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Keith Schleiffer

@kschleiffer.bsky.social
753 followers 379 following 1.7K posts

Caregiver 24/7 when my wife needs me. Writing short CNF and a memoir about her cancer. Engineer in medical device industry. USCG veteran. Pronouns he-him, but just because I'm ordinary doesn't mean anyone else must be.

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Reposted by Keith Schleiffer
McSweeney's @mcsweeneys.net · 14/09/2026
HOMER “This guy gave his job talk in dialects. We need someone who can teach Freshman Greek 100.” buff.ly/FvJc3bA
mcsweeneys.net
Faculty Search Committee Feedback on Applications from Founding Figures of the Fields for Tenure-Track Positions
Homer “This guy gave his job talk in dialects. We need someone who can teach Freshman Greek 100.”
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Kathryn Meyer Griffith @kmeyergriffith.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
“No One Can See Tomorrow immediately caught my attention. Candid reflections on a writing career spanning over five decades, the triumphs, sacrifices, and perseverance, make this memoir deeply human and inspiring.” tinyurl.com/3khny994 books2read.com/u/bzR7jD tinyurl.com/y4x9s6vz
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Keith Schleiffer @kschleiffer.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
My wife recorded a video complementing her oncologist. After it went up on the oncology practice web site, my wife reposted it on her Facebook. The video just reappeared in her "memories," so I went over to put my arms around her while she sobbed.
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Keith Schleiffer @kschleiffer.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Me too, Toad. Me too.
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Keith Schleiffer @kschleiffer.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Draft essay bit: The physical therapist told Debbie she hadn’t heard of a husband helping like this. I’ve asked several physical therapists, oncologists and surgeons. I have yet to find another husband doing this kind of care. I would have expected men would happily caress their wives before bed.
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Keith Schleiffer @kschleiffer.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
The neighbor's tree has a big crop of beautiful crabapples. They're tart, but they taste sweet too. I've heard crabapple jelly can be good. Do you think the peeling and coring will be too much work? 😉
Ripe, red crabapples on the branches of their tree, with a background of green leaves.
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Keith Schleiffer @kschleiffer.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
#authors and #writers, here's a fun discovery. After attending a panel discussion I bought a book from a local, successful author. The publisher was "Lake Union." Hmm, Lake Union is near Seattle, home of Amazon. So I searched for Lake Union Publishing. I found the Amazon version. 1/2
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Keith Schleiffer @kschleiffer.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
"You're a monster," my wife said. "Yes, but I'm a domesticated monster. I like to think I use my superpowers for good." "Can I quote you?" "Yes, but include 'like to think.' It's more an aspiration than a commitment."
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Keith Schleiffer @kschleiffer.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
The weekend guests are gone. We have enough leftovers to cover our meals for some days. Just one point of controversy: the last slice of cake. "I had less of this than you and your sister, so I should have the last slice." No idea what was wrong about me saying that. (We shared the last slice.)
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Keith Schleiffer @kschleiffer.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
One of the ways we observed Fathers Day was stepping into the shower together so I could wash her hair. What started as caring for her physical needs has become care for our relationship. #cancer #memoir www.yourtango.com/love/washing...
yourtango.com
Washing My Sick Wife's Hair
Supporting my spouse as she recovers the hair — and the self-image — cancer treatment took from her.
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Keith Schleiffer @kschleiffer.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Did you know sinister just means left-handed? Did you know people used to think left-handed people were sinister? Read my essay on @goodmenproject.bsky.social to learn the connection to Pride Month. #pridemonth #parenting goodmenproject.com/featured-con...
goodmenproject.com
My Sinister Daughter
It is less effort to just be her authentic self instead of careful about what others think.
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Keith Schleiffer @kschleiffer.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
My daughter has been sinister since she was an infant. You can read what I learned from her in an essay published by @goodmenproject.bsky.social #pridemonth #parenting goodmenproject.com/featured-con...
goodmenproject.com
My Sinister Daughter
It is less effort to just be her authentic self instead of careful about what others think.
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Keith Schleiffer @kschleiffer.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
My daughter might be sinister, but it wasn't a choice. It's just her nature. Read my essay for Pride Month on @goodmenproject.bsky.social goodmenproject.com/featured-con...
goodmenproject.com
My Sinister Daughter
It is less effort to just be her authentic self instead of careful about what others think.
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Keith Schleiffer @kschleiffer.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
I wrote a personal essay for #PrideMonth, about my sinister daughter. It's available to read on The Good Men Project. #memoir #parenting goodmenproject.com/featured-con...
goodmenproject.com
My Sinister Daughter
It is less effort to just be her authentic self instead of careful about what others think.
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Rob Bignell, Editor/Author @inventingreality.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
#publishing #literatureposts #womensfiction #WordCountGoals #authorsky
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Keith Schleiffer @kschleiffer.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
If it was murder for the Defense Minister to order aircraft shot down for violating Cuban law, then...
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McSweeney's @mcsweeneys.net · 31/05/2026
"The gods, in their infinite wisdom, would like everyone to understand that no formal agreement exists until Mount Olympus announces one, though several nymphs familiar with the matter describe the atmosphere up there as productive."
buff.ly
I, Sisyphus, Am Ninety-Five Percent of the Way There
“The remaining 5 percent concerns only the final portion of the hill, the tendency of the boulder to inevitably roll back down to the very beginning, the ete...
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godlessbitch.bsky.social @godlessbitch.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
WE ARE NOT LiViNG iN THE GOLDEN AGE.
WE ARE LiVING
IN THE AGE OF
CAPiTALiST DECAY WHERE SOCIETY IS BREAKING DOWN DUE TO THE ENDLESS GREED OF THE BILLIONAIRE CLASS™
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Keith Schleiffer @kschleiffer.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
Today is Trans Visibility day. If you're Trans and choose to be visible, that's super! If you're Trans and choose not to be visible, that's also super. Do what you are comfortable doing and stay safe.
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Keith Schleiffer @kschleiffer.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
I'm trying to be more factual in my posts on Twitter (now referred to as X). It can be challenging to be complete and factual within the character limit so I write little factos in advance and collect them in a text file on my phone titled "X Post Facto."
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Keith Schleiffer @kschleiffer.bsky.social · 01/03/2026
#memoirists My wife said she only needed her hair washed this morning, no conditioner. I like to do her conditioner, too, but now that washing her hair for her is voluntary I must do as she wishes. When we started it wasn't voluntary. www.yourtango.com/love/washing...
yourtango.com
Washing My Sick Wife's Hair
Supporting my spouse as she recovers the hair — and the self-image — cancer treatment took from her.
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Keith Schleiffer @kschleiffer.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
I am now pitching my memoir to presses who don't require an agent. On its face, the story is one medical challenge after another during mybwifexs treatment for breast cancer. Underneath is the story of a husband surprised to see what he thought was ordinary support, 1/2
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Keith Schleiffer @kschleiffer.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
Big, big party last night at the library.
A medium-sized library building with windows lit up. A large pine tree is on one side. There are lights over the parking lot in front of the building. In the background the sky is deep blue in twilight. Photo was taken a few minutes after sunset.
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Reposted by Keith Schleiffer
McSweeney's @mcsweeneys.net · 30/01/2026
"I am my own original sin. One someone is always willing to forgive. Until enough of you demand that I be better."
buff.ly
I’m Still Your America
Hey, patriot. It’s been a week. As ICE spreads terror through the streets, and Teacup Eichmann presided over the murder of yet another innocent civ...
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Jon Cooper @joncooper-us.bsky.social · 30/11/2025
Agree or disagree?
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Rachel Maddow @maddow.bsky.social · 16/11/2025
"A citizens group in Ontario, California is spearheading an effort to make the community aware of incidents involving federal immigration agents. They're placing signs at the locations that read, 'ICE stole someone here'..." abc7.com/post/ontario...
abc7.com
Immigrant rights group placing 'ICE stole someone here' signs in Ontario
A citizens group in Ontario is spearheading an effort to make the community aware of incidents involving ICE agents detaining and arresting undocumented immigrants.
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Keith Schleiffer @kschleiffer.bsky.social · 09/11/2025
In case I haven't made it clear, in my experience, the women "ruiningc workplaces are making improvements not causing problems. My manager is currently a woman. Our director is a woman. It is the most collaborative, team-centered and results-oriented environment. I've ever worked in.
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Keith Schleiffer @kschleiffer.bsky.social · 07/11/2025
I realize that trying to publish short #CNF pieces has become kind of a kink, as I pore over web site after web site looking for fit, reviewing the requirements for submission and planning on how to comply perfectly.
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Keith Schleiffer @kschleiffer.bsky.social · 06/11/2025
For the record, my manager and our Director are women. Half of my work group are women. This is a notably more collaborative, team-oriented and results-oriented environment than most of my prior work experience.
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Steve Rattner @steverattner.bsky.social · 06/11/2025
Americans are still experiencing sticker-shock when it comes to housing, with mortgage payments about double pre-covid levels. My @morningjoe-msnbc.bsky.social Chart
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McSweeney's @mcsweeneys.net · 06/11/2025
The Rob Base Postulate: Given that a number greater than 1(x) is required to make a thing go right, and that the exact equal number (y) is required to make it out of sight (x = y), what is the minimum whole number required to achieve both outcomes? www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/pop...
mcsweeneys.net
Pop Song Math Quiz
Answer all questions in the form of a song title. 1. The Rob Base Postulate Given that a number greater than 1(x) is required to make a thing go ri...
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Keith Schleiffer @kschleiffer.bsky.social · 01/11/2025
A few days ago we visited a garden in Savannah, Georgia. #WritingCommunity
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Keith Schleiffer @kschleiffer.bsky.social · 18/10/2025
It has come to my attention that it is very, very suspicious that people showed up to the No Kings protest at the announced start time and left pretty quickly after the announced end time. This warrants investigation.
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Keith Schleiffer @kschleiffer.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
I've been learning a lot today at the Illinois Library Association. "When education and culture are being degraded, librarians and teachers are the first responders." "The library's role is to be neutral, yes, but also to preserve order amid chaos."
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Keith Schleiffer @kschleiffer.bsky.social · 14/10/2025
Is it reasonable to expect the President to say something honoring Minnesota House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman? On June 14, she and her husband were assasinated in a planned shooting by an extremist. Ah, but he's had experience he didn't like with another Speaker Emerita, hasn't he.
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Keith Schleiffer @kschleiffer.bsky.social · 14/10/2025
Four months ago today, respected Minnesota legislator Melissa Hortman was assasinated in a planned shooting by an extremist. October 14 would be better served honoring her death (and her husband, and injured Senator Hortman and wife) instead of a podcaster and professional provocateur.
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Keith Schleiffer @kschleiffer.bsky.social · 11/10/2025
My wife and I have finished our #memoir about her cancer treatment and my experience as her caregiver. We’re looking for beta readers. It’s a love story. It’s 58,000 words. See the graphic (the first paragraphs of the book) for content warnings. 1/2
I’ve Got You Back
by Keith Schleiffer and Debbie Schleiffer
	Let’s start with reasons you might want to not read this book. Debbie's cancer therapy experience was awful. She had just about every side effect and every roadblock the treatment had to offer. 
	There is a happy ending, but the path to it was unpleasant in several ways. This isn't just about hair loss. In this book you will find mention of just about every bodily fluid. I will describe cleaning up some of the yuckiest ones from the patient, her clothes and the floor. 
	You’ll read about what happens when cancer treatment bumped into Debbie's existing heart condition and her Type 2 diabetes. One bump was more complicated than the other. 
	You will read about two middle-aged people trying to have sex after months of abstinence.
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McSweeney's @mcsweeneys.net · 04/10/2025
TAYLOR SWIFT: Tell me, Socrates, must the player always play, play, play? SOCRATES: Well, that depends on what it is to be a player and what it means to play. Could you be more specific?
buff.ly
Taylor Swift: A Socratic Dialogue
TAYLOR SWIFT: Tell me, Socrates, must the player always play, play, play? SOCRATES: Well, that depends on what it is to be a player and what it mea...
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Keith Schleiffer @kschleiffer.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
My wife had a sweaty, stressful day. I took her into the shower and washed her hair for her. This habit began a few years ago, for a very good reason. I published a #CNF essay about it. www.yourtango.com/love/washing...
yourtango.com
Washing My Sick Wife's Hair
Supporting my spouse as she recovers the hair — and the self-image — cancer treatment took from her.
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Keith Schleiffer @kschleiffer.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
“It’s not a tantrum. It’s not a phase. It’s a rewrite. And this time, women are holding the pen.” The era of "desperate single woman" is over. www.oprahdaily.com/life/wholene...
oprahdaily.com
The Era of the ‘Desperate Single Woman’ Is Over—Here’s What Women Are Choosing Instead
Only 34 percent of single women in the U.S. are actively seeking romantic relationships, compared to 54 percent of single men. You do the math.
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Keith Schleiffer @kschleiffer.bsky.social · 27/09/2025
October 14 of this year would be a good day to flood our social media with reminders that when Melissa Hortman was murdered, the President didn't order flags at half staff, the FBI Director didn't rush to the scene and Congress didn't declare a day in her honor.
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Keith Schleiffer @kschleiffer.bsky.social · 27/09/2025
A core element of Liu Cixin's novel Three Body Problem is a surge of anti-scence sentiment. There is a reason for it, it's not just a chance event. Something for us to think about right now.
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Keith Schleiffer @kschleiffer.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
The Puritan Work Ethic is alive and well in the United States. apnews.com/article/home...
apnews.com
Most US adults think individual choices keep people in poverty, a new AP-NORC/Harris poll finds
A new poll finds most U.S. adults think personal choices are a major driver of poverty and homelessness, while fewer blame a lack of government support.
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Keith Schleiffer @kschleiffer.bsky.social · 21/09/2025
October 14 of this year would be a good day to flood our social media with reminders that when Melissa Hortman was murdered, the President didn't order flags at half staff, the FBI Director didn't rush to the scene and Congress didn't declare a day in her honor.
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Keith Schleiffer @kschleiffer.bsky.social · 17/09/2025
It seems to me Mamdani's success isn't from the social media presence or the style of his video posts. He's doing well because he's sharing his genuine enthusiasm. It's the message, not the medium.
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aaron from queens from twitter @aaronnarraph.bsky.social · 16/09/2025
For @thenation.com, I wrote about the trend of young Democratic candidates attempting to duplicate the aesthetics of the Zohran campaign, without the ideological foundation, economic populism, or authenticity that made it successful. www.thenation.com/article/poli...
thenation.com
Beware the Centrist Dweebs Trying to Ape Zohran Mamdani
All over the country, young Democratic candidates are running seemingly Mamdani-style campaigns. But check the fine print.
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Publishers Weekly @publisherswkly.bsky.social · 17/09/2025
In this stirring fantasy, Ayana Gray reimagines Medusa as a fierce heroine given to righteous anger, all of which puts her squarely at odds with the capricious gods. Both empowering and infuriating, it’s a strong take on the classic character.
buff.ly
I, Medusa by Ayana Gray
In this stirring fantasy, bestseller Gray (Beasts of War) reimagines Medusa as a fierce heroine given to righteous anger, with a...
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Joanne Harris @joannechocolat.bsky.social · 17/09/2025
Reviewers who praise a book as “readable”: exactly how low do you usually set the bar?
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Julia Raeside @jnraeside.bsky.social · 17/09/2025
Absolutely thrilled to be shortlisted for the Comedy Women in Print Prize 2025. An insane line-up to be part of. Thank you so much to the judges. Don’t Make Me Laugh is out in paperback now! #CWIP @cwip.bsky.social
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Bookish Spotlight 📚 @bookishspotlight.bsky.social · 13/09/2025
British author Kelvin Nicholls weaves a compelling narrative of resilience, love, and the unyielding spirit of his remarkable wife, Jo. ✨ mybook.to/myfamilyfi...  #Free #kindleunlimited #mustread #memoir #inspirational #TrueStory #bookworms #amreading #kindlebook #Philippines
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