Kelly Caldwell
@kkc212.bsky.social
Writer; dean of faculty @GothamWriters. she/her I live in NYC but still say gapers' block.
Pinned
Kelly Caldwell
@kkc212.bsky.social
· Jun 9
Personal Essays Galore, PLUS Some Great Workshops and Calls for Submissions...
Including: Workshops from Writing Co-Lab, Alexander Chee, Narratively Academy, and Melissa Petro; and calls for submissions from Blaise Allysen Kearsley and Literary Liberation.
open.substack.com
I'm super psyched to say one of my essays is included in this week's @memoirland.bsky.social roundup! Especially given the impressive company I'm in.
Read them all (and especially Robin Pickering's "The Fuckitall." So good.)
open.substack.com/pub/memoirla...
Read them all (and especially Robin Pickering's "The Fuckitall." So good.)
open.substack.com/pub/memoirla...
Hey, #WritingCommunity! If you know any young writers (ages 13 to 18), we @gothamwriters.bsky.social have the contest for them!
Tell us a story about a scar.
v2.writingclasses.com/contests/got...
Tell us a story about a scar.
v2.writingclasses.com/contests/got...
November 17, 2025 at 3:42 PM
Hey, #WritingCommunity! If you know any young writers (ages 13 to 18), we @gothamwriters.bsky.social have the contest for them!
Tell us a story about a scar.
v2.writingclasses.com/contests/got...
Tell us a story about a scar.
v2.writingclasses.com/contests/got...
I am re-upping this because you NEED to read Rabih Alameddine's answers to this @literaryhub.bsky.social questionnaire. Way more entertaining than 90 percent of the Vanity Fair Proust Questionnaires.
I said what I said.
#WritingCommunity
I said what I said.
#WritingCommunity
If the National Book Award were given on the merits of the author's ability to answer a Q&A, Rabih Alameddine would win in a landslide.
lithub.com/meet-the-202...
#WritingCommunity
lithub.com/meet-the-202...
#WritingCommunity
Meet the 2025 National Book Award Finalists
The winners of the 76th National Book Awards—given every year in Young People’s Literature, Translation, Poetry, Nonfiction, and Fiction—will be announced next week in a ceremony hosted by Jeff Hil…
lithub.com
November 13, 2025 at 10:32 PM
I am re-upping this because you NEED to read Rabih Alameddine's answers to this @literaryhub.bsky.social questionnaire. Way more entertaining than 90 percent of the Vanity Fair Proust Questionnaires.
I said what I said.
#WritingCommunity
I said what I said.
#WritingCommunity
Love how neither of them consider she was really saying, "I just don't like you, Larry."
November 13, 2025 at 9:23 PM
Love how neither of them consider she was really saying, "I just don't like you, Larry."
Reposted by Kelly Caldwell
BREAKING: Oklahoma has granted Tremane Wood clemency.
This is good news. Tremane will not face execution for a crime he didn't commit.
This is good news. Tremane will not face execution for a crime he didn't commit.
November 13, 2025 at 4:19 PM
BREAKING: Oklahoma has granted Tremane Wood clemency.
This is good news. Tremane will not face execution for a crime he didn't commit.
This is good news. Tremane will not face execution for a crime he didn't commit.
Well, this sounds devastating, and worthy, not least because, what a timely reminder of the many people who suffer in myriad ways, ways you don't even think about, when a government is in chaos.
www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...
www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...
‘She was extremely petrified’: the shocking drama about one woman’s six-year ordeal in an Iranian jail
When dual national Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was imprisoned, her husband went on hunger strike – to force Britain to act. Narges Rashidi and Joseph Fiennes reveal how they brought their nightmare to t...
www.theguardian.com
November 13, 2025 at 3:27 PM
Well, this sounds devastating, and worthy, not least because, what a timely reminder of the many people who suffer in myriad ways, ways you don't even think about, when a government is in chaos.
www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...
www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...
If the National Book Award were given on the merits of the author's ability to answer a Q&A, Rabih Alameddine would win in a landslide.
lithub.com/meet-the-202...
#WritingCommunity
lithub.com/meet-the-202...
#WritingCommunity
Meet the 2025 National Book Award Finalists
The winners of the 76th National Book Awards—given every year in Young People’s Literature, Translation, Poetry, Nonfiction, and Fiction—will be announced next week in a ceremony hosted by Jeff Hil…
lithub.com
November 12, 2025 at 6:40 PM
If the National Book Award were given on the merits of the author's ability to answer a Q&A, Rabih Alameddine would win in a landslide.
lithub.com/meet-the-202...
#WritingCommunity
lithub.com/meet-the-202...
#WritingCommunity
We've gone from "Let them eat cake" to "Let them drink poop."
“In Texas, CDC funds to stem a measles outbreak weren’t available until after the crisis had subsided and two children had died. A project to protect Alabamans from raw sewage and hookworm was abandoned…Time-dependent surveys on HIV and maternal mortality were halted…”
Wielding Obscure Budget Tools, Trump’s ‘Reaper’ Vought Sows Turmoil in Public Health - KFF Health News
Through shrouded bureaucratic maneuvers, White House budget director Russell Vought and DOGE have quietly upended outbreak response, HIV treatment, and dementia care in communities across America.
kffhealthnews.org
November 12, 2025 at 5:31 PM
We've gone from "Let them eat cake" to "Let them drink poop."
The @nplusonemag.com book match quiz is funny--I even cackled--and then the book recommendations included 3 favorites. A good time for a good cause: secure.givelively.org/donate/n1-fo...
secure.givelively.org
November 12, 2025 at 4:07 PM
Reposted by Kelly Caldwell
I am calling upon the people of Ireland to immediately begin construction of a thread on this site about how you or someone you know was roasted for a fashion choice. We need it.
All roasts must have come from Irish people *only*. Please respect this important rule, it makes a difference.
Tanks
All roasts must have come from Irish people *only*. Please respect this important rule, it makes a difference.
Tanks
November 12, 2025 at 5:45 AM
I am calling upon the people of Ireland to immediately begin construction of a thread on this site about how you or someone you know was roasted for a fashion choice. We need it.
All roasts must have come from Irish people *only*. Please respect this important rule, it makes a difference.
Tanks
All roasts must have come from Irish people *only*. Please respect this important rule, it makes a difference.
Tanks
A *great* essay about the future of Democratic politics, and also "Boomer self-regard."
Two flaws, tho:
One, Gen-X completely invisible, but whatever. We're used to it.
Two, there are SIX Dems competing for the Maine Senate seat! The choice isn't just Platner v Mills!
nymag.com/intelligence...
Two flaws, tho:
One, Gen-X completely invisible, but whatever. We're used to it.
Two, there are SIX Dems competing for the Maine Senate seat! The choice isn't just Platner v Mills!
nymag.com/intelligence...
It’s My Party and I’ll Leave When I Want To
Talking to the gerontocracy.
nymag.com
November 10, 2025 at 4:36 PM
A *great* essay about the future of Democratic politics, and also "Boomer self-regard."
Two flaws, tho:
One, Gen-X completely invisible, but whatever. We're used to it.
Two, there are SIX Dems competing for the Maine Senate seat! The choice isn't just Platner v Mills!
nymag.com/intelligence...
Two flaws, tho:
One, Gen-X completely invisible, but whatever. We're used to it.
Two, there are SIX Dems competing for the Maine Senate seat! The choice isn't just Platner v Mills!
nymag.com/intelligence...
"What happened to the New York that was run by predators, for predators?"
"New York is going to turn into a communist hellhole where poor people are barely exploitable anymore. So count me out. I’m packing up the offices of my toxic masculinity troll site and taking my miscreant talents somewhere they’ll be appreciated, like Florida or Texas."
If New York City Is No Longer Going to Be an Unaffordable Police State Run by Crooks, I’m Taking My Hard-Earned Sex-Pest Dollars Elsewhere
“New York millionaires are plotting their exit from the city after the election of Zohran Mamdani, the socialist who plans to increase the taxes of...
buff.ly
November 10, 2025 at 4:10 PM
"What happened to the New York that was run by predators, for predators?"
Reposted by Kelly Caldwell
Regular reminder that Axios stories saying Dems are about to cave are likely sourced from GOP staffers trying to make it happen.
Doesn't mean it definitely won't happen. But it's like those NYT stories that Harvard is considering caving (they haven't). The anonymous source was trying to manifest it.
Doesn't mean it definitely won't happen. But it's like those NYT stories that Harvard is considering caving (they haven't). The anonymous source was trying to manifest it.
November 9, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Regular reminder that Axios stories saying Dems are about to cave are likely sourced from GOP staffers trying to make it happen.
Doesn't mean it definitely won't happen. But it's like those NYT stories that Harvard is considering caving (they haven't). The anonymous source was trying to manifest it.
Doesn't mean it definitely won't happen. But it's like those NYT stories that Harvard is considering caving (they haven't). The anonymous source was trying to manifest it.
Reposted by Kelly Caldwell
Nuremburg trials is the moderate position
He said that the agents would throw food at them to eat. The agents threatened to withhold food for a week and to beat him up if he didn't sign deportation papers. He said he saw others refuse and get beaten/receive no food. He signed because he was afraid.
November 7, 2025 at 12:34 PM
Nuremburg trials is the moderate position
By asking “What even is this?” novelist Arlaina Tibensky freed the other writers in the room — Matt Bell, @katefagan.bsky.social, & Katherine Taylor — to come back with an unexpected answer.
Revision is…emotional.
blogs.gothamwriters.com/2025/10/14/r...
#writingcommunity #writetip
Revision is…emotional.
blogs.gothamwriters.com/2025/10/14/r...
#writingcommunity #writetip
Revision is Emotional | Gotham Writers Blog
“Revision! Whatever that is.” And thus Gotham’s own Arlaina Tibensky kicked off our Fiction Writing Conference a couple of weeks ago, with a panel on strategies for revising. Which was perfect, becau...
blogs.gothamwriters.com
November 9, 2025 at 7:04 PM
By asking “What even is this?” novelist Arlaina Tibensky freed the other writers in the room — Matt Bell, @katefagan.bsky.social, & Katherine Taylor — to come back with an unexpected answer.
Revision is…emotional.
blogs.gothamwriters.com/2025/10/14/r...
#writingcommunity #writetip
Revision is…emotional.
blogs.gothamwriters.com/2025/10/14/r...
#writingcommunity #writetip
Reposted by Kelly Caldwell
And the answer is...
Raygun!
www.raygunsite.com/collections/...
Someone on Etsy might've gotten there first, but automatic disqualification for being based in Texas.
Raygun is Iowa based, but they're pro-union and also delightful, so they get the win.
BIG missed opportunity, Queens Jerk!!
Raygun!
www.raygunsite.com/collections/...
Someone on Etsy might've gotten there first, but automatic disqualification for being based in Texas.
Raygun is Iowa based, but they're pro-union and also delightful, so they get the win.
BIG missed opportunity, Queens Jerk!!
November 8, 2025 at 9:39 PM
And the answer is...
Raygun!
www.raygunsite.com/collections/...
Someone on Etsy might've gotten there first, but automatic disqualification for being based in Texas.
Raygun is Iowa based, but they're pro-union and also delightful, so they get the win.
BIG missed opportunity, Queens Jerk!!
Raygun!
www.raygunsite.com/collections/...
Someone on Etsy might've gotten there first, but automatic disqualification for being based in Texas.
Raygun is Iowa based, but they're pro-union and also delightful, so they get the win.
BIG missed opportunity, Queens Jerk!!
Reposted by Kelly Caldwell
A woman ruined my workplace
By Caravaggio (c. 1602)
By Caravaggio (c. 1602)
November 7, 2025 at 2:42 PM
A woman ruined my workplace
By Caravaggio (c. 1602)
By Caravaggio (c. 1602)
This essay really is fantastic!
I havent read such a banger of an essay in a very long time. This is so well-written!
Maybe Don’t Talk to the New York Times About Zohran Mamdani
It’s remarkable, the people you’ll hear from. Teach for even a little while at an expensive institution—the term they tend to prefer is “elite”—and odds are that eventually someone who was a studen…
lithub.com
November 8, 2025 at 7:28 PM
This essay really is fantastic!
Reposted by Kelly Caldwell
Head's up there is a Bluesky ban scam going around. This account just joined 40 mins ago and send me this DM.
DO NOT CLICK THE LINK.
Bluesky would NEVER send a DM like this and make you scared. This would come through email and would have a more professional email than this.
Stay safe!
DO NOT CLICK THE LINK.
Bluesky would NEVER send a DM like this and make you scared. This would come through email and would have a more professional email than this.
Stay safe!
November 8, 2025 at 3:54 AM
Head's up there is a Bluesky ban scam going around. This account just joined 40 mins ago and send me this DM.
DO NOT CLICK THE LINK.
Bluesky would NEVER send a DM like this and make you scared. This would come through email and would have a more professional email than this.
Stay safe!
DO NOT CLICK THE LINK.
Bluesky would NEVER send a DM like this and make you scared. This would come through email and would have a more professional email than this.
Stay safe!
Reposted by Kelly Caldwell
Please share YouTube links to the most regionally specific representations of where and when you grew up. Like… local sandwich shop commercials. Footage of amateur theater productions. Hyper regional news stories. I wanna see it all.
November 8, 2025 at 2:06 AM
Please share YouTube links to the most regionally specific representations of where and when you grew up. Like… local sandwich shop commercials. Footage of amateur theater productions. Hyper regional news stories. I wanna see it all.
Reposted by Kelly Caldwell
Walmart is now selling butter in two-stick packages…
IYKYK
IYKYK
November 6, 2025 at 4:43 PM
Walmart is now selling butter in two-stick packages…
IYKYK
IYKYK
Who will have the "Turn the volume up" tshirts first: Brooklyn Circus, Rothman's, or Queens Jerk?
Zohran Mamdani in his victory speech:
"Donald Trump, since I know you're watching, I have four words for you: Turn the volume up."
The cheers in the room are deafening.
"Donald Trump, since I know you're watching, I have four words for you: Turn the volume up."
The cheers in the room are deafening.
November 5, 2025 at 5:07 AM
Who will have the "Turn the volume up" tshirts first: Brooklyn Circus, Rothman's, or Queens Jerk?