Cohen, Amy 1966-

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Cohen, Amy 1966-

PERSONAL:

Born 1966. Religion: Jewish.

ADDRESSES:

Home—New York, NY. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Writer. Has worked as a script writer and producer for the television shows Caroline in the City and Spin City; New York Observer, New York, NY, dating columnist.

WRITINGS:

The Late Bloomer's Revolution: A Memoir, Hyperion (New York, NY), 2007.

SIDELIGHTS:

Amy Cohen considers herself a late bloomer, and she believes that this is true of many women who discover their passion, or in some way start fresh, later in life. In Cohen's case, she faced a series of life-altering events in quick succession. A television script writer, she had been living in Los Angeles for years, producing and writing for such television sitcoms as Caroline in the City and Spin City. Then suddenly she was fired from her position as a staff writer. At approximately the same time, the man with whom she had been in a long-term relationship, and who she expected to marry, decided to break up with her. Finally, and perhaps most devastatingly, came the death of her mother, with whom she had always been close, after a long struggle with cancer. In her early thirties, Cohen abruptly felt as if, despite years of hard work, she had nothing to show for her life. She even contracted a rash on her face that made her reluctant to leave her apartment, further lowering her mood. Cohen refused to give up, however. After moving to New York, she set about picking up the pieces of her life, looking for new challenges and daring herself to do things that she had either never gotten around to doing before or that she feared. At the age of thirty-five, she learned how to ride a bicycle, she took a trip to Cuba on her own, and she faced her ex-boyfriend and his new wife without coming apart at the seams.

The Late Bloomer's Revolution: A Memoir recounts the story of Cohen's recovery from a series of events that had broadsided her. She reminds women everywhere that life is no more than what we make of it. In the wake of her mother's death, Cohen was able to forge a stronger bond with her father, with whom she had previously had a less-than-ideal relationship; their shared grief helped them to grow closer. She began to write a dating advice column for the New York Observer, and also appeared on New York's cable television show New York Central to give dating advice. Cohen's memoir chronicles her ups and downs, showing how far a person can come simply through the power of sheer determination. A contributor to Kirkus Reviews found the effect of Cohen's mood swings a bit abrupt, remarking that the book is "frequently sharp and funny, but Cohen veers so often between comedy and despair that the effect is disorienting." Adelle Waldman, in a review for the New York Observer, called Cohen's effort "a funny, understated and unbitter account of coping gracefully not just with life's major tragedies … but with its cumulative smaller disappointments."