Dear creative people, do not wait until you’re “ready.” Readiness finds you whenever and wherever you begin.

Blaise Allysen Kearsley (@blaiseallysen) This short piece moves me every time I read it and I’ve read it like 1,200 times. You can too, if you want.

You know—it’s that thing where you see dead people playing pool in NoHo.
The latest at How I Learned mag: “Pool Hall” by Michael Barrish

Alexander Chee, From Seat 19A Writer Alexander Chee (How To Write An Autobiographical Novel; Queen of The Night; Edinburgh) on stealing things, rescuing things, and holding his liquor.

7 micro-questions for @alexanderchee.bsky.social at HOW I LEARNED mag's tiny interview series, MY NEXT GHOST.

Blaise Allysen Kearsley (@blaiseallysen) SUBMISSIONS ARE OPEN FOR HOW I LEARNED

Submit your best story. ⚡️

Close up photo of my white and orange cat Mabel sitting at my laptop looking up at me. Text says: “Silent Write-In Thurs, 3/5, 2:30pm-5:00pm ET. www.blaiseallysenkearsley.com/silent-virtual-write-in”. Pink bubble on the image says “FREE Drop on anytime”

Free Silent Write-In Thursday, 3/5, 2:30-5:00pm ET on Zoom. No prompts, no chatter, everyone on mute. Come and go as you please. Grab the link: www.blaiseallysenkearsley.com/silent-virtu...

powerful academics getting to retire after being linked to a child sex trafficer is not "accountability" or "facing consequences" or "a reckoning" or "justice" it's just them retiring. These institutions continue to beclown themselves. Divest.

Funny. It’s in a frame on the wall above my desk.

Love this essay so much.

Day 28: Come With Me | 28 x 20 Of time, precaution, and pleasure | Quilt by Maria Shell

Last 20-minute nonfiction writing prompt of February. (Become a paid subscriber to get forever access to all 28 prompts.)

Black Legacy Discover the complete Black history of New York—from 1609 to the present—by the award-winning author of Breaking the Chains and Black Indians. For readers 12 and up. Includes a new intro and l...

I had no idea that this book was out and available: sevenstories.com/books/4761-b... - It's by William Loren Katz - a book for tweens and teens.

!!!!!!!!!

Girl Missing, Bay Village, OH - 1989 The unsolved abduction and murder of my hometown neighbor

“A few days after she disappeared, we set out trick-or-treating under a deep, navy sky. We walked up to the homes of strangers and willingly took the candy. But it was Amy who haunted our thoughts.” -Kendra Stanton Lee

Jesse Jackson: titan of US civil rights movement leaves legacy of hope - The Latest The civil rights campaigner has died aged 84. Jackson was a protege of Martin Luther King Jr and ran twice for the Democratic presidential nomination. Rev Jesse Jackson, the civil rights campaigner and trailblazer in US politics, has died aged 84. Lucy Hough speaks to Carys Afoko

Jesse Jackson: titan of US civil rights movement leaves legacy of hope - The Latest

Me at 20: I’ll have it all figured out by the time I’m 40.

Me at 40: wtf do you mean they rearranged the grocery store

Bread Crust and Curls A Kāi Tahu family and the texture of becoming

Honored to share this How I Learned essay by Ariana Tikao, New Zealand Arts Laureate, poet, musician, and member of the Kāi Tahu tribe.
www.howilearnedseries.com/p/bread-crus...

28 x 20: Daily Prompts for Writing Super-Short Personal Essays in 20 Minutes 28 days. 28 prompts. 20 minutes. Less force, more allow.

28 x 20: Daily Prompts for Writing Super-Short Personal Essays in 20 Minutes
open.substack.com/pub/howilear...

Day 1 | Rituals | 28 x 20: Daily Flash Nonfiction Prompts | How I Learned Magazine It’s not being in the light, it’s being there before it arrives

Forget what you think you should write. Forget what you’ve been trying to write. Not a writer? Forget it. Bestselling writer? Who cares! No stakes. No attachment to outcomes. Set your Passion Planner on fire because we're going somewhere else now. www.howilearnedseries.com/p/little-rit...

28 x 20 Starts Tomorrow: Here's Everything You Need To Know FAQs | 28 days. 28 prompts. 28 micro stories. 20 minutes.

Get the FAQs. Late to the party is no problem.

Subscribe to How I Learned The online magazine version of the live NYC show where writers and raconteurs get wise, or something like it. Click to read How I Learned, by Blaise Allysen Kearsley, a Substack publication with hundr...

Finally, it’s the 1200th day of January. One more endless day to go! And just 11 hours left to steal 25% off a one-year subscription to HOW I LEARNED, which, in addition to resisting fascism, is probably the best thing for you right now. www.howilearnedseries.com/subscribe

Mothers Don’t Get the Luxury of Unraveling The bamboozling logic of postpartum's point of view

New from Emma Logan at How I Learned. 🖤

ICE is using Medicaid data to find out where immigrants live • Wisconsin Examiner A court ruling has cleared the way for ICE to resume using states’ Medicaid data to find people who are in the country illegally.

ICE is using Medicaid data to find out where immigrants live via Anna Claire Vollers of @stateline.org wisconsinexaminer.com/2026/01/20/r...

After This Night In 1983, an 11-year-old girl's taste of independence ends in a lesson she didn't ask for

The latest at How I Learned magazine: a personal essay by my dear old friend Erica Youngren. I've loved her since the third grade!
www.howilearnedseries.com/p/after-this...

ICYMI ♥️

Closeup photo of a small white and orange cat sitting in front of a MacBook. Text reads: “FREE SILENT WRITE-IN, SUNDAY 12/14, 1-3pm EST. Drop in anytime. blaiseallysenkearsley.com/silent-virtual-write-in”

SUNDAY 12/14: Silent Write-In. No prompts. No fees. No kings. Everyone on mute. Bring some hot choc with whip. 1-3pm EST (drop in anytime). It’s whatever.

www.blaiseallysenkearsley.com/silent-virtual-write-in

Hiker is rescued from quicksand in Utah canyon after drone video spotted him struggling The man was rescued Sunday after he became trapped up to his thighs at Arches National Park.

ATTN: GEN X!!!! QUICKSAND ALERT!!!!!!

Everybody's Favorite Janet (Steen) Fresh from the Catskills with a handmade key holder

MY NEXT GHOST from How I Learned mag: a few succinct scattered questions for people we like—less “what’s your creative process?” and more, “have you ever seen a businessman slip on a banana peel?” Our first next ghost is the brilliant, inimitable @janetsteen.bsky.social substack.com/@blaiseallys...

Get Out Of Your Own Way Approach Writing Creativity with Mindfulness This one-day workshop is suitable for mindfulness beginners and all levels of creative nonfiction writers. Learn more and join us at WritingWorkshops.com.

2 SPOTS LEFT. Still time to join us. Give me two hours tomorrow, 6:30pm-8:30pm EST, and I’ll solve all your probs.