Meet Madison Margolin | journalist & author
We had the good fortune of connecting with Madison Margolin and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Madison, can you share a quote or affirmation with us?
I grew up with “Be Here Now” as a household staple; both in that my parents had several copies of Ram Dass’ purple book with the wicker chair floating around the house, and that they’d defer to the phrase “be here now” when I’d come to them with any sort of childhood quips or teenage angst. I used to resent the concept of ‘be here now’ for these reasons, looking for ways to rebel from my family. But I’ve come to identify that “be here now” doesn’t just mean sitting on a pillow, meditating in silence, trying to tune into the present at the expense of bypassing everything else that requires attention, but rather it means to wake up to everything we do and don’t want to see, such that we become motivated to change the here and now and bless it as a place we actually want to be.
Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a journalist focused on the intersection of Judaism and psychedelics. I just wrote a book that’s coming out in November, titled “Exile & Ecstasy: Growing Up with Ram Dass and Coming of Age in the Jewish Psychedelic Underground”. Here’s the pre-order link: https://www.amazon.com/Exile-Ecstasy-Growing-Psychedelic-Underground/dp/1401973531/ref=sr_1_1?crid=33CF62DJCC8V1&keywords=exile+%26+ecstasy&qid=1689621769&sprefix=exile+%26+ecstasy%2Caps%2C87&sr=8-1. The story of how I got to where I am today and more is all in that book. I grew up in the cannabis movement, as my dad is a criminal defense lawyer who campaigned to legalize weed. I also grew up in the community surrounding Ram Dass. I began reporting on the intersection of Judaism and psychedelics when I was in journalism school, having been assigned by my professors to cover Brooklyn’s Hasidic community and falling into the underground psychedelic community there. From then on, I’ve made it my mission to tie these seeming disparate (although heavily related) threads of my life together in the past 10 years of reporting stories, and writing a book. It hasn’t been easy, but as a creative, I feel like I haven’t had much choice in the matter. This story has been inside me and I’ve felt compelled to get it out, no matter what struggles have come with that endeavor: the woes of freelancing, bopping around apartments with several roommates, straddling the coasts and even the continents to “get the story” and to experience my life”—which ultimately became the story (in a gonzo sort of way). Doing so has also forced me to be vulnerable to share personal details that exemplify the points I want to illustrate about psychedelics, health, and spirituality.
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
#1 Canter’s Deli & the Kibbutz Room!
From there I’d recommend the drum circle at Venice Beach, hiking at Tree People, Franklin Canyon, or up to the Griffith Observatory, going to a Topanga kirtan or yoga class with the founders of Bhakti Yoga Shala, getting froyo at the Bigg Chill, shopping at The Canyon in Franklin Village, having a picnic at the lake in Echo Park, rooftop drinks at the Ace Hotel, or having a more vintage vibe at the Hollywood Roosevelt, Chateau Marmont, or the Beverly Hills Hotel, bike riding at the beach, checking out the Melrose/Fairfax Flea, getting Persian takeout in Westwood or on Pico, and browsing Skylight Books in Los Feliz or Book Soup in West Hollywood.
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to shoutout both my dad Bruce Margolin (who wrote his own forthcoming book ‘Down for the Cause’) and my older sister Allison Margolin, who recently published a memoir ‘Just Dope.” I also have a memoir coming out called Exile & Ecstasy.
Website: madisonmargolin.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madisonmargolin/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/madison-margolin-01319324/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/margolinmadison
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MadisonMargolin/
Image Credits
credit Nechama Jacobson with the headshot and David Morgan with the other two shots
Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
