Reckon Review

Tag: Creative Nonfiction

  • UNEARTHING OUR ANCESTORS: An Interview with Jeremy B. Jones |  by Jessica Cory

    Jeremy B. Jones’ most recent work Cipher: Decoding My Ancestor’s Scandalous Secret Diaries will come out in September 2025 with Blair Publishers. Cipher follows Jeremy’s fourth great-grandfather’s encoded writings while simultaneously grappling with the author’s own role in his family, particularly as a parent. This book offers a raw, honest look at the role of…

  • MAYBE PARALLEL UNIVERSE ME WAS BORN WITHOUT A CLEFT PALATE | Creative Nonfiction by Sage Tyrtle

    Maybe her philtrum is intact. The skin between her nose and lip a gentle slope, leading to a rosebud smile. She could have nursed from her mother’s plump breast with a strong suck, no whistling holes in her cat’s mouth. At school, perhaps Dawn held hands with her at recess instead of luring her into…

  • CONTENT WARNING: Triggers in Creative Nonfiction | By Olga Katsovskiy

    A large sign at the entrance of an ancient Egyptian gallery at the museum warns viewers of mummified human remains enclosed in a sarcophagus in the next room and suggests an alternate route to bypass the “triggering” mummy. It reminds me of trigger warnings; how quick they are to label a story before the reader…

  • WANDA, BRIEFLY | Creative Nonfiction by Amanda Ashworth

    Editor’s note: This story reads more like a folk tale than creative nonfiction, even with the beginning sentence stating that it’s a true story. However, one section of Amanda’s cover letter brought everything together in a way that we felt was important. We also didn’t want to interrupt the flow of Amanda’s writing and ask…

  • FEBRUARY, 44 | Creative Nonfiction by Melissa Flores Anderson

    The week you died, before I knew you were dying, a black blur crossed my path in the cold, still morning. The creature paused to look back at me, a dog with no owner in sight. As  I jogged closer, a narrow snout and a lack of collar signaled it might not be domesticated. The…

  • PARENTAL RECKONINGS: Lassie, there’s a writer in a well!

    By Amy Barnes I have NOT been writing. I have managed to dig myself a well in my sleep. There’s dirt under my dream fingernails. I’m tired. I’m thirsty. My thoughts feel dry. My nightly goal is to find a well of creativity I’ve been told exists somewhere, but I’ve only managed to locate a…

  • FAMILY RITUALS | Creative Nonfiction by Mary Ann McGuigan

    The guests at my brother Sean’s wedding have formed a huge circle on the dance floor, ready to watch Uncle Johnny and Aunt Peggy do their Peabody. They’ll have the floor to themselves. It’s a tradition in Mama’s family, a kind of initiation performed for each of the many cousins at their receptions. My aunt…

  • THE FRACTURED MIRROR: Craft it Loud

    By Edward Karshner When someone asks me what I do, I fight the urge to say “cowboy.” I usually say, “I teach.” I never lead with “I’m a writer.” I never feel comfortable with that particular job. It’s my favorite. Not my favorite to talk about. Eventually, I confess, and the next question is, “what…

  • ARS POETICA | Creative Nonfiction by Grace Ann Elinski

    I believe any activity done with love and presence is a spiritual practice. I believe Love and Connectedness is the God of my world. I believe in hand-rolled cigarettes for espresso shot emergencies. I believe in the Body remembering, immersed in the funk ridden Ross Barnett, suicidal pull of The Atlantic, The Gulf and its…

  • HEALTHY HABITS: What I Need

    By Valerie Peralta April marked one year in my position as the coordinator of a college writing center. In the past 12 months I’ve become adept at using Microsoft Teams, developed an attitude of tolerance toward AI as a tool, and gained the trust of my team of tutors as well as several students and…