Four Essays That Redefine "Personal"
The personal essay is as elusive and subjective as the words "personal" and "essay" are on their own. Essays become hard to define when they are published, and when you add in the variable of online publications, they become even more of a slippery subject. As more and more writers self-publish, especially in the age of the newsletter, it feels like the personal essay has been reborn a million times over -- though few outside parties are as quick to critique newsletter entries as they are published essays. Here are four essays by writers who have published works outside of a personal essay format who, when turning to the personal essay, bring new meaning to the definition of "personal."
Aimee Nezhukumatathil - “When in Doubt, Smile Like an Axolotl”
Aimee Nezhukumatathil’s recently published collection of essays, World of Wonders, is a prime example of one specific personal essay style. Nezhukumatathil, who has mostly published poetry, weaves lyric-infused tales of personal anecdotes with scientific facts about animals and other creatures. In this essay, she counters the heartbreaking fact of there being no more axolotls in the wild with the fact that axolotls' ability to heal and regenerate its own body is one of the great mysteries of science. Like the axolotl's ability to regenerate, Nezhukumatathil describes her "chameleon smile" as a saving grace in parts of the world that don't know how to, or refuse to, understand her identity. It is in these comparisons, and these traits, that the personal aspects of her essays become part of a global conversation.
Alexander Chee - “100 Things About Writing a Novel”
Among other things, Alexander Chee is the author of three novels, which gives this essay particular credence. Written as a numbered list, the piece is at times explanatory (see #49), inquisitive (see #77-80), and plaintive (#84). The piece gives context to what a writer goes through as they write a novel without being prescriptive or declarative and, in one list of 100 items, provides the wonder of a novel's contents without giving away every secret of its creation. It's impossible not to read this piece and wonder how much of himself Chee is putting into this list, specifically with the inclusion of #81: "'Everything in here is about you,' the novel says."
Cinelle Barnes - “What I Feel When My Daughter Tells Me She Wants to Be a Writer”
In this essay, Cinelle Barnes demonstrates her comfort in the realm of writing about the craft of writing, not unlike Chee. This essay appears as the coda of Barnes' second book, Malaya, and it was the first piece of hers I read. Where Chee's list is more general, this piece is more directly personal. She details the conflict she feels of her daughter declaring proudly that she wants to be a writer like her mother while also reckoning with the results of the choice of her career path. It makes for a striking and heartwarming story that touches on intersectionality, representation, living in the South, and a growing child's curiosity amid a tumultuous world.
Ann Patchett - “These Precious Days”
To close out this list, Ann Patchett's long-form essay shows us how the personal essay can be almost entirely about someone else. Patchett, who has published seven books, took to the essay format to tell a profound story of meeting Tom Hanks' personal assistant, Sooki, and becoming her friend while in the midst of a global pandemic. While it is undoubtedly long and difficult, in places (many personal essays have the benefit of being shorter and more easily digestible), this essay makes your effort worth it from its first event to its very end: it is a beautifully personal story from Patchett's perspective about Sooki, an absolute luminary. Both Patchett's conversational writing style, as well as the fact that the essay was published quickly after it happened, give the impression of having listened to a friend tell you a story, catching you up on every life event since you've last seen each other.
