Lexi Pandell
@lpandell.bsky.social
330 followers 320 following 98 posts
I am a writer. Also, a human. My journalism has appeared in Wired, The New York Times, The Atlantic, and others. My fiction has been published by The Pinch, Salt Hill, Puerto del Sol, New Ohio Review, The Normal School, and others. lexipandell.com
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Reposted by Lexi Pandell
tanyazilinskas.com
This Tuesday! May the odds be ever in your favor:
havehashad.com
Upcoming submission call!

Theme "LUCK"

In honor of the lucky number SEVEN, the call opens at 7pm EDT on October 7th.

Submissions capped at 154 total works: 77 works of "prose" and 77 works of "poetry"

guest eds: @tanyazilinskas.com will curate "prose" & @jlyocum.com willcurate the "poetry"
The theme is "LUCK".

In honor of the lucky number SEVEN, the call opens at 7pm EDT on October 7th.

Submissions capped at 154 total works: 77 works of "prose" and 77 works of "poetry".

POETRY GUIDELINES: Up to 500 words in 77 lines total (titles not included); submit any number of poems as long as totals don't go over this cap.
PROSE GUIDELINES: No more than 500 words per piece.
Form is an illusion, so if the form is strange or some hybrid of prose and poetry, we especially want to see it! We encourage writers with such work to flip a coin to decide which category to submit under.
Tanya Žilinskas will curate the "prose" submissions, J. L. Yocum will curate the "poetry".
All submissions will receive a response within 24 hours
Reposted by Lexi Pandell
josephbienkahn.com
The moment I got the job at Esses, Kaleb Horton was the first writer I contacted. He didn’t know a thing about F1 but I found the George Harrison idea, and then I watched him dive in. It was inspiring. He read every biography, chased down friends and experts, watched every clip. But more than that…
lpandell.bsky.social
I failed to mention: I won that battle and reached out to Kaleb. He was interested, but busy with another project.

But the other commissioning editor, my good pal @josephbienkahn.com, was the real winner because he eventually got to edit Kaleb on this piece: www.rollingstone.com/music/music-...
George Harrison's Quiet Love Affair With Formula One
Just another guy at the track, the Beatle could shed fame and just be himself.
www.rollingstone.com
lpandell.bsky.social
We essentially did a roshambo to determine who got to reach out to him. How often do you see folks fighting over who gets to reach out to a writer? That was the power of his storytelling.

My deepest condolences to his family and friends ❤️
lpandell.bsky.social
Stunned that Kaleb Horton died. He was such a talent.

A few years ago, I had a gig helping a podcast commission narrative writers to tell larger-than-life stories. He was one of the first writers I thought of—and then I learned that my counterpart also wanted to get Kaleb on board…
Reposted by Lexi Pandell
tanyazilinskas.com
Please join me at Stories on Stage Davis for a performance of my story "Overview Effect" (originally published in @yourimpossiblevoice.com) on October 12. Full event info here:

storiesonstagedavis.com/authors/10-1...
lpandell.bsky.social
I got to write about the supermoon! The poop emoji! Podcasts for kids! The Indy 500! This section of the paper was such a blast for reporters and readers alike—I'll miss it a lot.
lpandell.bsky.social
With the NYT Kids section closing, I went through my old articles to request digital copies. I really had so much fun writing these stories.

I got to interview Olympic and Youth Olympic athletes, a hat maker, a professional cyclist, and a director of a Pixar film (twice!)...
lpandell.bsky.social
Hi, Lynette! Thank you for reading. I'm so glad the story found its way to you. I'd be happy to share some research that you may find helpful—reach out to me directly via email (lpandell at gmail dot com) and I can forward it along.
lpandell.bsky.social
I did not know about that particular government study. Thank you for drawing my attention to it! I’ll have to look into that.
lpandell.bsky.social
Fair point about the term “allergic to the world.” We debated whether we should use that term at all (since folks with CI do often experience allergies, but CI is not an allergy), but we figured that was the best reference point for a general audience…
lpandell.bsky.social
Hi, Liz! Thanks so much for reading and for reaching out. That’s awful, I’m really sorry to hear that this has created distance between you and your family. I know how (unfortunately) common that can be. It’s a complicated condition for sure, and one that’s so misunderstood.
lpandell.bsky.social
Oh no! What a scary experience.

I'm so glad the article found its way to you—and I hope it's helpful as you try to piece together some answers for yourself. I plan to continue to write about this and related topics, so stay tuned!
lpandell.bsky.social
Grateful to my wonderful editor Jason for a lot, but in particular for his kind words about my feature on chemical intolerance in @wired.com's The Big Story newsletter.

Read the piece here: www.wired.com/story/multip...
lpandell.bsky.social
Seeing Jesus Christ Superstar at the Hollywood Bowl last night was life changing. I would follow Cynthia Erivo into the dark.
lpandell.bsky.social
Reading this wall at a hotel feels like a complete and utter hallucination.
lpandell.bsky.social
“The more you learn about Cass’s personality and her soaring talent—and her deep-seated drive for acceptance—the more you can’t help but think that Cass deserved far more from us. Cass Elliot was a woman far ahead of her time."

Here's the original piece from Vogue: www.vogue.com/article/mama...
‘Mama Cass’ Elliot Died Almost 50 Years Ago, But Her Memory Is Still Obscured By Fatphobia
“Cass deserved far more from us,” says writer and researcher Lexi Pandell.
www.vogue.com
lpandell.bsky.social
Media inception: Parade quoted the interview I did with Vogue which was about a podcast I did for You Must Remember This about Cass Elliot.

parade.com/news/music-i...
Music Icon's Death 51 Years Ago Created the Biggest Misconception in Rock & Roll History
Her legacy lives on today.
parade.com
lpandell.bsky.social
For decades, Miller has worked to solve this medical mystery. She thinks she may be close to an answer. Her theory? It has to do with mast cells, a type of white blood cell present throughout the body and which release mediators like histamine. Could those cells be overreactive in people with CI?
lpandell.bsky.social
There's also no cure. For decades, the medical establishment has dismissed chemical intolerance as anxiety or hysteria. “The world becomes like a torture chamber, and then nobody believes you,” Miller told me. “That’s the worst part.”