One Die-Hard Reader's All-Time Favorite Narratively Stories

These are the three pieces that made a reader in Ethiopia yearn to join the Narratively team — and the ones she invariably shares when she’s asked for recs.

After searching Google for something five years ago — I no longer recall what it was — Narratively came up in the list of results. Until then, I hadn’t heard of Narratively, but I was immediately intrigued by the look and feel of the site. I soon started reading it regularly, unable to get enough. I love reading novels, short stories and essays, but the pieces in Narratively made me fall in love with longform narratives. It wasn’t just the stories that I loved, but the way the stories were told — with memorable scenes and plot twists that sometimes made me wonder whether I was reading true stories or works of fiction. I quickly knew I wanted to be a part of Narratively someday, in some capacity. Half a decade later, in January of this year, I joined the team to become a submissions reader. 

Narratively Submissions Reader Banchiwosen Woldeyesus

So far, I have read hundreds of submissions from all over the world: Thailand, Colombia, Brazil, Nigeria, the Rikers Island jail complex in New York, South Africa (I’ve yet to read a story that takes place in Ethiopia, where I’m from, but I’m waiting!)… When I read these stories, I marvel at the writer who survived that gut-wrenching personal experience; the one who pulled at the thread of someone’s almost forgotten history and preserved it on the page. There are unforgettable, deeply moving essays I’ve read from other online magazines that have stuck with me, but when friends and colleagues who love reading longform nonfiction ask me for my favorites, these are the ones I share. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

1. As My Face Disappeared So Did My Mother and Father

When I recommend this story by writer Howard Shulman to friends and colleagues, I dare them not to shed a tear. “Why do you recommend a story that would make us cry?” they ask. I tell them the best stories are those that tug at our heartstrings. When you read this piece, it’s clear that Shulman was able to really distance himself from his own story — which I think has made a lasting impact, because that’s what brings the piece its depth. Also, this story has courage — courage in telling us what happened and exactly how he felt about it, no holds barred — in every sentence of the piece.

2. I Was Taught to Hate My Lesbian Neighbors. They Took Me In Anyway

A good story doesn’t have to cover an entire life. This piece, by writer Dena Landon, is about just one year in her life, but she artfully paints a whole picture by offering enough context around that narrow time period to give us a full, moving story. The thing I remember most from this piece is the final image: The writer whispers, “Tell them I said ‘thank you’” to the house that sheltered her. That sentence — as well as the entire story — has stayed with me all this time since first reading it, unforgettable and haunting. 

This last story grabbed me with its pacing, and held me in tingling suspense until the final sentence. Warning: You can’t unsee some of the images and scenes in this piece, but that’s also the beauty of it.