Writing the Psychedelic Odyssey of Rosemary Woodruff Leary

An Interview with author Susannah Cahalan

Susannah Cahalan can pinpoint the moment when she decided to write the story of Rosemary Woodruff Leary’s life. She was walking down a tree-lined street in Brooklyn, contemplating her next book project. Should she write Rosemary’s biography, or take a well-paid ghostwriting job?

As she pondered her professional dilemma, Cahalan found a piece of paper that featured a striking image: an owl with mushrooms growing out from its head. She later learned that owls appeared in Rosemary’s diary and writings. When Rosemary left Timothy Leary in 1971, she even dreamt about an owl clawing out her eyes. Cahalan did not then know Rosemary identified with the owl of Athena, however, she did know she would write Rosemary’s biography.

The Acid Queen: The Psychedelic Life and Counterculture Rebellion of Rosemary Woodruff Leary (Viking 2025) is the enigmatic story of Rosemary Woodruff Leary’s life—a story that has never been properly told. Rosemary’s posthumous memoir, Psychedelic Refugee, was published …