Welcome to Park Slope Times

Hi! I’m so excited to welcome you to Park Slope Times, a weekly newsletter about Park Slope featuring interviews with neighbors, local news, cultural coverage, fun finds, and events. I’m Kelley MacDonald, a writer living in Park Slope, and I’m the one-person team writing this newsletter each week. I love it so much. Thank you for being here!

What is Park Slope Times?

Park Slope Times is a weekly newsletter with in-depth interviews, neighborhood recommendations, local reporting, and cultural coverage.

Every week, paid subscribers receive an issue that features a Park Slope neighbor. I’ve interviewed a lifelong a puppeteer, dating coach, children’s musician, professor, celebrity hairstylist, bookstore owner, dietician, author, poet, and many other interesting neighbors. Each interviewee shares a big list of their favorite things to see, eat, and do in and around Park Slope. In addition to the interview, you’ll receive summaries of recent Park Slope news, a roundup of local events, and a neighborhood-themed puzzle in each issue.

I also report on neighborhood news, like the state of Open Streets, a running group combating loneliness with a $25K grant, and a new kids’ consignment shop on Flatbush. Plus, I cover fun topics like bagels, thrift shops, and books by local authors.

Who is Kelley MacDonald?

In 2014, I moved from Vermont to New York City with my husband Dan and our senior Boston Terrier Bruiser. While we originally landed in Manhattan, it only took a few months before we packed our things and moved to Park Slope. We can’t imagine living anywhere else.

I’m not new to newsletters. For several years, I curated, edited, and produced newsletters for tech and media startups with subscriber lists ranging from 5K to 1M subscribers. While I enjoyed producing these newsletters, I often thought about starting my own with a focus on Park Slope. I’ve always thought a neighborhood newsletter would be a fun way for residents to connect with one another and learn more about the businesses and events happening in the area. I sat on that idea for a few years, and it wasn’t until January 2024 that I felt like I had the capacity to start a newsletter of my own. But now that it has officially kicked off, I’m so thrilled it’s finally happening!

I’m also a freelance writer and editor, and my work has been published by VICE, Apartment Therapy, USA Today, Insider, and several others.

Thanks so much to anyone who finds their way here. There are a lot of demands on our resources these days — including many other amazing newsletters — so if you do upgrade to a paid subscription, please know how incredibly grateful I’ll be.

Kelley xo