Archive - Open Secrets Magazine

How to Respond to People Who Read What You Write

A simple, foolproof strategy from Theatre Kids author John DeVore on accepting feedback for personal essays and memoir

Aug 20 •

Big News: New Managing Editor, Book Club, Live Q&As, and Paid Subscriber Chats

We're adding some exciting new offerings to Open Secrets Magazine - plus an August sale!

Aug 20 •

An Extremely Close Encounter with a Gay Catholic Celibate

Was he trying to rescue me from sex while I was trying to rescue him from the church?

Aug 18 •

Brenden O'Donnell

Object-ives #1: 'The Compleat Astrologer’s Sun-Signs Guide' Is My Most Treasured Book

Where I found faith for the clueless

Aug 15 •

Leah Odze Epstein

Not Sure If He’s the One? Take Him to Taco Bell

My least favorite fast food joint helped me find my forever

Aug 12 •

Paid Call for Submissions for Personal Essays by Humans About the Human Experience (No AI Writing Allowed)

Send us your essays sharing the story only you can tell (and why generative AI submissions will not be considered)

Aug 9 •

July 2025

In Grief, Mornings Were the Most Difficult Part of My Day Until I Remembered This

An excerpt from memoir 'The Full Catastrophe: All I Ever Wanted, Everything I Feared'

Jul 31 •

Casey Mulligan Walsh

How ADHD Turns Success into Failure

I returned from organizing personal storytelling summit Open Secrets Live thrilled, and then sank into a huge creative slump that left me totally…

Jul 30 •

Rachel Kramer Bussel

Andrea Gibson Saved My Life with Their Instagram Updates on Their Cancer Journey

How Andrea's radical openness became my source of energy and support

Jul 25 •

Sometimes It’s Not Jealousy. It Just May Be a Sign to Redirect

Athena Dixon on finding pleasure in the joy of others

Jul 23 •

Why Your “Failed” Essays Are Actually Working

Rehearsal drafts are an essential part of the essay writing process

Jul 16 •

Elizabeth Austin

Everything is Temporary, Except My Downloads

Searching for simplicity in my relationship with technology

Jul 14 •

Catherine Economopoulos

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