Creative Nonfiction (magazine)
Creative Nonfiction is a literary magazine based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The journal was founded by Lee Gutkind in 1993, making it the first literary magazine to publish, exclusively and on a regular basis, high quality nonfiction prose. In Spring 2010, Creative Nonfiction evolved from journal to magazine format with the addition of new sections such as writer profiles and essays on the craft of writing, as well as updates on developments in the literary non-fiction scene.
 Fall-Winter 2011 cover | |
| Editor | Lee Gutkind |
|---|---|
| Categories | Literary magazine |
| Frequency | Quarterly |
| Year founded | 1993 |
| First issue | 1994 |
| Company | Creative Nonfiction Foundation |
| Country | United States |
| Based in | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Language | English |
| Website | creativenonfiction |
| ISSN | 1070-0714 |
Work originally printed in Creative Nonfiction has been reprinted in The Best American Essays, The Best American Travel Writing in 2013, The Best Women's Travel Writing in 2013, and The Best American Nonrequired Reading. In 2014, Creative Nonfiction ranked 23 on the Pushcart Prize list of nonfiction literary magazines. Creative Nonfiction was a finalist for the 2014 AWP Small Press Publisher Award and a finalist in the "Best Writing" category for the Utne Independent Press Award in 2011.
Past issues
| Number | Year | Title | Issue Description | Selected Contributing Authors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1994 | Creative Nonfiction | The Premiere Issue - the one that started it all. |
• Christopher Buckley |
| 2 | 1994 | Poets Writing Prose | Poetry and creative nonfiction have a lot in common: deftness of word choice and the attention to detail, to name a few. In this issue, renowned and emerging poets cross forms to produce works of prose. |
• Christopher Buckley |
| 3 | 1995 | Emerging Women Writers | This issue features work by emerging women writers whose powerful narratives promise to shape the future of the creative nonfiction genre. |
• Jane Bernstein |
| 4 | 1995 | Creative Nonfiction Classics | This issue brings together classic essays (and a few new ones) that have helped charter the genre and develop it into what it is today. |
• Jonathan Holden |
| 5 | 1996 | Fathers and Fatherhood | This collection gives special attention to the memory of fathers and the importance of their role in family life and the lives of the authors. |
• A.D. Coleman |
| 6 | 1996 | The Essayist at Work | This special issue gives the reader a chance to learn more about the craft and process of writing an essay through profiles and stories about the work of authors. |
• Jane Bernstein |
| 7 | 1996 | Points of View | This issue contains examples of the potential of the genre, serving as a model of the varied points of view achievable in writing creative nonfiction—from the distance of immersion/reportage to the personal closeness and intimacy of poetry. |
• Mark Bowden |
| 8 | 1997 | Mostly Memoir | Just as the title implies, this issue provides a short glimpse into the lives of the writers. The authors are sharing something special and true in this collection: their own stories. |
• Michael Berberich |
| 9 | 1997 | Surviving Crisis | This special double issue highlights some of the most intimate, personal, and challenging moments of the authors' lives. Age, life, and disappointment are common themes throughout this collection. |
• Raymond Abbott |
| 9.5 | 1998 | The Universal Chord | The essays in this issue strike a universal chord by registering an insight, moment, or idea that might be shared and appreciated by a larger readership, making the readers care about what the writers care about: a place, a time of life, a friend, or a loved one. |
• Brian Doyle |
| 10 | 1998 | Style and Substance | The essays in this issue are examples of how writers can blend style and substance while using a personal voice, demonstrating the true potential of creative nonfiction. |
• Madison Smartt Bell |
| 11 | 1998 | A View from the Divide | This special double issue demonstrates the many ways in which aspects of the scientific world can be captured and dramatized for a humanities-oriented readership. This collection of essays captures a range of ideas combining literary style and intellectual substance. These works come from poets, immunologists and physicists, established writers and up-and-coming new talent. (Special issue published by University of Pittsburgh Press.) |
• Luanne Armstrong |
| 12 | 1999 | Emerging Women Writers II | This follow-up issue again features work by emerging women writers who tell intricately detailed stories while being incisive, reflective, and deeply personal. |
• Valerie Boyd |
| 13 | 1999 | The Brain: A Nonfiction Mystery | This issue explores attempts to live normally with damaged brains and with brains affected by drugs. All the stories are tough illustrations of the complications that interfere with life when the brain is affected even slightly and subtly. |
• Greg Bottoms |
| 14 | 2000 | What Men Think, What Men Write | What is worth noting about this narrative nonfiction is not so much what distinguishes the men writers from the women, but more what doesn't. The best of this work tells a story, defines character, provides (journalistic) information, allows for reflection, and establishes a personal voice. |
• Madison Smartt Bell |
| 15 | 2000 | Lessons in Persuasion: Writers with Pittsburgh Roots or Connections | Pittsburgh has always been—despite its industrial reputation—a great city in which to be a writer, and the featured authors are bound together by their affinity for the written word and their collective fondness for Pittsburgh. (Special issue published by University of Pittsburgh Press.) |
• Diane Ackerman |
| 16 | 2001 | The Line Between Fact and Fiction | This issue explores the methods in which nonfiction writers utilize the fiction writer's toolbox without crossing the blurry divide between reality and imagination. |
• Joe Bonomo |
| 17 | 2001 | Between the Lines | This issue features essays that, among other things, take us between the lines of writers and readers in a variety of creative and informative contexts. |
• Stephen Benz |
| 18 | 2001 | Intimate Details | The essays published in this issue represent survival and change, expressed through dramatic stories and intimacy of detail. |
• Aine Greaney |
| 19 | 2002 | Diversity Dialogues | In this issue, celebrated and emerging authors write essays about diversity that defy easy labels. To seek out some new voices for this collection, Creative Nonfiction teamed up with JPMorganChase to offer a $10,000 prize for narratives about the challenges faced by outsiders in a world where "normal," "regular" and "accepted" are the watchwords and all others are marginalized. |
• Faith Adiele |
| 20 | 2003 | Clarity | This issue features writers searching for clarity in their lives, and in the rest of the world, as they struggle to make social and personal changes and challenge their lives and their established communities. |
• Jane Bernstein |
| 21 | 2003 | Rage and Reconciliation: Inspiring a Health Care Revolution | This issue features writers, both patients and doctors, exploring the current state of American health care. (This issue received generous support from the Jewish Healthcare Foundation of Western Pennsylvania.) |
• Karen Wolk Feinstein |
| 22 | 2004 | Creative Nonfiction in the Crosshairs | This issue responds to the recent barrage of criticism from journalists and critics of the genre. |
• Laurie Lynn Drummond |
| 23 | 2004 | Mexican Voices | This issue seeks to understand how nonfiction forms have evolved in regions outside of the United States–specifically, in Mexico. The essays offer the reader—through dramatic scenes, richly observed characters, and lively, philosophical meditations—more than just an understanding of the literary traditions of Mexico. |
• Diane Ackerman |
| 24/25 | 2004 | In Fact: The Best of Creative Nonfiction | This anthology features the best writing published in Creative Nonfiction over its first ten years. Culled from the 300 pieces published in the journal, themselves chosen from over 10,000 manuscripts, the stories now published in In Fact showcase the possibilities of the genre in pieces by the famous, and those surely destined to be so. Each author has also included a reflection on the process of composing the particular piece included. (Special issue published by W. W. Norton & Co. to celebrate CNF's 10 year anniversary.) |
• Diane Ackerman |
| 26 | 2005 | The Poets and Writers Issue | This issue features many writers whose work crosses the borders between literary genres, from poetry and fiction to creative nonfiction, and illustrates how the lines of division between writers may be disintegrating. The stories themselves also flirt with the idea of crossing boundaries - between life and death, between countries and cultures and languages, and between individuals. |
• Ira Berkow |
| 27 | 2005 | Writing It Short | This issue features highlights from the online creative nonfiction journal Brevity1, which challenges writers to do their best in fewer than 750 words. |
• Marcia Aldrich |
| 28 | 2006 | Essays from the Edge | This issue features new voices exploring the darker side of life. The riveting and thought-provoking essays honestly grapple with a difficult time in each author's life. |
• Craig Bernier |
| 29 | 2006 | A Million Little Choices: The ABCs of CNF | This issue contains a glossary of concise entries that define and explain the anchoring elements of the genre, from scene and dialogue to acknowledging your sources. (This issue has been republished, in expanded form, as Keep It Real: Everything You Need to Know About Researching and Writing Creative Nonfiction.) |
• Kristen Cosby |
| 30 | 2006 | Our Roots are Deep with Passion: Creative Nonfiction Collects New Essays by Italian American Writers | Established and emerging writers reflect on the ways their lives have been accented with uniquely Italian American flavors. The pieces are as varied as their authors, but all explore the distinctive intersection of language, tradition, cuisine, and culture that characterize the diverse experience of Americans of Italian heritage. |
• Ned Balbo |
| 31 | 2007 | Imagining the Future: Writing and Publishing in 2025 and Beyond | This issue brings together voices from across the publishing spectrum—from novelists and journalists to librarians and editors—all of them speculating about the ways literature and the business of writing will change in the coming decades. The writers find common ground as they marvel at the way technology has ushered in a new era of communication. |
• Judith Barrington |
| 32 | 2007 | The Best Creative Nonfiction, Vol. 1 | Creative Nonfiction scoured alternative publications, blogs, literary journals and other often-overlooked publications in search of new voices and innovative ideas for essays written with panache and power. (Special issue published by W. W. Norton.) |
• Dorie Bargmann |
| 33 | 2007 | Silence Kills: Speaking Out and Saving Lives | These essays present a compelling, and often frightening, look at the lack of communication and understanding currently plaguing the American health care system, exploring a wide and complicated range of experiences but all sharing one thing: a frustration with a system that hinders communication and often leads to unnecessary suffering. |
• Paul Austin |
| 34 | 2008 | Anatomy of Baseball | This collection of essays about the great American pastime dissects the game one element at a time to try to get at why we find ourselves in the stands or on the field, season after season. |
• Yogi Berra |
| 35 | 2008 | The Best Creative Nonfiction, Vol. 2 | Creative Nonfiction again scoured alternative publications, blogs, literary journals and other often-overlooked publications in search of new voices and innovative ideas for essays written with panache and power. (Special issue published by W. W. Norton.) |
• Emily Bernard |
| 36 | 2009 | First Lede, Real Lead | This issue offers readers a look at the editorial process and the challenge of deciding where a story really begins. |
• Paul Bogard |
| 37 | 2009 | The Best Creative Nonfiction, Vol. 3 | The essays, ranging from immersion journalism to intensely personal essays, illustrate the genre's power and potential. Special issue published by W. W. Norton, book format. |
• Julianna Baggott |
| 38 | 2010 | Essays: Immortality | The first issue in a new magazine style, no longer a journal format. Essays on the great (and not so great) moments of creative nonfiction; thoughts on the future of literary magazines; a guide to stunt writing; and more. |
• Carolyn Forché |
| 39 | 2010 | Pioneers of the Genre | This issue pays tribute to pioneers of the genre such as Norman Mailer and Gay Talese. |
• Ayse Papatya Bucak |
| 40 | 2010 | The Animals Issue | Essays with a focus on animals, plus Phillip Lopate on the ethics of writing about other people and Sarah Z. Wexler on magazine editors' unwillingness to adopt to new technology. |
• Susan Cheever |
| 41 | 2011 | The Food Issue | Stories about food and our relationship to what we eat—from pork to lasagna, from pomegranates to toasted grasshoppers. |
• Robert Atwan |
| 42 | 2011 | Summer 2011 | Winning essays from CNF and Salt's "The Night" contest, CNF's MFA Program-Off, and the Norman Mailer College Writing contest. |
• Ira Berkow |
| 43 | 2012 | Anger & Revenge | The meanest batch of essays CNF has ever published includes a post-divorce bonfire; post-traumatic stress; an assassination attempt; a kidnapping plot; Dick Cheney; and more. |
• Sonya Huber |
| 44 | 2012 | Spring 2012 | A slew of true stories about navigating unfamiliar terrain: going out into Cairo in niqab; searching for a young man lost in the Grand Canyon; waiting for news about a possible nuclear accident in Ukraine; decoding an invitation in Vietnam; and committing (digital) atrocities in foreign lands. |
• Adam Arvidson |
| 45 | 2012 | True Crime | True stories of unsolved murders, grave-robbing, identity theft, abduction, addiction, and more. |
• Steven Church |
| 46 | 2012 | Australia | A special "Australia" issue that covers everything from "bikkies" to bora rings, floods to fires, and Captain Cook to Coober Pedy. |
• Robert Dessaix |
| 47 | 2012 | Female Form | Features an all-women essay section with beautiful essays about serious topics—entomology, ophthalmology, archaeology, and molecular biology. |
• Elissa Bassist |
| 48 | 2013 | Southern Sin | Deliciously degenerate stories about sinning in the South, from cheating at pee-wee football to the murderous jealousy of illicit lovers, the perils of shacking up, and the secret pleasures of arson. Plus: the intersection of literature and healing; tiny truths; a nonfiction sestina; and some stories we regret not being able to publish. |
• Sandra Beasley |
| 49 | 2013 | Survival Stories | An issue devoted to hair-raising stories of near misses. Writers reflect on narrow escapes from a plane crash, youthful recklessness, and trains barreling down on the station. The rest of the issue is a writer's survival guide, with notes on making dialogue work, a love letter to literary letters, the dangers of disclosure, and a visual guide to the personal essay. |
• Tim Bascom |
| 50 | 2013 | CNF Gold | This issue, celebrating 20 years of literary publishing, serves as an in-depth primer and introduction for anyone new to the magazine (or the genre), while providing longtime readers with new insight and never-before-told stories about the origins of Creative Nonfiction—and a peek into the future—from founding editor Lee Gutkind. The issue features 10 remarkable true stories from the first 50 issues, with introductions from CNF editors past and present. |
• Ayşe Papatya Bucak |
| 51 | 2014 | The Human Face of Sustainability | This issue features true stories about moms, scientists, farmers, and others who are trying to change the world. |
• Mieke Eerkens |
| 52 | 2014 | Telling Stories that Matter | This issue explores the uses of storytelling in non-literary fields such as law and medicine. A special essays sections features collaborations between writers and science policy scholars telling stories about topics including a curatorial crisis at the Smithsonian; a pediatric geneticist's decision to share potentially life-changing information with one of his patients; and one legislative aide's quest to save the Chesapeake Bay from the dietary supplement industry. |
° Sayantani DasGupta |
| 53 | 2014 | Mistakes | The first-ever readers' choice theme issue contains an explosive group of essays exploring wrong turns and missteps—from a dramatic prison protest to an ill-advised game of strip-spin-the-bottle, from a bad tattoo to the epidemic of errors plaguing our healthcare system. The stories grapple with questions that get at the heart of how to live. The issue also contains columns on why building a platform is a waste of a writer's time, why publishing won't make you happy, and why readers shouldn't worry (too much) about the occasional typo. |
° Stephanie Bane |
| 54 | 2015 | Lost Truths & Family Legends | This issue is full family lore—the stories we grew up hearing and the tales we, in turn, tell: Like the night we hit the deer, or Dad's close encounter with a serial killer, or the time Grandma saved the village from the Germans. Every family has at least one story like this—but is it true? (And, if it's a good enough story, does it matter whether it's true?) Plus, authors explore the special challenges of writing about family, and writers travel in search of missing stories. |
° Brian Doyle (writer) |
| 55 | 2015 | The Memoir Issue | The spring 2015 edition is a special double issue with twice as many stories as usual, from places as far-ranging as Japan, Australia, the Marshall Islands, the Appalachian Trail, and Vermont. Essays illustrate thorny issues such as the power (and fallibility) of memory; the challenges of telling other people's stories accurately; and the art of self-analysis and reflection. Issue 55 also features columns on how social media might be changing human memory; readers’ duty to wield belief responsibly; and accepting the narcissist within. |
° Robert Atwan |
| 56 | 2015 | Waiting | Writers explore the boundaries of their patience as they wait for a missing family member's return, for sleep to come, for doctors, planes, or the next good wave. Plus, authors consider the murky origins of the term "creative nonfiction," the art of immersion reporting, and books that took lifetimes to write. |
° Mylène Dressler |
| 57 | 2015 | Making a Living | A collection of essays where writers reflect on their past occupations and the noteworthy jobs of others. Also considered is the price of writing, the financial security of the writer and the work of American historian Studs Terkel. |
° Ned Stuckey-French |
| 58 | 2016 | The Weather | Writers recount battling forces larger than themselves, whether enveloped in fog, stranded in a blizzard, or steering through a sea squall. The issue also features an interview with Al Roker about the challenges of writing creative nonfiction; journalist Andrew C. Revkin's reflection on 30 years of covering climate change; and a discussion of how technology is changing memoirists’ work. | ° Joe Fassler
° Sonya Huber ° Ashley Hay ° Amaris Ketcham ° Laura Jones ° Glenda Reed ° Lexi Pandell ° Tim Bascom ° Beatrice Lazarus ° Sejal H. Patel ° Anita Huslin |
| 59 | 2016 | Marriage | The issue surveys the contemporary landscape of matrimony, as writers recall walking down the aisle for the first or third or fifth time; vow never to wed again, except in the role of officiant; dissect the first year of marriage; brave city hall; and contemplate what it means to bind yourself, for better or for worse, to another person. Additionally, an author profiles New York Times obituary writer Margalit Fox; one writer examines why divorce memoirs are flourishing; and the editors assemble a collection of micro-essays, in the form of tweets, from a single Twitter user. | ° Jane Bernstein
° Amanda J. Crawford ° Maribeth Fischer ° Patrice Gopo ° Kathleen McKitty Harris ° Elane Johnson ° Jane Maher ° Matthew G. Miller ° Randon Billings Noble ° Candace Opper ° Heather Osterman-Davis ° Melissa Shepherd ° Vivian Wagner ° Kim Wyatt |
| 60 | 2016 | Childhood | The issue formative childhood experiences that leave indelible memories: stomping through a snowstorm to Sunday mass; discovering a dead body in the woods; touring beautiful homes they'll never live in; or trying, desperately, to dance their way to junior high popularity. Here we have kid-dom in all its messy glory: the good, the bad, and the biting truth. Additionally, fifteen contemporary nonfiction authors discuss the books that made them writers; how to write about your kids without messing them up (too much); the link between addiction memoirs and coming-of-age stories; Tiny Truths; and more. | ° Carrie Barker
° Judith Barrington ° Randon Billings Noble ° Brian Broome ° Kyla Buckingham ° Brendan M. Collins °Kristi Murray Costello ° Sara Hendery ° Brenda Miller ° Joe Oestreich ° Kenneth R. Rosen ° Marcelle Soviero ° Julie Marie Wade |
| 61 | 2016 | Learning from Nature | In this issue, we seek inspiration from the natural world—captured in powerful informative true stories. Deer antlers help surgeons build better prostheses, and scientists studying hibernation in arctic ground squirrels find a possible key to understanding Alzheimer's disease. Biomimicry visionary Janine Benyus fights to restore natural balance on a parcel of land in Montana, and in Oregon, naturalists grapple with the ethics of killing one species of owl to protect another owl's habitat. | ° Wendy Bone
° Suzanne Cope ° Jonita Davis ° Evan Edwards ° Adelheid Fischer ° Debra Gwartney ° Dave Madden ° Catherine Musemeche ° Mary Heather Noble ° Yelizaveta Renfro ° Therese d'Auria Ryley ° Jim Schneider ° Vivian Wagner |
| 62 | 2016 | Joy | This issue captures elusive, unexpected moments of joy. Whether trying to make the most of an audience with the Dalai Lama, worrying about an eighth-grade Dinner Dance, or straining to see the stars in the night sky, contributors find themselves transported beyond distractions, discomforts, and disasters. We also explore the joys of the writing life, from the feel of the perfect pen to the satisfactions of changing readers’ minds. | ° Melanie Brooks
° Susan Bruns Rowe ° Brian Doyle ° Laura Haugen ° Leah Kaminsky ° Kim Kankiewicz ° Laura Kendall ° Alicia Rebecca Myers ° Jennifer Niesslein ° Brendan O'Meara ° Angela Palm ° Jennifer Sinor |
| 63 | 2016 | How We Teach | This issue reaches far beyond the traditional classroom. Contributors travel to the kitchen, to rehab centers, to the dentist's office, and as far as Saudi Arabia in these stories about making a meaningful impact. Not all stories about teaching are unqualified success stories, but they all show us how much teaching anything depends on making a connection, or at least trying to. | ° Meredith Crandell
° Margaret Downey ° Jessica Lahey ° David MacWilliams ° Matthew Mercier ° Ellen Michaelson ° Joanne B. Mulcahy ° Nikki Schulak ° Rachel Toliver ° Deb Werrlein |
| 64 | 2017 | Adaptation | This issue sees writers searching for new normals. It seems, lately, we are living in a time of rapid change. Perhaps, it is the scale of the changes we are facing that is new, or maybe it's the speed at which information travels has made us more aware of change as it happens. From the eroding shores of Georgia's barrier islands to the national parks of Alaska to the suburbs sprawling into the Arizona desert, we try to keep up - personally, politically, scientifically - with our rapidly changing world. | ° Elizabeth Bobrick
° Renée E. D'Aoust ° Gabriella M. Geisinger ° Lawrence Lenhart ° Nancy McGlasson ° Sarah Minor ° Itzel Basualdo Murillo ° Amanda C. Niehaus ° V. Alexandra Lytton Regalado ° Elizabeth Rush ° Rick Van Noy ° Jodie Vinson ° Hope Wabuke |
| 65 | 2017 | Science & Religion | This issue is dedicated to discovering unexplored harmonies between science and religion. Whether considering the spiritual potential of Google search, talking to high school biology teachers in central Pennsylvania, studying the Mormon cosmos, or forging a career path that passes through both the seminary and the science lab, the writers in this issue seek a nuanced view of the world that demands both wisdom and wonder. We hope the work in this issue will expand awareness and appreciation of the vital roles of both science and religion - no matter where or how or whether you worship and what you believe or don't believe. | ° Cynthia D. Bertelsen
° Jonathan Callard ° Jessica Mesman Griffith ° Dan Sarewitz ° Kristin Johnson ° Sonja Livingston ° Rachel Mabe ° Bethany Marcel ° Sylvia Sukop ° William Wan ° Rachel Wilkinson ° Jamie Zvirzdin |
| 66 | 2018 | Dangerous Creations | This issue is devoted to real-life Frankenstein stories about the intersections of technological innovation and the human condition. Writers consider prenatal surgeries, lifesaving medical interventions, and the limitations of science and medicine, wondering what it means, in the modern era, to be a monster. | ° Jenny Boully
° Kelly Hedglin Bowen ° Pat Falk ° Elizabeth Fortescue ° Jennifer R. Hubbard ° Paulette Kamenecka ° Karin Killian ° Laura Laing ° Randon Billings Noble ° Susan Bruns Rowe ° Heather Sellers ° Margaret Wardlaw ° Jamie Zvirzdin |
| 67 | 2018 | Starting Over | This issue is dedicated to the proposition that we are all—always—works in progress. In nine new essays, writers come to terms with fate, test the limits of resilience, flirt with disaster, fall down, and get back up again ... like it or not. | ° Jill Christman
° Christopher Collins ° Kimberly Garza ° Geoffrey Melada ° Heidi McKinley ° Emily Polk ° Stacie Lewton Rice ° Amy Schroeder ° Victoria Sottosanti |
| 68 | 2018 | Risk | This issue explores how we balance the threat of loss against the promise of gain. Writers recall the thrill and terror of going off the high-dive and skiing alone in avalanche country (which one really shouldn't do). They impulsively invite famous chefs over for dinner, set off on poorly planned road trips, and weigh the advantages of medicating their children. | ° Tanushree Baidya
° Kelly Beard ° Anne P. Beatty ° Jonathan Escoffery ° dee Hobsbawn-Smith ° Jenine Holmes ° Sarah Kasbeer ° Jennifer De Leon ° Brenda Miller ° Jennifer Niesslein ° Jenny O'Connell ° Shannon Reed ° Jenn Scheck-Kahn ° Jefferson Slagle ° Ira Sukrungruang ° Julie Marie Wade ° Allison K Williams ° Susannah Williams |
| 69 | 2019 | Intoxication | In this issue, writers explore the heady thrills—and, sometimes, dangers—of mother-daughter day-drinking; the Nashville music scene of 1983; finding a new romance in midlife; and surrendering to the Holy Spirit. | ° Kira Compton
° Sarah Curtis ° Maureen Hirthler ° Sonya Huber ° Joe Fassler ° Kateri Kosek ° Beth Kracklauer ° Suzanne LaFetra Collier ° Sheila Regan ° Jennifer Jordán Schaller ° Sarah Shotland ° Rachel Sircy |
| 70 | 2019 | Home | In this issue, we search for our place in the world. From Ohio to Oregon, from Browning, Montana, to the US-Mexico border, and from gated communities and “safe” suburbs to tight-knit urban neighborhoods, eleven restless writers ask whether home is a place or a state of mind; who belongs and who doesn't; and why we stay and why we leave. | ° Jane Alison
° Mallory Barnes ° Caitlin Dwyer ° Herb Harris ° Rebecca Lanning ° Susan V. Meyers ° Sondra Olson ° James Riach ° Brenda van Dyck ° Emily Waples ° Brian Phillip Whalen ° Emily Wortman-Wunder |
| 71 | 2019 | Let's Talk About Sex | In this issue, writers invite us to share some of their most intimate moments—first times, last times, and everything in between. By turns joyous, hopeful, playful, wistful, and sometimes even uncomfortable, the stories in this issue expand our understanding of how—and why—people (and houseflies and sea urchins) “do it.” | ° Steph Auteri
° Amy Botula ° Sue Fagalde Lick ° Julia Koets ° M.G. Leibowitz ° B. Pietras ° Anne Royan ° Roger Tolle ° Natalie van Hoose ° Anne Visser Ney ° Nicola Waldron |
| 72 | 2019 | Games | In this issue, writers connect with friends, family, and strangers to play Hanabi and hide-and-seek, mah-jongg and make-believe. Online or in-person, they explore other worlds, try on new ways of being, and find unexpected meaning. | ° Sasha Barab
° Yvette Benavides ° Alan Gershenfeld ° Linda Stallman Gibson ° Veronica Kavass ° Nicole Graev Lipson ° Geoff Martin ° Gabe Montesanti ° Eben Pindyck ° Renee Aukeman Prymus ° Sarah Rosenthal ° Amber Wong |
| 73 | 2020 | Memoir | This issue celebrates stories of the self in the world. Writers find (or, at least, try to find) meaning in familiar as well as unimaginable moments—the loves, losses, and joys that define our lives. | ° Rachel Beanland
° Will Bridges ° Jill Deasy ° Megan Doney ° Mary Beth Ellis ° Abby Mims ° Gabe Montesanti ° Will Storr ° Jerald Walker |
Past contributors
CNF books
| Title | Description | Publisher | Year | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What I Didn't Know: True Stories of Becoming a Teacher | A collection of twenty personal narratives from teachers and their fascinating insight on the profession. | In Fact Books | 2016 | ISBN 978-1-937163-27-3 |
| Show Me All Your Scars: True Stories of Living with Mental Illness | A collection of twenty essays about living with mental illness. With an introduction by Patrick J. Kennedy. Foreword by Karen Wolk Feinstein, PhD | In Fact Books | 2016 | ISBN 978-1-937163-25-9 |
| Oh, Baby!: True Stories About Conception, Adoption Pregnancy, Labor, and Love | A collection of twenty-three essays about becoming a parent. Co-edited by Alice Bradley with an introduction by Lisa Belkin. | In Fact Books | 2015 | ISBN 978-1-937163-21-1 |
| Same Time Next Week: True Stories of Working Through Mental Illness | A collection of eighteen essays that reflect the writers' struggles to overcome the challenges of mental disorders. With an introduction by Peter D. Kramer and a foreword by Karen Wolk Feinstein. | In Fact Books | 2015 | ISBN 978-1-937163-10-5 |
| True Stories, Well Told: From the First 20 Years of Creative Nonfiction Magazine | A collection of twenty gripping nonfiction narratives, the best of the best from CNF. Co-edited by Hattie Fletcher with an introduction by Susan Orlean. | In Fact Books | 2014 | ISBN 978-1-937163-16-7 |
| Southern Sin: True Stories of the Sultry South & Women Behaving Badly | Personal, poetic and journalistic stories contributed by Southern women. Co-edited by Beth Ann Fennelly with an introduction by Dorothy Allison | In Fact Books | 2013 | ISBN 978-1-937163-10-5 |
| True Crime: Real-life Stories of Grave-robbing, Identity Theft, Abduction, Addiction, Obsession, Murder, and More | Real-life crime stories including an investigation into the attempted assassination of Gabrielle Giffords. | In Fact Books | 2013 | ISBN
1937163148 |
| I Wasn't Strong Like This When I Started Out: True Stories of Becoming a Nurse | A collection of true narratives by nurses in different stages of their careers. With a foreword by Karen Wolk Feinstein. | In Fact Books | 2013 | ISBN 978-0-393-07156-6 |
| You Can't Make This Stuff Up: The Complete Guide to Writing Creative Nonfiction—from Memoir to Literary Journalism and Everything in Between | A genre how-to guide from Lee Gutkind, the founder and editor of Creative Nonfiction. | Da Capo Press | 2012 | ISBN 978-0-7382-1554-9 |
| An Immense New Power to Heal: The Promise of Personalized Medicine | Stories and profiles on the sequencing of the human genome and the subsequent development of personalized medicine. Co-edited by Pagan Kennedy. | In Fact Books | 2012 | ISBN 978-1-937163-06-8 |
| At the End of Life: True Stories About How We Die | Twenty-two personal-medical narratives exploring death, dying and palliative care. With an introduction by Francine Prose. | In Fact Books | 2012 | ISBN 978-1-937163-04-4 |
| Becoming a Doctor: From Student to Specialist, Doctor-Writers Share Their Experiences | Original stories about the daily lives of doctors. | W.W. Norton | 2010 | ISBN 978-0-393-07156-6 |
| The Best Creative Nonfiction, Vol. 3 | A collection of true stories—ranging from immersion journalism to personal essays—selected by Lee Gutkind and the staff of Creative Nonfiction. | W.W. Norton | 2009 | ISBN 978-0-393-33025-0 |
| The Best Creative Nonfiction, Vol. 2 | A special issue of Creative Nonfiction that features twenty-seven essays that originally appeared in alternative publications, blogs, literary journals, and other publications. | W.W. Norton | 2008 | ISBN 978-0-393-33024-3 |
| Anatomy of Baseball | Twenty new and classic essays about the American past time. Co-edited by Andrew Blauner with a foreword by Yogi Berra. | SMU Press | 2008 | ISBN 978-0-87074-522-5 |
| Keep It Real: Everything You Need to Know About Researching and Writing Creative Nonfiction | Provides writers with the working parameters of the creative nonfiction genre. | W.W. Norton | 2008 | ISBN 978-0-393-06561-9 |
| Silence Kills: Speaking Out and Saving Lives | Twelve new essays written by physicians, patients, and family members. Explores the communication breakdown in the current American health care system. | SMU Press | 2007 | ISBN 978-0-87074-518-8 |
| The Best Creative Nonfiction, Vol. 1 | A special issue of Creative Nonfiction that features twenty-seven essays that originally appeared in alternative publications, blogs, literary journals, and other publications. | W.W. Norton | 2007 | ISBN 978-0-393-33003-8 |
| Hurricanes and Carnivals: Essays by Chicanos, Pochos, Pachucos, Mexicanos, and Expatriates | Originally published as Issue 23 of Creative Nonfiction, this book features fifteen essays that push the boundaries between fact and fiction. With an introduction by Ilan Stavans. | The University of Arizona Press | 2007 | ISBN 978-0-8165-2625-3 |
| Our Roots are Deep with Passion: Creative Nonfiction Collects New Essays by Italian American Writers | Twenty-one essays written by established and emerging writers that explore the unique intersections of language, tradition, cuisine, and culture that characterize the diverse experience of Americans of Italian heritage. Co-edited by Joanna Clapps Herman with a foreword by Joe Mantegna. | Other Press | 2006 | ISBN 978-1-59051-242-5 |
| Rage & Reconciliation: Inspiring a Health Care Revolution | Originally published as issue 21 of Creative Nonfiction, the book includes new essays and an 80-minute CD containing three essays read by professional actors and a panel discussion of the ethical dimensions of the issues raised. Produced in conjunction with Pittsburgh's Jewish Healthcare Foundation, writers tackle health care in America, including problems of patient rights and professional responsibility. | SMU Press | 2005 | ISBN 0-87074-503-4 |
| In Fact: The Best of Creative Nonfiction | Twenty-five essays, all originally appearing in Creative Nonfiction, republished in honor of the journal's tenth anniversary. | W.W. Norton | 2005 | ISBN 0-393-32665-9 |
| Lessons in Persuasion: Creative Nonfiction/Pittsburgh Connections | Eighteen essays written by writers with ties to the city of Pittsburgh. | University of Pittsburgh Press | 2000 | ISBN 0-8229-5715-9 |
| A View from the Divide: Creative Nonfiction on Health and Science | Seventeen essays that attempt to demonstrate the many ways in which aspects of the scientific world—from biology, medicine, physics, and astronomy—can be captured and dramatized for a humanities-oriented readership. | University of Pittsburgh Press | 1998 | ISBN 978-0-8229-5685-3 |
| The Art of Creative Nonfiction: Writing and Selling the Literature of Reality | Introduces the genre of creative non-fiction and the process of structuring, researching and writing creative non-fiction essay. | John Wiley & Sons, Inc. | 1997 | ISBN 0-471-11356-5 |
The Creative Nonfiction Foundation
The Creative Nonfiction Foundation pursues educational and publishing initiatives in the genre of literary nonfiction. Its objectives are to provide a venue, the journal Creative Nonfiction, for high quality nonfiction prose (memoir, literary journalism, personal essay); to serve as the singular strongest voice of the genre, defining the ethics and parameters of the field; and to broaden the genre's impact in the literary arena by providing an array of educational services and publishing activities.
The Creative Nonfiction Foundation was incorporated in 1994 and is a private not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization supported by public and private funds contributed by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, the Juliet Lea Hillman Simonds Foundation, the Vira I. Heinz Endowment, and the Jewish Healthcare Foundation, as well as by individual donors.
Educational programs
The Creative Nonfiction Foundation offers a number of educational programs for teachers, students, and emerging writers.
Mentoring programs
Creative Nonfiction's mentoring program pairs new writers with seasoned professionals such as Rebecca Skloot and Dinty W. Moore. The mentoring program's goal is to help new writers: 1) develop their technique and approach to creative nonfiction composition; 2) revise, edit and shape their manuscript; and 3) place their finished manuscript with a publisher.
Online courses
Creative Nonfiction provides online courses on basic techniques for research, interviewing, immersion, and reporting as well as instruction on writing personal essays.
Writers' conferences
CNF hosted the Mid-South Conference in Oxford, Mississippi, in February 2008, and 412: The Pittsburgh Creative Nonfiction Literary Festival in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2008. In the spring of 2013, Creative Nonfiction hosted The Best of Creative Nonfiction Conference at the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Arts Education Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Creative Nonfiction also hosts an annual Creative Nonfiction Writers' Conference, dedicated to the art, craft, and power of true stories, each May.
Writing institutes
Creative Nonfiction holds institutes throughout the year in a variety of locations and offers programs for writers at all levels of experience. Instructors include Lee Gutkind and other well-known writers, teachers, and editors. The institutes often cover a range of themes, from the basics of the creative nonfiction genre to writing memoir to travel narrative. Courses also attempt to emphasize the ethics and guidelines of the genre.
Editorial advisory board
A number of prominent authors, educators and media figures are members of the Foundation's Editorial Advisory Board, whose task is to help the Editorial Board sustain and guide the editorial mission of the magazine.
See also
External links
- The Creative Nonfiction website
- Lee Gutkind's Website
- Brevity: A Journal of Concise Literary Nonfiction
- Creative Nonfiction on LitList
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