RISING ICON #104: Julie Cohen
An interview with Julie Cohen, development director at The Loft Literary Center:
What name do you prefer to be called?
Julie Cohen, unless you’re one of my niblings, in which case you may call me Aunt JuJu
What are your pronouns?
she/her/hers
Where did you grow up?
Gulf Breeze, Florida
What city are you currently based in?
Minneapolis, MN
How do you typically introduce yourself to new people?
I’m a transplant who found a community of bold, creative, world-changing people here in Minneapolis. Let me introduce you to them all.
What’s one thing you wish more people knew about you?
I still want to be a marine biologist when I grow up.
Who do you help?
I help people honor their passion for stories and connection by becoming part of the Loft community of readers and writers.
What are you building now?
The next 50 years of a vibrant literary community here in Minnesota.
What were you building ten years ago today?
In partnership with the Bush Foundation and Events by Lady K (now Convening Towards Liberation), a gathering of over 1,000 community leaders from across Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and the 23 Native Nations that share the same geography. #bushCON
What do you predict of yourself 10 years from now?
I’ve finished my memoir and am hosting a book launch party at the Loft.
What’s a fact or statistic you wish everyone knew about your industry?
Only 5% of published writers in the United States are people of color.
Why do you believe the work you do matters?
Stories shape our understanding of the world, our culture, our society. Who gets to tell those stories matters.
Who is your mentor and what is the best advice they’ve given you?
Not a formal mentor, but a woman by the name of Valora Washington, who was in my Shannon Leadership Institute cohort back in 2015, told me that when I don’t speak up, I deprive others of my gifts.
What piece of content about you or your company are you most proud of?
Lit!Commons, the Loft's new digital gathering space for writers. You can take classes from 10 of the most brilliant teaching artists in our community, at your own pace. You can explore multiple genres at once. You can connect with your writing peers for feedback and support. Our team and the teaching artists put their all into this platform and it's inspiring to see the community grow and hear how it's helping writers reach their creative goals.
What publication do you hope to appear in next?
Brevity
Who would you love to be interviewed by?
Sari Botton
If you had to give a TEDTalk tomorrow, what would the title be?
The Art of Radical Hospitality, or How I Gave the Middle Finger to White Gloves and Party Manners
What award would mean the most to win?
The Best Aunt Award
What makes zero sense to you?
The notion that you can't write a memoir until you're in your 50s. I had enough stories to fill a book by the time I was 21.
What’s a word in your industry you hope gets re-evaluated?
The singular definition of a “gift”. Time, talent, treasure, ties, and testimony can be valued equally.
What game are you changing?
Philanthropy - who it’s for and who it benefits.
What’s the next thing you’re a part of that you want to invite more people to participate in?
The Loft’s Lit!Series on Banned Books, featuring Carmen Maria Machado, the weekend of October 4-6. Next one is November 1-3 on the topic of Democracy. Timely, no?
Where can we follow you online?
@juliecohenmpls on Instagram
What’s one thing that makes every leader better?
Asking for help.
To learn more about Julie’s work, visit: https://loft.org/
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We’re grateful to each RISING ICON for their transformative work. Thank you, Julie, for sharing your story!
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