K.E. Semmel
@kesemmel.bsky.social
K.E. Semmel is a writer and translator and Dylan enthusiast. His debut novel, The Book of Losman, published in October 2024 (SFWP). kesemmel.com.
I’ve read that in “You’re Missing” Bruce Springsteen was writing about a widow after 9/11. But this song could be written for a man or woman whose spouse or child has been disappeared by ICE. A really gorgeous song.
youtu.be/xsrz3mPq7pM?si
youtu.be/xsrz3mPq7pM?si
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band - You're Missing (Live In Barcelona)
YouTube video by BruceSpringsteenVEVO
youtu.be
November 29, 2025 at 10:08 PM
I’ve read that in “You’re Missing” Bruce Springsteen was writing about a widow after 9/11. But this song could be written for a man or woman whose spouse or child has been disappeared by ICE. A really gorgeous song.
youtu.be/xsrz3mPq7pM?si
youtu.be/xsrz3mPq7pM?si
Just a thought for organizations and businesses. You don't *have* to use every holiday as an excuse to send an email to constituents, particularly if all you do is give the same (or similar) feelgood statement as everyone else.
November 27, 2025 at 3:34 PM
Just a thought for organizations and businesses. You don't *have* to use every holiday as an excuse to send an email to constituents, particularly if all you do is give the same (or similar) feelgood statement as everyone else.
Not that it matters to anyone but me, but I have been writing some of my best prose (I think?) over the past four or five months. New fiction. The high one gets from creativity is so fucking powerful.
November 27, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Not that it matters to anyone but me, but I have been writing some of my best prose (I think?) over the past four or five months. New fiction. The high one gets from creativity is so fucking powerful.
Reposted by K.E. Semmel
With winter on its way, we're revisiting @electricliterature.com's list of "15 Small Press Books You Should Be Reading This Winter," which feature CITY OF DANCING GARGOYLES by @taracampbell.bsky.social, and THE BOOK OF LOSMAN by @kesemmel.bsky.social! buff.ly/NdF1elz
Shop here: buff.ly/Z10hFls
Shop here: buff.ly/Z10hFls
15 Small Press Books You Should Be Reading This Winter - Electric Literature
As the temperatures drop, warm up with these heartfelt stories
buff.ly
November 22, 2025 at 3:40 PM
With winter on its way, we're revisiting @electricliterature.com's list of "15 Small Press Books You Should Be Reading This Winter," which feature CITY OF DANCING GARGOYLES by @taracampbell.bsky.social, and THE BOOK OF LOSMAN by @kesemmel.bsky.social! buff.ly/NdF1elz
Shop here: buff.ly/Z10hFls
Shop here: buff.ly/Z10hFls
Reposted by K.E. Semmel
Start the morning off right when you listen to THE BOOK OF LOSMAN by @kesemmel.bsky.social on #Audible! buff.ly/dLGLUYK
@susanschulman.bsky.social
@susanschulman.bsky.social
November 20, 2025 at 12:40 PM
Start the morning off right when you listen to THE BOOK OF LOSMAN by @kesemmel.bsky.social on #Audible! buff.ly/dLGLUYK
@susanschulman.bsky.social
@susanschulman.bsky.social
Reposted by K.E. Semmel
Don't miss out on reading @kesemmel.bsky.social's latest installment to his newsletter, "On Reading and Writing in a Dystopian Age." buff.ly/zPASrqH
Get THE BOOK OF LOSMAN right here: amzn.to/3uJDi7C
@susanschulman.bsky.social
Get THE BOOK OF LOSMAN right here: amzn.to/3uJDi7C
@susanschulman.bsky.social
On Reading and Writing in a Dystopian Age
We are living through a remarkable—if horrible—epoch.
buff.ly
November 16, 2025 at 7:51 PM
Don't miss out on reading @kesemmel.bsky.social's latest installment to his newsletter, "On Reading and Writing in a Dystopian Age." buff.ly/zPASrqH
Get THE BOOK OF LOSMAN right here: amzn.to/3uJDi7C
@susanschulman.bsky.social
Get THE BOOK OF LOSMAN right here: amzn.to/3uJDi7C
@susanschulman.bsky.social
It’s horrifying to me that we’ve offered perhaps our greatest human asset, our language, to machines that commodify it into discrete units of value for the taking and breaking of human minds. open.substack.com/pub/kesemmel...
On Reading and Writing in a Dystopian Age
We are living through a remarkable—if horrible—epoch.
open.substack.com
November 16, 2025 at 12:37 PM
It’s horrifying to me that we’ve offered perhaps our greatest human asset, our language, to machines that commodify it into discrete units of value for the taking and breaking of human minds. open.substack.com/pub/kesemmel...
Reposted by K.E. Semmel
Check out @kesemmel.bsky.social's latest interview with Tourette syndrome and disability advocate Jhónelle Bean for his newsletter, Bright Boy! buff.ly/asOz8i2
Afterwards, you listen to his novel THE BOOK OF LOSMAN on #Audible! buff.ly/4w7v9QT
Afterwards, you listen to his novel THE BOOK OF LOSMAN on #Audible! buff.ly/4w7v9QT
Interview with Jhónelle Bean: Tourette's advocate
I recently interviewed Tourette syndrome and disability advocate Jhónelle Bean for Bright Boy.
buff.ly
November 12, 2025 at 7:51 PM
Check out @kesemmel.bsky.social's latest interview with Tourette syndrome and disability advocate Jhónelle Bean for his newsletter, Bright Boy! buff.ly/asOz8i2
Afterwards, you listen to his novel THE BOOK OF LOSMAN on #Audible! buff.ly/4w7v9QT
Afterwards, you listen to his novel THE BOOK OF LOSMAN on #Audible! buff.ly/4w7v9QT
It’s a sad fact that Bob Dylan’s lines “we’re living in times where men commit crimes/and crime don’t have a face” from his song “political world” will always be true.
November 12, 2025 at 3:52 PM
It’s a sad fact that Bob Dylan’s lines “we’re living in times where men commit crimes/and crime don’t have a face” from his song “political world” will always be true.
This article in the @TheAtlantic by translator Benjamin Ross is excellent—a warning about what we lose when we rely on AI to translate language. As a literary translator, i can certainly relate. Disappointing to find the audio version narrated by AI.
www.theatlantic.com/books/2025/1...
www.theatlantic.com/books/2025/1...
The Costs of Instant Translation
AI might soon rob us of the thrill and challenge of cross-cultural conversation.
www.theatlantic.com
November 11, 2025 at 1:09 AM
This article in the @TheAtlantic by translator Benjamin Ross is excellent—a warning about what we lose when we rely on AI to translate language. As a literary translator, i can certainly relate. Disappointing to find the audio version narrated by AI.
www.theatlantic.com/books/2025/1...
www.theatlantic.com/books/2025/1...
I recently interviewed #tourettesyndrome and disability advocate Jhonelle Bean for my substack, Bright Boy. Hear what she has to say about how her advocacy has helped her mental health. Hint: talking about it is good.
youtube.com/shorts/URW1X...
youtube.com/shorts/URW1X...
How Advocacy Helped My Mental Health #substack #shorts
YouTube video by K.E. Semmel
youtube.com
November 7, 2025 at 6:34 PM
I recently interviewed #tourettesyndrome and disability advocate Jhonelle Bean for my substack, Bright Boy. Hear what she has to say about how her advocacy has helped her mental health. Hint: talking about it is good.
youtube.com/shorts/URW1X...
youtube.com/shorts/URW1X...
Reposted by K.E. Semmel
Mamdani: My message to I.C.E. Agents and to everyone across this city is that everyone will be held to the same standard of the law. If you violate the law, you must be held accountable.
November 5, 2025 at 6:21 PM
Mamdani: My message to I.C.E. Agents and to everyone across this city is that everyone will be held to the same standard of the law. If you violate the law, you must be held accountable.
The thing i’ve learned about writing in the 30 years I’ve worked at my writing is that it can be both excitingly challenging work and, at the same time, incredibly *fun* work—the very best kind of labor there is.
Why would anyone use AI to do this?
Why would anyone use AI to do this?
October 31, 2025 at 1:49 AM
The thing i’ve learned about writing in the 30 years I’ve worked at my writing is that it can be both excitingly challenging work and, at the same time, incredibly *fun* work—the very best kind of labor there is.
Why would anyone use AI to do this?
Why would anyone use AI to do this?
Reposted by K.E. Semmel
I was wondering why my friend Kyle (@kesemmel.bsky.social) named his Substack "Bright Boy." He wrote a wonderful essay in response and I learned more about him, which is maybe what we want in any writing. So many Substacks, some of them not very interestingly named. But "Bright Boy"? I love it.
My friend @sejalshah.bsky.social asked me why I named my Substack "Bright Boy." Here's why. open.substack.com/pub/kesemmel...
Mønsterbryder: Why did you name your Substack Bright Boy?
I’ve been noticeably absent from this Substack the past few weeks.
open.substack.com
October 24, 2025 at 12:43 AM
I was wondering why my friend Kyle (@kesemmel.bsky.social) named his Substack "Bright Boy." He wrote a wonderful essay in response and I learned more about him, which is maybe what we want in any writing. So many Substacks, some of them not very interestingly named. But "Bright Boy"? I love it.
On 9/11, terrorists flew planes into the Twin Towers and attempted to fly another into the White House or the U.S. Capitol. Now this administration is completing the job for them. The destruction of the WH during a gov't shutdown, while the country decays, is a perfect symbol for today's GOP.
That the US government is entirely shut down but Trump can somehow find the means to demolish the White House seems too absurd to be possible, I am looking for an irony epipen right now
October 23, 2025 at 12:45 PM
On 9/11, terrorists flew planes into the Twin Towers and attempted to fly another into the White House or the U.S. Capitol. Now this administration is completing the job for them. The destruction of the WH during a gov't shutdown, while the country decays, is a perfect symbol for today's GOP.
Reposted by K.E. Semmel
We're thrilled to share @kesemmel.bsky.social's article "‘You Learn How to Cope’: How Tourette Syndrome Affects 5 Older Americans," that was recently published in @aarp.org! buff.ly/tpsTGCr
Treat yourself to THE BOOK OF LOSMAN right here: buff.ly/0LgcVQA
@susanschulman.bsky.social
Treat yourself to THE BOOK OF LOSMAN right here: buff.ly/0LgcVQA
@susanschulman.bsky.social
How Tourette Syndrome Affects the Lives of 5 Older Americans
Roughly half of individuals with the disorder go undiagnosed, and experts say many of them are older adults
buff.ly
October 19, 2025 at 6:51 PM
We're thrilled to share @kesemmel.bsky.social's article "‘You Learn How to Cope’: How Tourette Syndrome Affects 5 Older Americans," that was recently published in @aarp.org! buff.ly/tpsTGCr
Treat yourself to THE BOOK OF LOSMAN right here: buff.ly/0LgcVQA
@susanschulman.bsky.social
Treat yourself to THE BOOK OF LOSMAN right here: buff.ly/0LgcVQA
@susanschulman.bsky.social
My friend @sejalshah.bsky.social asked me why I named my Substack "Bright Boy." Here's why. open.substack.com/pub/kesemmel...
Mønsterbryder: Why did you name your Substack Bright Boy?
I’ve been noticeably absent from this Substack the past few weeks.
open.substack.com
October 20, 2025 at 6:38 PM
My friend @sejalshah.bsky.social asked me why I named my Substack "Bright Boy." Here's why. open.substack.com/pub/kesemmel...
Chaos is too gentle a word for fascism, for the meanness and cruelty we’re witnessing every single day, but it's exactly what this administration wants to provoke. #NoKings
October 18, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Chaos is too gentle a word for fascism, for the meanness and cruelty we’re witnessing every single day, but it's exactly what this administration wants to provoke. #NoKings
Reposted by K.E. Semmel
ICE has been deployed to *provoke* civilians, not to protect them. They want to throw tear gas canisters and get people on the streets riled up, all to create footage for Fox News and Newsmax, et al., that will be used as a pretext for imposing martial law to lower voting rates in Democratic cities.
The only violence I’ve been seeing in Portland is from the so-called Feds!!!
Keep sharing these videos; it’s evidence.
Keep sharing these videos; it’s evidence.
October 13, 2025 at 6:29 PM
ICE has been deployed to *provoke* civilians, not to protect them. They want to throw tear gas canisters and get people on the streets riled up, all to create footage for Fox News and Newsmax, et al., that will be used as a pretext for imposing martial law to lower voting rates in Democratic cities.
I recently interviewed #tourettesyndrome advocate and all-around amazing person Vernell Jones for my substack. Watch here: youtu.be/thbBgG7kOoU?...
Bright Boy: K.E. Semmel and Vernell Jones
YouTube video by K.E. Semmel
youtu.be
October 13, 2025 at 1:27 PM
I recently interviewed #tourettesyndrome advocate and all-around amazing person Vernell Jones for my substack. Watch here: youtu.be/thbBgG7kOoU?...
Reposted by K.E. Semmel
This is a) utterly terrifying and b) vital. Don’t turn away. The crisis is fixable because it is, ultimately, political. We know the chemistry. We decline the action necessary.
The headline news that won't be headline news.
'A tragedy': World may have reached first climate 'tipping point' as coral reefs face collapse
Warm-water coral reefs - on which a billion people and a quarter of all marine life depend - are on the brink of collapse, according to a major new scientific study
www.businessgreen.com
October 13, 2025 at 8:33 AM
This is a) utterly terrifying and b) vital. Don’t turn away. The crisis is fixable because it is, ultimately, political. We know the chemistry. We decline the action necessary.
I was thrilled to write a story on adults with #tourettesyndrome for AARP. It features some fantastic humans who've dealt with TS all their lives. Few studies have explored the impact TS has had on us adults with TS, I write, but that’s beginning to change. www.aarp.org/health/condi...
How Tourette Syndrome Affects the Lives of 5 Older Americans
Roughly half of individuals with the disorder go undiagnosed, and experts say many of them are older adults
www.aarp.org
October 10, 2025 at 5:16 PM
I was thrilled to write a story on adults with #tourettesyndrome for AARP. It features some fantastic humans who've dealt with TS all their lives. Few studies have explored the impact TS has had on us adults with TS, I write, but that’s beginning to change. www.aarp.org/health/condi...
I'm looking forward to this event with @sejalshah.bsky.social at Brighton Memorial Library next week. bml.libcal.com/event/14829483
How to Overcome Rejection and Keep Writing: A Conversation Between Sejal Shah and K.E. Semmel
Writing is hard. Publishing a book is even harder. Completing a good manuscript takes years of practice and patience. You write, and rewrite, and then you write some more. When...
bml.libcal.com
September 2, 2025 at 5:04 PM
I'm looking forward to this event with @sejalshah.bsky.social at Brighton Memorial Library next week. bml.libcal.com/event/14829483
Reposted by K.E. Semmel
Prepare for the upcoming weekend when you treat yourself to THE BOOK OF LOSMAN by @kesemmel.bsky.social on #Audible! buff.ly/fI1eG0H
@susanschulman.bsky.social
@susanschulman.bsky.social
August 29, 2025 at 6:51 PM
Prepare for the upcoming weekend when you treat yourself to THE BOOK OF LOSMAN by @kesemmel.bsky.social on #Audible! buff.ly/fI1eG0H
@susanschulman.bsky.social
@susanschulman.bsky.social
Now that Trump has taken over the national guard and plans to deploy them to DC, a reminder: he’s in the Epstein files. The President of the U.S. is a rapist.
August 11, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Now that Trump has taken over the national guard and plans to deploy them to DC, a reminder: he’s in the Epstein files. The President of the U.S. is a rapist.