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MEET JULIE

Somewhere between heartache and hope, the words always come.

Somewhere between
heartache and hope,
the words always come.

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I knew I wanted to be a writer at seven-years-old, but I never had the courage to pursue it. I graduated from college and began working in marketing, slowly losing my spark with each day spent in a cubicle. When I could no longer ignore the call to write, I went back to graduate school to learn how to approach the page.

My MFA is in fiction writing. I tried to write my story as a novel, but after finishing an entire draft, I realized that the truth was more powerful. It was terrifying to share so vulnerably on the page, but the world’s reaction to my and Bunker’s story has been astounding. The real story of Bunker’s healing deserved to be told as it happened, because the truth is: a dog saved my life when nothing else could.

to pull us through.

Love has the power to pull us through.

Love has the power

My favorite sound

CRICKETS

I LOVE

DOGS CROWS OWLS

I AM A

NATURE FREAK

YOU CAN ALWAYS FIND ME

READING

I AM HAPPIEST AMONGST

THE REDWOODS

My Author Journey

My journey has been one of unlearning and rediscovery, of peeling back layers to find strength I didn’t know I had. Writing became both my outlet and my way of making sense of the chaos. Each word, each story, has been a step toward understanding myself and the world around me a little better.

FOLLOW MY DAILY POETRY PRACTICE

My Purpose

As an author and teacher, I offer a safe and confidential space to those wanting to express themselves more honestly on the page. The timed writing method we use in my class is the only way I ever manage to truly get my heart on the page. In Write Club, you’ll be held and witnessed gently and beautifully, without judgement, by other writers. The connections you make will sustain you well beyond the two hour class.

My classes are offered both in person in California and online via zoom for students around the world. For anyone looking to find meaning or make sense of the journey, join me for Write Club.

JOIN WRITE CLUB

My Backstory

I have a B.A. in English from Kenyon College, an M.F.A. in Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts, and an M.A. in Women’s Studies from Southern Connecticut State University. My memoir Dog Medicine, How My Dog Saved Me From Myself, became an instant New York Times Bestseller after being published by Penguin Random House. The book has been translated into several languages including Korean, Mandarin, Spanish, Dutch, French, Italian, and German. I’ve been published in many literary magazines, and was nominated for a Pushcart Prize.

I call Northern California home with my husband Greg, our two children, and small menagerie of pets, naturally.

PUBLISHED WORK

“Absolution,” short story, published in WestView, 2009

Finalist in the Glimmer Train 2007 Fiction Open

“Sinker,” poem, published in The South Carolina Review, 2004

“Night Visions,” short story, published in Louisiana Literature, 2003

“The Last Solstice,” poem, published in Caduceus, Art Place at Yale Medical School

“Tuesday at Noon: On the Phone with My Father,” poem, published in Caduceus, Art Place at Yale Medical School

“Synapses Misfire,” poem, published in Caduceus, Art Place at Yale Medical School

Dog Medicine, How My Dog Saved Me From Myself, first published by Think Piece Publishing in November 2015

“How Writing About My Dog Saved Me After His Death,” published on The-Pool.com

“Be There Relentlessly,” written for Think Piece Publishing on September 10, World Suicide Prevention Day. Also published on Psychology Today

“Why It’s Not OK to Label Our Children,” non-fiction, published February 6, 2014 in The Huffington Post via Brain, Child Magazine

“The Raven and the Crane,” creative non-fiction, published in the Fall/Winter 2013 issue of Two Hawks Quarterly

“Maps of Africa,” short story, published in Brain, Child, The Magazine for Thinking Mothers, Winter 2013 (To read this story on your iPhone or iPad, click here to download the Brain, Child App

MEET JULIE