We created MyLittleBird as an eclectic urban guide to fashion, beauty, well-being, design, food and culture. Consider us your in-the-know girlfriend.
Rely on Well-Being columnist Mary Carpenter to help you navigate constant healthcare chatter—be it the latest info on magic mushrooms (psilocybin), when to get an updated vaccine or help for dry eyes. Beauty contributor Valerie Monroe in “How Not to F*ck Up Your Face” talks truth about the effectiveness of skincare products and gadgets, while food guru Nancy Pollard of “Kitchen Detail” enlightens us about culinary history and where to find the best pepper mills, as well as offering scrumptious recipes for lamb shanks and the best chocolate cake ever. And last but not least, Stephanie Cavanaugh in “Green Acre” alerts us to the secret to growing gorgeous hydrangeas, when to prune lavender and what garden shows are worth your time.
We invite you to explore the site and send in your comments and suggestions. In the meantime, when someone asks how you knew about something you discovered on our site, tell them, “My Little Bird told me.”
We started a Substack—and we’re calling it Grownup Girl Fashion.
Janet Kelly
Editor
I had my heart set on being a classical archaeologist, but after a couple of digs, I decided to trade a shovel for a pen. My publishing career began at a tennis magazine in New York City and from there proceeded to a travel and lifestyle publication for doctors. As a staff writer for the Style section and erstwhile Sunday magazine at The Washington Post, I reported on fashion trends, including the Pope’s. Prior to that, the Washington, D.C. retail scene was my beat at Microsoft’s online city guide, Sidewalk Washington. For the past decade, I have been manning the ship at MyLittleBird, along with my managing editor and co-pilot Nancy McKeon. Currently, I live in Pittsburgh, the city of 446 bridges, with my husband, the author of an inspirational book for wannabe entrepreneurs.
Nancy McKeon
Managing Editor
I've spent my career in words--writing them, editing them, even proofreading them--at New York Magazine, Time Magazine, Sports Illustrated, the NY Daily News, and, for the 20 years before "retirement," The Washington Post. I wrote New York Mag's "Best Bets" column; edited Food, Real Estate, Home, Travel, Sunday Business, and Sunday Magazine sections at The Post. Rather than truly retire, I currently share writing and editing duties with Janet Kelly at MyLittleBird.com. In my off-hours, I walk my 7-year-old Sharp Eagle dog, a SharPei-beagle mix.
Kathy Legg
Art Director
A native of West Virginia, but a resident of Washington since 1977, I came to The Washington Post after stints doing layout and design at The Trenton Times, the Palm Beach Post and the Huntington Advertiser. At The Washington Post I was a member of the News Art Department and art director for the Travel and Food sections. Since 2008 my husband and I have divided our time between Washington and the West Virginia farm we share with three goofy dogs and two cats who hate each other, also a part-time Italian cat. Plus about a dozen deer, 23 or so wild turkeys, along with whatever other critters cross the hilltop.
Mary Carpenter
Associate Editor
I have written on health issues for Time, the International Herald Tribune and women’s magazines, and my essays have appeared in The Washington Post, Gargoyle, and elsewhere. Besides teaching at The Writer’s Center in Bethesda, I lead creative writing workshops for psychoanalysts and prisoners, and have written books for middle-grade readers: two biographies and one tale about rescuing dolphins. I have two sons in their 30s and live in Washington, DC, with wild animals living in my backyard that include rabbits, racoons, several stray cats and one fox.
Stephanie Cavanaugh
Columnist
A former New Yorker who gave up a rent-controlled apartment, I’ve lived more than half my life in Washington DC, having nothing whatever to do with politics. I was once the temporary chief paginator for a major law firm, drove a truck for a remaindered-book company, peddled telex machines (very badly), ran a small business association, started a neighborhood newspaper, raised a most gorgeous child (along with a most handsome husband) and nurtured an always-budding freelance career writing about design, real estate and gardens for numerous publications, including the Washington Post, the Post’s At Home magazine, the DuPont Registry, Home & Design magazine and the Wall Street Journal’s OWN Magazine.
Meredith Gallo
Contributor
I grew up in McLean, Virginia, by way of Dubai, Cairo and Nairobi. After a short career in software sales, I decided to follow my childhood dream of becoming a writer and went to journalism school. My byline has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, the New York Daily News and the Northwestern University Knight Lab. I currently run the product-testing lab at BestReviews (https://bestreviews.com/), and I regularly discuss commerce trends on air at News Nation, KIAH, KRON, KWGN and WAVY. I live in Brooklyn, New York, with my enigmatic cat Ozymandias (Oz for short).
