Narratively

07/10/2025

The next session of our popular “Deeply Personal” essay class with starts next week at - click the link in our bio to learn more and sign up.

22/09/2025

We have 5 exciting classes starting very soon at . Visit narrativelyacademy.com for more details and to join.

19/09/2025

There’s one (1!) seat left in our Q***r Writers Workshop at . Head to narrativeyacademy.com to grab it.

19/09/2025

At 15, Kenny called Cathy out of the blue and asked her to be his girlfriend. The fact that they had spoken from their respective homes nightly and hadn’t yet met seemed like a mere technicality.

In this flash essay, Cathy Alter shows up how you can do so much in a tiny space.

Illustration by Jess Smart Smiley/Narratively archive

Link in bio.

05/09/2025

We have some very exciting classes coming up this September. Time to get your write on! Head to NarrativelyAcademy.com for details.

04/09/2025

Over the moon to announce that the grand prize–winning essay of Narratively’s 2024 Memoir Prize, by Lisa Williamson Rosenberg, will be featured in The Year’s Best Sports Writing 2025, guest edited by Hanif Abdurraqib. We couldn’t be more excited for Lisa and to be in such great company. Make sure to read Lisa’s essay if you haven’t already (link in bio) and to pre-order a copy of the book today from Triumph Books. (Thank you again to guest judge Jami Attenberg for picking this winning essay!!) ❤️

04/09/2025

ICYMI: Some stories pack so much punch in a short amount of space. Which is just what Katharine Coldiron’s short memoir piece, “Our Perfectly Pretend Plane Romance,” does. It was so good, in fact, that it was a finalist for the Belletrist x Narratively True Romance Writing Prize, in the shortread category. Check it out. Link in bio.

01/08/2025

S*x is always vulnerable — but s*x after surviving a serious illness is a kind of intimacy few have experienced, especially at a young age. Meet Maggie Hart, a cancer survivor and the first-ever grand-prize winner of the Belletrist x Narratively True Romance Writing Prize, in the shortread category.

Check out Maggie’s powerful story in our link in bio. Illustration by Sang Pak.

21/07/2025

We recently kicked off The Personals — a new series of sharply focused first-person stories that capture a single surprising unforgettable moment or event — with this amazing story about a love that was beautiful, painful and ultimately so complicated.

See for yourself, link in bio.

Story by J Martin + illustration by Julie Benbassat

27/06/2025

Sixteen years after going to prison, Kwaneta Harris tells her 13-year-old self everything she wished she knew sooner. About the regrettable actions she’ll take and where they will lead her — and also about the redemption she will experience and the light she’ll eventually find in the deep, deep darkness. Tissues required for this one.

Illustration by Julie Benbassat.

Note: This piece is part of a larger collection of letters from incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people to their younger selves. Dear Teenage Me: Voices From Beyond the Barbed Wire is edited by Christopher Blackwell, Deborah Zalesne and Jamie Beth Cohen, and is currently seeking representation.

18/06/2025

We have some exciting news: We have launched a new site! Narratively Academy is a space for writers to sharpen their craft, connect with peers, access top-tier experts and publishing opportunities, and develop all the tools they need to pursue their storytelling dreams. Head over to see what we're all about and join in on the fun. And please join our (virtual) launch party today at 1 p.m. ET on Zoom. Click below for details!

We're so happy to have you here. Here's a look at everything we have on tap at Narratively Academy.

30/05/2025

Matt W. Miller was a green professor teaching writing to incarcerated students when he met a young man who was an excellent student — and was also serving time for a horrific crime. In this week’s feature, a 2024 Narratively Memoir Prize finalist, Matt reflects on his time teaching James, their profound conversations about literature and how he feels about his actions in hindsight.

Head to the link in our bio to read this captivating story.