He Was a Star Student—He Had Also Committed a Grisly Murder. One Teacher Tries to Make Sense Of It.

Twenty years ago, Matt W. Miller found himself teaching a man who was responsible for an unimaginably horrific crime. He turned his back on him just when he needed him and has regretted it ever since.

We are so pleased to get to share with you this moving story, “One of My Babies,” from 2024 Narratively Memoir Prize finalist Matt W. Miller, an acclaimed poet who has recently taken up essay writing. Here’s what Matt said about working on this piece: “I’ve been thinking about and trying to write about, in poetry and prose, this experience for over 20 years now. I never quite arrived at what I was trying to say. I think only now, in middle age, with years of teaching behind me, was I able to really understand this moment. In many ways, this essay is a letter to a student, to any of my students, that I may have failed along the way.” Buckle up for this one, which asks the big questions and takes your emotions on a serious ride, leaving you with all the feels. Kleenex recommended.