We don’t publish a lot of lists. But this year, having launched this new website with nearly complete access to 30 years of magazine archives, we thought it seemed like a good time to look back at the stories that resonated with our readers.
In that spirit, we’ve compiled the most-read pieces published on our website in 2021, as well as the most-read work from our archives.
And for good measure, we’ve pulled together a few pieces worth an honorable mention; our favorite Sunday Short Reads; CNF content that was republished elsewhere; and the best advice, inspiration, and think pieces from some of our favorite publications.
Finally, if you enjoy what follows, please know there’s plenty more! We have a soft paywall on our site, which allows for three free reads a month. To get unlimited access for as little as $4/month, simply subscribe today.
Top 10 Published in 2021
- Almost Behind Us
A dental emergency interrupts a meaningful anniversary // JENNIFER BOWERING DELISLE - El Valle, 1991
An early lesson in strength and fragility // AURELIA KESSLER - Stay at Home
All those hours alone with a new baby can be rough // JARED HANKS - The Desert Was His Home
There are many things we don’t know about Mr. Otomatsu Wada, and a few things we do // ERIC L. MULLER - Just a Big Cat
The dramatic boredom of jury duty // ERICA GOSS - What Will We Do for Fun Now?
Her parents survived World War II and the Blitz just fine … didn’t they? // JANE RATCLIFFE - Harriet
Two brothers and a turtle // TYLER McANDREW - Rango
Getting existential at a funeral for a lizard // JARRETT G. ZIEMER - Mouse
Lessons from a hamster emergency // BEVERLY PETRAVICIUS - Roxy & the Worm Box
Trying to recapture a childhood love of dirt // ANJOLI ROY
Top 5 from the Archive
- Picturing the Personal Essay
A visual guide // TIM BASCOM - The 5 Rs of Creative Nonfiction
The essayist at work // LEE GUTKIND - The Line Between Fact & Fiction
Do not add, and do not deceive // ROY PETER CLARK - The Braided Essay as Social Justice Action
The braided essay may be the most effective form for our times // NICOLE WALKER - On Fame, Success, and Writing Like a Mother#^@%*&
An interview with Cheryl Strayed // ELISSA BASSIST
Honorable Mention (ICYMI Essays)
- Latinx Heritage Month
Who do you complain to when it’s HR you have a problem with? // MELISSA LUJAN MESKU - Women’s Work
Sometimes, freedom means choosing your obligations // EILEEN GARVIN - Bloodlines and Bitter Syrup
Avoiding prison in Huntsville, Texas, is nearly impossible // WILL BRIDGES - Stealth
A nontraditional couple struggles with keeping part of their life together private while undertaking the public act of filing for marriage // HEATHER OSTERMAN-DAVIS - Something Like Vertigo
An environmental writer sees parallels between her father’s declining equilibrium and a world turned upside down // ELIZABETH RUSH
Our favorite Sunday Short Reads from our partners
from BREVITY
- What Joy Looks Like
SSR #128 // DORIAN FOX - How to Do Nothing
SSR #156 // ABIGAIL THOMAS
from DIAGRAM
- At 86, My Grandmother Regrets Two Things
SSR #134 // DIANA XIN - The Seedy Corner
SSR #140 // KIMBERLY GARZA
from RIVER TEETH
- Waste Not
SSR #131 // DESIREE COOPER - This Is Orange
SSR #141 // JILL KOLONGOWSKI
from SWEET LITERARY
- The Pilgrim’s Prescription
SSR #122 // CAROLYN ALESSIO - Leaves in the Hall
SSR #160 // ANNE GUDGER
Our favorite stories from around the internet.
Advice & Inspiration
- In Praise of the Meander
Rebecca Solnit on letting nonfiction narrative find its own way (via Lit Hub) - What’s Missing Here? A Fragmentary, Lyric Essay About Fragmentary, Lyric Essays
Julie Marie Wade on the mode that never quite feels finished (via Lit Hub) - Getting Honest about Om
A brief essay on audience (via Brevity) - Using the Personal to Write the Global
Intimate details, personal exploration and respect for facts (via Nieman Storyboard) - Fix Your Scene Shapes
And quickly improve your manuscript (via Jane Friedman’s blog)
The State of Nonfiction
- What the NYT ‘Guest Essay’ Means for the Future of Creative Nonfiction
Description (via Brevity) - How the Role of Personal Expression and Experience Is Changing Journalism
On the future of the newsroom (via Poynter) - 50 Shades of Nuance in a Polarized World
An essayist ponders when to write black-and-white polemics that attract clicks, and when to be more considered (via Nieman Storyboard) - These Literary Memoirs Take a Different Tack
Description (via NY Times) - The Politics of Gatekeeping
On reconsidering the ethics of blind submissions (via Poets & Writers)