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28 Minutes with "A Kidnapped Child of the 1980s"
...first, check out this incredible deep dive if you haven't had a chance to read it yet.
Sep 17
•
Brendan Spiegel
19
A Highly Forbidden Romance
After a devastating loss, it was clear that my marriage of 15 years was dissolving. Then, in my early 50s, I found love in the most unexpected place.
Sep 12
•
Bar Scott
44
6
A Missing Child of the 1980s, All Grown Up
Scott Rankin’s father hatched an elaborate plot to kidnap him and start a secret life, while his mother searched desperately for six years. That was…
Sep 5
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Paul C. Robb
24
1
August 2025
Our Perfectly Pretend Plane Romance
I met someone mid-flight and we immediately hit it off. Rather than try to keep in touch, we imagined what our lives would have been like if we were…
Aug 29
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Katharine Coldiron
55
12
Secret Life of the Professor Who Lives with Nazis
Sociologist Peter Simi has spent 20 years embedding with skinheads. As hate crimes spike across America, his intimate insights are more crucial than…
Aug 19
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Erika Hayasaki
33
1
The Monk Who Ghosted Me
In a region known for being one of the most romantic in the world, I met my soulmate and fell in love. The rest didn’t exactly go as I’d planned.
Aug 15
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Olivia Shaffett
49
3
The Unexpected Challenges of Dating After Cancer
After chemo miraculously worked, Maggie Hart wanted to make sure 'this whole cancer thing' had not rendered her 'sexless and unlovable.' There was just…
Aug 1
•
Maggie Hart
29
4
July 2025
The July Edit: Family Secrets, Lifelong Regrets and New Classes
This month we're sharing some of the best of what Narratively and Narratively Academy have to offer, from moving memoir essays about love and loss, to a…
Jul 31
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Narratively
10
3
Unburying My Mother’s Secret
In the last years of her life, a sudden revelation upended my entire image of my mom. It took a decade after her death—and another major life change—for…
Jul 25
•
Cathy Alter
83
38
The Man Who Betrayed Me Was Also the Man Who Loved Me
I came out of the closet in the throes of the AIDS epidemic and fell for someone I thought was a safe harbor. The blurred lines between his love and his…
Jul 18
•
J Martin
53
10
Announcing the Winners of the True Romance Writing Prize
Earlier this year, we were lucky enough to team up with Emma Roberts and Karah Preiss of Belletrist to bring you this very special contest. Today, we're…
Jul 16
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Narratively
19
2
I Wanted to Watch Him Take His Last Breath—But She Said No
My stepmother and I never got along, but not allowing me to be by dad’s side while he was dying crossed a line. I've regretted not standing up to her…
Jul 11
•
Jen Shepherd
48
19
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