Biography[edit]

She grew up in Providence, Rhode Island, and obtained her doctorate in English literature at Brown University.^[1] She began working as a freelance journalist at The New York Times;^[2] Newsday; TV Guide; and Vogue. She finally landed a three-week temporary position at The New York Times Book Review and later became a permanent staff member.^[3]


She moved to the daily newspaper, as a cultural reporter. In 1995, she began working as a television critic and in 1997, James was named by the Times as its first chief television critic.^[3] A year later, she published her first novel, Glorie, to good reviews.^[4]


In 2006, she published her second novel, What Caroline Knew: A Novel, and by 2010, had left the Times, returning to film critiques. She then began working at Marie Claire magazine while also doing freelance work.^[5] The following year, James began working with IndieWire in a division created for her James on Screens.^[1] She writes for The Wall Street Journal and The Hollywood Reporter, and is an adjunct professor in film studies at Columbia University.^[6]