Tracie Adams writes memoir and creative nonfiction. She publishes her work in literary magazines, where she has been recognized for excellence in craft, nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net, and Best Microfiction, . If you are interested in reading short form essays or stories about motherhood, how faith can help you overcome addiction and heal from childhood trauma, how recovering from eating disorders is possible, even late in life, then Tracie's writing is for you. Awards & Nominations "For the Love of Hot Mustard " was nominated for Best of the Net by Dishsoap Quarterly "We Built a Porch " was nominated for Best of the Net by Orange Rose Literary Magazine “You Can Rehome a Cat but Not a Kid” was the runner-up for Hippocampus Magazine ’s We Love Short Shorts Summer Contest (2026). “Sunshine Daydream” was longlisted for Wigleaf Top 50 (2025) after being named a finalist in Defenestrationism ’s Flash Suite Contest. “Excerpts from My Zombie Diary” was nominated for the Pushcart Prize by the editor of Trash Cat Lit “Adrift” was nominated for the Pushcart Prize by the editor of Flash the Court “We are a family of stuffed animals…” was named a finalist in the WOW Contest after publication in Masque & Spectacle (9/25). “Snails are People Too” was nominated for Best Microfiction by the editor of Fictive Dream “I Should Write the Letter” was nominated for Best of the Net by the editor of Raw Lit “ Not Finished Yet” (memoir) was named a finalist for the BookLife Prize for Nonfiction (2025). “The View from the Window in Mauthausen” was a finalist in Apple in the Dark ’s Flash Contest Fiction "The Hush", Reckon Review (coming soon) "Safe Enough ", Cowboy Jamboree "If Mother's Grief Had Been a Dog" , Thin Skin Magazine “ I Met God in a Bookstore”, Blood + Honey “The Bear Who Loved Me”, Doric Lit “Unerasable”, Flash Flood “When We Were Giants” , Waffle Fried “ Home is Not a Place” , Root Smoke “ Divorce in a Minor Key” , Literary Garage “ How to Manage Anger in Four Drafts ” , SoFloPoJo “ Ghost Writer” , Sky Island “My Bridesmaids Wear Pink” , Written Tales Mag “The Man Who Wanted to Live Forever Died Today” , Underbelly Press “You are Here” , Frazzled Lit Creative Nonfiction "The Wrong Song", Sweet Lit (coming soon) "Oh the Places I'll Virtually Go" , Emerge Literary Journal “I tell My Therapist It’s Nothing It’s Ancient History But I Remember Every Detail” , Bulb Region “How to Make Peace with Your Dead Cousin When Sorry Isn’t Enough” , Hollow and Sky “Beast of Burden” , Pithead Chapel “For the Love of Hot Mustard” , Dishsoap Quarterly "We Don't Talk" , Cleaver Magazine and SugarSugarSalt "Counting to Eight and Other Childhood Games" , Anti-Heroin Chic "Charles My Hero, I Hope I Never See Your Face Again" , The Ravens Perch "My Jellyfish Journey Through Mental Illness”, The Shallot (print 2025) and online in Rind and Root “All My Love Monitored and Recorded” , Mom Egg Review “We Had Tea” , January House “Saving Christmas” , Eunoia Review 1/24 and Mythic Picnic “Goodbyes are Often Hard to Swallow” , Argyle Lit “The Drift from Good to Bye” , 149 Review “If You Can Tell It, You Can Write It” , Brevity Blog Poetry & Hybrid “The Space Between Us: An Introvert’s Words to the World” , Cool Beans Lit “Rebirth” , Bright Flash Literary “When the Sun Stops Posting Pics”, La Rotonde DISSOLUTION Anthology "Wonder Lust” , Coalitionist “Nine Perfect Days I Hope You Remember Too” , Wildscape “ It’s More Than Cats and Rainbows and Waning Moons ”, The Leafline Magazine

Tracie Adams, author of two memoirs and flash stories published in literary magazines. Author interviews and links to published stories, including many nominated for literary awards such as the Pushcart, Best of the Net, Best Microfiction, and Wigleaf Top 50. Adams' writing covers grief, recovery, parenting, faith, and trauma, always focusing on hope. About Me I write fiction occasionally, but mostly memoir and creative nonfiction. My work is published in literary magazines, where it has been recognized for excellence in craft, nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net, and Best Microfiction. If you are interested in reading short form essays or stories about parenting, how faith can help you overcome addiction and heal from childhood trauma, how recovering from eating disorders is possible, even late in life, then my writing is for you. Both of my memoirs have been named finalists for major book awards. I enjoy getting to know readers, and am available for online and in-person book events. Get in touch through email, and please subscribe to my free Substack for updates on new releases and events. Let's Connect Interviews and Podcasts BookLife Prize Interview Friday Five with Andrew Careaga Stories from the Center of the Universe Podcast Professional Memberships Independent Author Network AWP Virginia Writers Club (Hanover Chapter) Poets and Writers Upcoming Events Saturday, Sept 26, 2-3:30 pm at Ashland Library Whether you're an emerging or experienced writer, come chat with me about spicing up your creative nonfiction with fantastical elements like ghosts, superhuman powers, and parallel universes. Speculation is not a lie. It's a device, a lens, through which memoirists give readers a fresh perspective of truth. Imagination doesn't answer questions-- it asks them. Come discover the world of "what-if" in your untold true stories.

Our Lives in Pieces: A Collection of Flash Memoir Essays was named a 2025 IAN Book of the Year Finalist. Not Finished Yet: Essays on the Rhythmic Beauty of a Life in Flux was named a 2025 BookLife Prize Finalist for Nonfiction. Both books are memoirs written in fractured essay form, covering topics such as addiction, motherhood, faith, and growth. Books Buy “The book is impossible to set aside.” — Jamie Michele, Readers’ Favorite (Five-Star Review) “Glowing with vulnerability, wit, and craft, Adams reveals how our most imperfect memories become our most treasured.” — Dave Nash, Writer and Book Reviewer “ The prose is clear, musical, and purposeful. By the final section, Drifting and Waiting, Adams has achieved something admirable: a memoir that feels open-ended yet complete.” — Maria Ashford, Bookshelfie Reviewer (Five-Star Review) “Threaded with humor, grace, and unsparing honesty, Not Finished Yet is both an autopsy and an anthem— an exploration of trauma, grief, and healing that invites the reader to celebrate the courage to allow ourselves to be undone and the beauty of the in-between moments that precede real growth and change.” — Barlow Adams, Writer and Essayist 2025 BookLife Prize Finalist for Nonfiction Essays on the Rhythmic Beauty of a Life in Flux Not Finished Yet Buy Throughout, Adams writes with a raw vulnerability that captivates, whether penning an intimate letter to anorexia ("I believe even though you tried to kill me, there is a part of me that will always love you" she declares) or slogging through the dark waters of depression, where "the only way to end this living nightmare is to permanently disconnect my brain from my body." Adams's writing is emotionally freeing—often seeking the silver lining amid life's pain—and an inspiring tribute to the battles she's overcome. Despite occasional melancholy, a deep sense of peace infuses the memoir—and a glimmer of hope for the life that still lies ahead." —BookLife Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "Throughout the collection, Adams invites the reader to sit with discomfort, yet she always offers a thread of hope. Her voice remains intimate and courageous, balancing confessional vulnerability with poetic insight. Faith and spirituality gently underscore the narratives, not in a dogmatic sense, but as part of the author's worldview. The influence of the Japanese art of kintsugi, introduced in the prologue, serves as the book's guiding metaphor: brokenness repaired with beauty, making each person's story more complete for having endured and survived. This collection best suits readers who appreciate deeply personal nonfiction told with lyrical precision, as found in high-caliber literary journals. Adams's essays are honest and evocative, ideal for those who find comfort in reflective writing and seek to understand the sacred in everyday moments. Our Lives in Pieces is a heartfelt tribute to the strength found in fragility and the light that seeps through the cracks." —Reviewed by Carol Thompson for Readers' Favorite ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐ 2025 IAN Book of the Year Finalist Our Lives in Pieces A Collection of Flash Memoir Essays "I don't know how you couldn't be moved by this kind of writing. Adams's openness will inspire others to be more forgiving of themselves. A common refrain in the book is the author looking upwards in her search for hope, sometimes explicitly surrendering herself to God. These admissions of powerlessness can make for sharp moments of incongruity, nestled as they are in writing of such punctuated emancipation. Elsewhere, Adams manages subtler expressions of existential angst: "I found a pile of feathers in the road, evidence of a wild turkey's struggle with a predator. When my struggle ends, I hope I leave behind something beautiful, something with bold color and soft edges." In speaking so freely about herself, Adams has achieved with her flash essays a powerful portrait of a very real person. The light bullying of the bookish kid, the childish machinations designed to get the attention of a youthful crush, the regrets about not spending more time with a sick loved one, the uneasiness with getting old and not recognizing oneself in the mirror: Adams speaks at a level so personal that it breaks through to the universal." —Reviewed by Nikolas Mavreas, Independent Book Review