K.E. Semmel

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?

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.

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

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

Mønsterbryder: Why did you name your Substack Bright Boy? I’ve been noticeably absent from this Substack the past few weeks.

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

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.

YouTube video by K.E. Semmel Bright Boy: K.E. Semmel and Vernell Jones

I recently interviewed #tourettesyndrome advocate and all-around amazing person Vernell Jones for my substack. Watch here: youtu.be/thbBgG7kOoU?...

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.

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

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 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...

I'm looking forward to this event with @sejalshah.bsky.social at Brighton Memorial Library next week. bml.libcal.com/event/14829483

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

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.

I wrote about 'normalizing' #tourettesyndrome this week in fiction and in culture. kesemmel.substack.com/p/normalizin...

Honestly can't think of a more straightforward example of how men profit from the sexual degradation of women

And at the precise moment a large chunk of the population decides that great art is, basically, meaningless or not worth the investment to participate with.

The less I'm on social media the happier I am, and the better my relationships with other people, *real* people. Of course, that means I have almost zero engagement on this platform.

11 Great Bob Dylan Songs You Need to Listen To This week I’m going to write about Bob Dylan.

For my substack this week I wrote about 11 Bob Dylan songs that have deep artistic meaning for me.

Call me a luddite if you will, but in the age of generative AI, I'm going to embrace great human-made art and cling to it. Click on the link to see the list.

kesemmel.substack.com/p/11-great-b...

I saw an academic abstract published by Taylor & Francis today that acknowledged use of ChatGPT “to proofread and improve syntax.” In other words, to “sound vacuumed of personality and just like every other academic article.”

In Part II of my two-part essay on AI and the future of literature and storytelling, I write about a resource that's become devalued in our culture: empathy. Give it a read. If you like this, subscribe for more. shorturl.at/fChh7

@sfwp.bsky.social @susanschulman.bsky.social @ipgbook.bsky.social

The world we live in increasingly resembles an episode of “Black Mirror.”

I’m proud to be on this list. Specifically, The Book of Losman spotlights #tourettesyndrome. Though there’s no cure, Losman is willing to partake in a dubious trial in hopes of finding one. Things kind of go off the rails for him. It’s a comic novel with heart.

One of the tragedies of our time is that, instead of banding together as a human species to fight the effects of climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation (our biggest existential threats), we are fighting the system of governance that we thought we’d eradicated 80 years ago.

The Great AI Hoovering; or, The Disappearance of Magical Human Language (Part I) Why Reading Matters in the Age of Generative AI

open.substack.com/pub/kesemmel...

Super fucked up is right.

Very cool to find The Book of Losman on @clmporg.bsky.social's reading list for Disability Pride Month!

Get The Book of Losman here: buff.ly/kYY19zZ

@sfwp.bsky.social
@susanschulman.bsky.social
@ipgbook.bsky.social

Thank you @clmporg.bsky.social for including THE BOOK OF LOSMAN by @kesemmel.bsky.social in the reading list for Disability Pride Month! buff.ly/35ZMzAj

Get THE BOOK OF LOSMAN right here: buff.ly/kYY19zZ
@susanschulman.bsky.social
@ipgbook.bsky.social

We are truly entering a dark period of American history, one marked by cruel violence, greed, and deliberate misinformation designed to infect the nation with the deadly pathogen of hate. The script is being written by vicious people now. Let’s hope the histories are written by other, better people.

Thank you for fighting.