Cardwell was an editor at
7 Days (1988–1990), a New York arts and entertainment weekly magazine, and a founder of
Vibe. In 1991, Cardwell wrote for
Entertainment Weekly. In 1995,
The New York Times hired Cardwell as an arts and entertainment staff editor for the Sunday magazine. In 2005,
The New York Times promoted Cardwell to city hall bureau chief. Cardwell has written for
New York,
O, The Oprah Magazine,
Details,
Rolling Stone and
Vogue. In August 2021,
Kerry Washington planned to produce and star in, an adaptation of Cardwell's memoir,
Rockaway: Surfing Headlong Into a New Life, for
Netflix. ==Works==