How did your career as a writer begin?
On Microsoft Word. I was homeschooled but both my parents worked full-time. That meant they left for work around 8am and left behind a list of things I needed to read, learn, and complete for the day. We had no internet access, but we could use the computer for Mavis Beacon’s typing games and—I soon found—Microsoft Word. I began typing up stories I already knew (Rapunzel, Snow White, Goldilocks) as if they were my own. And then, by the way, claiming to my parents they were. I didn’t come back to writing until high school, when I landed a column in the high school newspaper we aptly called Julia Hates Something. I took a gap year. I wrote about that. I went to school for English. I hated it, and left, and then went back. I didn’t start writing for myself, or begin my newsletter, orzo bimbo, until I went through a sort of life-defining breakup in 2022 (?). I built saloon, my other newsletter, from the same sort of aimlessness. An editor at AD found me through saloon, and then I finally broke through the Condé gates—they hired me as a shopping writer two years ago.
Tell us about your Substack newsletter, Saloon!
It’s hard to explain. The core is a compilation of hand-selected people I’ve found or have approached me that are doing cool shit that can serve the collaborative network. So like editors and PR people and freelance writers are in it, creative directors, DPs, photographers, and prop stylists. I’m behind the scenes connecting people. Someone will say “I feel like you know a software engineer but like one with an interior design background because we’re launching an app that requires both skill sets” and I’ll be like, yeah, actually, I do. Here’s her email.
It’s a lot of New York, but also LA, London, Berlin, even Sydney. The core group has a group chat, but our events and things are just a creative community outlet.
We love how Saloon brings it’s readers offline for in person connection. What has been your favorite part about building an online community?
I accidentally made so many friends. It feels a bit surreal to zoom out on a room and realize I met like…hundreds of people through this random project I decided to execute from my banal desk at Pratt Institute. And some of them are real, lifetime friends. Maybe the universe would have brought us together otherwise, but I don’t know when or why. I think I sort of forced my own fate in ways through this.
As one of our favorite substacks, we'd love to know what are some of your favorite newsletters to read?
Catherine Shannon is a dear friend and the world’s best essayist. I especially love that her newsletter is called Catherine Shannon. I love Chloe Pingeon’s ambling writing style, it resonates with me so much. Danya Issawi is great at being punchy and cerebral at the same time. Dia Lupo is an amazing writer and a freak, I love her. And my friend Olivia Weiss’ Substack on eating in New York, right on Franklin. There are a lot of food newsletters but I only care about Olivia’s.
What's exciting you in New York right now?
I just saw a note on here about fall from Caleb Hearon that said “...my bike rides, while always spiritual, are regaining a certain chilly weather mysticism that i am remembering only now that it's back” which is how I feel about any fall walks in Central Park. That’s when I feel most myself—when I’m tapped into the chilly mysticism of the universe.
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