Writer (memoir, criticism). Editor (literally everything). Podcaster (Didn’t Read It, a podcast about books).
Portfolio
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)
About
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.
Contact
E-mail me at hughesk3@alumni.vcu.edu.
Twitter: @kayleighqueue
IG: @kayleighq
My Venmo handle is: @hugheskayleigh