As a writer, I want to read and listen to stories that leave me with something, whether they make me more informed or ask me to consider a new perspective.
Most often though, I just love work that makes me feel something. So, here are 10 of my favorite stories from 2023 that do exactly that.
1. I'm Estranged From My Dad | Insider | Me
This was the first essay I published in a major outlet, and it discusses ambiguous loss, a theme that is central to my memoir. I talk about my dad and our extremely complicated relationship, or lack thereof. If you’ve ever felt loss over an ended relationship or estrangement, or grieved a person who is gone but who hasn’t died, I wrote this for you.
2. Skyline Drive | Apple Podcasts | Mangesh Hattikudur
This is not an astrology podcast, it’s a podcast about astrology. Specifically, it’s a skeptic’s exploration of why humans are so obsessed with the stars and the role that astrology plays in our culture and our personal lives. It’s also a very human story about losing a parent, connecting to your roots, and confronting grief. Plus, the storytelling and music in this show are outstanding and you’ll probably cry.
3. Family Secrets, S8 Episode 9 | Apple Podcasts | Dani Shapiro and Jessica Willis Fisher
Dani Shapiro’s podcast provides a platform for people to tell their incredible true stories. I was especially moved by this episode featuring Jessica Willis Fisher, a successful musician and now-memoirist who grew up with an abusive father in an unconventional and very religious childhood. This is a dark listen, but an important story about the power of a woman’s resilience. Jessica also has a book, which is on my list for 2024. (Shoutout to my friend Tim for recommending this show!)
4. The Serial Killer and The Texas Mom Who Stopped Him | Vanity Fair | Julie Miller
In our true crime-obsessed society, so many murder stories involve a woman’s tragic death and her killer going free. I love this article in Vanity Fair because it talks about how a woman not only escaped her potential killer, but also helped law enforcement find and catch him, so he couldn’t continue harming people. Instead of sensationalizing a murderer, the story centers the emotional intelligence and quick-thinking of a young mother.
5. The Loneliest Road in America | HerStry | Me
Another essay I published in 2023, this won second place in HerStry’s annual writing contest. I wrote about the complicated nature of addiction, how drugs can both help and harm us, and what it truly means to heal. I still feel uncomfortable sharing this one, but that’s because it’s one of the truest, realest things I’ve ever written.
6. Men We Reaped | Memoir | Jesmyn Ward
Like many people, I’ll steer clear of a book if I know it’ll make me too sad. This is important for our mental health when we are already facing a lot of sadness from the world we inhabit. However, I think we also have a duty to read sad stories because there is truth in their sadness, and staying ignorant about the tragedy and horrors all around us might only perpetuate them. Plus, it helps to know that the author is doing quite well considering all that she’s been through.
7. Truth and Beauty: A Friendship | Memoir | Ann Patchett
I just picked this up at a thrift store in Florida and couldn’t put it down. Award-winning novelist Ann Patchett details the story of her friendship with Lucy Grealy, an Irish-American poet and essayist who battled childhood cancer and its lasting physical effects. Patchett writes about how their friendship intersects with writing, illness, self-image, and the search for love, and it’s a beyond beautiful (and tragic) tale.
8. Milk, Blood, Heat | Short Stories | Dantiel W. Moniz
Florida is a strange, beautiful, mysterious place that one really only understands after spending some time in the sunshine state. Milk, Blood, Heat is a collection of short stories that captures the ordinary and extraordinary nature of this state and what it means to exist there. I can’t wait to read more of Dantiel’s work.
9. Shark Heart | Novel | Emily Habeck
My favorite novel I read this year, Shark Heart is a sweeping examination of love and loss. The main character’s husband is diagnosed with an illness where he slowly turns into a great white shark, and while this sounds silly, it’s rendered with beauty and meaning. Shark Heart will remind you to hold your loved ones close and cherish every moment. This book had me crying on a plane in the middle seat.
10. The Girlfriends | Apple Podcasts | Carole Fisher
I appreciate how the women in this story work together to bring a murderer down, and it’s refreshing that the podcast features the perspectives of women over the age of 50. This story also contains important information about being in an abusive relationship and signs to watch for. I’d recommend this for fans of the Dirty John podcast, and for more podcast recs, check out the Podcast Review newsletter.
Let me know if you wind up diving into any of these, and stay tuned for more stories of mine coming in January!