We’re looking forward to introducing you to Lawrence Grobel. Check out our conversation below.
Lawrence, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: Who are you learning from right now?
My grandkidsm twio of them are ten years old, the other is three. They are each very different, but if you watch them as they interact with the worlds around them, you can rekindle he innocence of youth, the joy of learning new things, and the very basic way to handle tough subjects.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’ve been writing professionally for a long time, and most recently, I’ve allowed Vanity Fair magazine to publish an excerpt from the journal I’ve been keeping since the mid-1970s. It appeared in the July/August 2025 issue and has awakened people who want to hire me to work with them on various projects, from consulting to interviewing to publishing. When I was teaching at UCLA, I insisted that students keep a journal. It’s amazing what might happen if you do, and this is proof. Keeping an open mind and living a life worth writing about has allowed me to write for dozens of magazines and publish 32 books. My “brand” is just me.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
In 1962, I won an essay contest sponsored by Newsday. The prize was the essay and my photo published in the newspaper, an engraved watch, and a trip to Washington D.C. to meet my congressmen, the head of the FBI, and Robert Kennedy, the Attorney General of the U.S.. It was a powerful moment in my life because it showed me the power of the written word, and it brought me face-to-face with the powers-that-be at the time.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
In the early ’70s I had two magazine profiles to write for Esquire and Playboy. I spent months working on each one, and neither of them made it into print. That was discouraging, but I refused to give up my dream of making it as a writer. It took a while to regroup, but I managed to get an editor at the New York Times to take a few articles I wrote, and have never looked back since.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What’s a belief you used to hold tightly but now think was naive or wrong?
I’ve always believed in the American Dream, and in American democracy. I never thought one bad person could come along and destroy these beliefs, and unfortunately today, we have a president and a government that is destroying the dream for so many, and along the way, destroying our democracy. Whether our country survives, or whether George Orwell proves that his 1984 vision becomes our reality will be determined in the next few years.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I was lucky that no one ever told me what to do. True, my parents worried that it would be very difficult to make a living as a writer, but they believed in me enough not to discourage me. I was 12-years-old when I began submitting poetry to magazines–always getting rejected, but always believing that they would one day be accepted. I’ve been doing what I’ve wanted to do all my life, and never listened to anyone who tried to show me another path.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://lawrencegrobel.com
- Instagram: larrygrobel
- Linkedin: lawrencegrobel
- Twitter: lawrencegrobel
- Facebook: Larry Grobel
- Youtube: Lawrence Grobel
Image Credits
photo credits: with Truman Capote: Harvey Wang, photographer
Other photos: Larry Grobel
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