Current Issue / Issue 76 Winter 2022
In this, the newly redesigned issue of Creative Nonfiction, we explore the deep roots of the genre, as far back as the late 1600s, and celebrate the spirit of rebellion that’s always infused it. And we consider where we are now—as writers and citizens, as artists and human beings—at this moment that feels pivotal for so many foundations of our society.
Plus new essays about the limitations of identity labels; what we can (and can’t) learn from dinosaur tracks; how to reintegrate after two military tours overseas; the challenges of translation; and how to approach a sibling who’s taken a deep dive into conspiracy theories.
Including essays by
Explore Issue 76Recent Essays
Natural Unselection
I left my hotel in downtown Atlanta on Saturday morning and drove to Fernbank Museum. After a night of following trays of free wine from one reception room to the next at the Society of Biblical Literature’s annual conference, I needed to decompress.Most Read in 2021
Year-End Lists!Luge Run, 2003
In the years after 9/11, the tourism and insurance industries changed the face of our state, and many of the old mom-and-pop inns in central Vermont closed. We managed to inch along, keeping our tired old place open through 2004.
Explore Creative Nonfiction
Can’t get enough? Browse 25 years of archives.
View by Issue
View by Type
View by Topic
CNF Education
Writing can be lonely. Often, what we need most as writers is a network of focused peers and professionals who can provide constructive feedback, keep us motivated, and inspire us to do our best work. You don’t have to write alone.
From online classes to webinars, all year round, CNF offers a variety of ways you can connect with the broader creative nonfiction community and learn new skills, generate new writing, stay focused, and create your best work.
About the Genre
What is Creative Nonfiction?
Dive in with CNF Founder and Editor, Lee Gutkind
Creative Nonfiction magazine defines the genre simply, succinctly, and accurately as “true stories well told.” And that, in essence, is what creative nonfiction is all about.
In some ways, creative nonfiction is like jazz—it’s a rich mix of flavors, ideas, and techniques, some newly invented and others as old as writing itself.
Everything Gets Worse: An Antarctica Story
In winter of 1912, as Robert Falcon Scott was striving to be the first to reach the South Pole, six of his men became stranded for 17 months. In this story that ranges from north to south and from past to present, John O’Connor chronicles the group’s efforts to remain not only alive but sane at “Inexpressible Island,” a 9′ x 12’ enclosure they hacked out of the ice, where they remained through the long months of winter darkness.
In the Midst of Winter
“Resilience” is the new buzzword, but are there traumas too difficult to overcome?
In Case You Missed It
#019 Cold.
True Story
Each pocket-size issue our monthly mini-magazine showcases one exceptional longform essay by one exceptional writer.
