Comments on: What is your personal narrative?

Question: What is your personal narrative?

loiseau — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 07:13:33 -0800

Do you have any recommendations for solid creative non-fiction magazine columns or the like?

I'm a writer and I really enjoy both reading and writing personal narratives like the NYT's "Modern Love" column or the Nerve "Personal Essays" section... the kind of thing which is sometimes called "creative non-fiction".

With a view to both finding new regular reads and finding new markets for my own writing, I'm looking for recommendations for this style of magazine writing, or anything you think is related and worth exploring. I'd prefer stuff I can read online for free, but I'm not particularly excited for Joe or Jane Blogger, unless they're professional and write in a more thoughtful memoir style, rather than this-is-what-my-kid-did-today.

Thank ye!

By: jodic

jodic — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 07:48:43 -0800

I'd pick up a copy of Best American Magazine Writing or Best American Essays, and take a look at the list of publications in the back. They list all the places that they read when looking for the "Best ofs" of the year.

By: ourobouros

ourobouros — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 09:34:20 -0800

Creative Nonfiction is a great magazine ... I also love Granta, which usually contains a little bit of realist fiction, a lot of memoir and creative nonfiction, and some great photography.

By: Otis

Otis — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 10:42:31 -0800

Check out Fresh Yarn.

By: gennessee

gennessee — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 14:02:33 -0800

Other People's Stories has not been updated in years but has a lot of good content if you're new to the site. It's a collection of stories recounted by people who heard them from someone else.

Dead Sparrows is admittedly a blog, but the only one I've ever read from start to finish. The author, newly (at the beginning) diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, has been documenting his therapy sessions in great detail. Doesn't get much more personal than that.