Literary Hub » Personal Essay

It’s Not Personal: Sarah Viren on Essayistic Visions of the Self

It’s Not Personal: Sarah Viren on Essayistic Visions of the Self

“As we work to fashion a fully rendered version of ourselves, however, we are also arguably creating that self.”

By Sarah Viren | June 13, 2023

In Praise of Wildly Permissive Parenting

In Praise of Wildly Permissive Parenting

Bex O’Brian on the Mother Who “Barely Raised” Her

By Bex O'Brian | July 20, 2021

Memory vs. History: On the Neverending Struggle to See Clearly Into the Past

Memory vs. History: On the Neverending Struggle to See Clearly Into the Past

Sarisha Kurup Tries to Map the Personal Over the Public

By Sarisha Kurup | February 12, 2020

When Your Family Figures Out You're a Writer... and Loves You For It

When Your Family Figures Out You're a Writer... and Loves You For It

Child-Rearing and Novel-Writing">Melissa Woods on the Unlikely Intersections of
Child-Rearing and Novel-Writing

By Melissa M. Woods | December 19, 2019

'Dying Teen' Lit"> Rereading the Master of<br

Rereading the Master of<br

'Dying Teen' Lit">

'Dying Teen' Lit">Rereading the Master of
'Dying Teen' Lit

Allure of a Problematic Genre">Katy Hershberger Considers Lurlene McDaniel and the
Allure of a Problematic Genre

By Katy Hershberger | December 12, 2019

Our Grief?"> Since When Did Animals Become Synonymous With<br

Since When Did Animals Become Synonymous With<br

Our Grief?">Since When Did Animals Become Synonymous With
Our Grief?

“In life, as in literature, a horse is never just a horse.”

By Rebecca Renner | September 25, 2019

Best Reviewed
Books of the Week

Tope Folarin on the Misguided Urge to Carve the World Into Binaries

By Tope Folarin | August 7, 2019

Why I Had to Grow Up Before I Could Appreciate Alice Munro

By Dennis Tang | May 31, 2019

The Biggest Influence on My Novel Is... McDonald's?

By Ryan Chapman | May 21, 2019

Can You Have a Meaningful Long-Distance Relationship with a Dog?

Can You Have a Meaningful Long-Distance Relationship with a Dog?

Xuan Juliana Wang on Ella, a Very Good Dog

By Xuan Juliana Wang | May 20, 2019

When Your Daughter Refuses to Be in Your Essay

When Your Daughter Refuses to Be in Your Essay

Beth Alvarado on the Boundaries of Memoir

By Beth Alvarado | May 10, 2019

Anjelica Huston on Finding Her Father in the Writing of Lillian Ross

Anjelica Huston on Finding Her Father in the Writing of Lillian Ross

the integrity of her subject."">"She maintains her own integrity and she respects
the integrity of her subject."

By Anjelica Huston | May 3, 2019

Not Writing About My Father, an Actual Mad Scientist"> On <em

On <em

Not Writing About My Father, an Actual Mad Scientist">

Not Writing About My Father, an Actual Mad Scientist">On Not Writing About My Father, an Actual Mad Scientist

Erika Swyler on the Autobiographical Truths of Fiction

By Erika Swyler | May 3, 2019

Finnegan's Wake at 80:
In Defense of the Difficult"> <em

<em

Finnegan's Wake at 80:
In Defense of the Difficult">

Finnegan's Wake at 80:
In Defense of the Difficult">Finnegan's Wake at 80:
In Defense of the Difficult

Most Challenging Works">On the Pleasure of Annotating One of Literature's
Most Challenging Works

By Susie Lopez | May 3, 2019

Who Do We Become When We Survive Our Pain?

Who Do We Become When We Survive Our Pain?

Karen Havelin: "Having a body is not for the faint of heart."

By Karen Havelin | May 2, 2019

Endless Inspiration"> David Means on the World As<br

David Means on the World As<br

Endless Inspiration">

Endless Inspiration">David Means on the World As
Endless Inspiration

"Art arrives out of a tension between the private and the public..."

By David Means | April 29, 2019