About moi.
I’m Yara El-Soueidi. I’m a millennial culture writer based out of Montréal, Canada. My main beat is music, but I also focus on social issues associated with culture — cancel culture, harassment, nepotism, ethnic and identity representation in media, etc. My writing has been featured in major North American publications — npr music, the Toronto Star, Complex Canada, MTVnews, and many others. I also have a monthly column in the Montréal Gazette.
On the personal side of things, I live in a typical centennial Montréal apartment with my partner and my cat, Persephone. Before making a shift in my career and becoming a professional writer, I worked in advertising — and hated it. Today, I write words and read interesting articles for a living. When not doing this, people find me walking around my little neighbourhood, buying another book at Drawn & Quarterly, spending time with my friends around a café, cooking something delicious in my kitchen, or watching trashy reality TV. I also started making zines recently.
I’m a pretty low-key person who’s very clumsy and hypersensitive. Writing is my special power.
“Is This Even Real” is about what?
After 2 years of constant change, I’m taking control of my writing and my musings. Pre-pandemic, I used to go out and go to shows, spend money, do drugs, and go through relationships like it was a car race. Now, I stay often home, trying to deal with my trauma and my problems through a lot of writing. I’m also trying to build something with my current partner while taking care of my cat, Persephone.
During these last 2 years, I discovered that people loved my stories and wait impatiently for my updates. At first, I decided to write about my life in a newsletter thinking it would make people laugh. And I make people laugh. It’s one of my main talents! But I feel like I have things to say, stuff I need to get off my chest. More serious things, funny things too, but I want to delve into the bad and ugly. The things that make me who I am.
And as Big Thief puts it so well, “there’s a woman inside of me and she doesn’t always do pretty things.“
Don’t worry, this won’t get as dark as it can be — still keeping some things in the realm of my private life. That being said, I will send gifs and exclusive content. I will openly talk about what bothers me, but also what I love. It’s therapeutic, and I’m sure people want to hear me out. Want to hear about how I’m trying to write a novel while dealing with the number of things I have to do? Want to know how I’m dealing with everything going on in the world? Want to know more about my *high-functioning* burnout and my borderline personality disorder? Want a top 30 of the best sad songs to cry to at night when you remember that you are not living Dublin? You’ll have it right here.
Don’t worry. All will be done with a touch of humor. Or else, what’s the purpose?
There’s so much Instagram stories or Facebook can do. So this is the best way to give you a peek into my oh-so-clumsy life. SO SUBSCRIBE NOW.
Can I share this with my friends?
Yes please. Go ahead and do it.
