Julie Zigoris is a storyteller in San Francisco, where she works to uncover the people and places that make the city unique. Her work has been honored by the Society of Professional of Journalists, the San Francisco Press Club, the Los Angeles Press Club and the Journalism Association of Community Colleges. A former teacher, she’s the author of Belomor: Criminality and Creativity in Stalin’s Gulag and holds a PhD in Russian literature. She has taught English and history at the University of Pittsburgh, Stanford University, the Jewish Community High School of the Bay and in San Quentin Rehabilitation Center.

Unofficial Bio

As the daughter of a political refugee, I grew up hearing my dad’s stories of persecution in communist Hungary. His escape inspired me to pursue a PhD in Slavic Languages and Literatures, and I’ve taught both university and high school students. I moved from the classroom to the newsroom, ready to be on the other side of the equation—creating work instead of teaching it. I’m now working on a freelance basis as well as on larger projects that have emerged from my reporting.