The Narratively Academy team interviews top writers, editors and publishing industry professionals to give you real, honest insight on how to pitch, write and publish your work.
www.narrativelyacademy.com (https://www.narrativelyacademy.com/s/live-videos?utm_medium=podcast)
WATCH: Your Questions About the Narratively Memoir Prize and Personal Essay Sprint
Thanks so much to everyone who joined yesterday for our live “Ask Me Anything” session about the 2026 Narratively Memoir Prize (https://community.narratively.com/p/2026-memoir-prize) and our brand-new Personal Essay Sprint (https://community.narratively.com/p/personal-essay-sprint). We had a fantastic conversation about what we look for in essay submissions, how to give and receive great feedback on your essay drafts, and much more.
Miss it live? Click play above to watch the full thing.
The writers who have already joined the Personal Essay Sprint (https://community.narratively.com/p/personal-essay-sprint) have been busy sharing their essay ideas, getting feedback from peers, and diving into their drafts.
Haven’t signed up yet? There’s no time like the present! Join now and you’ll be able to be with us live tomorrow for the first of six intimate conversations with memoir experts. On Thursday, October 22 at 1pm ET, Narratively’s Brendan Spiegel (https://substack.com/profile/6534176-brendan-spiegel) will be chatting with Sari Botton (https://substack.com/profile/238336-sari-botton), publisher of Memoir Land (https://open.substack.com/users/1099676-memoir-land?utm_source=mentions) and Oldster Magazine (https://open.substack.com/users/86606288-oldster-magazine?utm_source=mentions), about what makes a personal essay great.
PS: We’re super excited about this sprint, but participation is not required in order to enter the 2026 Narratively Memoir Prize. Head here to learn more about the prize and submit your story (https://community.narratively.com/p/2026-memoir-prize).
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3 Oct 2026
WATCH: Finding the Writing Process That’s Right for You
I had so much fun chatting with Janna Marlies Maron (https://substack.com/profile/2340040-janna-marlies-maron) this week! It was wonderful hearing about how Janna found her calling as a book coach working with everyone from New York Times bestsellers to self-published newcomers. And it was absolutely freeing to hear her philosophy on how writers can stop listening to the rules about how we’re supposed to write and start finding the process that’s right for us. I walked away with a tip that I can’t wait to incorporate into my writing routine, and I know quite a few viewers did too. If you missed it live, click play above to watch the full thing.
And if you’re ready to identify your own best writing process, join Janna next week for The Aligned Writer: A 4-Week Coaching Experience (https://www.narrativelyacademy.com/p/the-aligned-writer-a-4-week-coaching). This is a very unique chance for just 10 writers to work closely with Janna to help you understand your creative patterns, overcome roadblocks, and build a writing practice that truly works for you. Class starts on Wednesday, October 7—sign up now (https://www.narrativelyacademy.com/p/the-aligned-writer-a-4-week-coaching)!
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.narrativelyacademy.com/subscribe (https://www.narrativelyacademy.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)
12 Sept 2026
WATCH: Brendan O’Meara on Demystifying Pitching + Publishing
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.narrativelyacademy.com (https://www.narrativelyacademy.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_7)
Our Open Book chats here at Narratively Academy (https://substack.com/profile/4431400-narratively-academy) are all about trying to pull back the curtain on some of the more elusive areas of the literary world. So, when we came across Brendan O’Meara’s work with The Creative Nonfiction Podcast (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-creative-nonfiction-podcast-with-brendan-omeara/id541967932) and his newsletter Pitch Club (https://open.substack.com/pub/welcometopitchclub), both with similar missions to ours, collaborating seemed like a no-brainer. On his pod, Brendan has inspirational conversations with literary powerhouses about the craft of writing, and his newsletter features real pitches from real writers with their added commentary on how they came to their ideas, found the right editor to email and more. Did we mention he’s also an author who has written two standout books about sports, and that his latest, The Front Runner, was nominated (https://moody.utexas.edu/centers/sports-communication-media/jenkins-medal-excellence-sportswriting) for the Dan Jenkins Medal for Excellence in Sportswriting for Best Sports Book category?
We get into it all in our conversation, from how to build a lasting platform, to how to reframe rejection on small and big scales, the truth behind six-figure advances and so.much.more. If you missed it live, be sure to check the recording of this one. And if you’re not already a paying subscriber to Narratively Academy, I can’t think of a better reason to join than to get to listen to conversations like this one (and to get 20% off every Narratively Academy class, and to check out all our informational craft posts, join our write-together-apart community, and…)
Contact Open Book with Narratively Academy
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