The Next Write Thing: Real Life Stories by Nan Tepper

It’s Saturday night in the summer of 1996. I’m in my bedroom in the huge house I’m sharing with 4 other people. It’s a new situation for me. I’m trying it out, but it’s difficult. I don’t like having housemates. I like my privacy and quiet, but the opportunity arose for me when I was looking for housing, and I thought, why not give it a try? At least I’d save some money. I walk down the hall to th...

Here we are again. April 15, 2026. My taxes are due. Your taxes are due. Did you pay them? I didn’t. Now don’t go getting any ideas about how brave and rebellious I am. Or how stupid. Because to the former, I’m brave and rebellious in my best imagined version of myself. And the latter? No, I’m not stupid. Not at all stupid. I’m just really, really pissed. For the last 3 or 4 years, I’ve gotten ext...

A gift to all of you from me, with love. The thing that’s been taking up most of my days. The stories here are phenomenal. I don’t want you to miss it. Scroll past this part if you want to head right to the stories…but don’t, because this part’s pretty great. Magic happened. Miracles occurred. Wow. Just wow. This was one of the best story slams I’ve ever participated in. I’m going to jump right in...

Today, I’m a senior citizen. I think it’s hilarious. In Yiddish, I’m an alte kaker. It means old poop. It’s what Katherine Hepburn called Henry Fonda in “On Golden Pond.” They were goyim, they didn’t know the Yiddish. She called him an old poop. I can’t believe I’m this old because I feel like a kid, but that’s what old people say. I’m beyond happy that I’m alive and sixty-five. It’s not my custom...

There’s a lot to tell you. But first, please take the time (if you haven’t already) to watch and listen to me tell this story. It’s a blessing and a curse. I want to give you the curse of blessings. This recording was originally intended as a gift to my friend, Susan Kacvinsky . I met Susan, here, on Substack, and she’s an enormous blessing in my life. Yesterday, we spoke of me posting the story,...

Hi gang! I’m sharing this article with all of you because, oh boy! I’m a star! This post is paywalled on Jess’s site, but you’re getting a sneak preview of the whole article because I love you all….and I want to strut my stuff a bit! Women need to brag more. Okay, Jess Greenwood , take it away, sister! A message from Jess: This is the first article in my brand spanking new Fascinated series. To se...

“Raise your hands above your head, and wave like you’re happy to see me!” she yelled at those of us sitting in the audience. “Wave more! You’re REALLY HAPPY! You’re REALLY, REALLY HAPPY! Tug on your right earlobe, and at the same time, tug on your left earlobe with your opposite hands, while doing the hokey-pokey, and turning yourself around! Jump up and down in your chair but DO NOT stand up, and...

When I was little, I had two nicknames; “Nancy No-No” and “No, No, Nanette.” My folks thought they were hilarious for thinking up these clever monikers, and took enormous pleasure in taunting me with them for years. Backstory is unimportant, so unimportant that I never learned what it was, though I’m pretty certain (because I’m my parent’s daughter and I’m clever, too) that it had to do with me no...

A few months ago I published an essay titled I’m in the Mood for Love . I wrote it while struggling with the fierce anger I was feeling about the world we’re living in, the apparent future we’re facing, and the thugs who are wreaking a startling amount of havoc in our communities, in our homes. But now it’s escalating. The haters are hurting immigrants and all people of color are at grave risk, im...

When I was a little kid, I learned to be a caretaker. Somehow, I got the message that I existed to help others. An early lesson learned from parents who loved me in a sincere, yet transactional way. If you do this, then, we’ll do this. Cause and effect. Our address was 4 Quid Pro Quo Lane, Anytown, USA. Generosity that’s conditional is not generosity at all. When giving to others comes with no str...

On this night, I’m going to tell you a story. A story about a different kind of savior. One who saved millions of American homemakers (yes, they were women) who wanted to enchant their husband’s palates with something a little more interesting than beef stew. So, they learned to cook with the best. JC, heretofore referred to as Julia Child. And what did those women learn to cook first? Boeuf Bourg...

I chose to share this story with you for two reasons. Reason number one is I’m on vacation until the first week in January. I’ll be posting from my archive. I’ll also be telling more 4-minute stories because I want you to know about Wham! Bam! Thank You! Slam! , the new project I’ve created with my partner-in-slam, Eileen Dougharty . The second reason is I want you to know that recovery is possibl...

My little 7-year-old pup, Maisy, raced ahead of me last night as I walked to my bedroom, to ready myself for sleep. She made the leap onto my freshly-made bed with ease––she’s a high jumper––and planted her butt down on what she thinks of as her side of the bed. She wouldn’t budge. All 15 pounds of her. She sat there, trembling––I think it may be an act–– and made timid, hopeful eye contact with m...

When I was 15 years old, I did something unusual for someone my age. I took the est training. No, “est” is not a typo. It was spelled in lowercase letters with no periods. Little e, little s, little t. It stood for “Erhard Seminars Training” and was founded by Werner Erhard (aka Jack Rosenberg, Svengali-in-training). He came up with a formula, repackaged old wisdom, and gave it a new vocabulary. A...

“I’m so excited!” he says. He calls to tell me he’s baking popovers this year. He bought a special pan. Uh, oh, he bought a special pan. It’s September, and Labor Day can still be seen in the rearview mirror and my father is making plans and testing recipes for his annual Thanksgiving feast. Every September he starts making lists. Lists of recipes and the necessary ingredients––never skimping on a...

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If this project is exciting to you, please restack, so we can get the news out to as many folks as possible. Thank you! Why so much buzz? Find out here, then join me, if you dare… This week, instead of my regular essay, I’m sharing some news with those of you who might not have heard yet. The buzz has been incredible since we announced it during our LIVE reveal last Friday. Instead of writing my r...

Take a look at the recording of our LIVE from this afternoon. We introduced our new project, Wham! Bam! Thank You! Slam! Check it out, and subscribe….and if you want to get brave and tell a story at one of our events, take a look at the themes, and let us know. The guidelines (in brief) are in the graphic below. The slam is for women storytellers (cis & trans) and nonbinary folx. Men are welcome t...

1. THIS IS NOT A WALL, THIS IS A WELCOME. TO YOU, TO EVERY PERSON. IT IS A CALL, TODAY AND ALWAYS. TO ACCEPT DIFFERENCES, TO REJECT DIVISION. TO STAND PROUD, AND SPEAK YOUR MIND. TO FEEL SAFE, TO BE SAFE. AND SPREAD LOVE OUTSIDE AND IN. 2. THIS IS NOT A WALL TO YOU. IT IS A CALL TO ACCEPT DIFFERENCES. TO STAND PROUD. TO FEEL SAFE, AND SPREAD LOVE. 3. THIS IS A WELCOME TO EVERY PERSON, TODAY AND AL...

I’m sitting in my car in bumper-to-bumper traffic in Midtown Manhattan, grateful for the quiet, a welcome contrast from the loud party I just left. When it was over, I got in my car at the best possible time to head home. Rush hour. As I relaxed into the relief of being freed from chit-chat with strangers––something I’m skilled at but don’t enjoy––some other feelings crept in. Stress. Anger. Impat...

I clomp down the stairs to the lower level of the gym. I’m angry and on the verge of tears. Mark, my trainer, is wrapping the session before mine. He looks up and sees that I’m not my usual smiling self. With a tiny nod, he lets me know he sees the state I’m in. It’s 2017, and I’m burning with rage and overwhelmed by the tsunami of sadness and depression I feel blowing in. January 2017, one week a...

Back in November when all seemed lost I started seeing a quote circulating on the socials. It was wholly attributed to Albert Camus. It offered me comfort, grounding, and hope. It’s a bit long, but worth sharing. I’m sure many of you have already seen it. It inspired me to write an essay in response. I made some progress, UNTIL I did a search to vet the quote. Cue suspenseful music. What I found w...

Silly trigger warning: I’m going to sing now. For a moment or two. Then I’ll stop, I promise. Bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum! Don’t tell me not to live and sit and putter, life’s candy and the sun’s a ball of butter, don’t bring around a cloud to rain on my parade! I’d sing that song in my bedroom, over and over again to infinity. I had it down: the timing, th...

5-YEARS-OLD I’m sitting up in bed. It’s very late at night. It might even be the middle of the night when no one is supposed to be awake. At least, no little kids are supposed to be awake. But I can’t sleep, because I’m too excited and I have something important to do. I have another loose tooth. It’s about to fall out, but it’s not ready yet. And I don’t want to wait for when it is. I want it out...

We sat at a café table on the mezzanine, that overlooked the main selling floor of Macy’s Herald Square, their flagship store in NYC. I was being interviewed for a position selling cosmetics for Prescriptives, a makeup and skincare line created by Estée Lauder , the grande dame of lipstick and lotions, perfume and potions. The doyenne of the almighty dollar. She made a mint teaching women how to l...