Hi, I’m Emily Walker, the creator of Next Dinner Party and a writer, interior designer, home cook/mixologist/dinner party enthusiast, former journalist and former federal employee who currently lives in Washington DC. Hailing from the Detroit suburbs, I’ve previously lived in Washington DC; Sana’a, Yemen; New York City; Madrid; Jerusalem; Rabat; and Algiers. In 2022, I launched Next Dinner Party Designs an interior design consultancy aimed at helping folks (including those living abroad) create beautiful, welcoming spaces that feel like home. I currently live in a historic apartment on a leafy street in a Washington DC.
I’ve blogged for many years and you can read hundreds of free posts here. These days, I do most of my writing for paid subscribers on Substack, cause your girl’s gotta make a living. I hope you’ll consider supporting my writing.
For more than a decade, I moved around with the Department of State and worked at U.S. Embassies abroad which was a life-changing experience and I got to do cool things like host a popular YouTube show about my favorite parts of American culture, as if I’m some sort of expert! Now that I’m back in the U.S., turns out cultural misunderstandings are not just the domain of an American living abroad. I misunderstand shit all all the time! Right in my own backyard. And then I write about trying to understand it all. I’ve written a novel, a memoir, and many news articles from back when I was a professional journalist. I also teach writing via writing salons in my artist-style apartment. (Learn more about that here).
