Chloé Caldwell

1. Please tell us a bit about yourself and your work.

I’ve written two essay collections which were published in my twenties. My book Women was published by a small press, Short Flight / Long Drive, in 2014 and was reissued by Harper Perennial in June 2024, becoming a national bestseller. I’m also the author of the PMS memoir, The Red Zone: A Love Story, and my new book, Trying, releases in August 2025.

For six years, I was a stepparent, and also tried to naturally get pregnant. When that didn’t happen, I did three IUIs. In the past year or so, it became clear that my path to motherhood  might still be through adoption. I’ve been in the in-between space for around five years now.

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2. Has writing always been a focus for you or was it a Plan B?

Writing was never a plan, period. I was a horrendous student, failing grades in high school, and I dropped out of Community College. I took writing classes while I was living in Brooklyn and loved it. I’d always been a huge reader. I began writing constantly and publishing books on independent presses. I was scrappy and a self-starter. I’ve since started Scrappy Literary to help other writers find their own non-traditional path.

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3. How do you explore ideas or find inspiration for your work?

I follow my obsessions. There’s a quote from Violette Leduc, “follow your obsessions and solutions will appear”, and that’s pretty much my life mantra. I can go months not writing, and some years I write more than others. I always trust that I will come back to writing, and I always do.

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4. What does the process of writing involve for you?

It’s simple: get in the chair and do it. I’m sort of over all this “process” stuff, in the sense of having the correct pen, chair, and candle. I try to keep writing basic. That way you can do it anytime, from anywhere, which is why I came to it.
 

5. And what does writing then also give you in return?

Writing gives me immense connection, community, and purpose. Writing helps me narrativize my life, for better or for worse. Many of my deep friendships have come out of writing.
 

6. Has seeing your work in print changed how you view yourself, and also how you view your NoMo status?

I’m not sure that it has changed how I view myself, though it can often feel empowering to take the invisibility of being childless and make it public. I’ve also noticed that writing about topics publicly leads me to connecting with other people who are feeling the same feelings.

7. Tell us about the wider reception that you’ve had to sharing your story - has it changed how others have viewed you and your identity as a non-parent?

When I published my essay in the New York Times about being a stepparent, many people reached out to me. It helped me change an isolating experience into a community one. Now that I’m divorced, I feel alienated again, because what happens to a stepparent when they divorce? It’s another kind of gray area.

8. How do you feel about the current representation of childless and/or childfree people in literature?

Representation still lacks, but in the past decade or so, more stories and identities have been appearing. Of course in mainstream media, the nuclear family still reigns. I’m decent at seeking out the narratives I want and I surround myself with them, so sometimes I forget just how large the gap is. Some of my favorites are Motherhood by Sheila Heti and both of Glynnis MacNicol’s memoirs.

9. What would you like the publishing world to know about non-parents, both as writers and readers, and our stories?

While I desired a child deeply, I read every book I could find on infertility. I became frustrated with how the majority of the books ended with IVF and set out to write a book that ended in limbo, a different type of narrative.

10. What future plans do you have, especially for your writing?

I’m currently working on a novel about estrangement after step-parenting, and sex and love addiction. I love hosting my writing retreats in upstate New York and meeting other writers. I’m looking forward to when Trying releases, since I imagine it will be a mirror for other people’s experiences.