Sarah Ball's Big Editor Energy
The Terry Gross and Diane Rehm of newsletters is back on the mic with WSJ's old-soul EIC.
Welcome to Spreadlandia, where two veteran editors read it ALL to winnow out only the best: juicy yarns, big ideas, deeply personal essays, and hot goss—aka, the full Spread. Plus: original interviews, podcasts, and more. Come hungry!
Brilliant Spreadtopians,
Is there a teensy bit of irony in us dropping an interview with WSJ mag editor-in-chief Sarah Ball in the same week that her predecessor launches a book inspired by getting fired from the same job? Sure. But please believe: Pure coincidence!
In the latest installment of our podnership with Print Is Dead (Long Live Print!), we get into it with a woman we believe to be singularly equipped to survive the media apocalypse. She not only has B.E.E. (that’s Big Editor Energy) but at a mere 40 years old, is both a student of old-guard, in the trenches, work-on-a-story-for-years magazine-making and a digital native with a flair for experimentation and a new-media scrappiness. Ball bridged those divides at Newsweek, Vanity Fair, and GQ—and has all the Graydon Carter and Jim Nelson lore to prove it. Now she’s leading WSJ into the future with (as dedicated Spreaders may have noticed of late) a spate of zeitgeisty, built-for-virality stories that we find ourselves recommending to you with increasing frequency.
Tune in to hear her talk about why she left the comfort of Condé for WSJ when she was eight and a half months pregnant with her first child (like, on purpose). Also: the “office supplies” she found on her desk on her first day of VF (Gold brick? Check.). The best time to pitch your idea in an awkward meeting. The arrogance of deciding to tackle the internet—but make it like print. And why she’s never allowed herself to linger in her comfort zone for too long—and how that’s defined her success.
While we have you, excuse us as we toot our own horn: We are chock full of original Spread content this month! Meet Caroline Palmer, author of what is soon to be every magazine nostalgist’s favorite novel here and read today’s smashing New York Times profile of her by Elizabeth Egan here (you’ll never eat a hot sandwich without second guessing it again). And catch our interview with reigning “French Girl” expert Marisa Meltzer here, then buy a cunning basket bag of your own here.
See y’all next week,
Rachel & Maggie
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