A collection of essays about the joys & struggles of being alone by 22 literary writers including: Lev Grossman, Jhumpa Lahiri, Lena Dunham, Jesmyn Ward, Yiyun Li, & Anthony DoerrIf you’re feeling lonely or if you’ve ever felt unseen, if you’re emboldened by solitude or secretly longing for it: Welcome toThe Lonely Stories. This cathartic collection of essays illuminates an experience that so few of us openly discuss. Some stories are heartbreaking, such asJesmyn Ward’sreckoning with the loss of her husband &Dina Nayeri’sreflection on immigrating to a foreign country. Others are witty, such asLev Grossman’srueful tale of heading to the woods orAnthony Doerr’sstruggles with internet addiction. Still others celebrate the clarity of solitude, likeClaire Dederer’sjourney toward sobriety &Lidia Yuknavitch’ssensual look at desire.NEG:When I invited people, I typically would offer up various prompts. I definitely made it clear from the beginning that I was interested in [pieces] that explored the ways in which alone time can be maddening & isolating & painful, but also pieces that explored the ways in which alone time can be a thrill, or a joy, or something that you crave but can’t access, which I think a lot of people also experienced during the pandemic. There was this simultaneous excess ofloneliness& then absence ofsolitude, which is something I contemplated a lot. I feel like one thing I learned from making the book—but after it had already been printed, of course—is that our longing forsolitudeis also another kind ofloneliness. I think it relates to my experience of the pandemic, & probably a lot of people’s experience of the pandemic. There was so muchloneliness, but also thelonelinessof not havingsolitude. Like, I have kids at home, &solitudeis something that I crave. It’s likelonelinessfrom oneself. A lack of connection to yourself.