List: Creative Nonfiction | Curated by J.N. Estey

Feb 12, 2023

21 stories

Creative Nonfiction
J.N. Estey
Chiaroscuro
Feb 12, 2023
1
Feb 12, 2023
1
J.N. Estey
A Breakup Letter to Sharp ObjectsFamily meeting. Get the gang altogether, and let’s sit around the coffee table and talk. Scissors, razor blades, box cutters, and a single…
Feb 19, 2021
Feb 19, 2021
J.N. Estey
Freedom Is a Noun in Theory and a Verb in PracticeI’ve been seeing the phrase “died from depression” or “death by depression” more and more lately; and despite the inherent heaviness of…
Feb 19, 2021
Feb 19, 2021
J.N. Estey
WanderlustYou were in my dream this afternoon. I fell asleep reading; and there you were, visiting. It’s been a long time. Hasn’t it?
Feb 19, 2021
Feb 19, 2021
J.N. Estey
AnoxiaI can’t believe I’m almost twenty-seven years old. I’ve lost almost an entire decade to mental illness — to depression. I don’t talk about…
Feb 26, 2021
Feb 26, 2021
J.N. Estey
A Tale in Two Parts:1. On Surviving Suicide
Mar 2, 2021
1
Mar 2, 2021
1
J.N. Estey
FreedomI was standing in my kitchen, nursing a glass of water and my morning medication. My dog, Charley, crawls out from under my bed, walks…
Mar 15, 2021
Mar 15, 2021
J.N. Estey
Social Media TherapistsThere’s always so much to be said for those who don’t give up. What about those who do? Those who did? Are they worth talking about, too…
Apr 6, 2021
Apr 6, 2021
J.N. Estey
Love Letter to a FriendLife is really, really hard; and sometimes, it feels like an unwinnable fight. But, I think we win every time we choose to keep going…
Apr 19, 2021
Apr 19, 2021
J.N. Estey
Love Letter to a Friend, Pt. 2Grappling with mental illness is a journey that doesn’t ease or end even when the illness itself begins to loosen its grip. I’m not sure…
Jun 14, 2021
Jun 14, 2021
J.N. Estey
DepressionIt’s like the cycle of burnout except crawling out of the well doesn’t look like hyper-productivity and overcommitment, it looks like doing…
Jul 5, 2021
Jul 5, 2021
J.N. Estey
An Open WindowFlowers and earth and books and warmth. Warm coffee, warm air, quiet breath. The sounds of leaves and wind sharing secrets and birds…
Jul 27, 2021
Jul 27, 2021
J.N. Estey
Pre-Dawn Existential Crisis Courtesy of Corporate Greed and Environmental DegradationOur planet and its environment have developed over millions of years to become what they are today.
Aug 28, 2021
Aug 28, 2021
J.N. Estey
The Power of NowMindfulness as a stand alone practice has been gaining in widespread popularity exponentially. As it continues to grow, more and more…
Sep 2, 2021
Sep 2, 2021
J.N. Estey
Holey/HolyI just cleaned my bathroom sink. As I finished wiping down the last few spots, I thought to myself, “Wow, what a blessing this is.” What a…
Sep 19, 2021
Sep 19, 2021
J.N. Estey
The Magic of Letting GoA decades-long experiment begins. We stand facing each other. You look at me, I look at you, I look so much like you. I hold up a mirror…
Nov 15, 2021
Nov 15, 2021
J.N. Estey
Carnival: Snapshot of My Life as Aileen WuornosI long for a world where little girls learn about the bodies of boys and of men when they are old enough to comprehend. When it’s…
Jan 6, 2022
Jan 6, 2022
J.N. Estey
Thursday NightI slather coconut oil on my lips in the bathroom. I slather coconut oil on my lips because I do not have the energy to go into the other…
Jan 28, 2022
Jan 28, 2022
J.N. Estey
How to Write Your Way Out of a Dissociative EpisodeStep 1: Write a lighting speed paragraph that makes little sense.
Step 2: Delete, try again.
Step 3: Write two sentences. Stop. Delete. Try…
Feb 7, 2022
Feb 7, 2022
J.N. Estey
Love Letter to the Girl Who Tried to DieIf I could send you one message from the future, as you sedately lie in your hospital bed wondering why it is you remain on this Earth, it…
Apr 17, 2022
Apr 17, 2022

Creative Nonfiction

Chiaroscuro

A Breakup Letter to Sharp Objects

Family meeting. Get the gang altogether, and let’s sit around the coffee table and talk. Scissors, razor blades, box cutters, and a single…

Freedom Is a Noun in Theory and a Verb in Practice

I’ve been seeing the phrase “died from depression” or “death by depression” more and more lately; and despite the inherent heaviness of…

Wanderlust

You were in my dream this afternoon. I fell asleep reading; and there you were, visiting. It’s been a long time. Hasn’t it?

Anoxia

I can’t believe I’m almost twenty-seven years old. I’ve lost almost an entire decade to mental illness — to depression. I don’t talk about…

A Tale in Two Parts:

1. On Surviving Suicide

Freedom

I was standing in my kitchen, nursing a glass of water and my morning medication. My dog, Charley, crawls out from under my bed, walks…

Social Media Therapists

There’s always so much to be said for those who don’t give up. What about those who do? Those who did? Are they worth talking about, too…

Love Letter to a Friend

Life is really, really hard; and sometimes, it feels like an unwinnable fight. But, I think we win every time we choose to keep going…

Love Letter to a Friend, Pt. 2

Grappling with mental illness is a journey that doesn’t ease or end even when the illness itself begins to loosen its grip. I’m not sure…

Depression

It’s like the cycle of burnout except crawling out of the well doesn’t look like hyper-productivity and overcommitment, it looks like doing…

An Open Window

Flowers and earth and books and warmth. Warm coffee, warm air, quiet breath. The sounds of leaves and wind sharing secrets and birds…

Pre-Dawn Existential Crisis Courtesy of Corporate Greed and Environmental Degradation

Our planet and its environment have developed over millions of years to become what they are today.

The Power of Now

Mindfulness as a stand alone practice has been gaining in widespread popularity exponentially. As it continues to grow, more and more…

Holey/Holy

I just cleaned my bathroom sink. As I finished wiping down the last few spots, I thought to myself, “Wow, what a blessing this is.” What a…

The Magic of Letting Go

A decades-long experiment begins. We stand facing each other. You look at me, I look at you, I look so much like you. I hold up a mirror…

Carnival: Snapshot of My Life as Aileen Wuornos

I long for a world where little girls learn about the bodies of boys and of men when they are old enough to comprehend. When it’s…

Thursday Night

I slather coconut oil on my lips in the bathroom. I slather coconut oil on my lips because I do not have the energy to go into the other…

How to Write Your Way Out of a Dissociative Episode

Step 1: Write a lighting speed paragraph that makes little sense. Step 2: Delete, try again. Step 3: Write two sentences. Stop. Delete. Try…

Love Letter to the Girl Who Tried to Die

If I could send you one message from the future, as you sedately lie in your hospital bed wondering why it is you remain on this Earth, it…

J.N. Estey