What a Rock ‘n’ Roll Memoir Taught Me About Writing
Cameron Crowe’s memoir, The Uncool, plus a playlist for you and a new gig for me
Everything Essay! with Andrea A. Firth
Each month I share a great essay (always linked), review the art and craft at work, and provide related resources like prompts, writing tips, books, podcasts and more. If you like a true story well told, I think you'll love it here.
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Latest posts
Who's Culpable?
What Bruce Holsinger's AI-thriler taught me about suspense and how it got me thinking about AI and creative writing.
Finding the Story Beneath the Story
How A Marriage at Sea transforms an unforgettable adventure into a meditation on marriage--and what writers can learn from that shift.
Oh Rats!
How and why to write about gross things
The Sunflower Boys: A Lesson in Structure
How Sam Wachman used 100 short chapters and a boy's sketches to tell his story
Late to the MFA
What going to grad school at 50 taught me about writing and belonging
At 64, my husband bought me a drying rack
He still needs me...
The Shape of a Mosaic Memoir
Brenda Miller’s Love You, Bye and the possibilities of hybrid nonfiction
I Tink So, Tank You
What Brenda MIller's "Typos" reveals about language, craft, and happy mistakes.
When I'm 64...
Thoughts on writing and aging.
Which Came First?
Two Ways to Take a Deep Dive in Your Writing
The Braided Essay
How Ed Park Combines a Blizzard and a Board Game to explore Memory and Meaning
Writing the Neighborhood: How a Walk Becomes an Essay
Turning an everyday moment into an essay begins with attention.
How Do You Connect Fragmented Stories?
What I Learned About Mosaic Structure from Daniel Mason’s Northwoods
When a Father Bathes a Son
A Scene-based, Flash Essay
Prison Talk
A Book, an Essay and a Short Story
The Craft Essay
7 Myths About Writing Creative Nonfiction By Ratika Deshpande
9 Picks from my 2025 Read Pile
You're probably tired of year-end lists by now, but go ahead, take a look!
A Braided Recipe Essay
"Start With Overripe Bananas" by Sara Spurgeon
Another Great Flash Essay
In Grover Cleveland's Childhood Home by Sari Fordham
The Micro Essay--300 Words or Less
"21 Allen Drive" by Diane Gottlieb
Every lighthouse has story ...
2 books that center around lighthouses