Publishing a deeply personal essay can feel like a high-risk, low-reward endeavor. After all, most writers who expose their vulnerabilities to the world rarely become famous, garner thousands of “likes,” or go viral.
But knowing that our words connected with and impact other people is often the only payoff writers of creative nonfiction really seek. That’s why I was happy to see that the most personal essay I have ever published, “I’m OK,” was the most read essay in Hippocampus Magazine in 2023.
Hippocampus Magazine, an independent literary journal that publishes creative nonfiction covering a broad array of experiences and subject matter, recently released their 2023 Year-End Recap. Check it out to learn more about the magazine, support some great creative nonfiction, and see a small part of the literary world that might have flown under your radar. In it, the magazine mentions their top-10 most read essays based on web traffic and right at the top is my essay, “I’m OK.”
Published in July of last year, I was already aware that the essay, which describes my experiences, relationships, and (slowly deteriorating) mental health during the first 9 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, had attract some eyeballs. Friends and family I don’t routinely hear from had been reaching out and showing support that, frankly, I was not expecting. It’s nice to see that this wasn’t just from my mom sending an avalanche of emails to her entire address book and that Hippocampus saw some noticeable web traffic to the essay, as well.
I also owe some thanks to other people who shared the essay on their platforms, such as the Humans in Healthcare newsletter in which creator Amy Story shared my essay as well some great discussion questions, both of which you can find here.
If you haven’t read the essay, you can check out the full essay in its original home at Hippocampus Magazine with this link.
If reading this essay brings up emotions or experiences that you want to get off your chest, feel free to contact me and let me know.
Thank you to everyone who read and shared the essay (and especially those who reached out afterwards).
Good luck with your writing!