D. J. Waldie is the author of Holy Land: A Suburban Memoir and other books about Los Angeles. He is also a contributing writer for Los Angeles magazine. He is the recipient of Whiting, National Endowment for the Humanities, California Arts Council, and California Book awards, among others. His commentaries and reviews appear in the Los Angeles Times. Since 1977, he has been the public information officer of the city of Lakewood.