Mallory’s Substack

AI and I

For some time now, I’ve been trying to avoid worrying about the effects of AI on writing.

Apr 29 • Mallory Young

8

5

1

February 2026

Shakespeare in Love and Grief

I was fortunate enough to have a second essay published recently by Quillette, one of my favorite publications.

Feb 16 • Mallory Young

4

1

January 2026

The Full, Unvarnished Truth about Why I Love Bridgerton and Other Ideas about Representing Racial Diversity, Aesthetic Conventions, the…

The fourth season of Bridgerton began yesterday, so I’ve decided, in its honor, to repost my earlier essay on the series.

Jan 30 • Mallory Young

7

September 2025

The Ones That Got Away: My Best-Ever Just-Missed Photographs

I’ve noticed lately that when I read anything that doesn’t address contemporary issues, I feel a bit guilty.

Sep 6, 2025 • Mallory Young

9

7

August 2025

"Talkin' 'bout My Generation"

What follows is a short opinion piece I wrote recently on generational labeling in contemporary culture, a trend that’s been bothering me.

Aug 8, 2025 • Mallory Young

7

5

1

May 2025

Plotting Lives of Quiet Contentment

I originally intended, as some of you know, to post to my Substack once a month or so.

May 26, 2025 • Mallory Young

4

4

December 2024

Interview on the Odyssey

A couple of weeks ago, I got an email from Brian Truitt, film critic and entertainment editor for USA Today, asking to interview me about the Odyssey.

Dec 9, 2024 • Mallory Young

3

4

October 2024

The Full, Unvarnished Truth about Why I Love Bridgerton and Other Ideas about Representing Racial Diversity, Aesthetic Conventions, the…

I’ve always thought the ideal writing situation would be having a column of your own in which you could write whatever you want about whatever you want.

Oct 26, 2024 • Mallory Young

7

7

September 2024

Hermeneutic Criticism in the Sophomore Literature Class

The short piece I’ve posted here is a version of a paper I presented at an English conference about 20 years ago, putting forward my approach to…

Sep 29, 2024 • Mallory Young

8

8

August 2024

On Reading John Graves, Slowly

The essay that follows is a review of Texas writer John Graves’s classic nonfiction narrative Goodbye to a River. It was one of the first pieces I had…

Aug 24, 2024 • Mallory Young

11

11

True Crime and True Journalism: The Case of Stephenville

About a year ago, the smallish town of Stephenville, Texas where I live, became the focus of an extremely popular media representation.

Aug 2, 2024 • Mallory Young

9

5

July 2024

Strawberries Lost

What follows is an essay I had published in New Texas: A Journal of Literature and Culture in 2005.

Jul 26, 2024 • Mallory Young

12

7