Hippocampus Magazine & Books

Explore the Archives! Since 2011, Hippocampus Magazine has published more than 140 issues full of essays, articles, and more. Like a good rerun, there's lots to enjoy again or enjoy for the first time. Browse all back issues here: https://hippocampusmagazine.com/past-issues-archive/

REVIEW: Living Proof: How Love Defied Genetic Legacy by Tiffany Graham Charkosky | Hippocampus Magazine "The book is strongest when the clear-eyed, wise-minded author reflects upon the journey her mom must have made..." -- on Living Proof by Tiffany Graham Charkosky.

NEW BOOK REVIEW: Carolyn Roy-Bornstein reviews Living Proof: How Love Defied Genetic Legacy by Tiffany Graham Charkosky.

https://hippocampusmagazine.com/2025/10/review-living-proof-how-love-defied-genetic-legacy-by-tiffany-graham-charkosky/
#BookReview

REVIEW: Held: Essays in Belonging by Kathryn Nuernberger | Hippocampus Magazine "Held is a smart book, intermingling facts with personal narrative, yet Kathryn Nuernberger remains humble in her reflections" -- Lara Lillibridge on Held.

NEW BOOK REVIEW: Lara Lillibridge reviews Held: Essays in Belonging by Kathryn Nuernberger. Read it here:
https://hippocampusmagazine.com/2025/10/review-held-essays-in-belonging-by-kathryn-nuernberger/ #BookReview

REVIEW: The Tragedy of True Crime by John J Lennon | Hippocampus Magazine "Now that I’ve read The Tragedy of True Crime: Four Guilty Men & The Stories That Define Us by John J. Lennon, I’ll never think about true crime in the same way." -- Vicki Mayk

NEW BOOK REVIEW: Vicki Mayk reviews The Tragedy of True Crime by John J Lennon. Read it here: https://hippocampusmagazine.com/2025/10/review-the-tragedy-of-true-crime-four-guilty-men-and-the-stories-that-define-us-by-john-j-lennon/

#BookReview

Explore the Archives! Since 2011, Hippocampus Magazine has published more than 140 issues full of essays, articles, and more. Like a good rerun, there's lots to enjoy again or enjoy for the first time. Browse all back issues here: https://hippocampusmagazine.com/past-issues-archive/

REVIEW: Ring of Salt by Betsy Cornwell | Hippocampus Magazine "There are books you read, and then there are books that read you...." -- Elizabeth Austin in her review of Ring of Salt: A Memoir... by Betsy Cornwell

NEW BOOK REVIEW: "There are books you read, and then there are books that read you." -- Elizabeth Austin reviews Ring of Salt by Betsy Cornwell. Read i...
https://hippocampusmagazine.com/2025/10/review-ring-of-salt-a-memoir-of-finding-home-and-hope-on-the-western-coast-of-ireland-by-betsy-cornwell/

WRITING LIFE: There’s This Part of Me That AI, That Medication, Can’t Stifle by Liv Albright | Hippocampus Magazine "Every day, it started the same way. I logged on to Word. I saw the request from AI..." from from a writing life column by by Liv Albright.

"I pick up my pen, something with dark ink, and begin to write." – "There's This Part of Me That AI, That Medication, Can't Stifle" by Liv Albright. Read it here: https://hippocampusmagazine.com/2025/10/writing-life-there-s-this-part-of-me-that-ai-that-medication-can-t-stifle/

#WritingLife

REVIEW: Rehearsals for Dying: Digressions on Love and Cancer by Ariel Gore | Hippocampus Magazine One of the best aspects of Rehearsals for Dying is Ariel Gore 's focus on expanding the reader’s understanding of breast cancer itself....

NEW BOOK REVIEW: Brian Watson reviews Rehearsals for Dying: Digressions on Love and Cancer, by Ariel Gore. Read it here: https://hippocampusmagazine.com/2025/10/review-rehearsals-for-dying-digressions-on-love-and-cancer-by-ariel-gore/

WRITING LIFE: Writing With AI Without Losing My Voice by Heather Gemmen Wilson | Hippocampus Magazine "This week’s writing frenzy started with a single line — a line that wasn’t mine." -- Heather Gemmen Wilson in "Writing With AI Without Losing My Voice"

"This week's writing frenzy started with a single line — a line that wasn't mine." – from the Writing Life column "Writing With AI Without Losing My Voice" by Heath...
https://hippocampusmagazine.com/2025/10/writing-life-writing-with-ai-without-losing-my-voice-by-heather-gemmen-wilson/

#WritingLife

INTERVIEW: Muriel A Murch, Author of Harvesting History While Farming the Flats | Hippocampus Magazine Harvesting History While Farming the Flats (by Muriel A Murch), is a gorgeous, thoughtful book inside and out. -- Leslie Lindsay in her interview introduction.

New Author Interview! Leslie Lindsay interviews Muriel A Murch, author of Harvesting History While Farming the Flats. Read it here: https://hippocampusmagazine.com/2025/10/interview-muriel-a-murch-author-of-harvesting-history-while-farming-the-flats/

#interview

REVIEW: Cat by Rebecca van Laer | Hippocampus Magazine "...if you are... a cat lover to a mere cat appreciator, you will find what I did in this book: pure delight." -- from our review of Cat by Rebecca van Laer.

NEW BOOK REVIEW: Rae Pagliarulo reviews Cat by Rebecca van Laer, part of Bloomsbury's Object Lessons series. Read it here: https://hippocampusmagazine.com/2025/10/review-cat-by-rebecca-van-laer/

Double Dutch by Margaret Luongo | Hippocampus Magazine "The fine metal sweat-stink of thirteen." -- from "Double Dutch," a flash essay by Margaret Luongo in our Sept-Oct 2025 issue.

"The fine metal sweat-stink of thirteen. On the rubble track, some of us sinew and muscle, others soft dough." – "Double Dutch" by Margaret Luongo.
https://hippocampusmagazine.com/2025/09/double-dutch-by-margaret-luongo/ #essay

Grief always has a future by JJ Peña | Hippocampus Magazine "... the day’s weeping heat, you’re driving over the speed limit down a random highway..." -- from the flash essay "Grief always has a future" by JJ Peña.

"imagine this: you're driving in nowhere north texas, norteños on the radio, your aging father in the passenger seat, still as a wrinkle." – "Grief always has a future" by JJ Peña. Read it now;
https://hippocampusmagazine.com/2025/09/grief-always-has-a-future-by-jj-pena/ #essay

Lost by Shoshana Ray | Hippocampus Magazine "We flag a cab to the Bronx. Mama is downright giddy." -- from the essay "Lost" by Shoshana Ray in our Sept-Oct 2025 issue.

"Today, Mama is the kind of happy I don't trust." – "Lost" by Shoshana Ray. Read it here:
https://hippocampusmagazine.com/2025/09/lost-by-shoshana-ray/ #essay

REVIEW: The Tilling by Matthew Morris | Hippocampus Magazine "The fragmentation Matthew Morris feels when it comes to his racial identity comes through in the many rhythmic tangents on which he takes his readers..." -- Anri Wheeler

NEW BOOK REVIEW: Anri Wheeler reviews The Tilling by Matthew Morris.
https://hippocampusmagazine.com/2025/09/review-the-tilling-by-matthew-morris/

REVIEW: Song So Wild and Blue: A Life with the Music of Joni Mitchell by Paul Lisicky | Hippocampus Magazine "Together Paul Lisicky and Mitchell forge a life engulfed in appreciation for the power of language that aids in his newfound love of prose." -- Sara Pisak in her review.

NEW BOOK REVIEW: Sara Pisak reviews Song So Wild and Blue: A Life with the Music of Joni Mitchell by Paul Lisicky. #BookReview

https://hippocampusmagazine.com/2025/09/review-song-so-wild-and-blue-a-life-with-the-music-of-joni-mitchell-by-paul-lisicky/

REVIEW: The Lab: Experiments in Writing Across Genre by Matthew Clark Davison and Alice LaPlante | Hippocampus Magazine [The Lab by Matthew Clark Davison & Alice LaPlante] is a hearty reference guide, a study in craft, a pep talk, an instructional manual ... for all writers of all levels.

NEW BOOK REVIEW: Leslie Lindsay reviews The Lab: Experiments in Writing Across Genre by Matthew Clark Davison and Alice LaPlante.
https://hippocampusmagazine.com/2025/09/review-the-lab-experiments-in-writing-across-genre-by-alice-laplante/

Explore the Archives! Since 2011, Hippocampus Magazine has published more than 140 issues full of essays, articles, and more. Like a good rerun, there's lots to enjoy again or enjoy for the first time. Browse all back issues here: https://hippocampusmagazine.com/past-issues-archive/

INTERVIEW: Robin Hemley, Author of How to Change History: A Salvage Project | Hippocampus Magazine "Robin Hemley reminds us that life is just as equally absurd as it is heartbreaking, as silly as it is serious – and that it is all worthy of a writer’s observing eyes. " --Hillary Moses Mohaupt

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Hillary Moses Mohaupt interviews Robin Hemley, author of How to Change History: A Salvage Project.
https://hippocampusmagazine.com/2025/09/interview-robin-hemley-author-of-how-to-change-history-a-salvage-project/

REVIEW: Hotshot: A Life on Fire by River Selby | Hippocampus Magazine "Wildland firefighting in Hotshot is a brutal endeavour, one that often goes unseen and underappreciated." -- from our review of Hotshot by River Selby.

NEW BOOK REVIEW: "Selby's narrator may be tender towards nature, but far less tender towards themself." -- Sarah Rosenthal in her review of Hotshot: A Life on Fire by River Selby.
https://hippocampusmagazine.com/2025/09/review-hotshot-a-life-on-fire-by-river-selby-2/

INTERVIEW: Tania Richard, Author of Black Girl from a White Suburb: Finding My Light, Using My Voice | Hippocampus Magazine "While her life as an actress is fascinating, her point of view about what it’s like to be the only black person in the room as a child is a voice that is necessary." -- Amy Eaton in her interview w/ Tania Richard

NEW INTERVIEW: Amy Eaton speaks with Tania Richard, author of Black Girl from a White Suburb: Finding My Light, Using My Voice.
https://hippocampusmagazine.com/2025/09/interview-tania-richard-author-of-black-girl-from-a-white-suburb-finding-my-light-using-my-voice/

Mink by Kathryn Ganfield | Hippocampus Magazine "Driving a wooded road wreathed with fern and bramble, I spot a dark divot ahead." -- from the flash essay "Mink" by Kathryn Ganfield.

"Driving a wooded road wreathed with fern and bramble, I spot a dark divot ahead. My fingers clench the wheel. I brake." – "Mink" by Kathryn Ganfield. Read it here:
https://hippocampusmagazine.com/2025/09/mink-by-kathryn-ganfield/ #essay

NEW BOOK REVIEW: Marjorie Maddox reviews of Apartness: A Memoir in Essays and Poems by Judy Kronenfeld. #BookReviewhttps://hippocampusmagazine.com/2025/09/review-apartness-a-memoir-in-essays-and-poems-by-judy-kronenfeld/

REVIEW: How the Hell Did I Not Know That? by Lucie Frost | Hippocampus Magazine "How The Hell Did I Not Know [by Lucie Frost] has come along to remind me that memoirs can also teach you ... in ways that will keep you laughing." -- Brian Watson

NEW BOOK REVIEW: Brian Watson reviews of How the Hell Did I Not Know That? My Midlife Year from Coach to Curiosity by Lucie Frost.

https://hippocampusmagazine.com/2025/09/review-how-the-hell-did-i-not-know-that-my-midlife-year-from-couch-to-curiosity/

WRITING LIFE: Balancing Passions as an Author and College By McKenna Graf | Hippocampus Magazine "How could a 21-year-old publish two books? Surely that’s not enough time to know what you’re doing." -- McKenna Graf

"The question I always get asked is, how do I manage it all?" – "Balancing Passions as an Author and College" by McKenna Graf.
https://hippocampusmagazine.com/2025/09/writing-life-balancing-passions-as-an-author-and-college-by-mckenna-graf/

At the Beginning of Autumn I Remember the Last Days of 6th Grade by Gregory Emilio | Hippocampus Magazine "...a time of kick-flips, bottle-rockets, first kisses in closets..." -- from At the Beginning of Autumn I Remember the Last Days of 6th Grade by Greg Emilio.

"My friends and I had heard ... that Christine wouldn't be coming back, not the next day, not after summer break." – from "At the Beginning of Autumn I Remember the Last Day...
https://hippocampusmagazine.com/2025/09/at-the-beginning-of-autumn-i-remember-the-last-days-of-6th-grade-by-gregory-emilio/

REVIEW: All the Way to the River: Love, Loss, and Liberation by Elizabeth Gilbert | Hippocampus Magazine "[All the Way to the River by Elizabeth Gilbert is] at times it’s almost too raw to bear, but that’s also what makes it so powerful." -- reviewer Kris Wessel

NEW BOOK REVIEW: Kristy Wessel reviews All the Way to the River: Love, Loss, and Liberation by Elizabeth Gilbert.
https://hippocampusmagazine.com/2025/09/review-all-the-way-to-the-river-love-loss-and-liberation-by-elizabeth-gilbert/

INTERVIEW: Peter Mendelsund, Author of Exhibitionist | Hippocampus Magazine "Exhibitionist is at once a memoir — a journal — and an art book." -- Leslie Lindsay in her intro to her interview with Peter Mendelsund.

NEW INTERVIEW: Leslie Lindsay speaks with Peter Mendelsund, author of Exhibitionist, a mesmerizing title that's at once a memoir, a journal, and an art book.

https://hippocampusmagazine.com/2025/09/interview-peter-mendelsund-author-of-exhibitionist/

Foghorn 1980 by Beth Tillman | Hippocampus Magazine "The sound of the foghorn blowing low floats up the Mississippi..." -- from the flash essay "Foghorn 1980" by Beth Tillman in our Sept-Oct 2025 issue.

"The sound of the foghorn blowing low floats up the Mississippi, carries along the creek behind our house, and reaches me in my room where I am counting my earrings[...]" – "Foghorn 1980" by Beth Tillman.https://hippocampusmagazine.com/2025/09/foghorn-1980-by-beth-tillman/

#essay

A Transplanted Midwestern Chinese-Filipina’s Theories of Life by Ann Guy | Hippocampus Magazine "Theory of Welcome: Boredom opens doors." -- Ann Guy in her essay "A Transplanted Midwestern Chinese-Filipina’s Theories of Life" in our Sept-Oct 2025 issue.

"Theory of Welcome: Boredom opens doors." – "A Transplanted Midwestern Chinese-Filipina's Theories of Life" by Ann Guy. Read it here:
https://hippocampusmagazine.com/2025/09/a-transplanted-midwestern-chinese-filipina-s-theories-of-life-by-ann-guy/

#essay