Italian American Heritage Month: Lisa DePaulo

Lisa DePaulo is an acclaimed American journalist and writer known for her sharp reporting, fearless personality, and colorful storytelling style. Born in January 1961 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, DePaulo discovered her love of words early and pursued it with determination, earning a journalism degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1982. While still in college, she interned at Philadelphia Magazine, the publication that would become her professional home for more than a decade. There, she developed a reputation for writing deeply reported, character-driven stories that often captured the quirks, ambitions, and contradictions of the people she covered.

In 1998, DePaulo’s career took a glamorous turn when she was recruited by John F. Kennedy Jr. to join George magazine, his glossy and ambitious experiment blending politics and pop culture. She became one of the magazine’s standout writers, known for her vivid, narrative pieces that brought political and cultural figures to life. When George folded in 2001, DePaulo continued to build an impressive freelance career, contributing feature stories to such prestigious outlets as The New York Times, Vanity Fair, Elle, GQ, New York Magazine, and Harper’s Bazaar. Her work often straddled the line between reportage and portraiture—sometimes funny, sometimes dark, but always deeply human.

Over the years, she has tackled a wide range of subjects, from true crime investigations—including the infamous Robert Durst–Susan Berman case—to political profiles and behind-the-scenes looks at powerful institutions. Her reporting style, often described as both gutsy and empathetic, reflects her insistence on getting close to her subjects and capturing the texture of their worlds.

Beyond her journalism, DePaulo has shared her craft with the next generation of writers as an adjunct instructor, teaching writing courses at New York University and mentoring young journalists through programs like the Nora Magid Mentorship Prize at Penn. After spending more than two decades in New York City, she returned to her roots in Philadelphia in 2021, bringing her career full circle to the city where her voice first took shape.