Kayleigh Hughes

Writer (memoir, criticism). Editor (literally everything). Podcaster (Didn’t Read It, a podcast about books).

Literary publications in The Audacity, New Delta Review, Northwest Review, and Michigan Quarterly Review.

Bylines at Pitchfork, Bustle, Vox, Paste Magazine, Consequence of Sound, The Austin American-Statesman and more.

Literary Publications & Personal Essays

• The White Horse (New Delta Review, 2024)
• Knowing Less (The Audacity, 2023)
• Bathtubs, a Diptych (Northwest Review, 2023)
• Body Images (Michigan Quarterly Review, 2023)
• What Happens When You Include Your Eating Disorder on a Medical Intake Form (The Establishment, 2017)
• My Life in the Romance Novel Industry (Catapult, 2016)
• Progeny in Crisis (Loser City, 2015)

Pop Culture

• With Daddy’s Home, St. Vincent Attends to the Unconventional Women (Consequence of Sound, 2021)
• Why It Will Never Be the Wrong Time for ‘Exile in Guyville’ (Consequence of Sound,  2018)
• Every Kurt Vonnegut Novel Ranked in Order of Relevance (Consequence of Sound, 2017)
• Why We Can’t Forget Meg White and the Sexist Way We Talked About Her (Watt at Cash Music, 2016)
• The Neon Demon tries to both fetishize and vilify young girls. It fails. (Vox, 2016)
• Why Green Day Will Always Matter to the Young and Uncool (Paste, 2016)
• In Memory of David Bowie, 7 Artists Who Made Great Art in Their Final Days (Loser City, 2016)
• We Need to Talk About Amy Winehouse’s Eating Disorder and Its Role In Her Death (Pitchfork, 2015) 
• The 13 Best Songs About Women Masturbating (Pitchfork, 2015)
• Girls On Stage: Obvious Child Gives Female Comics Their Due on the Big Screen (Loser City, 2014)
• What It’s Like to Pop Your Cult Classic Cherry In the Age of the Internet, or, Here’s What I Learned Watching Twin Peaks For The First Time (Loser City, 2014)

Profiles, Interviews and Reports

• A tribute to the voices of independent Austin radio (The Austin American-Statesman, 2020)
• UT professor Lisa B. Thompson’s work of the soul, on-stage and off (The Austin American-Statesman, 2020)
• You’re in the show, too: ‘Every Brilliant Thing’ tackles tough subjects with audience’s help at Zach Theatre (The Austin American-Statesman, 2020)
• Billie Eilish at ACL Fest 2019: An Explainer for Non-Teens (The Austin American-Statesman, 2019)
• Billie Eilish name drops Tierra Whack and Lil Nas X in NPR conversation at ACL Fest (The Austin American-Statesman, 2019)
• Step into the sunshine with Bob Mould and his new optimistic record (The Austin American-Statesman, 2019)
• Pop at SXSW 2019 (The Austin American-Statesman 2019)
• Jack White in 10 Songs (Consequence of Sound, 2018)
• Talking Astrology With the Most Emotionally Intelligent Person in Electronic Music, Madame Gandhi (The New Nine, 2018)
• The Hot (and Not So Hot) Moments of Hot Luck Festival 2018 (Ovrld, 2018)
• Not Just Music: ACL Cares Reveals Heart of the Fest (The Austin American-Statesman, 2018)
• Eve Ensler Has Been Fighting Trump For 30 Years & She’s Not About To Stop Now (Bustle, 2017)
• Barb Being Dead In ‘Stranger Things’ Season 2 Will Be “Traumatic” For Nancy, Says Star Natalia Dyer (Bustle, 2017)
• Demi Charmed Life: Demi Lovato shares her lighter side with lucky Austin fans (The Austin American-Statesman, 2017)
• This Austin Nonprofit Is Changing the Way Local Musicians Get Paid (Pitchfork, 2016)
• Bad Girls and Blood Freaks: The Ghost Wolves Live Life to the Fullest and Loudest (Ovrld, 2016)
• With ‘SHIA,’ Holiday Mountain’s Laura Patiño finds freedom in self-expression (The Austin American-Statesman, 2016)
• A Roundtable Interview with Nicolas Winding Refn and Cliff Martinez (Loser City, 2016)
• Orange is the New Black Star Samira Wiley is Moving On from Poussey (Bustle, 2016)
• Worldwide Wayne (614 Magazine, 2016)
• Too Loud to Ignore (614 Magazine, 2016) 
• In the Moment With Teri Gender Bender (Ovrld, 2015)
• Hold It Lightly: How A Woman Like Me Uses the Creative Process to Explore Life’s Harder Questions (Loser City, 2015)
• A Story of Storytellers: Jeff Preiss Talks About the Making of Low Down (Ovrld, 2014)

Album Reviews

• ‘Drunk Tank Pink’ – Shame (Consequence of Sound, 2021)
• ‘Hey, I’m Just Like You’ – Tegan and Sara (Consequence of Sound, 2019)
• ‘The Center Won’t Hold’ – Sleater-Kinney (Consequence of Sound, 2019)
• ‘Salt’ – Angie McMahon (Consequence of Sound, 2019)
• ‘Purple Mountains’ – Purple Mountains  (Consequence of Sound, 2019)
• ‘Dookie’ – Green Day, Classic Album Review (Consequence of Sound, 2019)
• ‘Honey’ – Robyn (Consequence of Sound, 2018)
• ‘Chris’ – Christine and the Queens (Consequence of Sound, 2018)
• ‘Marauder’ – Interpol (Consequence of Sound, 2018)
• ‘Isolation’ – Kali Uchis (Consequence of Sound, 2018)
• ‘Be the Cowboy’ – Mitski (Consequence of Sound, 2018)
• ‘Love is Dead’ – Chvrches (Consequence of Sound, 2018)
• ‘Golden Hour’ – Kacey Musgraves (Consequence of Sound, 2018)
• ‘I’ll Be Your Girl’ – The Decemberists (Consequence of Sound, 2018)
• ‘ken’ – Destroyer (Consequence of Sound, 2017)
• ‘Gone Now’ – Bleachers (Consequence of Sound, 2017)
• ‘No Shape’ – Perfume Genius (Consequence of Sound, 2017)
• ‘Planetarium’ – Planetarium (Consequence of Sound, 2017)
• ‘Semper Femina’ – Laura Marling (Consequence of Sound, 2017)
• ‘Deep Dream’ – Daddy Issues (Paste, 2017)
• ‘Off the Radar’ – Noga Erez (Paste, 2017)
• ‘What Now?’ – Sylvan Esso (Paste, 2017)
• ‘Lightworks’ – Hortlax Cobra (Paste, 2017)
• ‘In the Darkness of My Night’ – Sunshine and the Rain (Paste, 2017)
• ‘Millennial Spirituals’ – Leach (Ovrld, 2016)
• ‘The Edge of Seventeen’ Soundtrack (Bustle, 2016)

Concert Reviews

• Destroyer (Ovrld, 2020)
• The Jonas Brothers (The Austin American-Statesman, 2019)
• Sleater-Kinney (The Austin American-Statesman, 2019)
• Pink (The Austin American-Statesman, 2019)
• James Blake, ACL Fest 2019 (The Austin American-Statesman, 2019)
• Third Eye Blind, ACL Fest 2019 (The Austin American-Statesman, 2019)
• Duckwrth, ACL Fest 2019 (The Austin American-Statesman, 2019)
• Bea Miller, ACL Fest 2019 (The Austin American-Statesman, 2019)
• Pink Sweat$, ACL Fest 2019 (The Austin American-Statesman, 2019)
• Finneas, ACL Fest 2019 (The Austin American-Statesman, 2019)
• Tame Impala, ACL Fest 2019 (The Austin American-Statesman, 2019)
• King Princess, ACL Fest 2019 (The Austin American-Statesman, 2019)
• Raconteurs, ACL Fest 2019 (The Austin American-Statesman, 2019)
• Patty Griffin and Steve Earle (The Austin American-Statesman, 2019)
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs (The Austin American-Statesman, 2019)
• Better Oblivion Community Center (The Austin American-Statesman, 2019)
• Cherry Glazerr, SXSW 2019 (The Austin American-Statesman, 2019)
• De La Soul, SXSW 2019 (The Austin American-Statesman, 2019)
• Tierra Whack, SXSW 2019 (The Austin American-Statesman, 2019)
• Mavis Staples, SXSW 2019 (The Austin American-Statesman, 2019)
• Angie McMahon, SXSW 2019 (The Austin American-Statesman, 2019)
• Amanda Palmer, SXSW 2019 (The Austin American-Statesman, 2019)
• Kane Brown (The Austin American-Statesman, 2019)
• Britney Spears (The Austin American-Statesman, 2018)
• Thunderpussy, ACL Fest 2018 (The Austin American-Statesman, 2018)
• Amen Dunes, ACL Fest 2018 (The Austin American-Statesman, 2018)
• B.A.G., ACL Fest 2018 (The Austin American-Statesman, 2018)
• Odesza, ACL Fest 2018 (The Austin American-Statesman, 2018)
• Ben Kweller, ACL Fest 2018 (The Austin American-Statesman, 2018)
• Parquet Courts, ACL Fest 2018 (The Austin American-Statesman, 2018)
• Shame, ACL Fest 2018 (The Austin American-Statesman, 2018)
• The Revolution, ACL Fest 2018 (The Austin American-Statesman, 2018)
• Molly Burch, ACL Fest 2018 (The Austin American-Statesman, 2018)
• Verite, ACL Fest 2018 (The Austin American-Statesman, 2018)
• St. Vincent, ACL Fest 2018 (The Austin American-Statesman, 2018)
• The Breeders, ACL Fest 2018 (The Austin American-Statesman, 2018)
• Brockhampton, ACL Fest 2018 (The Austin American-Statesman, 2018)
• Big Thief, ACL Fest 2018 (The Austin American-Statesman, 2018)
• Alvvays, ACL Fest 2018 (The Austin American-Statesman, 2018)
• Greta Van Fleet, ACL Fest 2018 (The Austin American-Statesman, 2018)
• Liz Phair (The Austin American-Statesman, 2018)
• En Vogue, Urban Music Fest 2018 (The Austin American-Statesman, 2018)
• Usher and the Roots (The Austin American-Statesman, 2016)
• Gwen Stefani (The Austin American-Statesman, 2016)
• Fun Fun Fun Fest 2015 Part 1 (Ovrld, 2015)
• Fun Fun Fun Fest 2015 Part 2 (Ovrld, 2015)

Movie Reviews

• The Neon Demon (Vox, 2016)
• Accidental Courtesy and Don’t Think Twice, SXSW (Loser City, 2016)
• Cameraperson and Beware the Slenderman, SXSW (Loser City, 2016)
• Big Significant Things (Loser City, 2015)
• A Woman Like Me (Loser City, 2015)
• I Believe in Unicorns (Loser City, 2015)
• The Congress (Loser City, 2014)
• Love Hotel (Loser City, 2014)
• Test (Loser City, 2014)
• Homemakers (Loser City, 2014)
• Obvious Child (Loser City, 2014)

List and Roundtable Contributions

• The 100 Best Albums by Austin Artists of the 2010s (Ovrld, 2020)
• The 100 Best Songs by Austin Artists of the 2010s (Ovrld, 2020)
• Top 50 Albums of 2019 (Consequence of Sound, 2019)
• Top Songs of the 2010s (Consequence of Sound, 2019)
• Top Albums of the 2010s (Consequence of Sound, 2019)
• ACL Fest 2019 Highlights (The Austin American-Statesman, 2019)
• Top 50 Albums of 2018 (Consequence of Sound, 2018)
• Top 25 Songs by Austin Artists in 2018 (Ovrld, 2018)
• Best Albums by Austin Artists in 2018 (Ovrld, 2018)
• Top 10 Videos by Austin Artists in 2018 (Ovrld, 2018)
• ACL 2018 Fest Acts We Loved (The Austin American-Statesman, 2018)
• Top 50 Songs of 2017 (Consequence of Sound, 2017)
• Top 50 Albums of 2017 (Consequence of Sound, 2017)
• Top 25 Songs by Austin Artists in 2017 (Ovrld, 2017)
• Top 10 Videos by Austin Artists in 2017 (Ovrld, 2017)
• Recapping SXSW 2017: Fader Fort (Ovrld, 2017)
• Top 10 Music Videos by Austin Artists in 2016 (Ovrld, 2016)
• Top 10 Albums by Austin Artists in 2016 (Ovrld, 2016)
• Top 25 Songs by Austin Artists in 2016 (Ovrld, 2016)
• No More Mancubes: In Defense of Suicide Squad (Loser City, 2016)
• Shows We Went To: Sweet Spirit at ABGB (Ovrld, 2016)
• The Best Songs by Austin Artists in 2015 (Ovrld, 2015)
• The Best Albums by Austin Artists in 2015 (Ovrld, 2015)
• The 25 Best Songs of 2015 (Loser City, 2015)
• The Best Albums of 2015 (Loser City, 2015)
• Our 25 Favorite Songs of 2014 (Loser City, 2014)
• The Best Albums of 2014 (Loser City, 2014)
• Our Favorite Films of 2014 (Loser City, 2014)
• Our Favorite TV Shows of 2014 (Loser City, 2014)
• Who Inspired Us to Take Up Criticism (Loser City, 2015)
• Our Pop Culture First Loves (Loser City, 2015)
• Completing the Mystery: A Discussion on the Twin Peaks Experience Today (Loser City, 2014)

Podcasts and Interviews

• Consequence of Sound Podcast conversation about ‘Dookie’s 25th Anniversary, 2019 (Audio) 
• SXSW 2019 Featured Speaker Conversation with Against Me!’s Laura Jane Grace (Clip) (recap in the Austin Chronicle)
• Writer’s League of Texas: Writing About Music Panel 2018 (Audio) 
• Moderator at Texas Book Festival 2018 Panel: Writing About Music (no audio/video)
• Taking Care of My Mental Health With SIMS (Blog)
• KOOP 91.7 Remix Radio Show conversation: Best Austin Music of 2015 (Audio)
• The Hot Conversation Podcast (Audio) 
• The Latest Toughs (Audio)

Kayleigh Hughes is a writer and editor from Columbus, Ohio. She has an MFA in creative writing from Virginia Commonwealth University and a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Texas at Austin. She has worked as an editor for over a decade — in both AP and Chicago style — and spent most of her twenties also moonlighting as a pop culture journalist focusing specifically on music and film. She attended the 2022 and 2023 Kenyon Review Summer Writers Workshop. She is currently finishing a memoir about all the dirty stuff the women in her family wake up to and go to bed with.

E-mail me at hughesk3@alumni.vcu.edu.

Twitter: @kayleighqueue

IG: @kayleighq

My Venmo handle is: @hugheskayleigh