Caleb Reed
@thecalebreed.bsky.social
🏳️🌈Writer of Line & Verse — campus fiction, Gen-X nostalgia, and the messy beauty of growing up twice. Horror lists, essays, and stories at thecalebreed.com.
Thanks for the love on Part I. Tomorrow: my Christmas Vacation essay — Griswolds, John Hughes, and the Advent House saga.
If you missed Part I, catch up here:
www.thecalebreed.com/p/the-world-...
If you missed Part I, catch up here:
www.thecalebreed.com/p/the-world-...
The World I Built for Christmas
Part 1 of a 3 part series
www.thecalebreed.com
December 12, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Thanks for the love on Part I. Tomorrow: my Christmas Vacation essay — Griswolds, John Hughes, and the Advent House saga.
If you missed Part I, catch up here:
www.thecalebreed.com/p/the-world-...
If you missed Part I, catch up here:
www.thecalebreed.com/p/the-world-...
Some stories don’t fit inside another essay.
They need their own structure.
This one has twenty-five doors.
Stay tuned for a new Essay tonight!
www.thecalebreed.com
They need their own structure.
This one has twenty-five doors.
Stay tuned for a new Essay tonight!
www.thecalebreed.com
December 12, 2025 at 4:42 PM
Some stories don’t fit inside another essay.
They need their own structure.
This one has twenty-five doors.
Stay tuned for a new Essay tonight!
www.thecalebreed.com
They need their own structure.
This one has twenty-five doors.
Stay tuned for a new Essay tonight!
www.thecalebreed.com
New essay up today — Darlene Love, the Wall of Sound, and the last great Christmas performance on network TV.
I’ve been buried in revising Line & Verse, but December is my season.
More to come on Christmas movies, traditions, and all my holiday obsessions.
open.substack.com/pub/calebree...
I’ve been buried in revising Line & Verse, but December is my season.
More to come on Christmas movies, traditions, and all my holiday obsessions.
open.substack.com/pub/calebree...
The Wall of Sound, Darlene Love, and the Last Great Christmas Spectacle
A love letter to maximalism, longing, and the holiday ritual we’ll never see again.
open.substack.com
December 3, 2025 at 7:23 PM
New essay up today — Darlene Love, the Wall of Sound, and the last great Christmas performance on network TV.
I’ve been buried in revising Line & Verse, but December is my season.
More to come on Christmas movies, traditions, and all my holiday obsessions.
open.substack.com/pub/calebree...
I’ve been buried in revising Line & Verse, but December is my season.
More to come on Christmas movies, traditions, and all my holiday obsessions.
open.substack.com/pub/calebree...
The new John Candy documentary sent me back to Planes, Trains & Automobiles, Home Alone, and that whole era of movies that somehow balanced humor and heart without being saccharine.
www.thecalebreed.com/p/the-man-wh...
www.thecalebreed.com/p/the-man-wh...
The Man Who Made the Holidays Feel Human
A Thanksgiving reflection on John Candy, the films that shaped us, and the rare goodness that still lingers.
www.thecalebreed.com
November 30, 2025 at 3:33 PM
The new John Candy documentary sent me back to Planes, Trains & Automobiles, Home Alone, and that whole era of movies that somehow balanced humor and heart without being saccharine.
www.thecalebreed.com/p/the-man-wh...
www.thecalebreed.com/p/the-man-wh...
New today: a Thanksgiving-week reflection on John Candy, the new I Like Me documentary, and why Planes, Trains & Automobiles is the only Thanksgiving movie that truly matters.
www.thecalebreed.com/p/the-man-wh...
www.thecalebreed.com/p/the-man-wh...
The Man Who Made the Holidays Feel Human
A Thanksgiving reflection on John Candy, the films that shaped us, and the rare goodness that still lingers.
www.thecalebreed.com
November 26, 2025 at 5:17 PM
New today: a Thanksgiving-week reflection on John Candy, the new I Like Me documentary, and why Planes, Trains & Automobiles is the only Thanksgiving movie that truly matters.
www.thecalebreed.com/p/the-man-wh...
www.thecalebreed.com/p/the-man-wh...
New essay is up: Tin Man.
A soft landing in a loud week.
If you’re traveling, hiding in a guest room, or avoiding political landmines at dinner, it’s a good read for the quiet in-between moments.
Read here →
www.thecalebreed.com/p/tin-man-sa...
A soft landing in a loud week.
If you’re traveling, hiding in a guest room, or avoiding political landmines at dinner, it’s a good read for the quiet in-between moments.
Read here →
www.thecalebreed.com/p/tin-man-sa...
Tin Man: A Novel - Sarah Winman
Tin Man, Unlived Lives, and the Boys We Never Stopped Being
www.thecalebreed.com
November 25, 2025 at 5:42 PM
New essay is up: Tin Man.
A soft landing in a loud week.
If you’re traveling, hiding in a guest room, or avoiding political landmines at dinner, it’s a good read for the quiet in-between moments.
Read here →
www.thecalebreed.com/p/tin-man-sa...
A soft landing in a loud week.
If you’re traveling, hiding in a guest room, or avoiding political landmines at dinner, it’s a good read for the quiet in-between moments.
Read here →
www.thecalebreed.com/p/tin-man-sa...
Freshman Year, done.
Chapter 19 is out today, closing the first year of Line & Verse. I’m honestly stunned by how many of you have shown up for this story. Thank you for every read, every comment, every share — it’s meant more than I can say.
www.thecalebreed.com/p/chapter-xi...
Chapter 19 is out today, closing the first year of Line & Verse. I’m honestly stunned by how many of you have shown up for this story. Thank you for every read, every comment, every share — it’s meant more than I can say.
www.thecalebreed.com/p/chapter-xi...
Final Chapter: Chapter XIX — Commencement
What We Carry, What We Let Go
www.thecalebreed.com
November 23, 2025 at 2:54 PM
Freshman Year, done.
Chapter 19 is out today, closing the first year of Line & Verse. I’m honestly stunned by how many of you have shown up for this story. Thank you for every read, every comment, every share — it’s meant more than I can say.
www.thecalebreed.com/p/chapter-xi...
Chapter 19 is out today, closing the first year of Line & Verse. I’m honestly stunned by how many of you have shown up for this story. Thank you for every read, every comment, every share — it’s meant more than I can say.
www.thecalebreed.com/p/chapter-xi...
Chapter 18 is live today.
Tomorrow morning, the final chapter of Line & Verse goes out to everyone.
Thanks to everyone who stuck with Ethan from move-in day to the end of freshman year.
Read here → www.thecalebreed.com/p/chapter-xv...
#LineAndVerse #Fiction #QueerLit #WritersOfBSky
Tomorrow morning, the final chapter of Line & Verse goes out to everyone.
Thanks to everyone who stuck with Ethan from move-in day to the end of freshman year.
Read here → www.thecalebreed.com/p/chapter-xv...
#LineAndVerse #Fiction #QueerLit #WritersOfBSky
Chapter XVIII - The Night Before
What remains when everything else falls away.
www.thecalebreed.com
November 21, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Chapter 18 is live today.
Tomorrow morning, the final chapter of Line & Verse goes out to everyone.
Thanks to everyone who stuck with Ethan from move-in day to the end of freshman year.
Read here → www.thecalebreed.com/p/chapter-xv...
#LineAndVerse #Fiction #QueerLit #WritersOfBSky
Tomorrow morning, the final chapter of Line & Verse goes out to everyone.
Thanks to everyone who stuck with Ethan from move-in day to the end of freshman year.
Read here → www.thecalebreed.com/p/chapter-xv...
#LineAndVerse #Fiction #QueerLit #WritersOfBSky
I picked up Tin Man on a trip earlier this year and didn’t expect it to get under my skin the way it did.
Today’s essay looks at why.
Read →
www.thecalebreed.com/p/tin-man-sa...
Today’s essay looks at why.
Read →
www.thecalebreed.com/p/tin-man-sa...
Tin Man: A Novel - Sarah Winman
Tin Man, Unlived Lives, and the Boys We Never Stopped Being
www.thecalebreed.com
November 17, 2025 at 4:27 PM
I picked up Tin Man on a trip earlier this year and didn’t expect it to get under my skin the way it did.
Today’s essay looks at why.
Read →
www.thecalebreed.com/p/tin-man-sa...
Today’s essay looks at why.
Read →
www.thecalebreed.com/p/tin-man-sa...
Chapter 17 — Spring Break is live for paid subscribers.
Ethan steps away from Westmore, and the distance forces everything into focus.
Free for everyone tomorrow at 5:00 a.m. ET.
Read here → www.thecalebreed.com/p/chapter-xv...
Ethan steps away from Westmore, and the distance forces everything into focus.
Free for everyone tomorrow at 5:00 a.m. ET.
Read here → www.thecalebreed.com/p/chapter-xv...
November 13, 2025 at 6:17 PM
Chapter 17 — Spring Break is live for paid subscribers.
Ethan steps away from Westmore, and the distance forces everything into focus.
Free for everyone tomorrow at 5:00 a.m. ET.
Read here → www.thecalebreed.com/p/chapter-xv...
Ethan steps away from Westmore, and the distance forces everything into focus.
Free for everyone tomorrow at 5:00 a.m. ET.
Read here → www.thecalebreed.com/p/chapter-xv...
The penultimate chapter of Line & Verse just dropped.
Chapter 17 — Spring Break.
Ethan steps away from Westmore, and the space shows him what he’s been refusing to see all year.
Live now for paid subscribers.
Free for everyone Friday at 5:00 a.m. ET.
www.thecalebreed.com/p/chapter-xv...
Chapter 17 — Spring Break.
Ethan steps away from Westmore, and the space shows him what he’s been refusing to see all year.
Live now for paid subscribers.
Free for everyone Friday at 5:00 a.m. ET.
www.thecalebreed.com/p/chapter-xv...
Chapter XVII - Spring Break
The Turning Tide
www.thecalebreed.com
November 12, 2025 at 8:35 PM
The penultimate chapter of Line & Verse just dropped.
Chapter 17 — Spring Break.
Ethan steps away from Westmore, and the space shows him what he’s been refusing to see all year.
Live now for paid subscribers.
Free for everyone Friday at 5:00 a.m. ET.
www.thecalebreed.com/p/chapter-xv...
Chapter 17 — Spring Break.
Ethan steps away from Westmore, and the space shows him what he’s been refusing to see all year.
Live now for paid subscribers.
Free for everyone Friday at 5:00 a.m. ET.
www.thecalebreed.com/p/chapter-xv...
I’ve been thinking about what connects all my recent pieces—whether it’s Jonathan Bailey, Frankenstein, or Line & Verse.
It’s always the same experiment: creating something, seeing yourself in it, and learning to love what you find.
Catch up here → www.thecalebreed.com
It’s always the same experiment: creating something, seeing yourself in it, and learning to love what you find.
Catch up here → www.thecalebreed.com
Caleb Reed | Substack
Fiction, essays, and reflections on queer life and Southern memory. Start with the novel Line & Verse. (a serialized 1990s college novel). Click to read Caleb Reed, a Substack publication with hundred...
www.thecalebreed.com
November 11, 2025 at 4:08 PM
I’ve been thinking about what connects all my recent pieces—whether it’s Jonathan Bailey, Frankenstein, or Line & Verse.
It’s always the same experiment: creating something, seeing yourself in it, and learning to love what you find.
Catch up here → www.thecalebreed.com
It’s always the same experiment: creating something, seeing yourself in it, and learning to love what you find.
Catch up here → www.thecalebreed.com
New essay → Making Monsters: On Frankenstein, Desire, and the Stories That Make Us
From Mary Shelley to Jacob Elordi—art, visibility, and the monsters we make.
www.thecalebreed.com/p/making-mon...
From Mary Shelley to Jacob Elordi—art, visibility, and the monsters we make.
www.thecalebreed.com/p/making-mon...
Making Monsters: On Frankenstein, Desire, and the Stories That Make Us
A teacher, a monster, and the first time art looked back at me.
www.thecalebreed.com
November 9, 2025 at 7:58 PM
New essay → Making Monsters: On Frankenstein, Desire, and the Stories That Make Us
From Mary Shelley to Jacob Elordi—art, visibility, and the monsters we make.
www.thecalebreed.com/p/making-mon...
From Mary Shelley to Jacob Elordi—art, visibility, and the monsters we make.
www.thecalebreed.com/p/making-mon...
Greek Week (Ch. 16) | Line & Verse — azaleas, guitars, freedom.
Read now → www.thecalebreed.com/p/chapter-xv...
Read now → www.thecalebreed.com/p/chapter-xv...
Chapter XVI – Greek Week
Greek Week turns ritual into release: sunlight, noise, and the quiet freedom of being seen.
www.thecalebreed.com
November 8, 2025 at 1:32 PM
Greek Week (Ch. 16) | Line & Verse — azaleas, guitars, freedom.
Read now → www.thecalebreed.com/p/chapter-xv...
Read now → www.thecalebreed.com/p/chapter-xv...
Jonathan Bailey is People’s Sexiest Man Alive — the first openly gay man to ever hold the title.
From Fellow Travelers (2023), where love was dangerous, to Bridgerton, where it’s the whole empire — his career tells the story of what changed.
www.thecalebreed.com/p/fellow-tra...
#JonathanBailey
From Fellow Travelers (2023), where love was dangerous, to Bridgerton, where it’s the whole empire — his career tells the story of what changed.
www.thecalebreed.com/p/fellow-tra...
#JonathanBailey
Fellow Travelers to Bridgerton: The Closet, the Costume, and What Came After
Jonathan Bailey’s evolution from Fellow Travelers (2023) to Bridgerton traces a cultural arc — from secrecy to spectacle, from McCarthy’s Washington to Shondaland’s London.
www.thecalebreed.com
November 4, 2025 at 2:03 PM
Jonathan Bailey is People’s Sexiest Man Alive — the first openly gay man to ever hold the title.
From Fellow Travelers (2023), where love was dangerous, to Bridgerton, where it’s the whole empire — his career tells the story of what changed.
www.thecalebreed.com/p/fellow-tra...
#JonathanBailey
From Fellow Travelers (2023), where love was dangerous, to Bridgerton, where it’s the whole empire — his career tells the story of what changed.
www.thecalebreed.com/p/fellow-tra...
#JonathanBailey
Missed Twinless at Sundance. Caught it months later in Durham. It wrecked me in all the right ways.
www.thecalebreed.com/p/twinless-a...
www.thecalebreed.com/p/twinless-a...
Twinless and the Versions We Can Stand
James Sweeney's "Twinless" (2025)
www.thecalebreed.com
November 3, 2025 at 6:55 PM
Missed Twinless at Sundance. Caught it months later in Durham. It wrecked me in all the right ways.
www.thecalebreed.com/p/twinless-a...
www.thecalebreed.com/p/twinless-a...
Chapter 15 — The Underground — just dropped.
A day late, but worth it. Ethan finally finds the others who’ve been hiding in plain sight.
www.thecalebreed.com/p/chapter-xv...
A day late, but worth it. Ethan finally finds the others who’ve been hiding in plain sight.
www.thecalebreed.com/p/chapter-xv...
Chapter XV – The Underground
A Place Without Pretending
www.thecalebreed.com
November 2, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Chapter 15 — The Underground — just dropped.
A day late, but worth it. Ethan finally finds the others who’ve been hiding in plain sight.
www.thecalebreed.com/p/chapter-xv...
A day late, but worth it. Ethan finally finds the others who’ve been hiding in plain sight.
www.thecalebreed.com/p/chapter-xv...
Feeling grateful this week — Billy and the Kid (published by @queerloveproject.bsky.social ) was featured in @memoirland.bsky.social’s Memoir Monday Roundup.
Big thanks to Jerry Portwood & Michael Narkunski for their care.
Read here 👉 open.substack.com/pub/queerlov...
Big thanks to Jerry Portwood & Michael Narkunski for their care.
Read here 👉 open.substack.com/pub/queerlov...
Billy and the Kid
I was a closeted CEO. Then my college crush's shocking diagnosis kicked off the ache and 'Euphoria' of my second adolescence.
open.substack.com
October 30, 2025 at 5:35 PM
Feeling grateful this week — Billy and the Kid (published by @queerloveproject.bsky.social ) was featured in @memoirland.bsky.social’s Memoir Monday Roundup.
Big thanks to Jerry Portwood & Michael Narkunski for their care.
Read here 👉 open.substack.com/pub/queerlov...
Big thanks to Jerry Portwood & Michael Narkunski for their care.
Read here 👉 open.substack.com/pub/queerlov...
I finally decided I could keep yelling at the TV and my news feed or just write what I was thinking. Here it is. I'm ready for the adults in the room to stand up and take over.
www.thecalebreed.com/p/past-the-p...
www.thecalebreed.com/p/past-the-p...
Past the Point of Fear
A full-length editorial on how fear—not policy—drives Washington’s collapse. From Trump to the shutdown to a generation walking away, this essay examines what happens when cowardice becomes the gover...
www.thecalebreed.com
October 28, 2025 at 1:55 PM
I finally decided I could keep yelling at the TV and my news feed or just write what I was thinking. Here it is. I'm ready for the adults in the room to stand up and take over.
www.thecalebreed.com/p/past-the-p...
www.thecalebreed.com/p/past-the-p...
Monday reset: new fiction, new essay, less guilt about ignoring the weekend.
✏️ The Shift — a quiet chapter after the chaos at Westmore.
🕯 The Outsider’s Wound — on A Little Life and the performance of pain.
Read both at thecalebreed.com
✏️ The Shift — a quiet chapter after the chaos at Westmore.
🕯 The Outsider’s Wound — on A Little Life and the performance of pain.
Read both at thecalebreed.com
October 27, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Monday reset: new fiction, new essay, less guilt about ignoring the weekend.
✏️ The Shift — a quiet chapter after the chaos at Westmore.
🕯 The Outsider’s Wound — on A Little Life and the performance of pain.
Read both at thecalebreed.com
✏️ The Shift — a quiet chapter after the chaos at Westmore.
🕯 The Outsider’s Wound — on A Little Life and the performance of pain.
Read both at thecalebreed.com
Chapter 14 – The Shift is live.
Finals, frost, and quiet change at Westmore.
thecalebreed.com
Earlier this week → Billy and the Kid (QLP Essay) + Plastic Pumpkins & VHS Screams + October on Netflix: Horror Was Always a Queer Playground
#LineAndVerse #LGBTQ #GenX
Finals, frost, and quiet change at Westmore.
thecalebreed.com
Earlier this week → Billy and the Kid (QLP Essay) + Plastic Pumpkins & VHS Screams + October on Netflix: Horror Was Always a Queer Playground
#LineAndVerse #LGBTQ #GenX
October 24, 2025 at 2:36 PM
Chapter 14 – The Shift is live.
Finals, frost, and quiet change at Westmore.
thecalebreed.com
Earlier this week → Billy and the Kid (QLP Essay) + Plastic Pumpkins & VHS Screams + October on Netflix: Horror Was Always a Queer Playground
#LineAndVerse #LGBTQ #GenX
Finals, frost, and quiet change at Westmore.
thecalebreed.com
Earlier this week → Billy and the Kid (QLP Essay) + Plastic Pumpkins & VHS Screams + October on Netflix: Horror Was Always a Queer Playground
#LineAndVerse #LGBTQ #GenX
Need last-minute Halloween watches that are more fun than good? Same.
🎞️ The Plastic Pumpkins & VHS — my list of campy 80s horror that raised a generation of latchkey kids.
Read it now → www.thecalebreed.com/p/plastic-pu...
#HorrorMovies #GenX #80s #CampHorror #VHS #HalloweenWeekend #MovieNight
🎞️ The Plastic Pumpkins & VHS — my list of campy 80s horror that raised a generation of latchkey kids.
Read it now → www.thecalebreed.com/p/plastic-pu...
#HorrorMovies #GenX #80s #CampHorror #VHS #HalloweenWeekend #MovieNight
October 23, 2025 at 2:48 PM
Need last-minute Halloween watches that are more fun than good? Same.
🎞️ The Plastic Pumpkins & VHS — my list of campy 80s horror that raised a generation of latchkey kids.
Read it now → www.thecalebreed.com/p/plastic-pu...
#HorrorMovies #GenX #80s #CampHorror #VHS #HalloweenWeekend #MovieNight
🎞️ The Plastic Pumpkins & VHS — my list of campy 80s horror that raised a generation of latchkey kids.
Read it now → www.thecalebreed.com/p/plastic-pu...
#HorrorMovies #GenX #80s #CampHorror #VHS #HalloweenWeekend #MovieNight
Tomorrow for paid readers — Chapter 14
The Shift
Winter settles over Westmore.
www.thecalebreed.com/s/lineandverse
The Shift
Winter settles over Westmore.
www.thecalebreed.com/s/lineandverse
October 21, 2025 at 6:56 PM
Tomorrow for paid readers — Chapter 14
The Shift
Winter settles over Westmore.
www.thecalebreed.com/s/lineandverse
The Shift
Winter settles over Westmore.
www.thecalebreed.com/s/lineandverse
Tonight for paid subscribers —
the Eli & Jason flashback.
"What they agreed never happened..."
Chapter 13 Brotherhood → now free.
Chapter 14 The Shift → Wednesday (paid).
And for something scary:
Caleb Reed’s Queer Horror Guide —
horror that gets it.
the Eli & Jason flashback.
"What they agreed never happened..."
Chapter 13 Brotherhood → now free.
Chapter 14 The Shift → Wednesday (paid).
And for something scary:
Caleb Reed’s Queer Horror Guide —
horror that gets it.
October 20, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Tonight for paid subscribers —
the Eli & Jason flashback.
"What they agreed never happened..."
Chapter 13 Brotherhood → now free.
Chapter 14 The Shift → Wednesday (paid).
And for something scary:
Caleb Reed’s Queer Horror Guide —
horror that gets it.
the Eli & Jason flashback.
"What they agreed never happened..."
Chapter 13 Brotherhood → now free.
Chapter 14 The Shift → Wednesday (paid).
And for something scary:
Caleb Reed’s Queer Horror Guide —
horror that gets it.
Brotherhood doesn’t always mean belonging.
Chapter 13 — Brotherhood is live: the aftermath of Hell Week at Westmore.
Read: thecalebreed.com
#LineAndVerse #Substack #QueerFiction #90sCollege #LGBTQWriters
Chapter 13 — Brotherhood is live: the aftermath of Hell Week at Westmore.
Read: thecalebreed.com
#LineAndVerse #Substack #QueerFiction #90sCollege #LGBTQWriters
October 19, 2025 at 12:42 PM
Brotherhood doesn’t always mean belonging.
Chapter 13 — Brotherhood is live: the aftermath of Hell Week at Westmore.
Read: thecalebreed.com
#LineAndVerse #Substack #QueerFiction #90sCollege #LGBTQWriters
Chapter 13 — Brotherhood is live: the aftermath of Hell Week at Westmore.
Read: thecalebreed.com
#LineAndVerse #Substack #QueerFiction #90sCollege #LGBTQWriters