Julie L. Rowse started writing in a journal just before she turned five years old, and never looked back. Dozens of journals and a handful of writing classes later, she has been blogging since 2005.
Julie’s personal essays have been published in Segullah and Midnight Circus, and her academic work has been published in the anthology Writing and the Digital Generation, and in the academic journals Quest and The World of Physical Culture in Sport and Exercise. Her memoir, Lies Jane Austen Told Me, was released by EAB Publishing on Oct. 2, 2015.
In her spare time, Julie writes, reads, sings, plays the piano, and watches movies. She is a rabid BYU sports fan.
Julie is a recovering Air Force Brat who has finally put down roots in Nebraska. She holds a B.S. in Secondary Education with an emphasis in Language Arts from the University of Nebraska-Omaha, and an M.A. in Popular Culture from Bowling Green State University. She currently teaches introductory journalism classes and Popular Culture Studies at a suburban high school.
Bill Gaus was here!! 🙂
Hi Julie,
I just finished reading “Lies Jane Austen Told Me,” and I’m proud to know you. Since I’m not Mormon, I can’t identify with the situations and feelings you express specifically related to the Mormon view of women, marriage and children.
Even so, your stories reminded me of my first (and disastrous) marriage in 1967, the summer after I graduated from college. In looking back, I’m certain I sought being engaged because that’s what so many of my sorority sisters were doing and I didn’t want to be left out. I knew that marriage was a mistake after the first year but I spent the next 6-1/2 years trying to “fix” what wasn’t fixable. Fortunately, I never had to endure physical abuse but there was more than enough financial, mental and emotional abuse. I finally realized I needed to end that marriage for self-preservation. I threw myself into my teaching and student media advising career, read every book I could get my hands on from the public library about divorce and kept a journal to try to process it all.
Particularly entertaining is your creative technique of melding contemporary films characters and themes along with those from Jane Austen novels to give your stories a unique twist and voice.
Congratulations on reaching your goal with this memoir and thank you for letting me know when it hit the streets. I hope your personal appearances this weekend a huge success!