Kelly Caldwell
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kkc212.bsky.social
Kelly Caldwell
@kkc212.bsky.social
Writer; dean of faculty @GothamWriters. she/her I live in NYC but still say gapers' block.
Pinned
#NationalShutdown
#IceOutBlackout

Tomorrow, my employer @gothamwriters.bsky.social, will not accept new enrollments in solidarity with the ICE Out Blackout.

I'll be participating individually, as well.
My bike wheels kicked while I waited at a stop light.
My sister punched in the neck (the third woman on that block in 15 minutes) on Broadway.
My friend shouldered on 12th Street by a man walking the opposite direction.

That's just last week.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
A man pushed me in the street, he wanted to teach me a lesson. Is that OK now? | Lucy Pasha-Robinson
Many women reading this will have experienced something similar: a warning that sharing public space isn’t a man’s job, it’s a woman’s, says Lucy Pasha-Robinson, a Guardian assistant Opinion editor
www.theguardian.com
February 17, 2026 at 7:09 PM
Tip of the iceberg!
February 13, 2026 at 5:21 PM
Writers of color! The last day to apply for this scholarship is SUNDAY!

No a sizzle reel or spec script or degree needed. You just need a passion for stories written for stage or screen, and one you want to tell.

v2.writingclasses.com/scholarships...

#Writingcommunity
@wocwriterscircle.org
Scriptwriting Scholarship - Gotham Writers
v2.writingclasses.com
February 13, 2026 at 4:59 PM
Reposted by Kelly Caldwell
This entire 'debate' is so maddening. We have been promised that a groundswell of rushed, dissatisfied detransitioners was about to emerge for nearly a decade.

Not only have they never materialized, but academic research continues to show small numbers, long assessments and miniscule regret rates.
February 13, 2026 at 3:54 PM
Reposted by Kelly Caldwell
Positive news 🚨: CDC’s global health teams have quietly contained 250+ outbreaks in 40+ countries, stopping Marburg, Ebola & more before they spread here. 🇺🇸🦠

A reminder that public health wins continue, even while 🧠 🪱 & co. actively try to silence the science. Scientists save lives every day! 💪🌍
Outbreaks You Never Heard About: Because CDC Was There
Learn how CDC experts protect Americans by stopping deadly threats abroad.
www.cdc.gov
February 13, 2026 at 12:30 AM
Every single athlete who competed in the #Olympics women's halfpipe today is fierce AF.

From this day forward, Tubthumping should play whenever any one of them enters a room.

www.theguardian.com/sport/live/2...
Winter Olympics: Chloe Kim settles for silver in snowboard halfpipe – as it happened
Live report: The US snowboard star’s bid for a third straight gold medal was thwarted by South Korea’s Choi Gaon
www.theguardian.com
February 12, 2026 at 9:19 PM
Reposted by Kelly Caldwell
Dutch site IDs ICE agents via public data

“ICE aren’t actually fearful of their safety…What they’re fearful of is not being invited to baseball games or not being invited to the pub with their friends. Community exclusion – that’s what they’re fearful of”

wiki.icelist.is/index.php/Category:Agents
February 10, 2026 at 11:11 AM
Read this story first for the crystal clear description of the debacle in #ElPaso air space this week.

And be sure to read all the way to the end, because Jonathan Larsen wrote you a hell of a kicker! 🎊

open.substack.com/pub/thefucki...
U.S. Military Surrenders to El Paso
Federal forces quickly established air superiority over the outmatched enemy stronghold but then fled anyway
open.substack.com
February 12, 2026 at 6:29 PM
Reposted by Kelly Caldwell
happy birthday gromit 🥹 🎂 🐶
February 12, 2026 at 5:05 PM
I'm sorry, but it is NOT romantic to propose to a woman when she's competing in the Olympics. It's inserting yourself into a moment that should be about her, and only her (and her team).

Even if she places last in her event, your job is to clap loudly and yell about how great she is, and that's it.
February 12, 2026 at 5:28 PM
Reposted by Kelly Caldwell
Friends, media coverage of ICE in Minnesota has de-escalated. ICE hasn't. Residents are still being assaulted and detained every day. They need us now more than ever.

Read their stories 👉 www.standwithminnesota.com/testimonies

Donate if you can 👉 www.standwithminnesota.com/

Spread the word.

🚫 🧊
Stand With Minnesota
Stand With Minnesota is a hub for supporting, learning, and taking action to support Minnesotans impacted by ICE and federal enforcement.
www.standwithminnesota.com
February 11, 2026 at 6:00 PM
✨A glimpse into the pages of, “The Other Side of the River,” an essay by Chelsea B. DesAutels from River Teeth 27.1

✨Read this essay digitally through Project Muse

✨Submissions to River Teeth and Beautiful Things are open until April 1.

#RiverTeeth #CreativeNonfiction #EssaysThatMatter #LitMag
February 10, 2026 at 5:18 PM
Reposted by Kelly Caldwell
Yes x 1000. I told my editors that all of the LLM drama came for romance (thanks to the Amazon marketplace) over a decade ago. Every iteration after that has been the same cycle over and over again. Can’t get serious people to treat it seriously, however, because it’s about women’s economic activity
“Whenever the publishing industry is rocked by a technological shift, it usually hits romance first.”
The New Fabio Is Claude
www.nytimes.com
February 8, 2026 at 4:16 PM
Reposted by Kelly Caldwell
The data also tell us that “data” is plural.
Jeff Bezos' statement, his first since last week's layoffs: "The Post has an essential journalistic mission and an extraordinary opportunity. Each and every day our readers give us a roadmap to success. The data tells us what is valuable and where to focus."
February 8, 2026 at 2:13 AM
It's easy to say that the perfect is the enemy of the good, but harder to practice, if perfectionism is how you work.

My brilliant colleagues from @gothamwriters.bsky.social have some alternate suggestions for how to get past it.

open.substack.com/pub/gothamwr...

#WritingCommunity
February 6, 2026 at 4:42 PM
Reposted by Kelly Caldwell
Exciting news! We are now on Substack. Every month, our very own Stuart Pennebaker will answer your writing-related questions. Check out our first post and give us a follow if you like: substack.com/home/post/p-...
February 6, 2026 at 3:30 PM
Reposted by Kelly Caldwell
Can someone play spot the senator better than I can? I think I recognize three... any help?
February 5, 2026 at 4:23 PM
Reposted by Kelly Caldwell
I should probably write a little article about this. But we gotta build and expand our own networks. No billionaire's paper is going to save us.
February 5, 2026 at 5:03 PM
#WritingCommunity, spread the word!
IMPORTANT NOTICE: SCAM WARNING

You may be receiving fraudulent emails using our name to share ‘protected documents’ from an email address that is not the writersguild.ca. Please note that any emails that are NOT coming from our domain in this way should NOT be opened. Please mark them as SPAM.
February 5, 2026 at 5:09 PM
Employee-owned newspapers and outlets NOW. I truly believe it's the only sustainable option moving forward.

Because it's the one that relies the least on the whims of billionaires.
i know that this is an unpopular take, but everyone starting their own newsletter as a revenue stream is not a sustainable model for writing and reporting or for people who love and want to pay for media.
A lot of people cannot just start a paid newsletter or become freelancers to sustain their careers. The sports, metro, and international desks did work that requires *team* resources, like legal checks, documents, access to archives, and long-term beat experience.
February 4, 2026 at 9:45 PM
Reposted by Kelly Caldwell
I have a lot of knowledge of the FACE Act working with @abortionfront.bsky.social so I wrote this piece for @msnow explaining how this law, originally passed in response to violence against abortion clinics, is now being used to silence reporters and punish Trump’s perceived enemies. It’s outrageous
Opinion | Pam Bondi is using the FACE Act against Don Lemon for a reason — and it’s not public safety
Lizz Winstead: The Justice Department is weaponizing against journalists a Clinton-era law meant to protect abortion clinics.
www.ms.now
February 4, 2026 at 9:21 PM
Reposted by Kelly Caldwell
Explore the Archives! Since 2011, Hippocampus Magazine has published more than 140 issues full of essays, articles, and more. Like a good rerun, there's lots to enjoy again or enjoy for the first time. Browse all back issues here: https://hippocampusmagazine.com/past-issues-archive/
February 4, 2026 at 7:15 PM
"Perhaps no one ever told you that we are all beloved of the earth, that she asks only that we love her in return."

The Letters from #Minnesota in @literaryhub.bsky.social are flat-out beautiful, y'all. Be sure to check them out when you need to fill your tank.

lithub.com/letter-from-...
Letter From Minnesota: Our Work is to We Protect What We Love
For thousands of years before ICE made the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building the home base for their sweeping immigration roundup, this place has been known to the Dakota people as Bdote, where…
lithub.com
February 4, 2026 at 6:36 PM