We were lucky to catch up with Nellie Beckett recently and have shared our conversation below.

Nellie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I learned everything about writing, work and the world by reading voraciously. I was a loner and a bookworm growing up, so much of what I learned about the world was through a daily practice of reading newspapers and periodicals: the Washington Post, the New York Times, the New Yorker, the Vermont Country Store Catalogue, Ms., The Nation, BUST Magazine, the Hearthsongs Catalogue, the Tightwad Gazette, New Moon Magazine for Girls and their Dreams, American Girl Magazine, Cricket, Spider, Bitch Magazine (RIP), the Utne Reader, Vogue, zines, Hip Mama, Jane, CosmoGirl, Teen Vogue, New York Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington City Paper, the Baltimore City Paper (RIP), People, US Weekly, Allure, Saveur, Mad Magazine, Cook’s Illustrated, Premiere, Seventeen and doubtless others I’m forgetting. It was a fun exercise just now to think of all the wonderful publications I marinated in every single day, either through my parents’ subscriptions or at the library or bookstore. I had multiple library cards and haunted the libraries and thrift stores and used bookstores of our city. This constant exposure to brilliant writers taught me voice, it taught me about the world, and it taught me how to seek information and stumble upon ideas I never would have otherwise found. NPR was the constant soundtrack to my childhood, and PBS and a robust local video rental store filled in the rest of my DIY education. I attended world-class public schools in Silver Spring, Maryland where a working knowledge of many forms of media and a fierce curiosity about the world were nurtured by incredible teachers and peers.
I was an information sponge, and I learned an incredible amount of solo agency quite young, but I wish I had learned how to do it in interaction with other people. I was fearless in things like attending a protest or navigating the Metro system, but petrified to organize a birthday party. Needless to say, now I’m an obsessive hostess and community builder.
Playing on a sports team or in a band or organizing a fundraiser teaches you leadership, project management, how to do things like work with other clashing personalities but also how to order t-shirts or follow up through a phone tree. Knowledge and risk solo is one thing, group projects and team efforts are another. I was also incredibly resistant as a kid to learning any software, from Final Cut Pro to the Microsoft Suite, because on some level I sensed I would have to do it for the rest of my life and so I chose to dally in the analog world as long as possible. Learning how to do things with other people, or find applicable use for my knowledge besides trivia, has been the project of my adult life.
In terms of becoming a community engagement producer, I used skills I built up from throwing parties, building my own social media presence, obsessively keeping tabs on the local media landscape, volunteering, constantly hustling and networking, and building social capital from scratch in a new city. I had also worked in public media so I was familiar with that industry niche, and built skills from leading book groups to teaching classes about perfume. I’m a Jill of all trades and a generalist and a bit of a schmooze.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I grow engagement and scale communities, whether it’s growing the audience of a regional newsroom at the Gulf States Newsroom, program management and building the alumni network of local leadership program Overton Fellowship, or building community via book sales and leading a book club at our local indie bookstore, Thank You Books. I also write, teach, and lecture on material and cultural history, whether I’m leading a group of students through a creative workshop about perfume or posting on Instagram about turn of the millennium material and pop culture. I also like to give back through volunteer service, whether interviewing prospective students for my alma mater, Smith College, or evaluating scripts for Birmingham’s annual Sidewalk Film Festival. I’m proud too of growing as a mentor to young people in creative and nonprofit work. I like to solve strategic problems and connect people to resources to grow their audiences, their education, their businesses, their rich inner life, or their careers. I also like to host parties with my husband Nolen Strals, a designer, writer, and brilliant mentor in his own right. Life can be hard– let’s eat, drink, and gather about it, and find solace and inspiration together.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I’ve changed careers at least three times but the common thread of programs, outreach, and engagement runs through all of them. My new jobs always came through being willing to volunteer for causes I cared about, and being brave enough to directly ask for something, whether it’s a leadership role on a board or coffee with someone I admire. My pivot from schools to libraries came from volunteering, and my pivot from libraries to public media came from a successful track record of collaborating as a program partner. Practice pivoting enough times and the transition is smooth. I always say to people– life is long, careers aren’t linear, and paths have a way of crossing again, so maintain friendly contact with folks, follow your passion, and show up to stuff. Showing up to in-person events sets you aside, and having a robust digital presence can help too. Post, questions, comment, like, and build. We are social animals. There’s also a massive amount of industry overlap, so never discount how transferable your skills are.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker changed how I think about everything from Zoom meetings to weddings to book club.
Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam is a foundational text that I return to again and again in understanding ideas of social capital and community building.
The Managed Heart by Arlie Hoschchild and Fair Play by Eve Rodsky are instrumental for understanding about emotional labor and the kinds of work made invisible in the day to day.
Digital Body Language by Erica Dhawan is a great tool for our increasingly digital communication patterns.
The work of Dr. Ramani Durvasula has given me profound insight into personality types, patterns of behavior and self-preservation.
Leil Lowndes’ work on how to talk to people teaches me that you can always polish your social skills!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: nelliebeckettconnects
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nelliebeckett/