She matriculated from Barnard College as an English Major, with Music as her Minor.  This was fortunate bit of unintentional forethought, akin to a small miracle.  Some twenty years ago, music became an integral part of her life, being wedded to New York City Ballet's Principal Conductor, Hugo Fiorato.  (Joelyn cannot, nor will not, accept applications for any orchestral, choreographic, dance, stage hand, or electrician positions within the company.  She has absolutely no management skills, or clout, in the arcane hiring practices at New York State Theater.  She is considered, and considers herself, merely "audience")

Joelyn is a writer.  Early on, she was on the staff of the New York Times Movie Department as its third string critic, and as writer of Sunday "Arts Sections" interviews.  She attained her first goal early on, a by-line which she retained throughout her career there, "Way back when" she says, "before the Red Sea parted -- for the first time."

Later, in Ohio, she moderated a popular weekly, Cincinnati hour-long panel Radio show for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, "Symphomation Please," and "Meet the Artist," a weekly, musical celebrity-interview show.  She also wrote a "Children-hour"  Radio scripts for four years.

Throughout her life, in whichever city fate and/or marriages chanced to land her, she also performed heavy stints of volunteer Publicity work for any charity in need of that service.  "As it turned out, all of them did."

Later she wrote short stories.  Some published.  Also, she turned out three plays with co-author and pal, Frank Gehrecke.  None were produced.  They wrote a "Gray Man" television mystery and outliner for a series that only got as far as an initial, test screening.  An experience best forgotten.

Fast forward:  Joelyn wrote _two_ 25-year-long best-selling cookbooks, in collaboration with Ohio friend, Jacqueline Wood.  They contained sincere, humorous, and graphics-filled basic "cookery lessons" masquerading as simple nutritious fare.  Yet each recipe was a pared down, savory version of famous culinary masterpieces.  They garnered fine reviews and rapidly became mainstays of collegiate and graduate students, for whose delectation and erudition they were originally written.  Aptly titled "The Campus Survival Cook Books" #1 and #2, these two "the perfect graduation books," were published by William Morrow, Inc.  in 1973 and 1982 respectively but are still in demand and pertinent to today's needs.  They will shortly appear on this website in an up-to-date, re-edited form.

Pursuing her writing and food career, Joelyn now produces a monthly humor-food column in Connecticut's Brooks Newspapers' insert, "Inside Fairfield County" wherein she can be expected to expound on any theme which tickles her creative juices.  Some examples are as follows:  "The Epiphany of the Waffle Iron,"  "Omelets and Diapers," "Baggy Knees, Fashion's Screed," to C. Elegans (earthworms,) Elk in rut, Villae cruelty, Christmas computer shopping, Paris rain, or the wonders of Edamame, losing weight in a hammock, and Morton Bay Bugs (crabs).

Now and then, a rare restaurant, movie or classical music review appears, sometimes a review of a book she really loves, like her friend, Ian Falconer's recent best-seller, "Olivia".

Two years ago, Joelyn completed a murder mystery, "The Dead Bitch Ballerina."  She is patiently searching for a friendly publisher who appreciates a "quirky" approach, vis-a-vis standard formula stuff.

Also up for grabs, she more of less whipped off a ninety-one page poem, "Separation Anxiety," a semi-autobiography.  It was four years in the making, "is really odd, and explains all, and nothing, just like all autobiographies," she believes.

A watercolorist, Joelyn has just made her first sale, a delightful painting of a sprig of birthday flowers, a six-month blooming purple orchid branch.  She feels this bodes well for her next career.

Currently, a "quirky," Small-Book "How to" series is in the works, as well as her upcoming column on a trio of local male cooks, and an interview with "a wonderful pair of top-drawer French artists," in Westport, Connecticut.

All the rest of her time is spent learning new mechanical devices, working hard to raise money for her son, Jonathan Scott's life-saving Boston agency, Victory Programs, Inc. , a 16-home facility which houses and treats recovering alcoholics, drug addicts, and men, women, and children with AIDS.  In 25 years, Victory Programs has taken care of, housed and treated 42,000 clients.  Jonathan Scott's motto is: "To Live in Dignity."  His agency is rated the highest and best in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Joelyn is also peripherally involved in her son, Christopher Scott's work, the salvation, restoration and maintenance of antique buildings, as the Executive Directory of the Martha's Vineyard Preservation Trust.  Joelyn's involvement therein involves cash donations, her own and, any others she can scrounge up.

In like manner, Joelyn takes great interest in daughter Stephie Gilchrist's occupation as a fundraiser at Rocky Mountain Institute in Snowmass, CO.  This
world-reknowned conservation "think and do" tank, is busy saving the
planet.

So, Joelyn feels serenely secure what with her progeny saving humanity, preserving history through architecture, and keep Earth fit.  The rest of us, she says, can just relax, composting and recycling diligently.