Keli Goff

Keli Goff (born July 20, 1979) is an American producer, playwright, screenwriter, journalist and collector. She is a contributor to various news outlets and has written for a number of popular television shows, including '' And Just Like That...'', the reboot of the television series ''Sex and the City'', and '' Mayor of Kingstown''.

A longtime contributor and fill-in guest host for public radio's '' Left, Right & Center,'' in 2023, Goff began writing a column for ''The Hollywood Reporter'' interviewing political leaders about Hollywood.

Early life

Originally from Missouri City, Texas, Goff graduated from Elkins High School. She earned a bachelor's degree from New York University and a master's degree in strategic communications from Columbia University.

Early career as a journalist and author

Goff first came to prominence with the publication of her first book, ''Party Crashing: How the Hip-Hop Generation Declared Political Independence'', which examined the perspectives and impact of younger voters and members of the Post Civil Rights Generation on the political process, with particular focus on the 2008 election. The book was notable for containing interviews with younger black voters as well as leaders like Colin Powell and Rev. Al Sharpton. The book resulted in Goff becoming a regular presence on cable news (MSNBC, CNN, FOX) during the 2008 presidential election. She also became a Contributor, covering major events of the election cycle such as the Democratic Convention and election night, on air for BET.

Goff also became a blogger for ''The Huffington Post''. She then became a regular Contributor or Correspondent for various outlets including ''The Root'', ''The Washington Post'' blog, "She the People," and eventually ''The Daily Beast'', where she remains a Contributor as of 2021. Her writing was also published in a variety of magazines, including ''Time'', ''Essence'' and ''Cosmopolitan''.

Her essay "Living the Dream" is featured in the collection ''The Speech: Race and Barack Obama's A More Perfect Union'' in 2009.

In 2011 her first novel, ''The GQ Candidate'', about a group of friends rocked by the decision of one of them to run for president, was published.

Transition to playwriting, screenwriting and producing

In 2013 Goff began working on her first documentary, interviewing pro-life and pro-choice activists about the history of reproductive policy in America. That film would eventually become '' Reversing Roe'', released on Netflix (along with a brief theatrical run) in September 2018. In 2019 Goff, along with directors/fellow producers Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg, would go on to be nominated for two News/Documentary Emmy Awards for their work on the film.

In 2014, Goff was named one of The Public Theater’s Emerging Writers Group fellows. She wrote her first full length play and performed readings of it at various theaters. Later, she had plays workshopped at Crossroads Theater and LAByrinth Theater Company.

In 2014, she was hired to work as a writer on the drama series '' Being Mary Jane'', about a black female cable news anchor. She won a 2016 NAACP Image Award for her writing for the series.

In 2017, Goff began writing for The CW television series '' Black Lightning'' based on the DC Comics superhero.

In 2019, she served as a writer and producer for the television series '' Twenties'', produced by Emmy winner Lena Waithe.

Recent career

In 2016, she hosted ''Political Party'', a series of specials covering the 2016 election for NPR affiliate, WNYC.

From 2019 to 2021, Goff's columns, articles, and essays have appeared in ''The Guardian'', '' Vogue'', ''The Hollywood Reporter'', ''The Nation'' and '' Town & Country''.

In 2020, Goff served as a writer and producer on '' Joe vs. Carole'', the miniseries inspired by '' The Tiger King'', starring Kate McKinnon.

In 2021, Center Stage in Baltimore produced (via streaming, due to the pandemic) Goff's play, ''The Glorious World of Crowns, Kinks & Curls'' a collection of scenes and monologues about the relationship between black women and their hair.

In 2021, Goff was also announced as a writer and producer on '' And Just Like That...'', the reboot of the series, ''Sex and the City''. Goff worked as a co-executive producer on the second season of the Paramount+ series '' Mayor of Kingstown''.

During winter 2023, she was an artist-in-residence at Yaddo.

In 2024 the fashion label Anne Klein hired Goff to write an Impact campaign starring supermodel Kate Upton.

Appearances in popular culture

Goff and her work have been covered in publications such as ''USA Today'', ''Politico'' and ''Vanity Fair''. Early in her journalism career Goff made hundreds of TV appearances on MSNBC, FOX News Channel, CNN and the BBC among others, and even appeared in a cameo as a political pundit on '' Being Mary Jane'' before becoming a writer for the show. During a May 2021 appearance as a storyteller at The Moth, Goff disclosed that she prefers screenwriting and appearing on radio versus appearing on television, because she did not enjoy the overemphasis on her appearance, including her hair, during her TV career. (She also touched upon this in an April 2021 piece for '' Vogue''.). An October 9, 2020 appearance on ''Real Time with Bill Maher'' marked a rare on camera appearance for Goff, though she continues to appear on air as a Contributor to various NPR affiliates, including KCRW's '' Left, Right & Center'' where she also serves as an occasional guest host.

Though best known for covering politics, Goff has written about fashion for various publications including ''New York'' magazine and '' Town & Country''. In recent years, she has become notable as a collector known for her interest in vintage clothing, particularly pieces by historically significant designers of color. A 2023 profile in ''The Hollywood Reporter'' chronicled Goff's emergence as a major collector of both vintage clothing and African American fashion memorabilia, with pieces by Ann Lowe, the designer of Jackie Kennedy's famed wedding gown, and Elizabeth Keckley, a former slave turned dressmaker for First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln, represented among her extensive collection. Some pieces from Goff's vintage collection are housed at the Fashion Institute of Technology as well as the  Texas Fashion Collection.
Pieces from Goff's collection have also been featured in exhibitions at various institutions, most recently Pratt's "Black Dress II" in 2025. The exhibition, and Goff's involvement, were covered in the publications
Vogue
' and
Town & Country
''

For much of her career, Goff was known for her devotion to using a Blackberry, which she referenced in interviews, in writing projects and on social media, although she is known for having an extremely limited social media presence, having never posted on Instagram as of Spring 2025.

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Goff, Keli
1979 births
21st-century American essayists
21st-century American women journalists
21st-century American journalists
21st-century American novelists
21st-century American women writers
African-American bloggers
American bloggers
African-American journalists
African-American non-fiction writers
African-American novelists
African-American screenwriters
African-American television personalities
African-American women journalists
African-American women writers
American columnists
American television writers
American women bloggers
American women essayists
American women novelists
American women screenwriters
American political commentators
American political writers
Columbia University alumni
Journalists from Texas
Living people
New York University alumni
Novelists from Texas
People associated with the 2008 United States presidential election
People from Missouri City, Texas
Screenwriters from Texas
Television personalities from Texas
American women columnists
American women television personalities
American women television writers
21st-century American screenwriters
21st-century African-American women
21st-century African-American people
20th-century African-American people
20th-century African-American women
African-American women screenwriters