Scaachi Koul
{{Short description|Canadian writer (born 1991)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{BLP sources|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Scaachi Koul
| image = Scaachi Koul at In Conversation at Indigo Chapters - 2017 - IMG 2959.jpg
| caption = Koul at a book reading in Toronto in 2017
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1991|02|07}}
| birth_place = Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| occupation = Writer
| alma_mater = Ryerson University
| spouse =
}}
Scaachi Koul (born February 7, 1991) is a Canadian former culture writer at BuzzFeed Canada.{{cite web|title=Scaachi Koul Biography|url=http://penguinrandomhouse.ca/authors/2086185/scaachi-koul|website=penguinrandomhouse.ca|publisher=Penguin Random House Canada|accessdate=February 7, 2017}}{{cite web|title=Scaachi Koul|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/scaachikoul|website=Buzzfeed.com|publisher=BuzzFeed Canada|accessdate=February 7, 2017}} She is the author of the book of essays One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter and was one of the reporters in BuzzFeed's Netflix documentary series Follow This. Before BuzzFeed, Koul worked at Penguin Random House Canada, the acquiring publisher of her book.{{cite web|last1=Robertson|first1=Becky|title=Doubleday Canada acquires essay collection by Scaachi Koul|url=http://www.quillandquire.com/omni/doubleday-canada-acquires-essay-collection-by-scaachi-koul/|website=quillandquire.com/|date=March 12, 2014 |publisher=St. Joseph Media|accessdate=February 7, 2017}} Her writing has appeared in Flare,{{cite web|last=Koul|first=Scaachi|title=Scaachi Koul on the Reality of Dating a Much Older Guy|url=http://www.flare.com/sex-and-relationships/scaachi-koul-on-the-reality-of-dating-a-much-older-guy/|website=flare.com|accessdate=February 7, 2017|archive-date=February 8, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170208041407/http://www.flare.com/sex-and-relationships/scaachi-koul-on-the-reality-of-dating-a-much-older-guy/|url-status=dead}} HuffPost Canada, The Thought Catalog, The Guardian, The New Yorker,{{cite magazine|title=Contributors: Scaachi Koul|url=http://www.newyorker.com/contributors/scaachi-koul|magazine=The New Yorker|accessdate=February 7, 2017}} The New York Times,{{cite news|last1=Koul|first1=Scaachi|title=Meanwhile in Canada … Things Are Just as Bad|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/05/opinion/meanwhile-in-canada-things-are-just-as-bad.html|work=The New York Times|date=February 6, 2017 |accessdate=February 7, 2017}} The Globe and Mail,{{cite news|last1=Koul|first1=Scaachi|title=Review: Kamal Al-Solaylee's Brown is essential reading for understanding the non-white world|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-kamal-al-solaylees-brown-is-essential-reading-for-understanding-the-non-white-world/article29911319/|work=The Globe and Mail|date=May 6, 2016 |accessdate=February 7, 2017}} and other publications.
Career
Koul freelanced while still at the Ryerson School of Journalism where she wrote for Maclean's from 2009 up until her graduation at the end of 2012.{{cite web|title=Contributors: Scaachi Koul|url=http://www.macleans.ca/author/scaachi-koul/|website=Maclean's|accessdate=February 7, 2017}}{{cite web | url = http://rsj.journalism.ryerson.ca/team/scaachi-koul/ | title = Scaachi Koul | accessdate = March 30, 2019 |first= Leah |last=Hansen |series=Grads at Work |department=Ryerson School of Journalism |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170523092600/http://rsj.journalism.ryerson.ca/team/scaachi-koul/|archive-date=May 23, 2017}} From April to November 2014 Koul wrote the "Unf*ck Yourself" column for Hazlitt.{{cite web|last1=Koul|first1=Scaachi|title=Unf*ck Yourself|url=http://hazlitt.net/category/unfck-yourself|website=Hazlitt|publisher=Penguin Random House Canada|accessdate=February 7, 2017}} In 2015 her column was rebranded "Scaach-22" with the new tagline "managing your own privilege without being a dick".{{cite web|last1=Koul|first1=Scaachi|title=Scaach-22|url=http://hazlitt.net/category/scaach-22|website=Hazlitt|publisher=Penguin Random House Canada|accessdate=February 7, 2017}}
In March 2015, while Koul was still employed by Penguin Random House Canada, they announced publication of a collection of her essays. Originally the collection was titled The Pursuit of Misery{{cite web|title=Author Scaachi Koul|url=http://hazlitt.net/authors/scaachi-koul|website=Hazlitt Magazine|publisher=Penguin Random House Canada|accessdate=February 7, 2017}} then it was changed to One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter.{{Cite news|url=https://us.macmillan.com/author/scaachikoul|title=Scaachi Koul {{!}} Authors {{!}} Macmillan|work=US Macmillan|access-date=April 3, 2018}} The book covers subjects including family, race, feminism, body image, and rape culture from her perspective as an Indian-Canadian woman growing up in the suburbs of Calgary.{{cite web|last=Donahue|first=Anne|title=12 Days of Feminists: Anne T. Donahue on Fierce Truth-Teller Scaachi Koul|url=https://www.flare.com/news/scaachi-koul-feminist/|publisher=Flare|accessdate=March 30, 2019|archive-date=March 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330184654/https://www.flare.com/news/scaachi-koul-feminist/|url-status=dead}} She also discusses her writing career and social media, including temporarily deactivating her Twitter account as a result of invective and threats following a request for long-form submissions from people who were "not white and not male".{{cite web|last=Ansari|first=Sadiya|url=https://www.flare.com/tv-movies/scaachi-koul-book/|title=Scaachi Koul on Race, Anxiety and Her Brand-New Book|date=March 9, 2017|accessdate=March 30, 2019|publisher=Flare|archive-date=March 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330184653/https://www.flare.com/tv-movies/scaachi-koul-book/|url-status=dead}} Koul was praised for her wit and humour,{{cite news|last=Volmers|first=Eric|url=https://calgaryherald.com/entertainment/books/calgarys-scaachi-koul-tackles-twitter-trolls-indian-weddings-and-body-hair-in-new-collection-of-essays|title=Calgary's Scaachi Koul tackles Twitter trolls, Indian weddings and body hair in new collection of essays|date=March 18, 2017|accessdate=March 30, 2019|newspaper=Calgary Herald}} ability to mix sarcasm and sentimentality,{{cite news|last=Arnone|first=Ted|url=https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/books/book-reviews/jagged-utter-pill-scaachi-koul-turns-social-media-rage-and-mockery-into-an-enthralling-essay-collection|title=Jagged utter pill: Scaachi Koul turns social media rage and mockery into an enthralling essay collection|date=March 13, 2017|accessdate=March 30, 2019|newspaper=The National Post}} and for her effective use of confessional writing as a complement to analytical rigour.{{cite news|last=Rosenberg|first=Alyssa|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/act-four/wp/2017/05/02/in-scaachi-kouls-debut-essay-collection-life-is-ridiculous-and-deadly-serious/|title=In Scaachi Koul's debut essay collection, life is ridiculous–and deadly serious|date=May 2, 2017|accessdate=March 30, 2019|newspaper=The Washington Post}} She received a shortlisted nomination for the 2018 Stephen Leacock Award for the best book of humour written in English by a Canadian writer.[http://www.cbc.ca/books/scaachi-koul-laurie-gelman-and-jennifer-craig-shortlisted-for-2018-stephen-leacock-memorial-medal-for-humour-1.4645066 "Scaachi Koul, Laurie Gelman and Jennifer Craig shortlisted for 2018 Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour"]. CBC Books, May 2, 2018.
She hosts the Scamfluencers podcast with Sarah Hagi, which covers scammers who are influencers.{{cite web | title=Scamfluencers (Podcast Series 2022– ) | website=IMDb | date=April 11, 2022 | url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt20833336/ | access-date=December 19, 2022}} Scamfluencers won the Ambie award in 2023 for best podcast covering the entertainment industry.{{Cite magazine |last=Chan |first=J. Clara |date=March 7, 2023 |title=Ambie Awards: 'Chameleon: Wild Boys' Wins Podcast of the Year |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/2023-ambie-awards-winners-list-chameleon-wild-boys-podcast-of-the-year-1235343389/ |access-date=July 20, 2024 |magazine=The Hollywood Reporter}}
She also co-hosts a BBC production podcast Where to be a woman with Sophia Smith Galer.{{cite web | url=https://www.bbc.com/mediacentre/2024/dear-daughter-where-to-be-a-woman-podcasts | title=Award-winning journalists Sophia Smith Galer and Scaachi Koul launch new podcast | website=BBC | date=February 14, 2024}}
In March 2024, she appeared in 4 episodes of the Nickelodeon documentary “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV” as a consultant.
{{asof|2024}} Slate lists Koul as a senior writer.{{Cite magazine |title=Scaachi Koul |url=https://slate.com/author/scaachi-koul |access-date=July 20, 2024 |magazine=Slate Magazine}}
=Girls Gone Wild: The Untold Story=
{{Main article|Girls Gone Wild: The Untold Story}}
In May 2023, Koul revealed in a Huffington Post article that she was investigating former pornographic film franchise Girls Gone Wild and its founder Joe Francis. She also revealed that she had interviewed Francis for nine hours at a home he had in Punta Mita, Mexico.{{cite news|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/girls-gone-wild-joe-francis_n_645ee736e4b005be8ff3951e|title=Inside The Stunning Rise And Fall Of Girls Gone Wild|first=Scaachi|last=Koul|publisher=Huffington Post|date=May 18, 2023|accessdate=December 9, 2024}} In December 2024, the three episode series Girls Gone Wild: The Untold Story, a documentary detailing Koul's investigation of Girls Gone Wild and Francis, became available to stream on Peacock.{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/girls-gone-wild-founder-joe-francis-exposed-peacock-docuseries-1236234040/|title='Girls Gone Wild: The Untold Story' Producer Scaachi Koul on Exposing Joe Francis' Criminal Enterprise: 'He Will Be Relevant Forever'|first=Hunter|last=Ingram|publisher=Variety|date=December 3, 2024|accessdate=December 9, 2024}}{{cite news|url=https://www.mlive.com/life/2024/12/how-to-watch-girls-gone-wild-the-untold-story-on-peacock.html|title=How to watch 'Girls Gone Wild: The Untold Story' on Peacock|first=Mikhayla|last=Dunaj|publisher=MLive|date=December 3, 2024|accessdate=December 9, 2024}} The documentary provided insight into Girls Gone Wild's influence and sex abuse allegation against the franchise and its founder. Koul's 2022 interview with Francis, who was revealed to now be living outside of the United States in Mexico since 2015 following a criminal conviction for imprisoning three women at his Hollywood home and assaulting one of them, was included in the series as well.{{cite news|url=https://people.com/joe-francis-says-having-daughters-hasnt-changed-his-view-girls-gone-wild-8754877|title=Joe Francis Says Having Daughters Hasn't Changed His View on Girls Gone Wild: 'Not at All'|first=Abigail|last=Adams|publisher=People|date=December 4, 2024|accessdate=December 9, 2024}} In Koul's documentary series, multiple people, including a former Girls Gone Wild cameraman, alleged that Francis engaged in sex with underage minors and that some his sexual encounters, no matter the age, were nonconsensual.
Personal life
Koul was born to Indian parents and raised in Calgary, Alberta. She was a member of the Girl Guides of Canada and participated in their youth programs.{{Cite web|url=https://www.instagram.com/p/Bt_7GkwhlJB/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/instagram/diamondisinger/1981562297596138049 |archive-date=December 25, 2021 |url-access=registration|title=Diamond Isinger on Instagram: "Created my own Girl Guide role-model edition of "Guess Who?" for @girlguidesofcanada girls to play, featuring lots of accomplished 🇨🇦 women…"|website=Instagram|access-date=March 14, 2019}}{{cbignore}} She currently lives in New York{{cite tweet| user=Scaachi| number=1108048945614409729| date=March 19, 2019| title=i live in new york now sorry to disappoint| author=Scaachi Koul}} with her cat, Sylvia Plath.{{cite book| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QE5cDAAAQBAJ&dq=scott+deveau+scaachi+koul&pg=PT172| title=One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter: Essays| first=Scaachi| last=Koul |date=2017| publisher=Doubleday Canada| isbn=9780385685368}} She was formerly married.
Koul is an Indian-Canadian of Kashmiri descent, and her writing on race and shadism draws from her own life.{{cite web|last1=Koul|first1=Scaachi|title=I Was on a CBC Panel and the Internet Wanted To Guess My Race|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/scaachikoul/why-are-we-tougher-on-women-of-colour|website=buzzfeed.com|date=November 2, 2015 |publisher=Buzzfeed Canada|accessdate=February 7, 2017}} Of her ethnicity, she has stated although she is of Indian descent herself, her fairer skin has given her a privilege when she goes to India.{{cite web|author1=Catherine Whelan|title=White privilege in brown Canada |url=https://www.pri.org/stories/2017-05-04/white-privilege-brown-canada|publisher=Public Radio International |date=May 4, 2017}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/scaachi-kouls-one-day-well-all-be-dead-and-none-of-this-will-matter-reviewed-honest-and-humorous/article34199175/|title=Scaachi Koul's One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter, reviewed: Honest and humorous|access-date=October 14, 2019}}
<span id="Notes"></span>References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
{{commons}}
- {{Twitter|Scaachi}}
{{BuzzFeed}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Koul, Scaachi}}
Category:Canadian people of Indian descent
Category:Canadian people of Kashmiri descent
Category:21st-century Canadian women writers
Category:Canadian feminist writers
Category:Canadian women essayists