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Lexi Pandell

@lpandell.bsky.social
407 followers 341 following 192 posts

I am a writer. Also, a human. | Author of HOLY MOTHER! (fall 2027) | Subscribe to the Writer to Writer Substack and get new posts every Monday morning lexipandell.com lexipandell.substack.com

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Lexi Pandell @lpandell.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Disco, The Wizard of Oz, and how history helps us survive: An interview with the poet T.S. Leonard about his new collection, ANOTHER ANTHEM OF FABULOUS SURVIVAL. lexipandell.substack.com/p/a-heartbre...
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Lexi Pandell @lpandell.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Some people love spoilers. I used to be one of them. I wrote about what we gain from knowing how things will end—and how it can be a useful narrative device. lexipandell.substack.com/p/on-reading...
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Lexi Pandell @lpandell.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
This summer, I spoke with a number of writers with phenomenal work, but no idea where to send it. This week’s Substack post is for them. lexipandell.substack.com/p/so-you-don...
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Reposted by Lexi Pandell
Reyhan Harmanci @harmancipants.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Fascinating story on AI detection company Pangram -- how it works, what it promises, the gaps in between www.wired.com/story/pangra...
wired.com
Pangram Has Emerged as the Gold Standard of AI Detection. Should You Trust It?
Meet the AI police who can make or break careers—in publishing and beyond.
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Laura Gross Literary Agency @lgliterary.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
"Pangram aims to take all the nuances, variables, and unknowns from a piece of communication and return a number. Humans, of course, are far more ambiguous than all that." A fantastic look at the burgeoning AI detection industry from LG Literary's @lpandell.bsky.social. Full story here ⤵️
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WIRED @wired.com · 02/09/2026
Meet the AI police who can make or break careers—in publishing and beyond. www.wired.com/story/pangra...
wired.com
Pangram Has Emerged as the Gold Standard of AI Detection. Should You Trust It?
Meet the AI police who can make or break careers—in publishing and beyond.
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Lexi Pandell @lpandell.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
A wave of AI accusations swept the literary world this year. One small startup was behind them. None of it was an accident. I wrote about it for @wired.com: www.wired.com/story/pangra...
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Lexi Pandell @lpandell.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Journalists, you should ask this about every source: Who is this person? How do they know what they're saying? Is it possible they're biased or wrong? If so, can I back them up with another source? Check out my tips for research and fact-checking: lexipandell.substack.com/p/dont-drown...
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Lexi Pandell @lpandell.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Unfortunately, getting fact-checked has become a luxury for writers. Here's how to do it yourself (and keep your research organized along the way): lexipandell.substack.com/p/dont-drown...
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Jon Michael Has Questions @jmhasquestions.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
I was mentioned in a @fastcompany.com article as one of the faces of the next generation of skeptics. @lpandell.bsky.social visited CSICon, and her article lists my talk among the conference's most critical. Wild man, just wild 🤯. Link to the article in the next thread #Skepticism #CriticalThinking
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Lexi Pandell @lpandell.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
We're all vulnerable to misinformation. With that in mind, the useful question isn't "how do I avoid ever being wrong?" It’s knowing that, sometimes, you will be. I wrote more about this—and what do to about it—for this week's Substack: lexipandell.substack.com/p/were-all-v...
lexipandell.substack.com
We're all vulnerable to misinformation
What matters most is what you do about it.
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Fast Company @fastcompany.com · 10/08/2026
Can skeptics survive the misinformation age? f-st.co/VeJ6sgS
f-st.co
Can skeptics survive the misinformation age?
As AI and social media make falsehoods harder to detect, the community devoted to debunking bad information faces an uncertain future.
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Lexi Pandell @lpandell.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Between AI, uninformed influencers, and the proliferation of misinformation online, it’s never been harder to know what’s real. In my first piece for @fastcompany.com, I wrote about how skeptics are trying to help us see clearly, right as the fog rolls in: www.fastcompany.com/91581838/can...
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Lexi Pandell @lpandell.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
What do Bigfoot, Bill Nye, and magicians have in common? My first piece for @fastcompany.com, which is all about the skeptical subculture, my time at @center4inquiry.bsky.social's CSICon, and the struggle for logic amid pseudoscience and AI slop: www.fastcompany.com/91581838/can...
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Lexi Pandell @lpandell.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Freelance whisperer Elise Craig has bylines with The New York Times, Wired, and many others. This week, she shared all the things that nobody tells you when you start out as a freelancer: lexipandell.substack.com/p/the-advice...
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Lexi Pandell @lpandell.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
I fact-checked professionally for about seven years. And I don't need any hands to count the number of error-free articles I checked, because there were none. We all make mistakes—what matters is whether you catch them in time. Here's an overview of my process: substack.com/home/post/p-...
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Lexi Pandell @lpandell.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
In which I share a recipe for the best pasta salad you'll have all summer: lexipandell.substack.com/p/five-thing...
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Lexi Pandell @lpandell.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
You don't want to miss Zach St. George's SNAKE MEN, a romp through the petty world of taxonomy and the two centuries of contrarian, snake-obsessed men who've turned it into a sport. I interviewed him about his wild characters and writing his second book 🐍 lexipandell.substack.com/p/on-writing...
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Lexi Pandell @lpandell.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
I’m thrilled to share this news! Thanks so much to @doricliterary.bsky.social for supporting my story “In the Pits” and nominating it for Best of the Net. Long live the Pit Crew!
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Lexi Pandell @lpandell.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Writers, this is for you. I wrote about my essential toolkit—the pens, notebooks, apps, devices, and desk setup that help me work most efficiently: lexipandell.substack.com/p/letter-of-...
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Doric Literary @doricliterary.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
Sundays are for reading! Read something unique today, something to make you laugh & make you think...you know, a classic that will forever plant in your memory an image of young women braiding each other's armpit hair. "In the Pits" by @lpandell.bsky.social doric-literary.com/2026/06/30/i...
doric-literary.com
In the Pits
However we entered the world of hair removal, we perfected our techniques over time. We washed our flesh with soap, pressed pink foam into our palms, shaved our pits smooth, and then deodorized the…
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Lexi Pandell @lpandell.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
In my latest short story, "In the Pits", a group of high school girls become possessed by the idea of growing their pit hair. But what possessed me to write about pit hair in the first place? I wrote about it on Substack: lexipandell.substack.com/p/on-writing...
lexipandell.substack.com
On Writing: What I really wrote about when I wrote about armpit hair
Trends, unruly bodies, and other inspiration behind my latest short story, "In the Pits." Plus, a special playlist.
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Lexi Pandell @lpandell.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
“In a way it feels like a sacrifice of the truth of memory because, once it’s transformed, I’m remembering what’s on the page maybe more than what happened.” -T Kira Māhealani Madden on writing memoir, 7/1/26 at the Roxie in SF
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Lexi Pandell @lpandell.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
On girlhood fury, rebellion, and armpits. My latest short story is out now with @doricliterary.bsky.social: doric-literary.com/2026/06/30/i... Pits de résistance!
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Doric Literary @doricliterary.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Now online: "In the Pits" by Lexi Pandell @lpandell.bsky.social Told in Lexi's unique voice & style, this is a story about rebellion, solidarity, community & challenging cultural norms. Oh, & it's about armpit hair. Enjoy! Laugh, reflect, join the resistance! doric-literary.com/2026/06/30/i...
doric-literary.com
In the Pits
However we entered the world of hair removal, we perfected our techniques over time. We washed our flesh with soap, pressed pink foam into our palms, shaved our pits smooth, and then deodorized the…
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Reposted by Lexi Pandell
Tanya Žilinskas @tanyazilinskas.com · 30/06/2026
Normalize writing not being healing
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Doric Literary @doricliterary.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
Coming June 30! The below isn’t a random sentence, specifically extracted to trick you into thinking this story will be about something it isn’t. “In the Pits,” by @lpandell.bsky.social, is entirely about armpit hair: shaving it . . . and NOT shaving it. You’re gonna love it.
Two Doric Columns frame a quote from the story "In the Pits" by Lexi Pandell.
"However we entered the world of hair removal, we perfected our techniques over time. We washed our flesh with soap, pressed pink foam into our palms, shaved our pits smooth, and then deodorized them until they smelled like dreams rather than body parts."
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Lexi Pandell @lpandell.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
"In therapy, my emotions can be messy. In writing, I clean up the mess and fit the pieces together to find the narrative." On the process of writing a memoir—and what the work has actually asked of me: lexipandell.substack.com/p/no-writing...
lexipandell.substack.com
No, writing my memoir isn't cathartic
And I never expected it to be. Here's why.
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Lexi Pandell @lpandell.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Need some music to fuel your Monday? Look no further. I put this together for writers, but it's really for anyone doing high-focus work: open.substack.com/pub/lexipand...
open.substack.com
Music recommendations for every kind of writer
Whether you listen to classical, techno, lo-fi, or silence, I've got suggestions to expand your listening.
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Lexi Pandell @lpandell.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
How do critics decide which books to review? How does the review process work? And how much book mail do they really get? For this week's Substack, I interviewed fantastic book critic (and my former Wired colleague) Chelsea Leu to find out more: lexipandell.substack.com/p/the-other-...
lexipandell.substack.com
The Other Side of the Inbox: A Q&A with book critic Chelsea Leu
Ever wonder how critics choose which books to review...and how much book mail actually gets sent to their home? Chelsea Leu explains it all.
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Lexi Pandell @lpandell.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
Alright, Buffalo! I was not familiar with your game.
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Lexi Pandell @lpandell.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
The wonderful thing about mid-aughts and 2010s nostalgia is how achievable it is to recreate. You, too, can invite 100 people to a house party, drink warm jungle juice out of a kiddie pool, play Girl Talk from a blown-out speaker, and achieve nirvana.
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Lexi Pandell @lpandell.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
In Joshua Tree tonight? Come to S'mores & Stories! We'll have literary readings, free s'mores, limited edition t-shirts, and moooore. And it's FREE to attend! Mas o Menos at 6 pm 🌵
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Lexi Pandell @lpandell.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
As the first weekend of Desert Salon 2026 wraps, I'm sharing my thoughts on nine years of hosting a writing retreat: open.substack.com/pub/lexipand...
open.substack.com
I started a writing retreat—here's what I've learned
Lessons from nine years of running the Desert Salon retreat in Joshua Tree.
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Lexi Pandell @lpandell.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
Real, thorough fact-checking isn't about going down a checklist. It's second-guessing, cross-checking, falling down rabbit holes, and often talking to actual humans. AI can't do any of that. And I can say that with confidence because a fact-checker checked it: www.wired.com/story/fact-c...
wired.com
AI Just Isn’t Right
Can AI do fact-checking? A WIRED fact-checker fact-checks.
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Lexi Pandell @lpandell.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
Tales from the Edges of California is THIS Saturday at 2 pm at Desert General. You won't want to miss it!
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Lexi Pandell @lpandell.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
When it comes to AI, writers need to be responsible for their own work. But publishers need to step up too. I dropped Monday’s Substack early so we can talk about it: substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com
Publishers need to wake the f*ck up to AI
The future may feel uncertain, but publishers owe it to writers and readers to get ahead of this mess.
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Lexi Pandell @lpandell.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
"There’s an every-day sameness—a lot of standing and waiting—but there’s also an element of surprise. Who will walk in? What will happen today?" I interviewed fellow Berkeley j-schooler Hasan Dudar about his wonderful debut story collection, CARRYOUT: lexipandell.substack.com/p/on-writing...
lexipandell.substack.com
On Writing: A Q&A with author Hasan Dudar
The debut author of Carryout on place, exile, and why a corner store was a natural home for stories.
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Lexi Pandell @lpandell.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
Have you tried a Reject-a-thon? It’s the most fun you’ll have hearing no: open.substack.com/pub/lexipand...
open.substack.com
On Rejection: Trust me, you should start a Reject-a-Thon
Having fun with rejection is the best way to start getting acceptances—and enjoy pizza with friends.
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Tanya Žilinskas @tanyazilinskas.com · 05/05/2026
Bay Area writers, readers & friends! The next BAIT reading is THIS Friday, May 8 at 6 pm at @sausalitolibrary.bsky.social. Readers are Carvell Wallace, Chia-Chia Lin, Sarah Stone, and Dāshaun Washington. 😍 Free to attend and reading followed by a Q&A. Details and RSVP at baitreading.com
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Lexi Pandell @lpandell.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
What is the one thing that nobody told you when you were starting out as a writer? I'll go first: Rejection is a part of the deal, even for talented writers. Like...so much rejection! Success as a writer is all about persistence.
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Lexi Pandell @lpandell.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
This week on Writer to Writer, I got to take a peek inside the mind of writer/editor @maxuf.bsky.social. Learn about the cliché he always deletes, his favorite publications right now, what makes for a great FastCo pitch, and more: lexipandell.substack.com/p/the-other-...
lexipandell.substack.com
The Other Side of the Inbox: A Q&A with FastCo editor Max Ufberg
A senior editor on shaping stories, killing clichés, and writing in stolen moments.
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Lexi Pandell @lpandell.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
I’m very excited to be co-hosting two upcoming reading events through Desert Salon. If you’ll be in the Joshua Tree area on May 30 or June 6, come on through! More details (including reader lineups) coming soon.
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Lexi Pandell @lpandell.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
So much of agenting can feel like a mystery for writers. What's actually selling? What makes an agent pay attention? And what are instant deal breakers? This week, I had the chance to pull back the curtain with my literary agent, @lmscovel.bsky.social: lexipandell.substack.com/p/the-other-...
lexipandell.substack.com
The Other Side of the Inbox: A Q&A with literary agent Lauren Scovel
On the most surprising thing about agenting, how many queries she really gets, and how she knows when she's fallen in love with a project.
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Lexi Pandell @lpandell.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
How many "nos" does it take to get a "yes"? The answer might surprise you! This post will get you fired up. Thank you to @isleofanalia.bsky.social, @simonestolzoff.bsky.social, @josephbienkahn.com, @tanyazilinskas.com, and Kim Henderson for sharing: lexipandell.substack.com/p/on-rejecti...
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Lexi Pandell @lpandell.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
I don’t want to read your AI-written article 🙃 But, if you’re going to do it anyway, the least you can do is edit it so that it isn’t SO obviously written by AI 🙃🙃
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Lexi Pandell @lpandell.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
Come for the sassy screenshot, stay for my hot take that books are not to be trusted during research. It was a pleasure talking to my dear pal @tanyazilinskas.com about one of my favorite things: research!
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Lexi Pandell @lpandell.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
Today on Substack, the art of selling a book that doesn't exist yet—a.k.a. how to write a book proposal! Plus, why I sold my memoir on proposal: lexipandell.substack.com/p/inside-the...
lexipandell.substack.com
Inside the Pitch: How to write a non-fiction book proposal
The art of selling a book that doesn't exist yet.
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Lexi Pandell @lpandell.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
Resurfacing this—I'm still open to hearing from people!
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Lexi Pandell @lpandell.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
On why it took me seven years from sending my first query to getting signed by an agent—and my tips about how to write a successful query letter: lexipandell.substack.com/p/inside-the...
lexipandell.substack.com
Inside the Pitch: How to write a query letter
Real talk about the anatomy of a query letter and how to successfully pitch your book.
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