Maria Shriver

Maria Shriver Interviews Philanthropist Wallis Annenberg for Los Angeles Magazine's Special "L.A. Woman" Issue

By MariaShriver.com

This year, Maria Shriver has embarked on an ongoing series of interviews with remarkable women -- legendary Architects of Change. Earlier in the year, Maria interviewed poet Mary Oliver for the special poetry issue of O magazine that she guest edited. And this summer, she interviewed journalist and activist Gloria Steinem for Interview magazine.

Continuing this conversation series, Maria recently sat down with Wallis Annenberg for a conversation to be featured in the first-ever "L.A. Woman" issue of Los Angeles magazine, a multi-faceted 49-page package that is on newsstands now.

Maria also appears on the magazine's cover in a powerful portrait taken by Art Streiber. According to Los Angeles magazine editor Mary Melton:

Before we knew it we had some 20 stories in the works by and about all kinds of women who weren’t easy to categorize. The big question facing us was, Who goes on the cover? In a city this diverse, would it be wrong to focus solely on one person? Maybe one recognizable face could represent the essential L.A. woman—intelligent and resilient and as invested in the city as she is in other women. The person who came to mind a year ago—and the person who comes to mind today—is Maria Shriver. A quintessential hyphenate, she’d put a successful career in broadcasting on hold to serve as the state’s first lady. Like her mother, who started the Special Olympics, and her father, who was founding director of the Peace Corps, she had a cause to champion: other women. For the past several years she did so tirelessly and emphatically at her Women’s Conference, held in October in Long Beach. Like so many people here, she wasn’t born an Angeleno but has become strongly identified with her adopted city. We’re proud to have her on our cover.

Maria's interview of Wallis Annenberg is a fascinating and frank conversation between two women -- both of them mothers of four (and daughters of famous families) -- who discuss why Wallis chose L.A. as her home; when your A-list name can work against you; the unique advantages and challenges that L.A. women face; how men and women approach philanthropy differently; and the importance of walking your talk.
 
“I'm honored to be a part of this first-ever issue by Los Angeles magazine celebrating the L.A. woman," said Shriver. "It's certainly the right time to recognize the strong, smart and wise architects of change who serve our city, lead its important institutions, and work to make life better for our neighbors every day. One such woman is Wallis Annenberg, and I hope our conversation helps the magazine's readers become more aware of the extraordinary impact that she has had on the city we call home. This fantastic issue deserves to become an annual tradition.”