“A tsunami of talent, charm, and energy, Julia was a unique figure—a chronicler of politics, an arbiter of style, food and drink, and a public speaker of rare accomplishment,” wrote Jon Meacham about Julia Reed upon news of her death in August 2020 after a long battle with cancer.
Now, more than two years later, the legacy of one of Greenville’s most beloved native daughters will be celebrated once again with the publication of “Dispatches from the Gilded Age” edited by Everett Bexley — a collection of essays by Julia Reed that spans nearly 40 years of her career.
A celebratory event for the publication will be held from 3 to 6 p.m. at Downtown Butcher & Mercantile, 509 Washington Ave. and the public is invited to attend.
Proceeds from the sale of the book support the Julia Evans Reed Charitable Trust, host of the event.
Reed, considered to be one of America’s greatest chroniclers, is heralded for her work as a long-time editor and writer for Vogue Magazine and as a popular columnist and contributing editor for Garden & Gun.
Other publications she contributed to include The New York Times, Newsweek, Conde Nast Traveler, The Wall Street Journal, U.S. News & World Report, the Orlando Sentinel, The Oxford American, Southern Living and Elle Decor.
Bexley, who was Reed’s long-time assistant and editor of “Dispatches,” said on what it means to be able to celebrate the publication in her beloved hometown, “It’s so exciting. I met Julia first through her writing before I met her in person. I was a fan of her work before we had ever met. It was her writing that always pulled me in.”
It could easily be said that Bexley is somewhat of a Julia Reed connoisseur, having read all of her books before they actually met.
“Julia had such a wonderful, large, generous personality that I think it’s sometimes easy to forget that she was also an incredibly prolific and talented writer. I really think Julia was often at her best on the page,” he shared. “People used to tell Julia, “You write just like you talk,” and that’s true. Julia had such a distinct voice, but it wasn’t just about how she talked, it was hard work achieving that voice that everyone loved so much in her writing.”
Bexley said he had the privilege of witnessing that work first-hand, which has left an indelible impression on him as well as Reed’s audience and colleagues.
“This book is a chance for people to encounter some pieces they may not have seen before as about half of this book is from the early part of her career. These were some pieces that even I had not read until I started putting it together,” he highlighted, noting the pieces were mostly from magazines.
However, as Bexley pointed out, the book would not have happened without the true Julia Reed connoisseur — Reed’s mother, Judy.
“Julia’s mother, Judy, saved every single magazine article that Julia ever wrote. It was a huge, heavy box of archives,” he said. “I started going through them in November 2020; I was worried I was going to be really sad and there were some moments, but it felt like having Julia in the room again. It felt like spending time with my friend.”
With the book being solely Reed’s idea, Bexley had a bit of difficulty with the editing process and would find himself pondering what Julia would do as she was someone who had “very strong opinions and very strong taste.”
The one thing that was not difficult, he said, was the collective decision for the event to be in Greenville.
“Julia lived in a lot of places — New York, New Orleans and she spent some time in Nashville — but for almost all of her books, the first event she would have would always be in Greenville, her hometown,” Bexley said. “She loved Greenville so much and it was so important to her, so it feels deeply appropriate that we’re debuting the book there.”
A synopsis of “Dispatches from the Gilded Age” reads, “The end of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first was a time in which the high and the low bubbled furiously together and Julia was there with her sharp eye, keen wit, and uproariously clear-eyed way of seeing the world to chronicle this truly spectacular era. ‘Dispatches from the Gilded Age’ is Julia at her best as she profiles Andre Leon Talley, Sister Helen Prejean, President George and Laura Bush, Madeleine Albright, and others. Readers will travel to Africa and Cuba with Julia, dine at Le Bernardin, savor steaks at Doe’s Eat Place, consider the fashions of the day, get the recipes for her hot cheese olives and end up with the ride of their lives through Julia’s beloved South.”
Jessica Brent, who is one of Reed’s oldest and dearest friends and also sits on the board of the Julia Evans Reed Charitable Trust Foundation, said the event means a great deal because the work Reed wanted to do in “her beloved Mississippi Delta” has begun.
She highlighted Reed’s Greenville-centered endeavors such as her involvement with the Delta Hot Tamale Fest and the Brown Water Books Fair.
“She just loved the Delta so much and just wanted to put so much back in it. To all of her friends around the world, that would be one of the first things she talked about — what the Delta meant to her, our storytelling, our beautiful landscape, the beautiful river, our great writers and the food,” Brent added. “She left us before any of us were ready, but this is just a wonderful opportunity in this collection of articles which are basically the entire span of her 40 year writing career. It’s just a way to celebrate all the good things that she did.”
Brent also acknowledged The Boykin family’s generosity for allowing the event to be held at Downtown Butcher & Mercantile as Reed was good friends with the family and an avid supporter of their revitalization efforts in downtown Greenville.
“Dispatches from The Gilded Age” can be purchased from Turnrow Book Co., located at 304 Howard St. in Greenwood, or online at https://www.turnrowbooks.com/greenwood.
Turnrow Book Co. can be reached at 662-452-5995.
