Not to brag, but I just put toothpaste back in the tube, so.

Currently reading this one and having a really good time. #BookSky

Saw The Drama last night and thought it was pretty great. The beats are standard, but subversive, and the movie ends up being a rich text on performative behavior, cancel culture, and grace. Plus, Pattinson and Zendaya are fantastic.

my dirty little secret is sometimes when I settle into my seat at a movie theater, I briefly look for my seat belt

On Mark Z. Danielewski, @morriscollins.bsky.social, @avnerlandes.bsky.social, @legroff.bsky.social, Camille Bordas, and Brock Clarke. open.substack.com/pub/calebmsa...

Really gratifying to be read so well, by such a good writer, in such great company. I esp. appreciate the mention of the book's prose--it's what I care most about...and what seems to get mentioned least in reviews. Thank you, Caleb!

On Mark Z. Danielewski, @morriscollins.bsky.social, @avnerlandes.bsky.social, @legroff.bsky.social, Camille Bordas, and Brock Clarke. open.substack.com/pub/calebmsa...

Been thinking about the UCONN shot for 12 hours straight. Madness rules.

Three months in, 2026 has been a great reading year. All published in the last 12 months too. Makes the next book feel all the more precious. Can I keep the streak of zero duds alive?

Reading a book by a former MFA instructor (and this is the 4th book of theirs I've read), and they are never bad... but they're also never great. And I'm just left feeling a little perplexed with how they keep getting away with it.

Iowa knocked out them devils Clemson and Florida. Give them the key to Tallahassee!

I ranked all of Paul Thomas Anderson's films because what else is Substack good for. open.substack.com/pub/calebmsa...

Just put my wife down for a nap. Anniversary was a success.

A few announcements to come to Bridge Eight Press.

Now reading One Sun Only by Camille Bordas #BookSky

Lauren Groff, man ...

Now reading the new one from @legroff.bsky.social

Finished The Delegation by @avnerlandes.bsky.social last night. This lopsided triptych of a novel is a great time. It's brilliantly constructed, refreshingly funny, and emotionally resonant all at once. AND... Avner writes a wonderful sentence. To accomplish all in one book is a rare feat.

With only a couple of weeks to go in my wife's pregnancy, I raced again. open.substack.com/pub/100words...

Now reading this one from @avnerlandes.bsky.social ##booksky

The Wizards are on the verge of something new—hope. The Orioles have moved beyond hope. They now carry the burden of expectation. open.substack.com/pub/calebmsa...

I wrote about tanking, and living through it as both an #Orioles fan and a #Wizards fan. open.substack.com/pub/calebmsa...

Now reading this one from @morriscollins.bsky.social

Actually what I said to my beefy five layer before dripping some of it onto the pages of Tom's Crossing

Next season will be the start of a new era in Washington basketball. I wrote why it's time to rebrand from the ground up. #ForTheDistrict open.substack.com/pub/calebmsa...

I've reached the 1000-page mark of the 1200-page book I'm reading, but I'm taking a break to say ... I'd absolutely still take Darryn Peterson #1 in the draft.

I've surprised myself and have managed to stay on top of this project of mine. open.substack.com/pub/100words...

It's almost March, which means the @ringer is almost ten years old, so I wrote about what that means to me as a Grantland and @BillSimmons disciple. open.substack.com/pub/calebmsa...

Unrivaled's 1-v-1 tournament is one of the best inventions in sports. Quick games, single elimination, and the players put on a show.

Next month, The Ringer turns 10 and so does my marriage. I wrote about Grantland, following Bill Simmons, and reclaiming my propensity to dream. open.substack.com/pub/calebmsa...

Pitchers and catchers report this week, which is as good a time as any to share this little baseball piece I had published at Hobart. This would eventually become a novel I'm still trying to find a home for. But in the meantime, enjoy this preview. www.hobartpulp.com/web_features...

Pitchers and catchers report this week, which is as good a time as any to share this little baseball piece I had published at Hobart. This would eventually become a novel I'm still trying to find a home for. But in the meantime, enjoy this preview. www.hobartpulp.com/web_features...

I'm going to have read a 1200-page novel in 2026 before Framber Valdez signs with someone.

I'm not gonna cry during John Wall night. I'm not gonna cry during John Wall night. I'm not gonna cry during John Wall night. I'm not gonna cry during John Wall night. I'm not gonna cry during John Wall night. I'm not gonna cry during John Wall night. I'm not gonna... ah fuck.

Bumping this for the NBA fans.

Took some time to write about my beloved Washington Wizards. open.substack.com/pub/calebmsa...

So far, Tom's Crossing isn't much like House of Leaves at all. It's more like a maximalist take on a Cormac McCarthy book (horses, guns, ghosts). No Country for Old Men extrapolated across the expansive horizon of the American West. #booksky

Looking at the TV landscape and I think it's officially time to rewatch Mad Men again.

Something's been bothering me (Stranger Things spoilers ahead): The Duffer brothers said they wanted an A or B-side that starts with a bop and ends with something emotionally triumphant, that's how they landed on the B-side of Purple Rain (“When Doves Cry” → “Purple Rain”). Which THRILLED me.

I wonder what Leona Lewis is doing right now.

I finished the year with just three books read in December, but that was fine by me. On @saderotica.bsky.social, Joshua Cohen, and Nick Hornby. open.substack.com/pub/calebmsa...

Gonna mess around and write another novel in 2026.

Now reading these fat boys #booksky

@legroff.bsky.social Spent my Christmas morning finished up The Nentanyahus. I ate it up. Thanks again for the rec! And Merry Christmas to your family 🎄

the hardest part of the holidays is finding time to read

Here are my 7 favorite reads in 2025 #booksky The Antidote by Karen Russell Bubblegum by Adam Levin The Passenger by Cormac McCarthy The Last Samurai by Helen DeWitt Only Sun by Kevin Moffett How to Behave in a Crowd by Camille Bordas Lost in the Forest of Mechanical Birds by Christian Moody

I don't know if it's a guilty pleasure, or just a regular pleasure, but I could watch a thousand hours of Keri Russell in The Diplomat.

I really love doing line edits for someone else's work.

now reading

I am sipping spiked eggnog while my kids read together in the other room. In the wise words of Boyz II Men, “Back in school we used to dream about these days.”