Colette Shade
Welcome!
I am a writer interested in pretty surfaces and what’s beneath them. Currently, my work is focused on style and nostalgia, especially in the Y2K era (aka the late 90’s and early 2000’s).
My debut collection of essays (on this topic!) will be published in January 2025 by Dey Street, an imprint of HarperCollins. It’s called Y2K: How the 2000’s became everything (essays on a future that never was). It’s not available for preorder yet, but stay tuned!
I write narrative nonfiction, personal essays, and cultural criticism. I’ve also published straight reporting, interviews, and op-eds. In the past, I have written about residential segregation, preppy culture, Edith Wharton, Confederate reenactors, and interior decorating, as well as the culture and politics of mental health. My work has been published by Interview Magazine, The New Republic, The Baffler, The Nation, and Gawker.
I’m always accepting pitches for relevant projects colette.shade@gmail.com. I mostly write about the Y2K era these days, but I’m willing to discuss any topic if you feel it’s a good fit. I’m especially interested in the multimedia space (podcasts, TV, and the like).
For all other professional inquiries, please contact my agent Erik Hane at Headwater Literary Management.
Select Writing
Alex Kazemi on Columbine, content warnings and New Millennium Boyz
Interview Magazine, September 2023
The problem with mental health awareness
The Nation, January 2021
Crying at work isn’t the answer
The New Republic, January 2021
The year we learned to live like life doesn’t matter
The New Republic, December 2020
Self-help hacks at the end of the world
The New Republic, October 2020
Treating American empire
The Baffler, September 2020
No thanks!
The Baffler, March 2020
What Wendell Berry wants
The New Republic, April 2018
How to build a segregated city
Splinter, January 2018
The radical cheek of 'Chapo Trap House'
Pacific Standard, November 2016
When a state song is a Confederate battle cry
The New Republic, February 2016
What 'the hustle' looks like on Etsy in 2015
Jezebel, August 2015
"They were amazing soldiers": Interview with a Confederate reenactor
Gawker, June 2015
"Baltimore is a shithole": Undisturbed peace at the Maryland Hunt Cup
Gawker, April 2015
Select Media Appearances
Citations Needed
November 2020
The Politics of Everything
November 2020