Personal Essay

Acclaimed author Lauren Slater ruminates on what it means to be family. Lauren Slater's rocky childhood left her cold to the idea of ever creating a family of her own, but a husband, two dogs, two children, and three houses later, she came around to the challenges, trials, and unexpected rewards of playing house. In these autobiographical pieces, Slater presents snapshots of domestic life, populating them with the gritty details and jarring realities of sharing home, life, and body in the curious institution called "family."

A joyful collection of the most popular, provocative and unforgettable essays from the New York Times 'Modern Love' column. A young woman goes through the five stages of ghosting grief. A man's promising fourth date ends in the emergency room. A female lawyer with bipolar disorder experiences the highs and lows of dating. A widower hesitates about introducing his children to his new girlfriend. A divorcée in her 70s looks back at the beauty and rubble of past relationships.

Ten days after calling off her wedding, CJ Hauser went on an expedition to study the whooping crane. After a week wading through the gulf, she realised she had almost signed up to live somebody else's life. In this intimate, frank and funny memoir in essays, CJ Hauser lets go of 'how life was supposed to be' and goes looking for more honest ways of living.

Rediscover the power of perspective with heartfelt stories from people who went through unthinkable circumstances - but came out ahead. This book will motivate you, inspire you, and help you see life from a fresh new lens. Each carefully worded story lets you peer into someone's soul and see how they came out of tough times with their head held high. You're sure to find a story that resonates with you; you owe it to yourself.

Jessica McCann has woven together a collection of personal essays and writing tips that offer a unique glimpse into her writing journey and process. She is an award-winning historical novelist and has worked as a professional freelance writer and editor for magazines, universities, corporations, and nonprofits for more than 30 years. In Words, McCann shares her passion for books as well as research that shows how reading improves our lives. With a philosophy that is equally pragmatic and optimistic, Words will appeal to readers and writers alike.

Here's a collection of essays and letters from the pen of one of America's shrewdest observers of human nature. During his lifetime, Benjamin Franklin was a successful publisher, printer, author, scientist, inventor, and diplomat. This collection of letters and essays illuminates Franklin's views on the subjects of marriage, savages, cold air baths, and a variety of other topics.

This is a collection of short stories and essays on a variety of subjects from the scientific and technical to the humorous and childhood memories, from sasquatch and bigfoot to personal relationships. It is a volume of easy listening, sometimes humorous and sometimes poignant, but always worthwhile.

Writing comes down to turning your hazy mind into crystal-clear words. In this book, you will learn the different types of essays out there, the basics of research and development, use of logical reasoning and critical thinking skills, rough draft creation, editing, proofreading, and building an empire with your words. An essay is a remarkable way to spread your philosophy and grow your brand. Learn the basics of how to effectively write essays in Get to the Point....

Why do we cook? Is it just to feed ourselves and others? Or is there something more revolutionary going on? In Small Fires, Rebecca May Johnson reinvents cooking—that simple act of rolling up our sleeves, wielding a knife, spattering red hot sauce on our books—as a way of experiencing ourselves and the world. Cooking is thinking: about the liberating constraint of tying apron strings; the transformative dynamics of shared meals; the meaning of appetite and bodily pleasure; the wild subversiveness of the recipe, beyond words or control.

David Bain offers ten essays on writing, with an eye toward helping new writers gain their footing and keeping the more seasoned scribe motivated. It also includes his essay "Basic E-Book Self-Publishing Advice for Newbies" which has already helped hundreds of beginning indie authors. A longtime college English prof and former newspaper bureau chief, Bain infuses these essays on the writing life with years of teaching, editing, and indie publishing experience, using an easygoing yet incisive style.

Uprooting ourselves and putting down roots elsewhere has become second nature. Americans are among the most mobile people on the planet, moving house an average of nine times in adulthood. Mobile Home explores one family's extreme and often international version of this common experience. Inspired by Megan Harlan's globe-wandering childhood, Mobile Home maps the emotional structures and metaphysical geographies of home.

In this second volume of contemplative essays, Julie Hightman continues to unveil layers of awareness in the design of self-identity. She expands her exploration of how the context and foundation of our behaviors, thoughts, and emotions affect the life we create and one’s perceptions of experiential outcomes. The many paths of life one walks unveil opportunities for alchemical healing and re-alignment to the soul’s initiative for harmony and fulfillment.

This collection of contemplative essays unveils layers of awareness in the design of self-identity. Julie Hightman explores how the context and foundation of behaviors, thoughts, and emotions affect the life we create and the perceptions of life experiences. The many paths of life unveil opportunities for alchemical healing and re-alignment to the soul’s initiative for harmony and fulfillment.

By 1617, Donne had done it all. After being an MP, lawyer, womaniser, soldier, diplomat, father to twelve children by a secret wife, and the greatest poet of his age, he settled into the priesthood. Shortly thereafter, his wife died, prompting him to write a defence of suicide in God's eyes. She was soon followed by his 18 year old daughter died. Then Donne fell gravely ill. Physicians were called, but none could agree on what to do. It seemed certain that he would die.

Do you want to master the art of communication, navigate social dynamics with ease, and express yourself with confidence? Reborn is your ultimate guide to improving your conversational skills, understanding human behavior, and sharpening your emotional intelligence through a collection of 101 thought-provoking short stories, essays, and insights. From decoding social cues to handling difficult conversations, this book covers it all.

In his new collection of stories and essays, acclaimed author and humorist Matt Geiger seeks to de-familiarize us from the world, from the smallest detail to the most cosmic mythology, in order to see it all as if for the first time. Turning his philosopher's vision to his own abundant Neanderthal DNA, parenting, competitive axe throwing, old age, and much more, he sets out in search of comic profundity.

In his book-length essay Spirituality and the Writer, Larson surveys the literary insights of authors old and new who have shaped religious autobiography and spiritual memoir - from Augustine to Thomas Merton, from Peter Matthiessen to Cheryl Strayed. He holds them to an exacting standard: They must render transcendent experience in the writing itself.

R. Gopalakrishnan, the best-selling author of The Case of the Bonsai Manager, explores how concepts turn into ideas, which then become prototypes, models, and products. Defining thought as the ancestor of innovation - as without thought, there could be no innovation - he explores the impending questions such as: What happens next? How can you take on challenges and keep your ideas relevant? The Biography of Innovation is the definitive audiobook on the life cycle of new ideas and transformations.

In Sisters Loved and Treasured: Stories of Unbreakable Bonds, award-winning ABC News journalist and New York Times best-selling author Deborah Roberts curates a giftable collection of conversations, meditations, and anecdotes from her own sisters, celebrity friends, and everyday people alike who share deeply personal accounts of how their relationships as sisters shaped their lives.

A few years ago, Erica Heller realized how universal the longing is for one more moment with a lost loved one. It could be a parent, a sibling, a mentor, or a friend, but who wouldn't love the opportunity to sit down, break bread, and just talk? Who wouldn't jump at the chance to ask those unasked questions, or share those unvoiced feelings?