Open Book with Narratively Academy
The Narratively Academy team interviews top writers, editors and publishing industry professionals to give you real, honest insight on how to pitch, write and publish your work.
Episodes
WATCH: How to Get a Literary Agent
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.narrativelyacademy.comOf all the things writers want to know about, the one that often feels the most mysterious — even if you know something about the process — is how to find an agent. Probably because what agents are looking for is always changing, so much of it is about taste and preference, (i.e., what you feel like spending oo
WATCH: How Book Reviews Really Work
There’s so much to know about book publishing and the world surrounding it, that it can feel hard to have a firm understanding of it all. Take book reviews, for instance. Have you ever wondered why some books get reviewed and others don’t, how libraries know which books to stock their shelves with, how to break into reviewing yourself and what the process really looks like? Us too.Which is why, fo
A Deep Dive Into Flash Essays
If you’re a fan of flash nonfiction, there’s no way you haven’t heard of — and most likely are a huge fan of — Dinty W Moore. After almost 30 years as the lead editor at Brevity, Dinty recently announced that he would be stepping down from his perch. Have no fear, he will be succeeded by the inimitable Zoë Bossiere, Brevity’s former managing editor, and Dinty will remain on the editorial team at T
WATCH: Authors Guild CEO Mary Rasenberger on How to Navigate the World of Book Publishing
A few days ago, Creative Nonfiction founder Lee Gutkind sat down with Mary Rasenberger, CEO of the Authors Guild and the Authors Guild Foundation, for a robust conversation about the forces reshaping the writing world—and what writers can to protect ourselves.Mary and Lee talked about how the Authors Guild helps writers navigate contracts, legal disputes, copyright questions and other challenges t
Open Book With the Writer of the Latest 'Modern Love'
The New York Times’ Modern Love column is an institution. It falls at the top of many writers’ bucket lists, and there are even classes — several! — about how to write your own. So, when someone writes two Modern Loves, well, that feels like a huge feat. And when that someone is a writer who you have worked with before and whose essays you love, well, even better. Yes, we’re talking about Elizabet
WATCH: "How to Report on Family Secrets" with New York Times Contributor Susan Saulny
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.narrativelyacademy.comHappy weekend, writers! What did you work on this week? Don’t forget to share your #WeeklyWins over in the Narratively Academy Chat.The best thing I did this week was my chat with Susan Saulny, the writer behind one of the most impressive feature articles I’ve read this year, the epic story, “A Family Secret No
WATCH: Melissa Petro on How to Write a Hybrid Memoir
This Open Book conversation with Melissa Petro, author of Shame on You: How to Be a Woman in the Age of Mortification, is one that has been particularly helpful for a lot of writers in our community. So many of us have lots of material for a memoir but no firm concept about how that material comes together into a marketable book.Melissa chatted with us about how she re-conceptualized her memoir in
Writing + Publishing My Memoir at 75
This was such a fun one! It was so inspiring to hear Laurie Garnier’s story of how, at age 40, she decided to change everything in pursuit of a better life—and how, at age 75, she finally wrote that life story and got it published.The book is And Then There Was Paris and for those who didn’t have the chance to join us live, we’re making the recording free for everyone. Here’s to always chasing you
Inside the Book Launch: How Hybrid Publishing Works
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.narrativelyacademy.comHello, writers! Hope you all had a wonderful and relaxing long weekend—or at least a not-so-miserable Monday if you weren’t lucky enough to have yesterday off. On Thursday we had a fantastic conversation with Amy Gabrielle, author of the just-published memoir Widow in the City: A Memoir of Heartbreaks and Hooku
The Secret Life of an Obit Writer
This week’s Open Book was one of my favorite yet. The great Lee Gutkind keeps reeling in fascinating guests, and the latest is veteran New York Times obituary writer Michael Roswenwald, who told us all about the craft of obituary writing—how he decides what to include, what to leave out, and how this work shapes the way we think about narrative, memory, and meaning. Paid subscribers can watch the
How to Be a Successful Freelancer With Amelia Edelman
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.narrativelyacademy.comEveryone likes to fancy themselves a freelance writer, but the reality of it can be kind of intimidating. Can you actually earn real money, where do you even begin, and once you do, how do you keep track of all your projects? We had a lot of questions. Lucky for us (and you!), one of our favorite successful fre
'A Better Literary World Is Possible': How to Get a Book Deal Without an Agent
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.narrativelyacademy.comAny writer knows that if you plan to work on a book — even if you’re just thinking about it — at some point the matter of whether to get an agent or not (or at least to try!) will come up. Some writers forego the whole agent-querying process altogether. With that in mind, we spoke to authors Bonnie Chau and Kri
Finding Balance in the Writing Business
As many of you know, Jane Friedman is a leading voice in the publishing industry. Her newsletter, The Bottom Line, provides nuanced, transparent market intelligence to thousands of authors. This week, Lee Gutkind chatted with Jane about the state of the publishing industry and how writers can find the right balance of focusing on writing and focusing on business. Jane also answered your questions
How to Blend Magical Realism + Memoir
Thanks to everyone who joined us for yesterday’s live interview with Jasper “Jaz” Joyner about magical realism and memoir. If you weren’t able to join, just click play above to watch the full interview.And if you’re ready to dive into this world, don’t miss Jaz’s upcoming class, How to Write a Memoir with Magical Realism, an intensive six-week workshop in which students will learn how to shape an
How to Write an Autobiographical Novel
In this week’s episode of “Open Book” author Rafael Frumkin tells us why they decided to write an autobiographical novel instead of a memoir—and explains how nonfiction writers can get started with turning their true experiences into fiction.If you didn’t get the chance to join us live, just click play above to watch the whole thing, or listen in your favorite podcast player. We’re making this epi
How to Turn Your Essays Into a Collection With Nicole Graev Lipson
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.narrativelyacademy.comI’m still pinching myself that I got to chat with the brilliant Nicole Graev Lipson yet again, this time for our Open Book series about one of my favorite topics, the essay collection, or more specifically, the memoir-in-essays. Nicole wrote one of my favorites, Mothers and Other Fictional Characters, which was
How I Turned My Nonfiction Article Into a Book
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.narrativelyacademy.comWe love seeing writers expand their Narratively articles into published books! In this week’s episode of our Open Book video/podcast series, Ethelene Whitmire shares how she leveraged her article, The Gay Black American Who Stared Down Nazis in the Name of Love, to land a significant book deal with a major publ
New York Times Features Writer Steven Kurutz on the Fine Art of Story Hunting
Thanks so much to everyone who joined our live chat on Friday with Creative Nonfiction founder Lee Gutkind and New York Times features writer Steven Kurutz. Steven has written so many fantastic articles over the years, and it was incredible to get his insight into how to find great stories—and figure out how and where to tell each one. (We had a few technical difficulties which meant Steven had to
How to Juggle Multiple Creative Projects at Once
What an honor it was to chat with Caroline Rothstein this afternoon and hear all about how she handles the logistical, creative and emotional complexities of working on multiple writing projects at once. Even if you’re not an essayist-poet-performer-educator-filmmaker-screenwriter-playwright-novelist like Caroline is, if you always wish you had more time and energy to get creative, her insights he
Award-Winning Novelist Kern Carter on Landing the Book Deal…and What Comes Next
You may have noticed that this video with Kern Carter was one of our top 10 most-read Narratively Academy posts of the year, and it’s not hard to see why. We really appreciate it when a successful author can be wholly honest and transparent about all of the ups and downs of the industry, and Kern is nothing if not that. Kern has landed six separate book deals (yes, we said five when we promoted t
How to Become a Prize-Winning Essayist From Prison, With Christopher Blackwell
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.narrativelyacademy.comI could sing Christopher Blackwell’s praises all day long. He’s a beautiful writer — he won the 2023 Narratively Memoir Prize, after all, for his moving essay, “Chaos and Noise: One Man’s Harrowing Stint in Solitary Confinement” — a podcaster, executive director of an organization that works to empower incarcer
How to Write About Your Most Vulnerable Experiences With Susannah Cahalan
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.narrativelyacademy.comFor someone as successful as Susannah Cahalan — she’s among a small pool of writers who actually once got to answer the question everyone always ponders, Who would play you in a movie? (Chloë Grace Moretz!) — she’s very humble. She’s this year’s Narratively Memoir Prize judge, and she’s not doing it merely as a
How These 3 Writers Penned Narratively Memoir Prize–Winning Essays
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.narrativelyacademy.comLast week, we had the absolute pleasure to speak with the three past winners of the Narratively Memoir Prize, Laura Green-Russell, Christopher Blackwell and Lisa Williamson Rosenberg…all at once. They each shared about the process of writing their essays, the starts and stops, the editors and mentors who playe
Hollywood Wants True Stories—Here’s How to Get Yours Discovered
It’s no secret that we’re massive storytelling fans here at Narratively. When we’re not commissioning and editing stories, we’re reading essays, novels, and memoirs, listening to podcasts, and sinking into the couch (ideally with a kitten on our lap and tea in hand) to binge the latest streaming gem. My favorite shows and movies tend to start as the kinds of stories we already love: Slow Horses (o
Watch (or Listen to) Our First Community Critique
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.narrativelyacademy.comHappy Sunday, writers! If you haven’t already, be sure to head over to the chat and tell us about your #WeeklyWin.By the way, there’s only 1 seat left in The Art of Writing a Nonfiction Book That Reads Like a Novel, which starts this Wednesday, so if you’ve been thinking about joining that one, be sure to grab
How to Write Great Dialogue in Nonfiction Stories
When it comes to writing dialogue, your mind probably goes to screenplays or novels. But many of the best nonfiction stories also include active, cinematic scenes that revolve around riveting dialogue. How do journalists and creative nonfiction writers do this while sticking to the truth? We talked to one of the best in the business—New York Times bestselling author, journalist, and historian Kim
Melissa Petro on How to Write a Hybrid Memoir
This week’s Open Book conversation was a really great one! Melissa Petro, author of Shame on You: How to Be a Woman in the Age of Mortification chatted with us about how she re-conceptualized her memoir into a hybrid book that feels very of-the-moment—and got a publisher’s attention with her new proposal. Several participants in this Wednesday’s Writers’ Room mentioned that Melissa’s insight into
Free Episode: The Producers of 'Heavyweight' on the Secrets of Audio Storytelling
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.narrativelyacademy.comWe’ve been waiting so long for this day — since December 21, 2023, to be exact, when the last brand-new full episode of Heavyweight aired — that it’s hard to believe it’s finally here. After a year and a half away and now at a new home, everyone’s favorite narrative nonfiction podcast is back! To celebrate, we’
Finding the Unseen Story with Jeanne Marie Laskas and Lee Gutkind
It was so great to have such a large crowd join us Monday night as Creative Nonfiction Founder Lee Gutkind interviewed award-winning journalist Jeanne Marie Laskas—a contributing writing for The New York Times Magazine; “Cement City,” podcast host; and author of the bestselling book-turned-movie Concussion. If you missed this chat, paid subscribers to Narratively Academy can watch the full thing a
Erika Hayasaki on Writing Longform Features and Cover Stories
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.narrativelyacademy.comA former contributing editor at Narratively, Erika Hayasaki has written cover stories for The New York Times Magazine, WIRED, Newsweek and more, plus features for The Atlantic, The Guardian, National Geographic, Men’s Health, Elle, New York magazine, The Cut, and many other publications. Erika joined our Open B
Ada Calhoun on How to Follow Your Nose and Keep at It
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.narrativelyacademy.comOne of my favorite parts about being a journalist — as I’m sure I’ve written about before — is going on a deep dive of someone’s work and then getting to ask them all the questions that came up for me as I did. This — spoiler — is exactly what I got to do with Ada Calhoun recently, and it was such a joy! Ada —
The Producers of 'Heavyweight' on the Secrets of Audio Storytelling
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.narrativelyacademy.comIn the days leading up to — and after — my interview with Kalila and Stevie of Heavyweight, I kept hearing from friends and strangers about how much they “omg, love this podcast!” And how it was their “absolute favorite,” (as it is mine)! Always with an exclamation point, always with the knowing enthusiasm that
Parisa Saranj on How to Handle Rejection Like a Pro (Hint: It Involves Cake!)
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.narrativelyacademy.comLast week was what we were calling “Rejection Week” at Narratively Academy. I wrote a craft piece for which I spoke to several writers and editors about what it’s like to be on both sides of it, and shared some advice in Writers’ Room about it, too. I also got to speak with the one and only Parisa Saranj, who i
Novelist Kern Carter on Landing the Book Deal…and What Comes Next
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.narrativelyacademy.comWe really appreciate it when a successful author can be wholly honest and transparent about all of the ups and downs of the industry, and Kern Carter is nothing if not that. Kern has landed six separate book deals (yes, we said five when we promoted this chat; and yes, as he revealed in our live video, he lande
How to Pitch Narratively.com
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.narrativelyacademy.comIt was incredible to see so many of you at our Pitch Perfect video session last week, where we talked over what we’re looking for in pitches and submission to Narratively.com (including our brand new call for pitches on unusual jobs), along with some broader tips on pitching any editorial publication. If you mi
What the Heck Is a Flash Essay?
Thanks so much to the over 400(!) of you who joined our live chat today with Lee Gutkind and Dinty W. Moore. What a pleasure to have these two literary legends get together to talk about flash essays—and to have so many of you join from all over the world and chime in with insightful comments and questions. Press play above to watch the full session.And we have a special little treat: our first-ev
Lizzie Widdicombe on Writing and Editing for The New Yorker
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.narrativelyacademy.comAs a staff writer at The New Yorker, Lizzie Widdicombe has penned everything from breaking news posts to an 11,000-word profile of Taylor Swift. She has also authored over 200 pieces for the “Talk of the Town” section, where she served as deputy editor for nine years.
The Narratively Academy Launch Party
Thanks so much to everyone who joined our virtual launch party this Wednesday! It was such a treat to meet writers from all around the world and to hear about what you want from this writing community. Special thanks to Narratively Academy instructors Kerra Bolton, Audrey Clare Farley and Kern Carter for telling us all a bit about how you do what you do, and to everyone who asked a question out lo
48 Minutes With Essayist Elizabeth Laura Nelson
A few weeks ago, we published a deeply moving essay by Elizabeth Laura Nelson about love, loss and moving on. Earlier this afternoon, our executive editor, Jesse Sposato, spoke with her about how the piece came to be, what the writing process was like, what she’s working on currently and so much more. We loved every minute of it, but this may be our favorite line: “I don’t love advice. I don’t lov
48 Minutes with “The World’s Worst Cancer Mom”
Elizabeth Austin’s revealing and emotional story “I Was the World’s Worst Cancer Mom” has really hit a nerve with our readers. Earlier today, Narratively co-founder Brendan Spiegel sat down with Elizabeth to chat about what’s happened in her life since she wrote this piece, how she’s built her successful career as a freelance writer, and much more. We had a really fun chat—thanks so much to everyo
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