Caridad Cole is a second-generation writer and filmmaker interested in family bonds, self-mythology, bodily autonomy, and monsters.
"Caridad Cole"
She crawled out of the backwoods of New Jersey to study visual and performing arts at McCallum Fine Arts Academy, and later, creative writing and film production at Bard College. She now lives and works in Los Angeles, where she edits the speculative literary and art magazine, Moonday Mag, and the collaborative poetry project, Chainmail Poetry.
Caridad's writing has been published by The Poetry Lighthouse, EastOver Press, Coffin Bell Journal, and elsewhere. Her short story "Happybot" was a 2025 Pushcart Prize nominee, her autobiographical piece "For Sale" was a 2025 BarBe Awards finalist, and she was the 2018 recipient of three grants from Words for Charity for her short stories "Empty Houses" and "In a Town Called Albatross".
As a filmmaker, her work is mostly experimental and sometimes near-narrative—including the official music video for Lowell's "Bloodthirsty".
Caridad is very busy searching for the sea witch who swallowed her charm bracelet. Please send any leads to caridadjcole (at) gmail (dot) com and follow along on Instagram, Letterboxd, and Goodreads.
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Honors & Awards
2025 Moonday Mag: Best Lit Mags of 2025, Chill Subs
2025 Finalist, BarBe Awards (“For Sale”), BarBar
2024 Nominee, Pushcart Prize (“Happybot”), The Worlds Within
2023 Official Selection ("Hello, Echo"), ONED International Film Festival
2018 Compassionate Chronicle Grant (“In a Town Called Albatross”), Words for Charity
2018 Benevolent Quill Grant (“Empty Houses”), Words for Charity
2018 Philanthropic Scribe Grant, Words for Charity
Interviews & Press
2025 “Author Spotlight: Caridad Cole”, BarBar. October 2025.
2025 “New Lit on the Block: Moonday Mag”, NewPages. August 2025.
2019 “Rising Star Caridad Cole”, Authority Magazine. August 2019.
2018 “Caridad Cole: Woman of the Week”, SmartGlamour. April 2018.
Other Really Nice Things People Have Said
"Caridad Cole is an archivist, collecting moments, sensations, and objects to preserve meaning in the face of impermanence. Her characters are as controlled as her prose, absorbing, cataloging, and curating meaning from the remnants of bewildering experience. Often avoiding conventional forms of narrative, Caridad compiles and displays her artifacts of soul with poetic minimalism and a curatorial tone that guides readers through disorienting awe, grief, and nostalgia."
—Cory Nolan, BarBar
"A writer after my own heart."
—Daniel Handler (Lemony Snicket)