TRANSFORMATIONS
TRANSFORMATIONS
 

TRANSFORMATIONS IS A PROJECT OF THE NARRATIVE STORYTELLING INITIATIVE AT ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY AND A PUBLISHING CHANNEL OF THE LOS ANGELES REVIEW OF BOOKS.

 
 
Featured
My Mother’s Search for Nirvana
My Mother’s Search for Nirvana

Sharon Enck experienced a road trip of a childhood in her mother’s bohemian search for freedom. Now, as a parent herself, she’s learned the importance of balancing freedom with loving restraint.


 

Note from the editor

Welcome to Transformations. This site, an online magazine featuring narrative essays, is inspired by our belief in the power of story and the value of chronicling and sharing how transformative experiences influence the trajectory of our lives. Read More

 

Want to write a book?

Check out the newly launching  Transformations Books, a narrative series exploring issues of justice, equity, diversity and inclusion as shaped by the lived experiences of authors and grounded in specific locations. 

 
 
ESSAYS
My Mother’s Search for Nirvana
My Mother’s Search for Nirvana

Sharon Enck experienced a road trip of a childhood in her mother’s bohemian search for freedom. Now, as a parent herself, she’s learned the importance of balancing freedom with loving restraint.


Rising Against the Tide
Rising Against the Tide

Living in Florida her whole life, Steph Strickland was accustomed to natural disasters. But the deadly intensity of Hurricane Irma awakened her to the seriousness of the climate crisis.

When the Lights Go Out
When the Lights Go Out

When Erika Nanes’ home lost power during a heat wave, she not only personally experienced the impact of climate change—she also better understood how her choices can effect the lives of others.

Accepting the Fact of Mortality
Accepting the Fact of Mortality

After decades of living with a chronic illness, Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer was rocked by a cancer diagnosis—eventually teaching her that accepting mortality was a necessary step toward healing.

My Decision
My Decision

When Barbara Ashwood found out she was pregnant, she knew she couldn’t keep it. Fifteen years later, she realized that she had to speak out about the choice that she made.

Insight from a Doe
Insight from a Doe

Jennifer Ochstein’s unexpected encounter with a wild doe helped her discover a new, profound connection to the natural world.

 
VIDEO ESSAYS
Ken Shropshire on Sport
Ken Shropshire on Sport

“Let's love sport. But let's not lose sight of sport's role in addressing what ails us.”

Finn on Imagination
Finn on Imagination

“Imagination is a collective project. We dream together. We change the world together.”

Mahdavi on Belonging
Mahdavi on Belonging

"Our collective American future must be a welcoming, inclusive place where belonging can be a reality for everyone.”

Wynne on Dogs
Wynne on Dogs

"The secret of dogs' success is their ability to make friends...Dogs really are all about love.”

Tepper on creativity
Tepper on creativity

“Creativity is everywhere. But sometimes it hides beneath social conventions, rules and a fear of failure.”

Lerman on Kindness
Lerman on Kindness

“I think kindness is a behavior, a skill, it’s glue. It’s essential to all of our environments.”

Shiota on the Sublime
Shiota on the Sublime

“It’s vast. It’s grand. It’s whatever is extraordinarily beautiful in our lives.”

Maynard on Fear
Maynard on Fear

“Rather than being ruled by fear, we can learn to better balance it with our reason.”

Aktipis on Cooperation
Aktipis on Cooperation

"Each of us is a massive collection of cells that cooperate in mind-blowing ways.”

Justice on Mortality
Justice on Mortality

"True awareness of mortality, when it comes, is a permanent revolution.”

Paine on Listening
Paine on Listening

"Usually, we don't think about how we listen. But when we do, the world becomes remarkably richer."

 
ALL POSTS
My Mother’s Search for Nirvana
My Mother’s Search for Nirvana

Sharon Enck experienced a road trip of a childhood in her mother’s bohemian search for freedom. Now, as a parent herself, she’s learned the importance of balancing freedom with loving restraint.


Rising Against the Tide
Rising Against the Tide

Living in Florida her whole life, Steph Strickland was accustomed to natural disasters. But the deadly intensity of Hurricane Irma awakened her to the seriousness of the climate crisis.

When the Lights Go Out
When the Lights Go Out

When Erika Nanes’ home lost power during a heat wave, she not only personally experienced the impact of climate change—she also better understood how her choices can effect the lives of others.

Accepting the Fact of Mortality
Accepting the Fact of Mortality

After decades of living with a chronic illness, Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer was rocked by a cancer diagnosis—eventually teaching her that accepting mortality was a necessary step toward healing.

My Decision
My Decision

When Barbara Ashwood found out she was pregnant, she knew she couldn’t keep it. Fifteen years later, she realized that she had to speak out about the choice that she made.

Insight from a Doe
Insight from a Doe

Jennifer Ochstein’s unexpected encounter with a wild doe helped her discover a new, profound connection to the natural world.

Processing Painful Memories
Processing Painful Memories

When Patricia Murphy experienced a suicidal thought during her morning run, she decided it was time to face the traumatic memories she was holding inside and pursue therapy.

Love, Death and Improv
Love, Death and Improv

By embracing the present and uncertainty, Drew Dotson found love and weathered the heavy turbulence caused by illness.

When I Didn't Belong to Me
When I Didn't Belong to Me

When Ukraine-born Masha Kisel experienced a traumatic period of disconnection in college, she worried whether she’d ever find her way back to feeling normal.

Topless and Independent in Barcelona
Topless and Independent in Barcelona

While traveling in Spain, Amy Silverman’s daughter with Down syndrome taught her an important lesson about growing up.

I Am the Dreadful Other
I Am the Dreadful Other

Despite the pressures to hide her true self, Elizabeth Burch-Hudson has fought to become a proud bisexual queer.

Dad’s Final Journey
Dad’s Final Journey

Kelsey Cleveland’s father had become tortured by cancer. She was determined to assist his courageous decision to end his life on his own terms.

A Knock on the Door
A Knock on the Door

Shelley Johansson was unsure at first of the intentions of the woman standing at her door, but she soon realized the courage it took for her to seek help.

My Father’s Detention
My Father’s Detention

Cynthia Lim’s father died when she was just seven years old, and she was determined to learn more about the truth of his life.

The Places Scent Takes Us
The Places Scent Takes Us

Recognizing that scent is an archive for memory, Megan Volpert sought to find a perfume that evoked formative years of her life.