I’m Julie Holstein, the founder/editor of WARD 6, a new grassroots newsletter about the people, places and communities in our corner of Brooklyn and my favorite place on earth.
I’m a longtime journalist and Brooklynite, who’s walked, jogged and biked in almost every nook of our neighborhoods (and beyond) and care deeply about their past and present and future.
Think of WARD 6 as a micro newsroom, with a mix of original stories, collaborations, one-stop-shopping of local events, curated links to other juicy stories and much more. Above all, I want WARD 6 to be where you come for a water cooler conversation, a backyard fence to yell over, a place to meet and share and schmooze.*
Ask me about stuff you want to learn and I’ll find the answer; share TIPS and links to your Brooklyn newsletter and social media; suggest ways for me to best serve our community. When you text your friends about something you saw, heard or read in our Brooklyn neighborhoods, please share with WARD 6 ([email protected] or @ward6_brooklyn). And there is merch for early subscribers!
Like many of you, dear readers, when Brooklyn entered my life, I fell head over heels, madly in love. My partner and I, both transplanted Californians, moved here in the late 90s after some years in Manhattan, a bit unmoored, in search of community and a normal size fridge. Never mind that my parents were originally from the Bronx before they relocated to California in the late 60s.
We didn’t know much about the neighborhood other than a friend from high school was giving up his apartment on Atlantic Ave. Three flights of stairs above Damascus Bakery became our new home, with near-constant sweet aromas of pita and pastries, a normal fridge AND a kitchen. Our landlords became our first local friends.
Two kids, five NYC schools, and three apartments later, I can’t imagine living anywhere else. Some big emotions coming from a west coast transplant.
Besides waiting tables throughout my school years and then some, and a brief stint at a bike tour company, I’ve been a journalist all of my life. Once I discovered I could unleash my pathological curiosity, ask tons of questions, AND get paid (sorta), I’ve never given serious thought to any other profession.
I started my career in NYC at NBC Nightly News where I covered elections, the summer and winter Olympics, 9/11 and countless other stories. Investigations and deep dive storytelling is what I really wanted to do and moved to CBS and my then-dream job at 60 Minutes. For nearly 17 years, I traveled the globe reporting on big names and big stories and collaborated with more of the best journalists in the business (more in ABOUT soon). Last year, I helped launch the show’s first podcast, A Second Look, about memorable stories from the show’s archives that are still relevant today.
I’d always come back to Brooklyn and see all of the local stories I never got to do that were often just as juicy or important, but, maybe, if you lived in our corner of Brooklyn. With WARD 6, I finally get to tell these stories and give something back to the community. Expect the high standards from all my years as a journalist with a twist of fun. Here are some of the stories I’m working on:
From Brooklyn to Ibiza: How a local couple, with a baby on the way, is adjusting to their new lives and how they decided to make a big move.
Where you can get fruit and veggies at any time of the day or night (hint: you’ll never guess)
What happened when I was invited inside the most exclusive club in the neighborhood?
Two local sisters on a mission to serve up Indian Street food and the stories behind each dish.
Will the Brooklyn Marine Terminal development project deliver affordable housing?
Who sells the sweetest and cheapest blueberries?
Is the intersection of Columbia St and Atlantic Ave any less chaotic/dangerous after the Dep. of Transportation finished its work?
Please excuse all typos and technical snaffos!/See you next week.