Easy Essays
Pioneered by Dorothy Day, Peter Maurin, LeRoy Chatfield, the Easy Essay is precisely what it sounds like. It is an essay that makes writing easy again.
In part, the ease comes from the Easy Essay’s fluid form. It doesn’t lock us into rigid structures, formulaic molds, or excessive word or page counts. It allows us to use whatever words necessary to make our insight visible on the page – for ourselves and another reader.
The ease will also come from our practice: contemplation connects us with deep wells that tend to flow freely once reached. This is why I emphasize contemplation. It is our key to unlock writing.
Finally, the ease comes from writing in our own voice. We don’t need to sound like anyone else other than the self we discover in silence. We will learn to communicate that voice’s unique rhythms, cadences, and contours. Audio will be our way for doing this. Recording our Easy Essays will help us fine-tune our writing so that the letters, symbols, and blank spaces create a record of us that reaches across time and space, a record that resonates in the ears, minds, and hearts of our readers.
Easy Essay Collections
The Olive Branch
By Noor Khalil
Welcome to my collection of essays, each a snapshot of my experiences, thoughts, and emotions as a Muslim Palestinian navigating life in America and advocating for justice and peace.
Catching My Breath
By Uliyaah
In this rhythmic exchange of breath, I find a previously unseen connection between my inner world and the external environment. It's a realization that my existence is not isolated, but intricately intertwined with the world around me.
Just an Anthropology Major
By Ingrid Muñoz
This story is told through the eyes of a young girl, trying to get her Bachelor of Science in Biological Anthropology. 27 years old, arguably not a girl anymore, but perhaps that’s what infuses this story with a tad more wisdom. Halfway between two of life’s alleged ‘checkpoints’, she finds herself taking a writing class. Little did she know that class would reawaken her and provide her with the tools she needed to take back her own life.
Finding Sparks in the Darkness
By Miranda Li
Floating on the pool and looking up at the stars. Although affected by urban light pollution, most of them still shine so brightly. Their bodies are dead, hundreds or millions of light years away, but the remaining warmth they once burned still spans light years, and lights up our sky.
On Finding Truth
By Kaelyn Brown
I invite you to explore with me the journey that I went on in this writing class that truly awakened me to the world we’re living in and what my own purpose is in order to live in more truth.
Slowing the Rush
By Anonymous
It was difficult for me to discuss some of my personal experiences but if it helps anyone in some capacity then it was worth it.
Sleep Paralysis
By Talija Kazimira
There was a time when I used to analyze photos of my face for how “clockable” they were, for how “mannish” they looked. Now when I remember that I used to do that, I find it such a weird concept, which is good, because it is a sign that it’s becoming unfamiliar, that it’s a part of me that occupies less space, that I haven’t thought like that in a long time.