When you first look at Tufts alumna Julie Suratt (LA '94), you might not realize that you're in front of one of the top editors in Boston. With her friendly manner, casual blue jeans and corduroy shirt, Suratt seems too approachable to be someone who's conquered journalism in Beantown just 11 years out of college. But as the managing editor of Boston Magazine, that's exactly what Suratt has done.
Journalism, however, wasn't always Suratt's passion. As a child, she acted in commercials and school theater productions. "I thought I wanted to be an actress and go the TV route," Suratt said. "But then I got shy."
When she came to Tufts, Suratt amended her acting plans and began as a pre-med. But after her first chemistry class, Suratt changed her mind. Having taken three years of journalism in high school, she decided to switch from science to English. After spending a semester in Spain, writing for the Daily and playing Ultimate Frisbee for four years, Suratt graduated in 1994 - and promptly realized she had no idea what she wanted to do with her life.
Instead of joining the working world right away, Suratt decided to spend a year teaching English in Japan. A complete lack of knowledge of the Japanese language didn't deter her from teaching in Osaka.
"I had an amazing year there, traveling and teaching," she said. "Traveling is my passion. I've been to Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and everywhere else."
When she returned to the United States of America, Suratt's passion for travel led her to apply to Destinations, a Washington, D.C.-based travel magazine. After joining the magazine as an editorial and advertising assistant, Suratt quickly moved up to staff writer. Her frustrations with the limitations of the magazine, however, led her to rethink her position.
"I knew I needed to leave when I wrote a six-page story on day-trips from Toronto, and I'd never been to Canada," Suratt said. "I said, 'Eek, I've got to get out of this.'"
Suratt left Destinations and joined the bi-weekly Improper Bostonian as a staff writer. "My time at the Improper Bostonian was just a blast," Suratt said.
In addition to giving her the chance to meet Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, working at the Improper also gave Suratt a chance to fly in the Hood Blimp over Fenway Park during a baseball game.
Although writing is Suratt's main interest, she admits that "the catch-22 is, in journalism, if you want to make a decent salary, you have to go the editor route."
Suratt spent six years moving up through the ranks of the Improper to become its managing editor. She then made the move to Boston Magazine, where she is currently managing editor.
Suratt attributes her impressively quick upward mobility to a talent for creative writing, instilled in her by her high school journalism teacher. "He required perfection from all of us," said Suratt, explaining that she often had to rewrite stories multiple times before they met her teacher's standards.
Majoring in English at Tufts also gave Suratt helpful experience. "I think a talented writer is somebody who can really paint a picture of a scene or situation, so that the reader feels like they're in that moment," Suratt said. "There are not a lot of writers who can do that."
In her capacity as managing editor, Suratt still gets to indulge her love of writing. In order to work on the magazine's yearly Best-of-Boston restaurant reviews, "pretty much from January to July, I'm eating out literally every single night," she said.
The constant eating, she said, can get tiring. "You always have to get an appetizer, an entr?©? and a dessert. And then you have to try the wine," she said. "It's like you roll home at the end of the night."
Some of Suratt's favorite restaurants include Pigalle, for French cuisine; Clio, for sashimi; and Davis Square's own Diva for Indian food.
Finding new restaurants is another passion of Suratt's. "We just found this really cool restaurant in Chinatown yesterday called Noodle Alcove," said Suratt, explaining that the chef stretches the noodles in front of the customers. "That's kind of the thing I love - hidden treasures that you don't normally know about. Everybody knows about the big-name restaurants in Boston, but to go to the heart of Chinatown and find a place like that, it's pretty cool."
When not dining and balancing other managerial editing duties, Suratt lives in Jamaica Plain with her husband, also a Tufts alum. The two play Ultimate Frisbee twice a week in the summer. But they won't be staying in Jamaica Plain for long: they have just bought a new house to accommodate their soon-to-be family.
"My big news is that I'm pregnant with not just one baby, but two babies," Suratt said. Her twin boys are due Mar. 26.
Suratt is unsure of how motherhood will affect her journalism career. "I'm definitely still working - I love this job," said Suratt, who said that balancing work and mothering is "a dilemma that women face everywhere."
Although Suratt knows that she wants to continue working as an editor at Boston Magazine, she says that she eventually wants to return to her creative writing roots. "Down the road, I want to write novels," Suratt said. "So does everybody, but I really do."
But for now, Suratt is content with eating three-course meals every night for free: "It's really fun," she said.
