- ↑ "About NORML Foundation, Ann Druyan (President)". Archived from the original on Aug 13, 2010. Retrieved 2007-12-26.
- ↑ "2007 Sundance Film Festival Jurors". Sundance Film Festival. Archived from the original on 7 September 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-01.
- ↑ Achenbach, Joel (1999). Captured by Aliens: the search for life and truth in a very large universe. New York: Simon & Schuster. pp. 95–6. ISBN 0-684-84856-2.
Her interest in science came primarily from her interest in the philosophy of Karl Marx. ... Druyan herself had, at the time, rather vaporous standards of evidence for her many sundry beliefs (as she later acknowledged). She believed ... that Immanuel Velikovsky in the 1950s had correctly deduced the truth about the solar system. ... She believed in the ancient astronauts of Erich von Daniken.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ann Druyan. |
- Ann Druyan: The Observatory.
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