Writer Showcase: Kristen Mulrooney's Best Work
A summer interview series, volume 6.
I am honored and delighted today to feature a writer I consider one of my closest friends, even though we have never yet met in person:
! Kristen and I met on Twitter back when it was still fun and still Twitter, got roped into a group chat by a mutual writer friend (Lucy! See below) and eventually that group started together. I've admired Kristen’s work for years, and it’s both a dream to get to work with her and a rip-roaring good time to text her about everything going on in my life.What do you write about?
I still think of myself as a short humor writer, and topics on that will vary but I usually trend toward writing about motherhood and sometimes wifehood, and lately I've branched out toward essays.
Why did you choose this theme/topic(s)?
For a while it was the only thing that existed in my life. I actually didn't start writing professionally until I was a mother. I remember being a new mom and feeling like everything I read on the topic was so false. I didn't like seeing content from perfect moms living perfect lives because I knew it wasn't real, so I guess I started writing about motherhood because I wanted something to exist that was written in the way that I wanted to read about it.
How long have you been writing on Substack?
I've only been on Substack since the beginning of 2025, but I started writing for other publications in 2018.
What other bylines have you had in the past?
McSweeney's is my favorite (I have a column there called Letters to Mom) and The New Yorker is an exciting one, and I write a lot for The Belladonna, where I'm also an editor. I've collected some random bylines for non-humor publications, like House Beautiful, and I used to do gift guides for Popular Science. And I've written two cookbooks and two humor books!
Please share a few of your favorite pieces of work and tell us a little about each one.
The Rules of Relationship Fights from The Belladonna. This is one of my very first humor pieces and still one of my favorites. Fight Club is one of my favorite books/movies and it's so spoofable, so I used the rules of Fight Club to make fun of the unique way couples fight.
A Very Chill Guide to Your Upcoming Vasectomy from Slackjaw. This is basically my life's masterpiece. It was inspired by my husband getting a vasectomy soon after I had our third baby. He was so proud of himself, EYE ROLL. (But honestly he was a very good sport about it, and about me making fun of him.) I still remember the moment the plot twist for this one hit me and I knew for sure that I had something.
I Refused to Put My Toddler in a Stroller from The Pomegranate. I recently wrote this essay about the decision I made to not use strollers as soon as my kid learned how to walk. I enjoyed writing about something mildly controversial and reading the conversations it sparked.
A Letter to Back to the Future's Lorraine Baines-McFly from McSweeney's. I love writing my Letters to Moms column for McSweeney's and had a hard time choosing a favorite, so I chose the most recent installment. I heard from a few dad-readers who told me this one really touched them, and it was nice for me to hear that I'm reaching more than the moms.
Modes of Transportation I Trust More Than Tesla's Self Driving Cars from McSweeney's. Sometimes it's hard to read my own writing but when I look at this I'm like hey I did a good job. This one includes the very first joke I ever wrote (sliding down the stairs in a laundry basket) that I co-opted for this piece where I make fun of Elon Musk for being a dipshit, plus a very true story about the purple Ford Escort I drove in high school.
Who is one other Substack/other online platform writer you admire?
, my friend and editor and co-Pomegranate. Follow her on Substack because she always writes banger essays for The Pomegranate, but also occasionally writes separate essays and articles on her own. She's one of the best writers I know and I love reading her thoughts on life and motherhood. Here's an essay she wrote about something very sad, but she's so honest and funny about it.Amy again. One of my favorite pieces that Kristen has written (not just because I helped edit it) is How I Used My Decade of Maternity Leave to Become a Published Author. It’s witty and funny but also packed full of actual information about how Kristen went from stay-at-home mom with zero bylines to a published author with four books and an impressive string of literary credits. This is currently only available for paid subscribers to The Pom, so I’ll throw in a bonus link: You Have My Divided Attention, a heartwarming essay about the joys and juggling of parenting multiple kids.