Episode 78: Julia Edelman - A Writer’s Eye

Julia Edelman is an author, a contributor to The New Yorker, and a Substacker, based in Brooklyn, NY.

Instagram and all episodes

(00:00) Born in Queens, NYC keeps pulling her back

(02:18) Family roots: Brooklyn, Iraq, France

(04:28) Grandmother’s escape from Baghdad to NYU

(07:03) Writing young to process emotions

(09:12) Seventh-grade football tryout story begins

(12:41) Injury, bonding, and writing the essay

(14:58) Recognition: strangers understanding her voice

(16:47) High school: “serious novelist” era

(19:06) Self-publishing a 200-page fiction book

(21:18) Writing the Amelia Earhart school musical

(25:10) Choosing McGill for “interesting experiences”

(28:14) Finding creativity via film theory and sketches

(31:10) Back to NYC: People magazine job

(33:12) Kant quote sparks philosopher breakup letters

(36:28) New Yorker acceptance, viral confusion, book deal

(40:42) Fear, procrastination, and NYPL finishing grind

(45:20) Loneliness → pivot to TV writing, move to LA

(47:58) Animated TV loophole, plant show, health crisis arc

(52:16) Post-recovery travel: Bali freedom and staying seven months

(55:18) Ecstatic dance, DJing, writing workshops combined

(57:44) Living with uveitis: uncertainty reshapes priorities

(59:32) Writing now, eye status, and redefining success