Meet Alexis Barad-Cutler, Brooklyn Heights mom, who writes fabulous articles about motherhood and – in particular – motherhood in Brooklyn. She has been featured on The Huffington Post and many more websites!
Your job title: Writer
Your work in one sentence: I write (mostly) humorous essays on motherhood and parenting for various online outlets such as wellroundedny.com, mommynearest.com, rzbeyondmom.com and on my own website.
What is creative about your work: Even though I write super honest essays that are based on my life and experiences, it takes a decent amount of creativity to find the story in everyday moments. I love taking topics that I am struggling with on my own and shaping them into stories that connect with people.
Your children: Two boys, ages one and three-and-a-half.
Which street do you live on: Furman Street
Which schools do your kids go to: Brooklyn Heights Synagogue and the other is not school-age yet, but we take classes at New York Kids Club.
Best thing to do with kids in Brooklyn Heights: I don’t know if it is the “best” but the place we find ourselves everyday is Pierrepont Park. After pickup from school, my older son will insist on taking a quick photobooth picture of himself (I’m not allowed in the picture) at Kiehls on Montague Street, then we’ll pick up a cone at Haagen Dazs and leave trails of melted ice cream all the way to the park.
What do you love about living in Brooklyn Heights as a parent: I can go to any café, any park, or even any square of sidewalk and find other parents and children to hang out with. I never feel isolated, even when I’m alone with my kids because companionship and community is really easy to seek out here.
What needs improvement in Brooklyn Heights for families: Indoor play spaces. The loss of the Moxie Spot playspace on Atlantic Avenue was a blow. I can’t say that it was a haven, but it was great to have an indoor space to go to on really cold, rainy, or hot days where you don’t have to pay a membership fee, and where the food was kid-friendly and affordable. The waterfront parks are great, but way too crowded on weekends. Most families I know end up at Pierrepont or LICH parks, but these parks are very outdated, unsafe, and could use complete revamps.
More info about yourself: I’ve always been a storyteller and a chronic oversharer, so it is great to have found a platform on which to share these pasttimes. I worked as a children’s book editor for over a decade, branched out into ghostwriting, and then published my own books, but right now I’m settling into this other writing identity. I love connecting with other parents and hearing how something I have written had the capacity to make someone else feel less alone or frustrated with herself. Most importantly, I like making people laugh and especially love when I get a comment from a reader who says I made her pee her pants at work. My goal is to build up my online writing presence, so right now I’m churning out essays and trying to pitch them to the right places. Pitching is the hardest part. Writing is easy.
Photo: Lindsey Turner
