Ellen Lutwak on Swimming, Wordplay, and Unfinished Projects

Ellen Lutwak, a native Angeleno and former Mattel packaging copywriter and product namer, shares personal reflections in an interview. She has worked as a community liaison for Dr. Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots, a trained nature docent, and a matchmaker for an art gallery. Lutwak loves swimming, which she describes as her meditation in motion, and recalls her first creative memory: reading her story "Small Fry Sherman: A Tall Tale" in 4th grade. She regrets not going away to college, though she graduated debt-free from Cal State Northridge. She copes with heartbreak through time and staying busy. Reading her work aloud, especially about her son or late parents, makes her cry. She is proud of completing three Los Angeles Marathons (2000, 2001, 2002) but feels a short-lived dopamine rush after publishing articles. She believes she experienced a visitation from her late mother and a vision of both parents after their deaths. She is disappointed she didn't act on business ideas like "Espresso Lane" before Starbucks. She loves being a natural networker and bringing awareness to causes through writing. Her favorite meal is paella and cheesecake, first enjoyed in San Sebastian, Spain, on her birthday.