I have never met a writer who wanted to sound like everyone else. Some thoughts on AI and the written word. www.ellenblumbarish.com/ellen-blum-b...

Choice Words — Ellen Blum Barish For the love of a good sentence.

Choice words. For the love of sentences.

“Are we defined by our structure or how we hold the weight of what lays upon us?” Words and image by EBB.

Don't Burn Your Journals Yet: Finding Yourself on the Written Page Podcast Episode · We Ain't Dead Yet · 2026-01-20 · 35m

Delighted to have been invited for a wide-ranging conversation about creativity with Lori Dube and Constance Bauer, hosts of "We Ain't Dead Yet," a wonderful new podcast on life, love and aging.

Click to listen below:

“A bench with a snowy view is an invitation to feel how winter sits with you.” — Ellen Blum Barish.

Join me in a weekly prompt to pair photographs with sensational sentences. Find a photo that calls, craft a sentence that captures the feeling and bring them together when ready.

Making - and being around art makers and completed art - can alleviate anxiety. There’s actually science to support this! Some thoughts on how and some holiday gift offerings. Photo by @chainmeister. A new post for December. “How Art Can Alleviate Anxiety.” Link in bio.

Really excited about being a part of this very special event on Sunday, December 7 at Chicago Loop Synagogue.

Join me and this amazing gathering of Chicago Jewish writers
for an afternoon of schmoozing, noshing and book talk.

Pre-registration required. More at www.chiloopsyn.org.

Join me next week, November 13, for this online workshop to generate stories from our life for legacy. With appreciation to Ritualwell for the invitation and hosting!

What it looks like to lean into other arts forms on your writing journey. Announcing a new branch of my coaching services tree: Creative Companioning. www.ellenblumbarish.com/ellen-blum-b...

A new writing guide - hot off the presses! Ellen’s Eight Essential Elements is an 8-page guide designed as a checklist for a writer after the first draft is down that allow a writer to confirm what's already working well and discover the ones that might need strengthening.

Hot Dog By Ellen Blum Barish My father pushed his bowl of chicken soup aside, sent the hospice nurse home, and set out on his scooter into the city in search of a hot dog…

Persistence, my friends.
I've been submitting flash essays and teaching from Beautiful Things for many years and the piece below, "Hot Dog," was, finally, a yes.
The wait was well worth it.
Had to share.

Thank you for writing to say so, Jacqueline! The photo is an added plus indeed.

Hot Dog By Ellen Blum Barish My father pushed his bowl of chicken soup aside, sent the hospice nurse home, and set out on his scooter into the city in search of a hot dog…

Persistence, my friends.
I've been submitting flash essays and teaching from Beautiful Things for many years and the piece below, "Hot Dog," was, finally, a yes.
The wait was well worth it.
Had to share.

What a treat to be a live body in the room with Nina Boug Lichtenstein, Gayle Brandeis and Talya Jankovits at Secret World Books listening to Nina discuss "Body: My Life in Parts."
And what a delight to meet this Binder and former Stitch contributor in person!

Wait for It … And Hold — Ellen Blum Barish There’s music in that pause.

There'e music in that pause.

The Legacy of Language — Ellen Blum Barish What a well-turned phrase can do.

When the words move you.

When Everything Changed: Writing Your Marker Story with Ellen Blum Barish - StoryStudio Chicago In this single session workshop, we’ll read and listen to excerpts from marker stories in each a variety of genres, unpack what makes them poignant and talk about how to get started on our own.

When something big happens and you’ve just got to tell the story, but aren’t exactly sure how, @ellenblumbarish.bsky.social's @storystudiochicago.bsky.social class is for you. One class, April 29, Zoom!
www.storystudiochicago.org/classes/clas...

Journey to Cropol Island — Ellen Blum Barish   At 11 and 12, our imaginations were on fire. As was our love of language. See the alliteration? Hear the sound of those plants? Sense that pacing? Scene setting? Conflict and drama?

At 11 and 12, our imaginations were on fire. As was our love of language. See the alliteration? Hear the sound of those plants? Sense that pacing? Conflict and drama?
Read more at "Journey to Cropol Island."

There’s a scene in the fourth season of “The Crown” that magnificently illustrates the power in choosing just the right word. Check out my latest Substack post for more.

An appropriately lovely series of sunbeams streaming in on “The View from the Studio Door: How Artists Find Their Way in an Uncertain World” by Ted Orland.

The Offering of the Olives - Ritualwell "even the faintest spark of light / can reach / and illuminate us."

Happy Hanukkah for those who celebrate!

Are Memoirs “Impossible to Sell”? Only If Narrowly Defined By Allison K Williams Last week, Canadian magazine The Walrus published “Memoirs Are Almost Impossible to Sell” by Tajja Isen. “Publishers are turning away from personal stories. Have readers stopp…

Thank you, Allison K. Williams, for this beautifully articulated and balanced response to the status of memoir these days.
@allisonkwilliams.bsky.social @dintywmoore.bsky.social

Grateful for the editors who resonated with my work this year and for the privilege of publication. #chicagostorypress #yellowarrowpublishing #ritualwell #fiveminutelit

I'm a late adopter but happy to be here on Bluesky where I'll be shining a light on my favorite word forms.