Dahl follows her childhood dream
The “Cornwall Artists, Writers, Musicians, and Performers” project continues at 6 p.m. on Wednesday as the Cornwall Public Library presents An Evening with Julia Dahl: An Author’s Words of Wisdom. The program is made possible through a state grant administered by Arts Mid-Hudson.
“They wanted me to talk about my career and moving from one kind of writing to another,” said Dahl, who started her career as a journalist before changing career paths as a fiction writer and teacher. “I will talk about how journalism helps you be a better fiction writer and how what I learned as a journalist inspired me as a novelist. I’ll talk a little bit about journalism and the things I think as really important to the profession and what’s screwing it up. Then I’ll talk about balancing life with creative work.”
Growing up, Dahl loved to write, but she knew she couldn’t make a living as a fiction writer.
Instead she followed her mother’s advice and started down the path toward a career in journalism. She joined the school newspaper in her senior year and fell in love with the profession.
“I loved the writing, I loved talking to people,” Dahl said. “I’m a curious person. I like being nosy for a living. I love to learn from people. The best thing about journalism is being able to meet people I normally wouldn’t have in my everyday life. I also love that it feels a little like a public service. Without us democracy dies. It’s important to dig up the truth and shine the light on wrongdoing. It always felt to me like something I could feel good about doing most of the time.”
Dahl went to Yale where she majored in English. She later obtained an MFA in fiction at the New School in New York City and a masters in journalism from American University.
Professionally, Dahl has held a number of jobs in the field. She started as a fact checker with “Entertainment Weekly” and then went on to become an editor at “Women’s Magazine.” She worked for “Redbook” and “Marie Claire,” as well as freelanced for “Seventeen Magazine.” From there, Dahl served as a stringer for the “New York Post” before moving on to a non-profit news site called “The Crime Report” where she was able to write about any criminal justice issues she thought were interesting. After a couple years, she made her final stop at CBS News where she was a crime and justice reporter for their website or “48 Hours.”
Dahl spent seven years at CBS, but with the birth of her son she realized she needed a part-time job. A professor at New York University happened to read an article she wrote for the “Columbia Journalism Review” and subsequently asked her to speak to her class. Afterwards, the professor mentioned the school was looking for adjuncts and inquired about Dahl’s interest in teaching. She accepted and started her new career six months later.
“I love it. It’s not like being in a newsroom, which can be super depressing with bad news after bad news. Teaching is the opposite. Kids are excited about journalism and they want to learn. They’re passionate about the world.”
Never losing sight of her original dream, Dahl published her first novel, “Invisible City,” in 2014, despite a failed attempt nine years prior. In 2007, while working for the “New York Post,” the story Dahl wanted to tell became clear. The story of a murder in a Hasidic community became the subject of her first novel.
Much of what she saw working the crime beat didn’t make it into the paper, but she wanted another venue to get the stories out into the world. While her novels aren’t based on her experiences as a reporter per se, there is a little bit of truth in them. The book she just finished, her fourth, tells the story of a freshman in college who is sexually assaulted. In some ways, she said, it’s based on articles she wrote about sexual assault on campus. “The Missing Hours” will be released in September.
Zoom links to An Evening with Julia Dahl will be provided the day of the program. To register, visit the library’s online calendar.
