[3] She worked in The Oregonian's now-closed Clackamas County bureau for nearly two years between 2006 and 2008, primarily covering breaking news, crime and the courts.

For her book Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century (2017),[9] she spent months living in a camper van named Van Halen, documenting itinerant Americans who gave up traditional housing to hit the road full-time.

David Strathairn, Linda May and Charlene Swankie joined McDormand in the cast of the film, and Chloé Zhao directed from a screenplay she wrote based on the book.

McDormand, Spears, Mollye Asher, Dan Janvey and Zhao produced the Searchlight film.

The film was a critical success and wound up winning numerous accolades, including the Academy Award for Best Picture.