essay us

Professional Essay Writing Service: EssayUSA

How our essay service ensures high quality, most requested types of work and disciplines, how to submit your 'write my essay' request, essayusa paper writing service guarantees, essayusa reviews.

How quickly can you write my essay?

Our fastest turnaround time for a well-written 1-pager is 1 hour. If you have a 3-page essay, our experts can complete it within 3 hours. Share your specific requirements, and we’ll do our best to accommodate your needs.

When am I expected to pay for my order?

Our company operates on a pre-paid basis to ensure a secure process for both you and your essay writer , so you’ll need to make payment upfront. Importantly, your money isn’t immediately transferred to the writer’s account. Instead, it’s held safely in the system until you approve the completed work. 

Does your essay writing service offer a money-back guarantee?

Absolutely! We take great pride in our work, and customer satisfaction is our priority. While dissatisfaction is extremely rare, we understand your concerns. If you’re unhappy with your essay, you can request unlimited free revisions within 14 days from when you receive the completed work. If, despite the writer’s efforts, you remain dissatisfied, you can request a refund. In such a case, we’ll return your money to the card you used to make a payment for the essay service .

What free features does your company provide?

At our essay writing service , you will enjoy numerous free features, including formatting in your requested style (from APA to IEEE), direct chat with the assigned expert, 14 days of limitless amendments, and 24/7 human-powered support via phone, email, and live chat—all at no extra cost. 

How can I find the best essay writer for my task?

Worry not! Our dedicated team is here to handle everything for you. Once you place an order, one of our managers will review our pool of subject-relevant writers to find the perfect match for your specific type of work and topic. They will also ensure the chosen essay writer has the right expertise and positive reviews from previous users, so you can rest easy knowing your essay is in good hands.

How much does your essay service cost?

Our essay writing service offers fixed, transparent prices starting from just $5.90 per page. You can easily calculate the cost of your order using the handy calculator tool available on our homepage and the order page.

Is this a legit essay writing service?

Yes, our online essay writing service is 100% legit. With over 15 years of experience, we’ve established a reputable presence in the market. Our track record includes numerous 5-star reviews on platforms like SiteJabber and EssaysRescue and an average satisfaction rating of 4.8/5. What’s more, we operate within the norms of all U.S. laws, ensuring a lawful and ethical service for our customers.

How do I hire a professional essay writer at your company?

Hiring professional writers at our essay service is extremely easy. All you have to do is submit detailed assignment instructions and make a secure payment. Once confirmed, one of our dedicated managers will review your order and match it with the most suitable expert in the requested subject and type of work. Remember, you can chat directly with them and monitor the progress from your dashboard.

Can you provide an originality report after you do my essay?

Yes, we offer detailed originality reports for an additional $14.99. You can request one during order placement, from your personal dashboard, or by contacting our support team directly.

Can the assigned writer make changes to the delivered paper?

Absolutely! The assigned writer can make adjustments to the final version, ensuring it aligns with your expectations, as long as the initial instructions remain unchanged. With our essay writing service , you have a 14-day window to request free, unlimited revisions to the delivered work.

Essay Writing Service You Can Trust

Sometimes, life throws us curveballs, and things don’t unfold as planned: deadlines slip away, and you find yourself immersed in endless research, grappling to uncover that perfect topic. The struggle is real, especially when time becomes your enemy, leaving you with little room to refine your paper before submission. That’s where EssayUSA comes in — to solve these and lots of related issues and make your student life so much easier! We’ve brought together highly skilled essay writers who create properly structured and referenced papers for students at all levels. Moreover, our experienced QA team ensures the absence of plagiarism and generated content in the completed essay, creating peace of mind for our clients.

The Expertise of Our Essay Service Speaks for Itself

For more than fifteen years, we’ve been a reliable provider of first-class academic writing services dedicated to supporting our clients’ academic success. But what sets our company apart and keeps clients coming back? The answer is simple: we meticulously select writers for every order we get. This careful approach enables us to consistently deliver exceptional content to students at all levels, from high school to Ph.D.

Our dedicated team specializes in crafting papers of all types, covering various subjects and complexity levels. From a one-page essay to an extensive dissertation accompanied by a PowerPoint presentation, rest assured we can handle it all. Drawing from our extensive expertise, we tailor papers to meet each customer’s unique needs. 

When you opt for our professional essay writing service , expect nothing less than impeccable, Turnitin-safe writing delivered within the stipulated deadline!

Types of Essays and Formatting Styles Available as Part of Our Essay Writing Services in USA

Since 2009, we’ve successfully handled various essays assigned by professors. Here are the major types our experts can tackle for you:

• Descriptive essays that aim to describe a person, place, thing, memory, etc.
• Narrative essays that narrate an incident or real-life experience.
• Compare and contrast essays that examine the differences and similarities between several objects or ideas. 
• Expository essays that use facts and figures to explain a topic with no personal viewpoints.
• Persuasive essays that aim to convince readers of the writer’s arguments employing facts and logic.
• Analytical essays that examine the subject with a critical lens, uncovering the underlying patterns, connections, and meanings.  
• Argumentative essays that aim to present compelling perspectives and influence readers with well-reasoned arguments. 

On top of that, our dedicated team can reference your papers in the following academic styles:

• and many more.

Whether it’s an essay for Business and Management, Health Sciences and Nursing, History, Psychology, Education, Social and Political Sciences, English, Literature, Philology, or any other subject you’re struggling with, we have qualified experts ready to start working on it in the next couple of minutes. All we need are your detailed instructions and grading rubric!

Essay Writer Selection: Whom We Hire

At our essay writing service , we welcome applicants from all backgrounds. However, before they are invited to join our team, they go through a strict selection process. This process is comprised of 8 steps:

• Application 
• Resume screening 
• Screening call 
• Knowledge and skills assessment test 
• In-person interviewing 
• Background and reference check 

Committed to high standards, we look for writers with the following qualities:

• Natives of English with Master’s and Ph.D. degrees from U.S. universities.
• Proficient in written and spoken English.
• Have at least three years of relevant work experience.
• Punctual and disciplined.
• Follow guidelines precisely.
• Have positive recommendations from previous employers.
• Can create flawless, 100% original content under tight deadlines.
• Can perform in-depth research and select proper sources.
• Can cope with any paper on any topic within their area of specialization.

What’s more, at our paper writing service , you can choose a preferred writer and cooperate with them throughout your academic journey. You can also track their progress and discuss your order with them directly through a secure chat board in your personal dashboard.

Our College Essay Writing Servic e Is the Fastest Way to Get Your Essays Done

As former students, we understand the challenges of academic schedules. But remember, it’s not your fault. The reality is there’s often not enough time for everything, especially if you’re working in parallel with studies or have a small child . This pressure can make you overly hard on yourself, trying to check all the boxes on your list. Unfortunately, pushing yourself too hard can lead to additional problems like burnout and even depression.

But worry not! With our essay help service, you can breathe easy, knowing that all your papers will be completed on time and to the highest standard. Starting at just $5.90 per page, we provide an opportunity for you to save your efforts for more meaningful things without hurting your GPA. Moreover, our fastest turnaround is 1-3 hours. So, even if your deadline is looming, you can trust us to complete your ‘ write my essay online ‘ request on time and within budget !

How to Submit Your ‘ Write My Essay ‘ Request With Our Writing Service

At EssayUSA , we’ve streamlined the ordering process to make it as quick and smooth as possible. Here’s a glimpse of how to hire essay writer at our service:

1.Fill out an easy order form

Let us know your type of work, topic, academic level, referencing style, number of sources, when your paper is due, how long it should be, and share any special instructions you have. This can be anything from lecture notes and samples to formatting requirements and grading rubrics. 

 2.Make a secure payment

After providing us with the necessary assignment details, proceed to make an upfront payment. You can use MasterCard, Visa, or any other credit or debit card. This step enables the writer to commence work on your essay and ensures a secure cooperation process. And don’t worry — the writer will only get paid after you approve the completed essay.

Should you have any questions, you can always contact our friendly support agents via email, phone, or live chat. They are available 24/7 to cater to your needs and provide further guidance.

‘ Do My Essay ‘ Process in a Nutshell

So, you’ve submitted your ‘ do my paper ‘ request. What’s next? That’s a breakdown of what steps our writers take when they work on your orders:

• Understanding your instructions

First, the assigned writer carefully reads your instructions. This helps ensure they don’t make mistakes and meet all your assignment ‘s requirements. If something is unclear or missing, they will contact you directly for clarification.

2. Doing research and gathering materials

Next, our experts browse topic-relevant databases (EBSCO, JSTOR, ProQuest) to collect all the information necessary to create your work. They hand-pick reliable and credible sources to give your paper authority and authenticity.

3. Creating an outline and writing the paper

Once all sources are gathered, your expert creates a detailed plan and starts writing the essay. At our company, we don’t tolerate plagiarism, generated content, and the use of pre-written papers, so they will craft your paper from the blank page and back up all arguments with hard evidence cited following the style guide.

4. Quality assurance process

As soon as written, your paper undergoes a thorough quality check. A dedicated QA Team checks it for plagiarism, AI, mistakes of all kinds, inconsistencies, and compliance with the provided instructions and academic standards. After that, the paper is uploaded to your dashboard, and you get notified via email.

5. Client review and approval

Simply click the link in the notification email to download the completed paper. Review and ask for revisions if needed. Once satisfied, approve the work and submit it. You can rate the writer’s work at this stage and share your experience with other users. And don’t worry—all reviews are anonymous, so no one will ever see your real name!

Why Hire Our Team to Take Care of Your ‘ Write My Paper ‘ Needs

Here are just some of the advantages that make our essay writing service a top choice among both domestic and international students pursuing their degrees in the USA:

• Customer-focused approach

At our writing service, customers are at the heart of every interaction. From user-friendly interfaces to 24/7 support, we’re dedicated to ensuring you have nothing short of an exceptional experience from day one.

• Payment safety

Your payment details are secure with us. We neither collect nor store them and process all payments through trusted gateways. Additionally, the order form is protected using SSL 256-bit encryption.

• 100% original, AI-free work

We rely on human expertise to ensure A+ writing and promote academic integrity at all levels. Choosing one of our experts to craft your assignment , rest assured you’ll get wholly unique, human-written content tailored to your specific needs.

• Guaranteed confidentiality

Our team prioritizes customer privacy. We assign unique IDs to hide real names, work under strict NDAs, and never disclose client identities to third parties, ensuring complete confidentiality at all times.

• High quality of writing

All the papers we deliver to customers are based on credible, up-to-date sources and are quality-approved by an in-house team of certified editors. 

• On-time delivery

We consistently meet deadlines, including 1-hour ones, without compromising quality. So, you can always rely on our company for punctual delivery and top-notch work worthy of the professor’s praise.

We also offer the lowest prices on the market, employ the best writers, and provide lots of other perks, including but not limited to round-the-clock support by real humans, direct chat with assigned writers, 14 days of free limitless revisions, an option to copy your style of writing, a beneficial loyalty program, and much, much more. If you’re looking to pay someone to write your paper, there’s no better essay writing service USA than EssayUSA !

Our Custom Essay Writing Service Is Affordable

Wondering how we set prices for our essay writing help ? It’s simple! The cost depends on such factors as the complexity of your assignment , its length, and due date. More extended deadlines mean lower costs compared to shorter ones. Here’s the breakdown of the price for a 1-page college essay based on different deadlines:

• 30-day turnaround: $5.90
• 14-day turnaround: $7.38
• 7-day turnaround: $7.54
• 5-day turnaround: $8.69
• 3-day turnaround: $10.98
• 1-day turnaround: $17.70
• 6-hour turnaround: $24.91
• 3-hour turnaround: $26.88
• 1-hour turnaround: $34.09

But that’s not all! In addition to delivering top-notch papers within the tightest of deadlines, we have an exclusive offer for first-time clients: 15% OFF their first order and 10% cashback they can use to save on the next one. Furthermore, our regular clients enjoy special holiday deals and can earn real money by inviting friends to order an essay from our company.

Just Tell Us, ‘ Write My Essay for Me ‘ and Experience the Benefits of Professional Help

Stop googling ‘where to pay someone to write my paper ‘ as you’ve already found the best essay writing service in USA ! Simply share your requirements and relax. We’ll deliver impeccable, fully original work tailored to your needs and the institution’s standards before the stipulated deadline, with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Click here to place your order now!

• How to Write a College Essay

College admissions experts offer tips on selecting a topic as well as writing and editing the essay.

Getty Images

Students can go online to review essay requirements for the colleges they want to apply to, such as word limits and essay topics. Many students may start with the Common App, an application platform accepted by more than 1,000 schools.

For college applicants, the essay is the place to showcase their writing skills and let their unique voice shine through.

"The essays are important in part because this is a student's chance to really speak directly to the admissions office," says Adam Sapp, assistant vice president and director of admissions at Pomona College in California.

Prospective college students want their essay, sometimes called a personal statement, to make a good impression and boost their chances of being accepted, but they have only several hundred words to make that happen.

This can feel like a lot of pressure.

"I think this is the part of the application process that students are sometimes most challenged by," says Niki Barron, associate dean of admission at Hamilton College in New York, "because they're looking at a blank piece of paper and they don't know where to get started."

That pressure may be amplified as many colleges have gone test optional in recent years, meaning that ACT and SAT scores will be considered if submitted but are not required. Other schools have gone test-blind and don't consider such scores at all. In the absence of test scores, some admissions experts have suggested that more attention will be paid to other parts of an application, such as the essay.

But just as each applicant is unique, so are college admissions policies and priorities.

"Being test optional hasn't changed how we use essays in our selection process, and I wouldn't say that the essay serves as a substitute for standardized test scores," Barron wrote in an email. "A student's academic preparation for our classroom experience is always front and center in our application review process."

On June 29, 2023, the Supreme Court ruled against college admissions policies that consider an applicant's race. The ruling, though, does not prohibit students from writing essays on how their race has affected them, which experts say could significantly affect how students approach this portion of their applications.

Essay-writing tips offered by experts emphasize the importance of being concise, coherent, congenial, unique, honest and accurate. An applicant should also flex some intellectual muscle and include vivid details or anecdotes.

From brainstorming essay topics to editing the final draft, here's what students need to know about crafting a strong college application essay.

Getting Started on the College Essay

How long should a college essay be, how to pick a college essay topic, writing the college essay, how the affirmative action ruling could change college essays, editing and submitting the college essay.

A good time for students to begin working on their essays is the summer before senior year, experts say, when homework and extracurricular activities aren't taking up time and mental energy.

Starting early will also give students plenty of time to work through multiple drafts of an essay before college application deadlines, which can be as early as November for students applying for early decision or early action .

Students can go online to review essay requirements for the colleges they want to apply to, such as word limits and essay topics. Many students may start with the Common App , an application platform accepted by more than 1,000 schools. Students can submit that application to multiple schools.

Another option is the Coalition Application, an application platform accepted by more than 130 schools. Students applying through this application choose from one of six essay prompts to complete and include with their application.

In addition to the main essay, some colleges ask applicants to submit one or more additional writing samples. Students are often asked to explain why they are interested in a particular school or academic field in these supplemental essays , which tend to be shorter than the main essay.

Students should budget more time for the writing process if the schools they're applying to ask for supplemental essays.

"Most selective colleges will ask for more than one piece of writing. Don't spend all your time working on one long essay and then forget to devote energy to other parts of the application," Sapp says.

Though the Common App notes that "there are no strict word limits" for its main essay, it suggests a cap of about 650 words. The Coalition Application website says its essays should be between 500 and 650 words.

"While we won't, as a rule, stop reading after 650 words, we cannot promise that an overly wordy essay will hold our attention for as long as you'd hoped it would," the Common App website states.

The word count is much shorter for institution-specific supplemental essays, which are typically around 250 words.

The first and sometimes most daunting step in the essay writing process is figuring out what to write about.

There are usually several essay prompts to choose from on a college application. They tend to be broad, open-ended questions, giving students the freedom to write about a wide array of topics, Barron says.

The essay isn't a complete autobiography, notes Mimi Doe, co-founder of Top Tier Admissions, a Massachusetts-based advising company. "It's overwhelming to think of putting your whole life in one essay," she says.

Rather, experts say students should narrow their focus and write about a specific experience, hobby or quirk that reveals something personal, like how they think, what they value or what their strengths are. Students can also write about something that illustrates an aspect of their background. These are the types of essays that typically stand out to admissions officers, experts say. Even an essay on a common topic can be compelling if done right.

Students don't have to discuss a major achievement in their essay – a common misconception. Admissions officers who spoke with U.S. News cited memorable essays that focused on more ordinary topics, including fly-fishing, a student's commute to and from school and a family's dining room table.

What's most important, experts say, is that a college essay is thoughtful and tells a story that offers insight into who a student is as a person.

"Think of the college essay as a meaningful glimpse of who you are beyond your other application materials," Pierre Huguet, CEO and founder of admissions consulting firm H&C Education, wrote in an email. "After reading your essay, the reader won't fully know you – at least not entirely. Your objective is to evoke the reader's curiosity and make them eager to get to know you."

If students are having trouble brainstorming potential topics, they can ask friends or family members for help, says Stephanie Klein Wassink, founder of Winning Applications and AdmissionsCheckup, Connecticut-based college admissions advising companies. Klein Wassink says students can ask peers or family members questions such as, "What are the things you think I do well?" Or, "What are my quirks?"

The essay should tell college admissions officers something they don't already know, experts say.

Some experts encourage students to outline their essay before jumping into the actual writing, though of course everyone's writing process differs.

The first draft of an essay doesn't need to be perfect. "Just do a brain dump," Doe says. "Don't edit yourself, just lay it all out on the page."

If students are having a hard time getting started, they should focus on their opening sentence, Doe suggests. She says an essay's opening sentence, or hook, should grab the reader's attention.

Doe offered an example of a strong hook from the essay of a student she worked with:

"I first got into politics the day the cafeteria outlawed creamed corn."

"I want to know about this kid," she says. "I’m interested."

The key to a good college essay is striking a balance between being creative and not overdoing it, Huguet says. He advises students to keep it simple.

"The college essay is not a fiction writing contest," Huguet says. "Admissions committees are not evaluating you on your potential as the next writer of the Great American Novel."

He adds that students should write in the voice they use to discuss meaningful topics with someone they trust. It's also wise to avoid hyperbole, as that can lose the readers' trust, as well as extraneous adverbs and adjectives, Huguet says.

"Thinking small, when done right, means paying close attention to the little things in your life that give it meaning in unique ways," he says. "It means, on the one hand, that you don’t have to come up with a plan for world peace, but it also means thinking small enough to identify details in your life that belong only to you."

The Supreme Court's ruling on affirmative action has left some students feeling in limbo with how to approach their essays. Some are unsure whether to include racial identifiers while others feel pressure to exclude it, says Christopher Rim, CEO and founder of Command Education, an admissions consulting company.

"For instance, some of our Asian students have been concerned that referencing their culture or race in their essay could negatively impact them (even moreso than before)," Rim wrote in an email. He noted that many students he works with had already begun crafting their essays before the ruling came. "Some of our other students have felt pressure to disclose their race or share a story of discrimination or struggle because they expect those stories to be received better by admissions officers."

Some of the uneasiness stems from what feels like a contradictory message from the court, Rim says. In his majority opinion, Chief Justice John Roberts Jr., said the ruling shouldn't be construed "as prohibiting universities from considering an applicant’s discussion of how race affected his or her life, be it through discrimination, inspiration, or otherwise." But he added that colleges may consider race only if it's tied to an applicant’s individual experiences or qualities, such as demonstrating courage against discrimination.

Personal essays shouldn't serve as a way for universities to ask students about their race as a means to admit them on such basis, Roberts added.

Rim says he expects there to be a lot of confusion from parents and students as they navigate that line when writing their essay. He says his guidance will vary with each student depending on their specific situation.

"For a student from an immigrant family, sharing their racial and cultural background may be integral to understanding their identity and values and therefore should be included in the essay," he says. "On the other hand, a student who has never meaningfully considered ways in which their race has shaped their life experience and worldview should not push themselves to do so in their essay simply because they believe it will better their chances."

While admissions officers try to learn about students via the essay, they are also gauging writing skills, so students want to make sure they submit top-notch work.

"The best writing is rewriting," Sapp says. "You should never be giving me your first draft."

When reviewing a first essay draft, students should make sure their writing is showing, not telling, Huguet says. This means students should show their readers examples that prove they embody certain traits or beliefs, as opposed to just stating that they do. Doing so is like explaining a joke to someone who's already laughed at it, he says.

"Let’s say, for example, that the whole point of a certain applicant’s essay is to let admissions officers know that she thinks outside the box. If she feels the need to end her essay with a sentence like, 'And so, this anecdote shows that I think outside the box,' she’s either underestimating the power of her story (or the ability of her reader to understand it), or she hasn’t done a good enough job in telling it yet," Huguet says. "Let your readers come to their own conclusions. If your story is effective, they’ll come to the conclusions you want them to."

After editing their essay, students should seek outside editing help, experts recommend. While there are individuals and companies that offer paid essay help – from editing services to essay-writing boot camps – students and families may not be able to afford the associated fees. Some providers may offer scholarships or other financial aid for their services.

The availability and level of feedback from free essay advising services vary. Some college prep companies offer brief consultations at no charge. Free essay workshops may also be available through local high schools, public libraries or community organizations. Khan Academy, a free online education platform, also offers a series of videos and other content to guide students through the essay writing process.

Colleges themselves may also have resources, Barron notes, pointing to pages on Hamilton's website that offer writing tips as well as examples of successful admissions essays. Likewise, Hamilton also holds virtual panel discussions on writing admissions essays.

Students have other options when it comes to essay help. They can ask peers, teachers, school counselors and family members for help polishing an essay. Huguet says it's typically wise to prioritize quality over quantity when it comes to seeking feedback on essays. Too many perspectives can become counterproductive, he says.

"While it can be valuable to have different perspectives, it's best to seek out individuals who are experts in the writing process," he says. "Instructors or professors can be helpful, particularly if they possess subject expertise and can provide guidance on refining arguments, structure and overall coherence."

Proofreaders should not change the tone of the essay. "Don't let anyone edit out your voice," Doe cautions.

And while proofreading is fair game, having someone else write your essay is not.

When an essay is ready to go, students will generally submit it online along with the rest of their application. On the Common App, for example, students copy and paste their essay into a text box.

Sapp says even though students often stress about the essay in particular, it's not the only thing college admissions officers look at. "The essay is the window, but the application is the house," he says. "So let's not forget that an application is built of many pieces."

Searching for a college? Get our complete rankings of Best Colleges.

What to Do After Selecting a College

College Admissions

• How to Complete a College Application
• Use the Common App to Apply to College
• College Application Essay Grammar Tips
• See College Essay Examples

Tags: education , colleges , college admissions , college applications , students

2024 Best Colleges

Search for your perfect fit with the U.S. News rankings of colleges and universities.

College Admissions: Get a Step Ahead!

Sign up to receive the latest updates from U.S. News & World Report and our trusted partners and sponsors. By clicking submit, you are agreeing to our Terms and Conditions & Privacy Policy .

Ask an Alum: Making the Most Out of College

You May Also Like

Federal vs. private parent student loans.

Erika Giovanetti May 9, 2024

14 Colleges With Great Food Options

Sarah Wood May 8, 2024

Colleges With Religious Affiliations

Anayat Durrani May 8, 2024

Protests Threaten Campus Graduations

Aneeta Mathur-Ashton May 6, 2024

Protesting on Campus: What to Know

Sarah Wood May 6, 2024

Lawmakers Ramp Up Response to Unrest

Aneeta Mathur-Ashton May 3, 2024

University Commencements Must Go On

Eric J. Gertler May 3, 2024

Where Astronauts Went to College

Cole Claybourn May 3, 2024

College Admitted Student Days

Jarek Rutz May 3, 2024

Universities, the Police and Protests

John J. Sloan III May 2, 2024

Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

Essay Writing

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

This resource begins with a general description of essay writing and moves to a discussion of common essay genres students may encounter across the curriculum. The four genres of essays (description, narration, exposition, and argumentation) are common paper assignments you may encounter in your writing classes. Although these genres, also known as the modes of discourse, have been criticized by some composition scholars, the Purdue OWL recognizes the wide spread use of these genres and students’ need to understand and produce these types of essays. We hope these resources will help.

The essay is a commonly assigned form of writing that every student will encounter while in academia. Therefore, it is wise for the student to become capable and comfortable with this type of writing early on in her training.

Essays can be a rewarding and challenging type of writing and are often assigned either to be done in class, which requires previous planning and practice (and a bit of creativity) on the part of the student, or as homework, which likewise demands a certain amount of preparation. Many poorly crafted essays have been produced on account of a lack of preparation and confidence. However, students can avoid the discomfort often associated with essay writing by understanding some common genres.

Before delving into its various genres, let’s begin with a basic definition of the essay.

What is an essay?

Though the word essay has come to be understood as a type of writing in Modern English, its origins provide us with some useful insights. The word comes into the English language through the French influence on Middle English; tracing it back further, we find that the French form of the word comes from the Latin verb exigere , which means "to examine, test, or (literally) to drive out." Through the excavation of this ancient word, we are able to unearth the essence of the academic essay: to encourage students to test or examine their ideas concerning a particular topic.

Essays are shorter pieces of writing that often require the student to hone a number of skills such as close reading, analysis, comparison and contrast, persuasion, conciseness, clarity, and exposition. As is evidenced by this list of attributes, there is much to be gained by the student who strives to succeed at essay writing.

The purpose of an essay is to encourage students to develop ideas and concepts in their writing with the direction of little more than their own thoughts (it may be helpful to view the essay as the converse of a research paper). Therefore, essays are (by nature) concise and require clarity in purpose and direction. This means that there is no room for the student’s thoughts to wander or stray from his or her purpose; the writing must be deliberate and interesting.

This handout should help students become familiar and comfortable with the process of essay composition through the introduction of some common essay genres.

This handout includes a brief introduction to the following genres of essay writing:

• Expository essays
• Descriptive essays
• Narrative essays
• Argumentative (Persuasive) essays

Academic writing service that has your back

EssayPro will help you with any task, always.

Our professional team knows what you need and how to help you achieve greatness. Trust your assignments to us today.

Trusted by 1,5M+ happy customers

Meet our team of professionals

Academic writers with years of experience are here to make your life easier and your school performance better.

A time-tested academic writing service

We know what you need and are here for you. Let us make you feel safe.

Your instructions are our law

Individual approach to every order is an EssayPro guarantee. You can trust us with the most ambiguous instructions, and we will still deliver a perfect paper.

Thousands of experts

Our team of writers will help you with any task. Each one has at least three years of practice in academic writing and real-world experience in their field.

Originality is a non-negotiable

Delivering unique papers is a must for us. Every paper goes through a Turnitin-based plagiarism checker. Claim your free originality report to confirm.

Privacy & confidentiality

You don’t have to give us any personal information except your email. Stay completely anonymous if you wish. No private data is shared with third parties.

Three easy steps to claim your perfect paper

Step 1: sign up.

Sign in or register to place your order. Give us your instructions and pay the deposit.

Step 2: Pick your expert

Writers will start bidding on your order. Choose the right expert by comparing their qualifications

Step 3: Get your paper

After receiving an email notification, read your paper and confirm receipt. Ask for revision if necessary

Read customers’ testimonials to see why they choose us

There are many academic writing services to choose from. Here’s why people choose ours:

Frequently asked questions

Is it legal to use academic writing services, do your academic writers provide original work, what exactly can you help me with, is there a way to talk to my writer, why is academic writing so hard.

Academic writing is the main way of assessing students’ comprehension, critical thinking and analysis skills. This is why it is not supposed to be easy. However, in the current landscape, it is arguably a lot harder than it used to be just ten years ago. Students truly have a lot on their plates, and getting a trusted service for academic writing help is a necessity rather than a luxury. But still, finding a reputable academic writing company that would not scam you out of your money and private data can be a struggle. We recommend always reading through the terms and conditions before giving an online service your money. Sure, reading through dozens of pages of legalese is not fun, but it’s a sure way to safeguard your funds and, most importantly, your privacy. An easier way to determine the trustworthiness of a company is by looking at the payment methods they offer. Always look for a padlock character at the beginning of the address bar in your browser, as this tells you the website is safe. The payment methods also have to be recognizable and trustworthy. If all those conditions are met, you know that the research papers writing help service is safe and can be trusted. But if it raises any suspicions, run away immediately!

Reasons to choose us for your writing needs

There are plenty of academic writing services to choose from these days, and feeling confused when you have to settle for one is natural. The reality is you don't have to settle for one! You can test different services, compare their professional academic writers, support teams and other aspects and then return to the one you liked best. The thing is, though, we are pretty sure EssayPro will be the one you settle for, regardless of how many different services you try out. We have some of the most affordable prices, a huge pool of writers who all have been excessively tested and trained, round-the-clock support, and many features that other services charge for are free at EssayPro. We are always willing to listen to feedback and learn from it. This is why even if you had a disappointing experience with us, we will give you free, unlimited revisions or even a refund. Our policy has you, our client, in the center. Your satisfaction, privacy, safety and happiness are important to us, and it's in our best interest to do everything possible to support these claims. So, hurry up, place your first order today, and claim your discounts!

• Testimonials

Total price:

Click on Subscribe and be ready to receive special discounts right to your mailbox!

USESSAY.COM AN ESSAY WRITING SERVICE YOU CAN COUNT ON

Looking for the best essay writing company on the web? Congratulations, you just landed on its website! We have many proofs of being a top player in this industry. First of all, over 80% of our first-time customers return for our services. That fact says enough – we satisfy our customers and once they receive a high-quality paper from us for the first time, they don’t look for another website ever again.

No matter what type of paper you need to be written, you can count on us because our team of professional writers can tackle any challenge. Our writers are native English speakers with impressive academic achievements and a great talent of writing. You cannot find that level of quality anywhere else.

Why Should You Order From Our Website?

The reason is simple: we offer unmatched quality. Every essay writer from our team is an expert in their field of study, which means that your paper will be completed from someone who understands the matter and knows how to develop a unique approach.

We guarantee timely delivery. When you place an order at our website and tell us your deadline, you won’t even have to think about the paper; we guarantee that it will arrive by the due date. If you have any questions or concerns before ordering or throughout the completion process, you can easily get in touch with our supportive customer care representatives. Our customer service agents are available 24/7 to provide the support you need.

WHAT CAN YOU ORDER AT OUR WEBSITE?

The versatility of our writers enables us to offer and deliver a wide range of services and all types of papers. We have hired talented writers from all fields of study, and they are capable of completing any type of academic paper you need. Our services include, but are not limited to:

• All types of essays
• Research papers
• Term papers
• Admission essays
• Book reports
• Personal statements
• Dissertations
• Editing and proofreading services, and much more.

Before assigning a writer to your order, we make sure that the professional we choose is capable of satisfying your requirements with excellence. If you want your personal writing and thinking style to be reflected in the content you receive, you can easily achieve that by communicating with your writer directly and discussing your points of view. However, you don’t have to worry if you don’t have the time for consultations – you can just complete the order form, provide all necessary details and leave everything to the writer we assign, knowing that you will still get an impressive paper written according to your professor’s requirements.

YOU WANT THE BEST QUALITY OF SERVICE FOR HIGHEST GRADES?

If you want your order to get exclusive attention from our team, you can choose to add some of our special offers to your order and be sure that you’ll get the best grade in class. If you want your paper to be written by one of the best writers in our team, choose the “Top 10 Writers” offer in the order form and we will assign your essay to one of our 10 star writers in the appropriate field of study. This will add value to your order and will get you the best paper you could ever hope for.

Our company has one priority: customer satisfaction. We take your concerns and needs into consideration and we always do our best to meet and exceed your greatest expectations. It will take only 10 minutes for you to complete the order form, and you can relax after that, knowing that you will receive impressive academic content by the deadline you determine.

We Can Help You Build Your Future

If you have dreams and goals of achieving success in a certain professional field, you know that you’ll need to go through college and possibly graduate school to get there. The curriculums at colleges and graduate schools are heavily founded upon academic writing, which means that you won’t get anywhere without delivering outstanding papers when your professor assign them. No matter how much you detest writing papers, their importance stands as a reminder that you won’t achieve the success you dream of without showing excellence in that skill.

Professional Essay Writing & Editing Services

Our experts will write you a top-quality paper and revise it an unlimited number of times until you're 100% satisfied - or offer a refund.

Will my paper pass Turnitin?

Yes, definitely. Our experts write all papers from the ground up and use only credible sources. They also are familiar with all formatting and referencing styles.

Once your paper is completed, it is checked for plagiarism with powerful plagiarism detection software (e.g., Copyscape and Copyleaks) to make sure it is 100% original and will pass any checker, including Turnitin.

We do not check completed papers with Turnitin because it saves all works to the database, making them unoriginal if submitted once again.

If you'd like to get official proof of your paper's uniqueness, add our Plagiarism Report extra to your order.

Can somebody detect that I've used an essay writing service?

Absolutely not. GradeSmiths is a reliable essay writing service that takes all measures to protect your data and order details from illegal access or disclosure. We work in accordance with GDPR, use the latest bank-level encryption, and offer anonymous communication with writers. So, it's 100% safe to order your papers from our subject-matter experts.

What if I don't like the quality of my paper?

No problem. In such cases, which are quite rare, we offer two options to choose from: you can either request a free revision or get a refund.

If you would like the writer to amend the final draft, just activate the 14-day revision period in your account and add revision instructions. Then, the writer will revise the paper according to your remarks in the shortest time possible.

To request a refund, contact the Support Team via email or live chat. They are always more than happy to help out. Please note that this option is available within 14-30 days, depending on the paper’s length.

I'm not sure that your writers can deal with my topic?

We have a vast pool of qualified experts across 50 subject areas. All of them have 4+ years of academic writing experience, so rest assured they will be able to deal with your topic.

Still hesitating? Please contact our 24/7 support team to discuss your project in more detail and get a free quote.

Do you deal with large papers like research papers, dissertations, etc.?

Yes, we have experts in huge papers of any complexity, including:

• research paper
• capstone project
• dissertation

To see the complete list of papers we can prepare for you, click here .

Do you write all types of papers?

Yes. We can help during the entire study period and post-study life — from preparing admission essays to assisting with graduation papers and resumes. Also, our services are not limited to writing. We provide editing, proofreading, and paraphrasing services too.

If you haven't found your type of work on the order page, just select "Other" and specify what exactly you need to be done. Then, we'll check your paper details and find an appropriate expert for you.

Is your writing service legal?

Yes, of course. GradeSmiths is a registered company with a 12-year history of delivering academic assistance services to English-speaking students worldwide that works following existing laws. Our main goal is to help students improve their writing skills and academic performance.

Over 50k students trust us, 42% of whom come by friend's recommendation.

How fast can your service complete an essay?

Our experts can write a high-quality 275-word or 1-page essay for you within just 1 hour. However, if your essay is 550+ words long or 2+ pages, it will take them 3 hours to complete it to a high standard.

What happens after I pay?

Once the payment is done, you get access to the personal customer area, where you can track order progress, add more instructions for the writer or ask them order-related questions.

In your customer area, you can also communicate with the support team, request revisions, add extra services like additional pages or excel sheets to your order, rate your writer, and much more.

Can I add additional instructions after the order has been placed?

Yes, sure. You can do it on the order page in your customer area. The writer will check them out and follow too.

Want to talk to my writer. Can I?

Yes, definitely. You will be able to communicate with the writer through messages in your account after the payment is done and the writer is assigned. Usually, it takes up to 15 minutes.

Please note you will receive an email notification once the writer is assigned.

To send a message to your writer, go to the corresponding order page and type your message in the chat window located in the upper right-hand corner of the page.

How much does paper writing help cost?

The price for writing your paper greatly depends on your study level, type of work, deadline, and number of pages needed. For example, a college essay due in 7 days will cost you $7.00 per page, while a Ph.D. dissertation due in 30 days will cost $6.19 per page.

If you want to get the best price, simply place your order in advance. Close deadlines require more resources. Therefore, they are more expensive.

To calculate the price of your order, click here .

What free options do you have?

At GradeSmiths, every paper comes with the following freebies:

• Bibliography page
• Any academic format
• Preferred paper writer
• Limitless revision
• Order tracking option
• Quality check
• 24/7 customer support

Do you have discounts?

Our professional aid is accessible to everyone. We strive to help students on any budget. For this purpose, we offer regular discounts and seasonal deals to all customers. In addition, every newcomer gets a special 15% discount on the first order, while regular customers receive loyalty bonuses they can spend on future orders.

How can I pay?

You can pay for your order using a debit or credit card by Visa, MasterCard, or Maestro. The payment will be processed via a secure checkout page, and no card data will be saved.

Meet Your Perfect Essay Writing Service – GradeSmiths

GradeSmiths is an essay writing service that helps students in the USA and from all over the world to write better essays and other types of high school, college, and university research papers. Our writers are experienced and competent enough to cover all subjects and meet any deadlines.

GradeSmiths’s essay writing service is perfect for students who want to improve their GPA, not wasting too much time and money. Those who’ve tried professional essay writing services once confirm that living up with the workload becomes easier. So, if you have the money to spend on a quality custom essay, GradeSmiths is the perfect writing website for you.

– How much does it cost me to write an essay? We know that this question is important for you. That’s why we guarantee the best price to write an essay brought to you by the Essay Writer service. Our prices start from only $10.52 per page, including the extras. If you’re on a budget, then our essay service is exactly what you need to ace your task for an affordable price.

Team up with the essay writing industry’s finest writers and fulfill your academic goals easier as if you’ve been doing all the homework on your own. Also, get better grades and enjoy your student life to the maximum with GradeSmiths!

7 Easy Signs You Need an Expert Essay Writer Right Now

The ultimate trick to score the highest grade for an essay is… not to write it yourself. Trust writing an essay to an expert essay writer and get this burden off your back. Using a professional to writing essays and our extensive academic knowledge base, we guarantee to fulfill your term paper, case study, book report, or any other type of paper up to the hilt.

We’ll write you a quality essay based on all the order requirements that you initially provided on the order now page. This will save your free time and also boost your GPA. Need more proof? Here are seven signals you might need professional writing help with essays ASAP:

• Essay writing isn’t your strongest perk, so you might want to seek services from professional essay writers online.
• As a student, you lack time and talent to carry out original topic research. Not everyone is made a qualified scholarly researcher. If that’s an issue, we’ll be glad to help.
• You are bad at essay writing. Not every student can master the art of academic essay writing. There is nothing to be ashamed of in case expressing your thoughts and ideas using a proper academic English language is a challenging task.
• There are some of the homework instructions that you don’t understand. Such assignments often occur, puzzling students a lot and making them look for someone to help them with these mind-wrecking tasks.
• There’s no time to do an essay yourself. Things happen in life that you can’t control or predict. Everyone’s a human being who deserves a little bit of you-time now and then. To manage your time more effectively, you can use our essay service.
• Having more free time is great, but, at the same time, risking your academic record isn’t an option. That said, specialists of our service will cover up for you at any time.
• The finals weeks are too stressful, leaving you little to no time to cope with homework assignments.

Get rid of nasty academic issues – hire an academic essay writer with confidence and kiss academic problems goodbye! Our service will meet all your needs and save a good sum of money.

No.1 Essay Writer Website in 2022

Are you facing trouble with various college assignments? Nights without sleep, too difficult topics, reluctant teachers, no one available to help you? Sounds like it’s high time for you to use our essay service. With the help of one of our cheap and competent writers, you could put the finger on any task within just a few hours.

To any college writing problem, there’s a sound solution to be found. Which is, as far as our service is concerned, hiring a skilled essay writer online is the best way out. The great news is that with the help of our competent essay service, all your writing hardships disappear for good. Our expert essay writers, qualified editors, and smart proofreaders work day and night to help you to fulfill your college goals. Choose any of the 35+ subjects that we cover, 50+ types of assignments, and any urgency, including our super-quick 1-hour deadline, to ensure a positive and rapid GPA growth. Order professional essay writing help on GradeSmiths today!

Text us “write my essay for me” – we will take care of the project and improve your academic record. Please, ask any emerging questions. Support managers operate 24/7 to provide you with timely answers and help you with any essay writing emergency. Our service is available all day and night if you have any essay writing emergencies that need urgent academic treatment.

Essay Writing Service You Can Trust

GradeSmiths is not only a cheap essay writing company to get ace-quality writing services, but also a reliable writing service that takes full care of its customers. To protect your data and confidentiality, we take the following measures:

• We keep your data safe.

Your privacy is under careful protection. Cutting-edge encryption solutions protect data on our safe essay writer website. Except for critical essay topics, basic instructions, and contact email, customers don’t have to provide their private information. Plus, you can think of any preferred name and communicate with us as incognito.

• We provide you with secure payment options.

Financial operations are also well-guarded. Our essay writing company cooperates with leading financial service providers, acknowledged all across the world. Use any safe option to purchase your article online.

• We give a chargeless review period.

Viewpoints differ. To avoid dissatisfaction with our essay services, every order is supported by a free review period. It starts on the day of delivery and lasts for 2 weeks. If your essay needs changes, do not hesitate to reach out to us.

• We return your payment if you dislike the essay.

Viewpoints can differ dramatically. The situation is highly surreal, but as a safeguard, your rights for repayment are protected by our Refund policy. Proven plagiarisms, poor quality, and insufficient research are among the main reasons to request reimbursement.

We Have Pro Essay Writers

Let’s skip generalities and get down to our biggest pride – a team of expert essay writers. Nothing proves our expertise and reliability better than the following facts about them:

• Academic credentials: all our essay writers hold advanced university degrees.
• Professional background: we hire essay writers with a proven track record and at least a few years of operation in custom writing.
• Excellent command of English: every paper writer is a native English speaker and an accredited certificate that proves his proficiency in the language.
• Any academic level: pro essay writers complete orders for college, undergraduate, Master’s, and Ph.D. students.
• Any type of assignment: whatever your issue is, we cover 50+ types of various academic tasks.

On top of that, editors and proofreaders help students with their academic papers. They double-check every essay for conformity with directives, originality & quality adherence, formatting standards. In case your essay writer has made a mistake, an assigned editor will see and fix it. In the end, you are assured of receiving a 100% mistake-free and unique essay.

Message us “write my essay” now, and we will select the best-matching essay writer for your demand among the leading college experts.

How Our Essay Writers Service Works

On GradeSmiths, we have a rule that we never break – write only plagiarism-free essays. Every essay writer has to write from scratch. Otherwise, they won’t be working for our service.

All college essay writers you’ll be working with when making orders on our website are real human experts, each across their subject field. Some writers are experienced and educated enough to write essays in several disciplines. We neither rewrite old essays nor take stuff from the internet, simply changing a title and switching paragraphs’ places. Quite the opposite!

Our professional paper writers deliver 100% original scholarly documents, e.g., essays, which live up to the initial order instructions that you provided when making an order. This way, it’s safe to say that our essays are one-of-a-kind – no two similar papers could ever be found if written by our authors.

In general, when writing essays, our writers stick to the following protocol:

• Read writing instructions.
• College relevant background sources.
• Find quotes and reference data.
• Create an essay outline.
• Write a thesis.
• Write the first draft.
• Edit and proofread.
• Apply a required citation style according to the latest APA/MLA/Chicago/Turabian guidelines.
• Check an essay for plagiarism.
• Revise the final draft.

Note that free revisions (14-30 days) are already included in the price. GradeSmiths’s online essay writing service is designed in a way to leave you nothing but to enjoy the rest of your day while one of the service’s writers takes care of your homework.

GradeSmiths’s essay service makes college life easier. Simply make an order now and see for yourself!

Our Guarantees

Why is our essay service so special? Besides having an excellent reputation of reliable essay writers and a service that has low prices, it’s possible to name 5 more features that make GradeSmiths the number one spot for students who want a quality essay for a reasonable price. To learn more advantages that might interest you, please contact the support manager.

In general, our essay writing service provides the following guarantees:

• Originality. Are you worried about whether your essay will be original? We pay great attention to the academic integrity of our customers. That’s why, rest assured, there’s no place for plagiarism on GradeSmiths. Our essays undergo originality verification with advanced plagiarism detection software. If necessary, we can support your composition with a detailed plagiarism report.
• Quality. Sure, you are worried that the requested content might come of poor quality. To prevent this from happening, we let only professional essay writers work on the orders. Candidates for essay writing positions undergo a 4-level selection procedure to verify their expertise in the required discipline field and writing skills.
• Verification. People make mistakes. Our professional college essay writers are not an exception. That is why we double-check completed papers for mistakes and logical flaws. Acknowledged editors go through the text, fixing grammatical and formatting errors. With their final touch, your university essay transforms from an uncut stone to a polished diamond.
• Timeliness. Essay writing is a long and stressful process for students – but not for professional authors. Their expertise allows finishing all types of college papers promptly and by the requested target date. If you need your essay in a couple of hours, you will most certainly have it!

Our FREE Essay Writing Services

Everyone can use essay writing help from GradeSmiths anytime. We strive to help students who have shoestring budgets. For this purpose, our essay service offers regular discounts and juicy deals. Every newcomer gets a special 15% discount for the first order and is offered to join the Customers Loyalty program to receive and collect bonuses for further orders. On top of that, we complement every essay with the following freebies:

• Title page.
• Bibliography page.
• APA/MLA/Chicago/Turabian citation format.
• Best available essay writer.
• Limitless amendments.
• Order tracking option.
• Quality control.
• 24/7 client center.

If you need professional college paper writers who can do the work for cheap, simply submit your order in advance. Close deadlines require more resources. Therefore, they are slightly more expensive. Recruit your top essay writer beforehand, and take advantage of our professional services at a reduced cost.

Write My Essay Is Easy With GradeSmiths

GradeSmiths is the perfect write my essay service. There are professional GradeSmiths, top-notch 24/7 customer support service, cheap prices, a money-back guarantee, and results that you notice right after the first order. The “who can write my essay for me?” question won’t bother you again. Sleepless nights and poor grades will be in the past when you order your first essay on our website.

– Can you write my essay cheap? No problem, GradeSmiths will be glad to write your essay cheap, keeping the quality of writing high, as usual. Use your 15% Welcome discount or spend bonus funds earned from making previous orders to pay for your essay cheap.

– I need a good service to write my essay online. Consider you’ve just found it! GradeSmiths is one of the best services for writing essays in 2022. It’s a legit company that knows what its customers want. You can always count on exceptional customer care, writers who don’t charge an arm and a leg, and timely delivery of your order. Simply order an essay on GradeSmiths and download it when it’s done.

– I want a professional essay writer to write my essay. GradeSmiths doesn’t have writers who don’t know how to write essays. On the contrary, essay writers that we have provide the best service possible thanks to their educational background, academic writing talent, and years of essay writing experience .

Are you looking for a service that can write you a 100% original essay cheap? GradeSmiths is a writer service that gets the job done to a T. Choose the essay writing service that you need, and let’s do this!

• RESEARCH PAPER FOR SALE
• RESEARCH PAPER WRITER
• RESEARCH PROPOSAL WRITING SERVICES
• SCHOLARSHIP ESSAY HELP
• SPEECH HELP
• STATISTICS HOMEWORK HELP
• TERM PAPER WRITING HELP
• THESIS EDITING SERVICES
• THESIS PROPOSAL WRITING SERVICE
• TRIGONOMETRY HOMEWORK HELP
• ADMISSION ESSAY WRITING HELP
• BIOLOGY PAPER WRITING SERVICE
• BOOK REPORT WRITING HELP
• BUY BOOK REVIEW
• BUY COURSEWORKS
• BUY DISCUSSION POST
• BUY TERM PAPER
• CAPSTONE PROJECT WRITING SERVICE
• COURSEWORK WRITING SERVICE
• CRITIQUE MY ESSAY
• CUSTOM RESEARCH PAPER
• CUSTOMER CONDUCT
• DISSERTATION EDITING SERVICE
• DISSERTATION WRITERS
• DO MY DISSERTATION FOR ME
• DO MY POWERPOINT PRESENTATION
• EDIT MY PAPER
• English Research Paper Writing Service
• ENGLISH RESEARCH PAPER WRITING SERVICE
• ESSAY WRITING HELP
• ESSAYS FOR SALE
• GRADUATE PAPER WRITING SERVICE
• LAW ASSIGNMENT WRITING HELP
• MARKETING ASSIGNMENT WRITING HELP
• NON-PLAGIARIZED ESSAYS
• NURSING ASSIGNMENT HELP
• PAY FOR COURSEWORK
• PAY FOR ESSAYS
• PAY FOR LITERATURE REVIEW
• PAY FOR PAPERS
• PAY FOR RESEARCH PAPERS
• PERSONAL STATEMENT EDITING SERVICE
• PERSONAL STATEMENT WRITER
• PERSUASIVE ESSAY WRITING HELP
• PERSUASIVE ESSAY WRITING SERVICES
• PHD THESIS WRITING SERVICE
• PROOFREAD MY PAPER
• PSYCHOLOGY ESSAY WRITING SERVICES
• THESIS STATEMENT HELP
• WRITE MY ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR ME
• WRITE MY CASE STUDY
• WRITE MY DISCUSSION BOARD POST
• WRITE MY LAB REPORT

What is an Essay?

10 May, 2020

11 minutes read

Author:  Tomas White

Well, beyond a jumble of words usually around 2,000 words or so - what is an essay, exactly? Whether you’re taking English, sociology, history, biology, art, or a speech class, it’s likely you’ll have to write an essay or two. So how is an essay different than a research paper or a review? Let’s find out!

Defining the Term – What is an Essay?

The essay is a written piece that is designed to present an idea, propose an argument, express the emotion or initiate debate. It is a tool that is used to present writer’s ideas in a non-fictional way. Multiple applications of this type of writing go way beyond, providing political manifestos and art criticism as well as personal observations and reflections of the author.

An essay can be as short as 500 words, it can also be 5000 words or more.  However, most essays fall somewhere around 1000 to 3000 words ; this word range provides the writer enough space to thoroughly develop an argument and work to convince the reader of the author’s perspective regarding a particular issue.  The topics of essays are boundless: they can range from the best form of government to the benefits of eating peppermint leaves daily. As a professional provider of custom writing, our service has helped thousands of customers to turn in essays in various forms and disciplines.

Origins of the Essay

Over the course of more than six centuries essays were used to question assumptions, argue trivial opinions and to initiate global discussions. Let’s have a closer look into historical progress and various applications of this literary phenomenon to find out exactly what it is.

Today’s modern word “essay” can trace its roots back to the French “essayer” which translates closely to mean “to attempt” .  This is an apt name for this writing form because the essay’s ultimate purpose is to attempt to convince the audience of something.  An essay’s topic can range broadly and include everything from the best of Shakespeare’s plays to the joys of April.

The essay comes in many shapes and sizes; it can focus on a personal experience or a purely academic exploration of a topic.  Essays are classified as a subjective writing form because while they include expository elements, they can rely on personal narratives to support the writer’s viewpoint.  The essay genre includes a diverse array of academic writings ranging from literary criticism to meditations on the natural world.  Most typically, the essay exists as a shorter writing form; essays are rarely the length of a novel.  However, several historic examples, such as John Locke’s seminal work “An Essay Concerning Human Understanding” just shows that a well-organized essay can be as long as a novel.

The Essay in Literature

The essay enjoys a long and renowned history in literature.  They first began gaining in popularity in the early 16 th century, and their popularity has continued today both with original writers and ghost writers.  Many readers prefer this short form in which the writer seems to speak directly to the reader, presenting a particular claim and working to defend it through a variety of means.  Not sure if you’ve ever read a great essay? You wouldn’t believe how many pieces of literature are actually nothing less than essays, or evolved into more complex structures from the essay. Check out this list of literary favorites:

• The Book of My Lives by Aleksandar Hemon
• Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin
• Against Interpretation by Susan Sontag
• High-Tide in Tucson: Essays from Now and Never by Barbara Kingsolver
• Slouching Toward Bethlehem by Joan Didion
• Naked by David Sedaris
• Walden; or, Life in the Woods by Henry David Thoreau

Pretty much as long as writers have had something to say, they’ve created essays to communicate their viewpoint on pretty much any topic you can think of!

The Essay in Academics

Not only are students required to read a variety of essays during their academic education, but they will likely be required to write several different kinds of essays throughout their scholastic career.  Don’t love to write?  Then consider working with a ghost essay writer !  While all essays require an introduction, body paragraphs in support of the argumentative thesis statement, and a conclusion, academic essays can take several different formats in the way they approach a topic.  Common essays required in high school, college, and post-graduate classes include:

Five paragraph essay

This is the most common type of a formal essay. The type of paper that students are usually exposed to when they first hear about the concept of the essay itself. It follows easy outline structure – an opening introduction paragraph; three body paragraphs to expand the thesis; and conclusion to sum it up.

Argumentative essay

These essays are commonly assigned to explore a controversial issue.  The goal is to identify the major positions on either side and work to support the side the writer agrees with while refuting the opposing side’s potential arguments.

Compare and Contrast essay

This essay compares two items, such as two poems, and works to identify similarities and differences, discussing the strength and weaknesses of each.  This essay can focus on more than just two items, however.  The point of this essay is to reveal new connections the reader may not have considered previously.

Definition essay

This essay has a sole purpose – defining a term or a concept in as much detail as possible. Sounds pretty simple, right? Well, not quite. The most important part of the process is picking up the word. Before zooming it up under the microscope, make sure to choose something roomy so you can define it under multiple angles. The definition essay outline will reflect those angles and scopes.

Descriptive essay

Perhaps the most fun to write, this essay focuses on describing its subject using all five of the senses.  The writer aims to fully describe the topic; for example, a descriptive essay could aim to describe the ocean to someone who’s never seen it or the job of a teacher.  Descriptive essays rely heavily on detail and the paragraphs can be organized by sense.

Illustration essay

The purpose of this essay is to describe an idea, occasion or a concept with the help of clear and vocal examples. “Illustration” itself is handled in the body paragraphs section. Each of the statements, presented in the essay needs to be supported with several examples. Illustration essay helps the author to connect with his audience by breaking the barriers with real-life examples – clear and indisputable.

Informative Essay

Being one the basic essay types, the informative essay is as easy as it sounds from a technical standpoint. High school is where students usually encounter with informative essay first time. The purpose of this paper is to describe an idea, concept or any other abstract subject with the help of proper research and a generous amount of storytelling.

Narrative essay

This type of essay focuses on describing a certain event or experience, most often chronologically.  It could be a historic event or an ordinary day or month in a regular person’s life. Narrative essay proclaims a free approach to writing it, therefore it does not always require conventional attributes, like the outline. The narrative itself typically unfolds through a personal lens, and is thus considered to be a subjective form of writing.

Persuasive essay

The purpose of the persuasive essay is to provide the audience with a 360-view on the concept idea or certain topic – to persuade the reader to adopt a certain viewpoint. The viewpoints can range widely from why visiting the dentist is important to why dogs make the best pets to why blue is the best color.  Strong, persuasive language is a defining characteristic of this essay type.

The Essay in Art

Several other artistic mediums have adopted the essay as a means of communicating with their audience.  In the visual arts, such as painting or sculpting, the rough sketches of the final product are sometimes deemed essays.  Likewise, directors may opt to create a film essay which is similar to a documentary in that it offers a personal reflection on a relevant issue.  Finally, photographers often create photographic essays in which they use a series of photographs to tell a story, similar to a narrative or a descriptive essay.

Drawing the line – question answered

“What is an Essay?” is quite a polarizing question. On one hand, it can easily be answered in a couple of words. On the other, it is surely the most profound and self-established type of content there ever was. Going back through the history of the last five-six centuries helps us understand where did it come from and how it is being applied ever since.

If you must write an essay, follow these five important steps to works towards earning the “A” you want:

• Understand and review the kind of essay you must write
• Brainstorm your argument
• Find research from reliable sources to support your perspective
• Cite all sources parenthetically within the paper and on the Works Cited page
• Follow all grammatical rules

Generally speaking, when you must write any type of essay, start sooner rather than later!  Don’t procrastinate – give yourself time to develop your perspective and work on crafting a unique and original approach to the topic.  Remember: it’s always a good idea to have another set of eyes (or three) look over your essay before handing in the final draft to your teacher or professor.  Don’t trust your fellow classmates?  Consider hiring an editor or a ghostwriter to help out!

If you are still unsure on whether you can cope with your task – you are in the right place to get help. HandMadeWriting is the perfect answer to the question “Who can write my essay?”

A life lesson in Romeo and Juliet taught by death

Due to human nature, we draw conclusions only when life gives us a lesson since the experience of others is not so effective and powerful. Therefore, when analyzing and sorting out common problems we face, we may trace a parallel with well-known book characters or real historical figures. Moreover, we often compare our situations with […]

Ethical Research Paper Topics

Writing a research paper on ethics is not an easy task, especially if you do not possess excellent writing skills and do not like to contemplate controversial questions. But an ethics course is obligatory in all higher education institutions, and students have to look for a way out and be creative. When you find an […]

Art Research Paper Topics

Students obtaining degrees in fine art and art & design programs most commonly need to write a paper on art topics. However, this subject is becoming more popular in educational institutions for expanding students’ horizons. Thus, both groups of receivers of education: those who are into arts and those who only get acquainted with art […]

Find anything you save across the site in your account

In the campus protests over the war in Gaza, language and rhetoric are—as they have always been when it comes to Israel and Palestine—weapons of mass destruction.

By Zadie Smith

A philosophy without a politics is common enough. Aesthetes, ethicists, novelists—all may be easily critiqued and found wanting on this basis. But there is also the danger of a politics without a philosophy. A politics unmoored, unprincipled, which holds as its most fundamental commitment its own perpetuation. A Realpolitik that believes itself too subtle—or too pragmatic—to deal with such ethical platitudes as thou shalt not kill. Or: rape is a crime, everywhere and always. But sometimes ethical philosophy reënters the arena, as is happening right now on college campuses all over America. I understand the ethics underpinning the protests to be based on two widely recognized principles:

There is an ethical duty to express solidarity with the weak in any situation that involves oppressive power.

If the machinery of oppressive power is to be trained on the weak, then there is a duty to stop the gears by any means necessary.

The first principle sometimes takes the “weak” to mean “whoever has the least power,” and sometimes “whoever suffers most,” but most often a combination of both. The second principle, meanwhile, may be used to defend revolutionary violence, although this interpretation has just as often been repudiated by pacifistic radicals, among whom two of the most famous are, of course, Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr . In the pacifist’s interpretation, the body that we must place between the gears is not that of our enemy but our own. In doing this, we may pay the ultimate price with our actual bodies, in the non-metaphorical sense. More usually, the risk is to our livelihoods, our reputations, our futures. Before these most recent campus protests began, we had an example of this kind of action in the climate movement. For several years now, many people have been protesting the economic and political machinery that perpetuates climate change, by blocking roads, throwing paint, interrupting plays, and committing many other arrestable offenses that can appear ridiculous to skeptics (or, at the very least, performative), but which in truth represent a level of personal sacrifice unimaginable to many of us.

I experienced this not long ago while participating in an XR climate rally in London. When it came to the point in the proceedings where I was asked by my fellow-protesters whether I’d be willing to commit an arrestable offense—one that would likely lead to a conviction and thus make travelling to the United States difficult or even impossible—I’m ashamed to say that I declined that offer. Turns out, I could not give up my relationship with New York City for the future of the planet. I’d just about managed to stop buying plastic bottles (except when very thirsty) and was trying to fly less. But never to see New York again? What pitiful ethical creatures we are (I am)! Falling at the first hurdle! Anyone who finds themselves rolling their eyes at any young person willing to put their own future into jeopardy for an ethical principle should ask themselves where the limits of their own commitments lie—also whether they’ve bought a plastic bottle or booked a flight recently. A humbling inquiry.

It is difficult to look at the recent Columbia University protests in particular without being reminded of the campus protests of the nineteen-sixties and seventies, some of which happened on the very same lawns. At that time, a cynical political class was forced to observe the spectacle of its own privileged youth standing in solidarity with the weakest historical actors of the moment, a group that included, but was not restricted to, African Americans and the Vietnamese. By placing such people within their ethical zone of interest, young Americans risked both their own academic and personal futures and—in the infamous case of Kent State—their lives. I imagine that the students at Columbia—and protesters on other campuses—fully intend this echo, and, in their unequivocal demand for both a ceasefire and financial divestment from this terrible war, to a certain extent they have achieved it.

But, when I open newspapers and see students dismissing the idea that some of their fellow-students feel, at this particular moment, unsafe on campus, or arguing that such a feeling is simply not worth attending to, given the magnitude of what is occurring in Gaza, I find such sentiments cynical and unworthy of this movement. For it may well be—within the ethical zone of interest that is a campus, which was not so long ago defined as a safe space, delineated by the boundary of a generation’s ethical ideas— it may well be that a Jewish student walking past the tents, who finds herself referred to as a Zionist, and then is warned to keep her distance, is, in that moment, the weakest participant in the zone. If the concept of safety is foundational to these students’ ethical philosophy (as I take it to be), and, if the protests are committed to reinserting ethical principles into a cynical and corrupt politics, it is not right to divest from these same ethics at the very moment they come into conflict with other imperatives. The point of a foundational ethics is that it is not contingent but foundational. That is precisely its challenge to a corrupt politics.

Practicing our ethics in the real world involves a constant testing of them, a recognition that our zones of ethical interest have no fixed boundaries and may need to widen and shrink moment by moment as the situation demands. (Those brave students who—in supporting the ethical necessity of a ceasefire—find themselves at painful odds with family, friends, faith, or community have already made this calculation.) This flexibility can also have the positive long-term political effect of allowing us to comprehend that, although our duty to the weakest is permanent, the role of “the weakest” is not an existential matter independent of time and space but, rather, a contingent situation, continually subject to change. By contrast, there is a dangerous rigidity to be found in the idea that concern for the dreadful situation of the hostages is somehow in opposition to, or incompatible with, the demand for a ceasefire. Surely a ceasefire—as well as being an ethical necessity—is also in the immediate absolute interest of the hostages, a fact that cannot be erased by tearing their posters off walls.

Part of the significance of a student protest is the ways in which it gives young people the opportunity to insist upon an ethical principle while still being, comparatively speaking, a more rational force than the supposed adults in the room, against whose crazed magical thinking they have been forced to define themselves. The equality of all human life was never a self-evident truth in racially segregated America. There was no way to “win” in Vietnam. Hamas will not be “eliminated.” The more than seven million Jewish human beings who live in the gap between the river and the sea will not simply vanish because you think that they should. All of that is just rhetoric. Words. Cathartic to chant, perhaps, but essentially meaningless. A ceasefire, meanwhile, is both a potential reality and an ethical necessity. The monstrous and brutal mass murder of more than eleven hundred people, the majority of them civilians, dozens of them children, on October 7th, has been followed by the monstrous and brutal mass murder (at the time of writing) of a reported fourteen thousand five hundred children. And many more human beings besides, but it’s impossible not to notice that the sort of people who take at face value phrases like “surgical strikes” and “controlled military operation” sometimes need to look at and/or think about dead children specifically in order to refocus their minds on reality.

To send the police in to arrest young people peacefully insisting upon a ceasefire represents a moral injury to us all. To do it with violence is a scandal. How could they do less than protest, in this moment? They are putting their own bodies into the machine. They deserve our support and praise. As to which postwar political arrangement any of these students may favor, and on what basis they favor it—that is all an argument for the day after a ceasefire. One state, two states, river to the sea—in my view, their views have no real weight in this particular moment, or very little weight next to the significance of their collective action, which (if I understand it correctly) is focussed on stopping the flow of money that is funding bloody murder, and calling for a ceasefire, the political euphemism that we use to mark the end of bloody murder. After a ceasefire, the criminal events of the past seven months should be tried and judged, and the infinitely difficult business of creating just, humane, and habitable political structures in the region must begin anew. Right now: ceasefire. And, as we make this demand, we might remind ourselves that a ceasefire is not, primarily, a political demand. Primarily, it is an ethical one.

But it is in the nature of the political that we cannot even attend to such ethical imperatives unless we first know the political position of whoever is speaking. (“Where do you stand on Israel/Palestine?”) In these constructed narratives, there are always a series of shibboleths, that is, phrases that can’t be said, or, conversely, phrases that must be said. Once these words or phrases have been spoken ( river to the sea, existential threat, right to defend, one state, two states, Zionist, colonialist, imperialist, terrorist ) and one’s positionality established, then and only then will the ethics of the question be attended to (or absolutely ignored). The objection may be raised at this point that I am behaving like a novelist, expressing a philosophy without a politics, or making some rarefied point about language and rhetoric while people commit bloody murder. This would normally be my own view, but, in the case of Israel/Palestine, language and rhetoric are and always have been weapons of mass destruction.

It is in fact perhaps the most acute example in the world of the use of words to justify bloody murder, to flatten and erase unbelievably labyrinthine histories, and to deliver the atavistic pleasure of violent simplicity to the many people who seem to believe that merely by saying something they make it so. It is no doubt a great relief to say the word “Hamas” as if it purely and solely described a terrorist entity. A great relief to say “There is no such thing as the Palestinian people” as they stand in front of you. A great relief to say “Zionist colonialist state” and accept those three words as a full and unimpeachable definition of the state of Israel, not only under the disastrous leadership of Benjamin Netanyahu but at every stage of its long and complex history, and also to hear them as a perfectly sufficient description of every man, woman, and child who has ever lived in Israel or happened to find themselves born within it. It is perhaps because we know these simplifications to be impossible that we insist upon them so passionately. They are shibboleths; they describe a people, by defining them against other people—but the people being described are ourselves. The person who says “We must eliminate Hamas” says this not necessarily because she thinks this is a possible outcome on this earth but because this sentence is the shibboleth that marks her membership in the community that says that. The person who uses the word “Zionist” as if that word were an unchanged and unchangeable monolith, meaning exactly the same thing in 2024 and 1948 as it meant in 1890 or 1901 or 1920—that person does not so much bring definitive clarity to the entangled history of Jews and Palestinians as they successfully and soothingly draw a line to mark their own zone of interest and where it ends. And while we all talk, carefully curating our shibboleths, presenting them to others and waiting for them to reveal themselves as with us or against us—while we do all that, bloody murder.

And now here we are, almost at the end of this little stream of words. We’ve arrived at the point at which I must state clearly “where I stand on the issue,” that is, which particular political settlement should, in my own, personal view, occur on the other side of a ceasefire. This is the point wherein—by my stating of a position—you are at once liberated into the simple pleasure of placing me firmly on one side or the other, putting me over there with those who lisp or those who don’t, with the Ephraimites, or with the people of Gilead. Yes, this is the point at which I stake my rhetorical flag in that fantastical, linguistical, conceptual, unreal place—built with words—where rapes are minimized as needs be, and the definition of genocide quibbled over, where the killing of babies is denied, and the precision of drones glorified, where histories are reconsidered or rewritten or analogized or simply ignored, and “Jew” and “colonialist” are synonymous, and “Palestinian” and “terrorist” are synonymous, and language is your accomplice and alibi in all of it. Language euphemized, instrumentalized, and abused, put to work for your cause and only for your cause, so that it does exactly and only what you want it to do. Let me make it easy for you. Put me wherever you want: misguided socialist, toothless humanist, naïve novelist, useful idiot, apologist, denier, ally, contrarian, collaborator, traitor, inexcusable coward. It is my view that my personal views have no more weight than an ear of corn in this particular essay. The only thing that has any weight in this particular essay is the dead. ♦

New Yorker Favorites

The day the dinosaurs died .

What if you started itching— and couldn’t stop ?

How a notorious gangster was exposed by his own sister .

Woodstock was overrated .

Diana Nyad’s hundred-and-eleven-mile swim .

Photo Booth: Deana Lawson’s hyper-staged portraits of Black love .

Fiction by Roald Dahl: “The Landlady”

Sign up for our daily newsletter to receive the best stories from The New Yorker .

By signing up, you agree to our User Agreement and Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

By Jay Caspian Kang

By Ruth Margalit

By David Remnick

By Louis Menand

• Election 2024
• Entertainment
• Newsletters
• Photography
• Personal Finance
• AP Investigations
• AP Buyline Personal Finance
• AP Buyline Shopping
• Press Releases
• Israel-Hamas War
• Russia-Ukraine War
• Global elections
• Asia Pacific
• Latin America
• Middle East
• Election Results
• Delegate Tracker
• AP & Elections
• Auto Racing
• 2024 Paris Olympic Games
• Movie reviews
• Book reviews
• Personal finance
• Financial Markets
• Business Highlights
• Financial wellness
• Artificial Intelligence
• Social Media

Book Review: Memoirist Lilly Dancyger’s penetrating essays explore the power of female friendships

This cover image released by Dial Press shows “First Love” by Lilly Dancyger. (Dial Press via AP)

• Copy Link copied

Who means more to you — your friends or your lovers? In a vivid, thoughtful and nuanced collection of essays, Lilly Dancyger explores the powerful role that female friendships played in her chaotic upbringing marked by her parents’ heroin use and her father’s untimely death when she was only 12.

“First Love: Essays on Friendship” begins with a beautiful paean to her cousin Sabina, who was raped and murdered at age 20 on her way home from a club. As little kids, their older relatives used to call them Snow White and Rose Red after the Grimm’s fairy tale, “two sisters who are not rivals or foils, but simply love each other.”

That simple, uncomplicated love would become the template for a series of subsequent relationships with girls and women that helped her survive her self-destructive adolescence and provided unconditional support as she scrambled to create a new identity as a “hypercompetent” writer, teacher and editor. “It’s true that I’ve never been satisfied with friendships that stay on the surface. That my friends are my family, my truest beloveds, each relationship a world of its own,” she writes in the title essay “First Love.”

The collection stands out not just for its elegant, unadorned writing but also for the way she effortlessly pivots between personal history and spot-on cultural criticism that both comments on and critiques the way that girls and women have been portrayed — and have portrayed themselves — in the media, including on online platforms like Tumblr and Instagram.

For instance, she examines the 1994 Peter Jackson film, “Heavenly Creatures,” based on the true story of two teenage girls who bludgeoned to death one of their mothers. And in the essay “Sad Girls,” about the suicide of a close friend, she analyzes the allure of self-destructive figures like Sylvia Plath and Janis Joplin to a certain type of teen, including herself, who wallows in sadness and wants to make sure “the world knew we were in pain.”

In the last essay, “On Murder Memoirs,” Dancyger considers the runaway popularity of true crime stories as she tries to explain her decision not to attend the trial of the man charged with killing her cousin — even though she was trained as a journalist and wrote a well-regarded book about her late father that relied on investigative reporting. “When I finally sat down to write about Sabina, the story that came out was not about murder at all,” she says. “It was a love story.”

Readers can be thankful that it did.

AP book reviews: https://apnews.com/hub/book-reviews

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin audiobook review – from the civil rights frontline

Law & Order’s Jesse L Martin narrates two powerful essays examining the Black experience in the US, the first in a series marking the author’s centenary year

F irst published in 1963 at the height of the US civil rights movement, James Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time comprises two astonishing essays examining the Black experience in the United States and the struggle against racial injustice.

The first, My Dungeon Shook, takes the form of a letter to Baldwin’s 14-year-old nephew, and outlines “the root of my dispute with my country … You were born into a society which spelled out with brutal clarity, and in as many ways as possible, that you were a worthless human being. You were not expected to aspire to excellence: you were expected to make peace with mediocrity.”

The second, Down at the Cross, is a polemic examining the relationship between race and religion, and finds Baldwin reflecting on his Harlem childhood, his encounters with racist police, and a spiritual crisis at the age of 14, which, triggered by his fears of getting drawn into a life of crime, “helped to hurl me into the church”. There, he was filled with anguish “like one of those floods that devastate countries, tearing everything down, tearing children from their parents and lovers from each other”.

The essays are narrated by the Law & Order actor Jesse L Martin, who highlights the rhythmic nature of Baldwin’s prose, and channels his anger and devastation at the unceasing suffering of Black Americans. This audiobook is one of several new recordings of Baldwin’s writing being published over the next few months, to mark the influential author’s centenary year, which also include Go Tell It to the Mountain, Another Country, Giovanni’s Room and If Beale Street Could Talk.

Available via Penguin Audio, 2hr 26min

Further listening

Fire Rush Jacqueline Crooks, Penguin Audio, 11hr 3min Leonie Elliott narrates this coming-of-age story set in the late 1970s about the daughter of a Caribbean immigrant who finds kindred spirits and thrilling new sounds at an underground reggae club.

after newsletter promotion

Two Sisters Blake Morrison, Harper Collins, 10hr 28min A tender account of the life of Gill, Morrison’s younger sister who died from heart failure caused by alcohol abuse, and his half-sister, Josie. Read by the author.

• James Baldwin
• Audiobook of the week
• Society books

Most viewed

Longtime Clinton Adviser Sounds The Alarm With ‘Biden Is Doing It All Wrong’ Essay

Reporter, HuffPost

A longtime adviser to former President Bill Clinton has spelled out what he believes could cost President Joe Biden victory in the 2024 election.

Mark Penn suggested in an essay for The New York Times — titled “ Biden Is Doing It All Wrong ” — that the president should stop pandering to his “political base on the left” and “chart a different course” if he wants to beat presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump in November.

“By pitching too much to the base, he is leaving behind the centrist swing voters who shift between parties from election to election and, I believe, will be the key factor deciding the 2024 race,” Penn wrote of Biden.

“If Mr. Biden wants to serve another four years, he has to stop being dragged to the left and chart a different course closer to the center that appeals to those voters who favor bipartisan compromises to our core issues, fiscal discipline and a strong America,” he argued.

Biden is currently polling slightly behind Trump .

The president is “not reaching out to moderate voters with policy ideas or a strong campaign message,” and although “the 2024 election is a rematch” between Biden and his quadruply indicted predecessor, Biden’s victory in battleground states is anything but guaranteed, Penn said.

Biden could “still move more to the center, hoover up swing voters who desperately want to reject Mr. Trump, strengthen his image as a leader by destroying Hamas, and rally the base at the end,” he continued. “But that means first pushing back against the base rather than pandering to it, and remembering that when it comes to the math of elections, swing is king.”

Read the full essay here .

Our 2024 Coverage Needs You

It's another trump-biden showdown — and we need your help, the future of democracy is at stake, your loyalty means the world to us.

As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.

Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.

Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.

Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.

The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?

HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.

It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.

But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.

Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.

Dear HuffPost Reader

Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.

The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?

The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.

Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages.

Popular in the Community

From our partner, more in politics.

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

Women at Work, and With Their Families Too

More from our inbox:, mythologizing trump, mentally ill and in prison, say no to more offshore drilling.

To the Editor:

Re “ An Act of Defiance Can Improve Things for Working Moms ,” by Toby Kiers (Opinion guest essay, May 4):

I am a woman nearing the completion of my B.A. in philosophy, and I have the absurd hopes of going on to get my Ph.D. and work in academia and also have a family.

Dr. Kiers’s essay both shed light on the frustrating reality of the discrimination that mothers face in the world of academic research, and provided a shining beacon of hope to counteract it.

The false binary that women are presented and that so many people (including Dr. Kiers’s own child, she noted) assume is that we must decide: our research, our careers, our academic endeavors, or our children. One or the other.

Dr. Kiers has called this out; this is not actually a choice we have to make. Motherhood is not a detriment to our academic abilities and research contributions; it actually strengthens it in new and unexpected ways.

Dr. Kiers, in her refusal to choose between her research pursuits and her family, is helping to forge an exciting path forward. It is a path to a world where women can be celebrated, respected and supported with all that they are and all that they contribute, including their children.

That is the academic world I hope to enter into someday.

Megan Clancy Washington

Kudos to Dr. Toby Kiers! Her story is shared not only by fellow scientists, but by women at large. I admire her courage in bringing her 3-week-old son to work, and in pondering the advice of an older woman who discouraged her from being self-deprecating.

“What can feel like an inconvenience is often a blessing in disguise,” she writes. Amen to that! As far as detachment and vulnerability creating meaning? I now see vulnerability being valued and detachment being questioned in health care, via narrative prose and poetry by nurses and physicians.

I am a seasoned nurse. This article brought me back to the AIDS epidemic. In terms of science, we really had no idea what we were dealing with. I was on maternity leave and had come to know “brain fog” intimately. I received a call asking if I would open a new department for AIDS. After a day thinking about it, I accepted. My two boys went with me into the wilderness of men dying of a virus we knew little about.

My sons are now 40 and 50. The older one still recounts stories of things he learned and joy he felt at a party that those dying men held for us nurses on Mother’s Day. Vulnerability informing the work? You bet!

Pamela Mitchell Bend, Ore.

Since I am a woman who walked across the medical school graduation stage holding my toddler, while eight months pregnant with No. 2, I can certainly identify with Toby Kiers’s essay about managing a career as a scientist while parenting.

It was extremely trying for me to charge into residency with very small children at home. But I am blessed to have a wonderful husband who loved fathering, and was able to take a sabbatical for some of my residency.

As a result, our two daughters, now young adults, are very close to their father. I think that this is the real win in how things are evolving for women in the workplace. Partners get to join in on the nitty-gritty as well as the glorious moments of parenting.

I do believe I missed out on the sort of lovely parenting my mother gave me as a stay-at-home mom. But I was also able to show our daughters what commitment to an intellectual and humanistic goal looks like.

I certainly think medical residency programs are over the top in terms of workload and emotional toll; this needs to evolve. But I think enjoying the participation of both parents in the up-close-and-personal part of child-rearing makes all of our children stronger.

Susan Ferguson Berkeley, Calif.

Re “ Trump Embraces Lawlessness in the Name of a Higher Law ,” by Matthew Schmitz (Opinion guest essay, April 4):

Mythologizing Donald Trump — either Mr. Schmitz fancifully comparing him to outlaws like Robin Hood, Billy the Kid and Jesse James, who titillated people with their challenges to authority, or Christian evangelicals’ even more far-fetched casting of Mr. Trump as King Cyrus or even Jesus — fails because most of us see him for what he is, a narcissist with no positive agenda and no respect for the law.

If we must make comparisons, it’s to David Duke, the Klansman who ran for president, or Gov. George Wallace, standing in the schoolhouse door to block integration. The only people who saw them as rebels with a cause were themselves defending a lost cause, much like those who flock to MAGA now.

Steve Horwitz Moraga, Calif.

Re “ Inmate’s Death Highlights Failures in Mental Health ” (front page, May 6), about the troubled life and death of a prisoner, Markus Johnson:

As a social worker who has worked in the field of mental health for more than 50 years, I read with interest and sadness yet another article about a mentally ill individual who was not provided with adequate treatment and subsequently died in prison.

This article highlights the failure of deinstitutionalization. It demonstrates how our prisons have become the institutions replacing those that formerly housed the mentally ill. Not only are the mentally ill being ill served, but so too is the public, which is at risk of harm from those hallucinating on the streets.

Our shelter system is also not in a position to manage needed services and supervision. The last resort is a cell. I believe that providing long-term residential programs with highly supervised step-down programs would provide a solution to the tragedies we currently read about daily. Certainly the cost would be less than incarceration.

Let’s look to providing real help rather than punishment for our mentally ill population.

Helen Rubel Irvington, N.Y.

“ Offshore Oil Production Expands as Companies Cite Energy Needs ” (Business, May 10) lays out Big Oil’s plan for the Gulf of Mexico. Let’s be real: We’re in a global climate crisis. The last thing we need is for the fossil fuel industry to expand offshore drilling.

If climate change, rising ocean temperatures and the risk of horrific events like the Deepwater Horizon disaster weren’t enough reason to stop offshore oil expansion, we also know that this industry cannot be counted on to clean up its mess when the wells have run dry.

There is a huge backlog when it comes to plugging defunct or abandoned wells, removing old oil platforms and remediating the seafloor damaged by drilling operations. Oil and gas companies have already littered the Gulf of Mexico with more than 18,000 miles of disused pipeline and over 14,000 unplugged wells , which can leak chemicals like methane into the ocean.

It also comes with financial risks: If offshore oil and gas operators file for bankruptcy (as 37 have done since 2009 ), U.S. taxpayers could be forced to foot the bill for cleanup.

Enough is enough: We cannot afford more offshore drilling.

Andrew Hartsig Anchorage The writer is senior director, Arctic conservation, for Ocean Conservancy.

Reader essays: ‘In a world filled with woe, I found solitude, beauty, grace, and peace.’

This month’s theme of “Fast-Told Tales” -- 200-word essays by Fast Forward readers -- was Sacred Spaces, and we received some quite evocative, passionate, and even romantic compositions. All contained a common thread: Calm, peace, tranquility. To find such contentment, even if for a short period of time, is a gift. Thanks for sharing those moments.

My daughter, 24, was graduating with a master’s degree last September in Geneva. As soon as I landed, she asked me to braid her hair for the ceremony. I put my hand to my mouth – I had not done her hair in maybe 10 years. It means two hours of her sitting between my knees while I carefully moisturize, comb, part, and plait braids through her thick hair. Our ritual began with gathering up the items we needed, recreating a sacred space we shared for that most intimate task between a mother and her baby girl. I loved and missed her deeply, and now she sat between my feet, with her elbows on my knees, her fingers unconsciously stroking my shins as she shared her challenges in our space. I gently kneaded rows of braids down toward the nape of her neck. My heart soared as my baby girl smiled and patted the finished product.

I pondered the insecurities she had faced in graduate school that braids at the ceremony would enable her to conquer. She is undeniably beautiful, smart and strong. In this conflicted moment, the sacred space brought comfort and love, and strength.

– Adelaide Steedley

The stains on the concrete floor tell a story. So do the tools hanging from the pegboard and the cabinet holding dusty cans of paint and stain. It was here that I took apart a classic British sports car with oil dripping in my face and onto the floor. When I look at the stains now, I can hear myself cussing my way through the seven years of its restoration.

On the pegboard hang the saws, planes, squares, and chisels I used for countless projects: my son’s Pinewood Derby race car for Cub Scouts; the plywood “gravestones” I made for our Halloween lawn display. The shelving that turned a messy closet into a pantry to my wife’s delight.

In the metal cabinet are my paints and stains, each with a story to tell. The Early American stain I used on the plank flooring in the dining room. The can of Butchers Wax I used to make drawers and windows slide more easily.

The workbench is old and worn, with dried paint drips and oil from small engines dotting its surface. And a long-faded testimonial written with a black felt pen: “We ❤️ Dad.”

My sanctuary, my sacred place, my garage.

– James Gaffey of Groton, N.H.

I was alone. We were together. The weather was crap, but it was a beautiful day. I was grateful and I was disappointed.

Near the campground in Acadia National Park, Maine is a patch of woods leading to the Otter Cliffs. A steady drizzle dashed plans to hike or even climb on the rocks for morning coffee. So I wandered into that little patch of woods.

I have been to wild places, but this little patch was a world away. Fog condensed on pine needles and dropped heavy onto the undergrowth, my dog, and on me. The lichens and mosses did not crush under our weight but yielded and sprang back, plumped up, happy for the fog. They blanketed the rocks. Mushrooms drew the affection of hungry slugs.

How marvelous to see us all there, so different and so much alike. Earth, air, and water nesting such diversity, ancient and recent, representing all the Phyla of life yet with similar DNA. Things living on rock, on the dead of the forest detritus, on each other, yet all so balanced and vibrant.

I was alone. We were together. An atheist in the fog – in church.

– Edward Daniels of Eastham

Inside edge, outside edge, repeat, repeat.

When thawed, the mosquitoes mass, the crickets chorus, the squirrels traipse through the brush pond-side. When frozen, subtle breezes rustle past my scarf and hat on the local frozen pond.Inside edge, outside edge, repeat, repeat.

The skating isn’t elegant – the beauty seen with Olympic dizzying displays – but more a shuffle, a sluggish attempt at solitude amidst foggy breaths and sighs. It became routine in afternoons, after work, alone, when nature normally naps for three months and sunsets edge horizons earlier than preferred. Gone are the mosquitoes, the crickets, the squirrels. Gone, too, are deadlines, stresses, and demands – if only for a half hour.

The only noise is the crisped flaking of ice, the carving of a loop that wanders aimlessly from side to side, turning only to meander another frozen route again. It’s not lonesome or boring or static, nor a labor to shuffle in my sighs. The birches sway, the breezes graze, the sun blushes its goodbye. And tomorrow begins anew.

Inside edge, outside edge. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

– Patrick Cuff of Medford

My sacred place is my first game of the year at Fenway. It tells me that everything has been renewed, that the world once again is full of promise (at least for the next few hours), and that spring is finally here.

– Bruce Richardson of Chestnut Hill

The term “sauntering” is discussed in Thoreau’s essay, “Walking.” He explained that the verb “saunter” had two possible derivations. One was people going to the Holy Land or la Sainte Terre were said to be “Sainte Terrer” which became “saunterers” or " one who saunters.” Another possible derivation is “sans terre” or people “without land” who could find home anywhere – an apt description of pilgrims.

Those who saunter on the Camino de Santiago travel various distances on different routes. The reasons why we saunter are as varied as each individual who undertakes this journey. One can read the guidebooks and watch the videos, but until one pulls on their hiking shoes and starts walking, you can’t really understand the magic. The magic really is inside you.

My reasons for the sauntering were in thanksgiving for a blessed life, a recovery from a life-threatening illness, and to pray for more than 50 friends who asked me to pray for them along “The Way.”

Although the Camino can be crowded, I found many moments of solitude, beauty, grace, and peace. In a world filled with woe, I could not ask for more.

– Peter H. Gilligan of Chapel Hill, N.C.

I think it’s the combination of the deer and the land that’s it for me. A walking trail, through the woods, past ponds and waterfalls, through cow pastures sublime and pastoral. Morning sunrises of infinite variance and hue, sometimes misty, sometimes saturated. I touch creation and creator here, every morning to begin the day. The deer and cows look on, the birds sing, and sometimes the heron visits. This special slice of nature is my physical and mental therapy, and yes, is my church. I try to take its blessings with me as I venture forth into the world. I’m so very fortunate to have this sacred space.

– Anne Bristow

My home is my sacred place. Probably the majority of submissions will say the same thing. For me, though, home is where I can still be with my wife of 44 years, Faye, who succumbed to cancer in December 2020.

We literally shared everything in our lives, and now that she’s gone… For so long now, my home (condo) is all I have left of our life together. All the furniture, art, pictures, kitchen items, music, etc. we collected over so many years remind me of her constantly. It’s a blessing to remember her that way, but also tends to keep me from becoming who I have to be to reclaim my own life and move forward, writing new chapters. But the memories live on in my heart, my soul … and my home.

I’ve been dating recently and have found someone I’m beginning to develop feelings for. She’s widowed, too, and we actually have the same birthday. We’re taking ballroom dancing lessons and enjoying each other’s company. She visits me and I visit her, so we’re each writing a new chapter in our lives … while honoring the deep love we both once knew that will always be with us.

– Bill Bradley of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

You’ve heard of “a loaf of bread, a jug of wine, and thou,” right? Well, I’m a “fishing rod, a worm, and nobody” kind of person. I love to fish but I really love to fish alone. Sky above, water beneath, fish lurking somewhere … and me between all of them. I have a bucket list of fish I want to catch (and I’ve made a good start on it), but for the most part, it’s the joy of being out, being by myself and just never knowing what the day might bring. No calls, no texts, no communication. I can start before dawn and return in the late afternoon and however the day has turned out, catch-wise, it’s always a success.

– Mary Helen Sprecher of Columbia, Md.

I thought this would be so easy. It’s my garden, of course! Inspecting new life that appeared overnight, pruning spent efforts, tending, dreaming, reinventing, but wait … what about the ocean so close by? Letting the breeze take my hair, inhaling life and death in one breath, syncing my rhythms to the waves, the big boulder I sit on, dangling my feet just above the water, and all those gorgeous rocks, freshly deposited at my feet, begging to go home to my garden. My home also vies for this honor with its centuries-old, wooden beams. Putting thoughts of wars and loss away for the silky feel of flour on my hands, the savory aromas and the creativity of what I can make with what I have, and the satisfaction of providing sustenance. Travel photos on the walls, constant reminders of adventures from faraway places, and my old, yellow cat, Tom, always ready to share purrs and warm cuddles. The act of being a good listener for friends, exercising creativity to help with good causes and self-care on my old exercise mat to the rhythm of favorite music.

I finally realize: Purpose is my sanctuary.

– Andrea Daniels of Eastham

Sanctuary. It is both a place and a yearning. A place of refuge and safety. A sacred space. Sanctuary is sought both by those fleeing oppression and those in search of peace, silence, and solace. I am one of the latter.

My sacred space is in Northern New Mexico. “Sanctuary” is right there in its name: Santuario de Chimayo. I was born nearby, just after WWII. My family predates statehood. I have since lived in NYC, LA, Chicago, Seattle, and Portland. I’m an old atheist, but it is to Santuario I return when my soul needs healing.

I went home last month to sit in silence. I’m a full-time caregiver to a beloved wife in the grip of late-stage Parkinson’s. You can’t imagine what it’s like. I was ragged, in need of sanctuary … and a respite from hallucinations.

Reverence, like courtesy, is a virtue in danger of extinction. We are too self-involved to be reverent. We need quiet spaces in which to practice being small. Forests do nicely. So do lonely beaches. I needed silence in which to regain my equilibrium. The 200-year old Santuario is a place silent and sacred enough, even for an old atheist like me.

– Jack Haynes of Portland, Ore.

Smashing through mounds of recently fallen oak leaves, we leave the cozy canopy of the woods, and the sky opens up. I am not alone. My Alabama, mostly Labrador rescue, Harlow, leads the way, her tail swinging like a happy pendulum. Our pace quickens as we strut south through the vast pastureland where sheep and cattle graze. We are surrounded by a Great pond, filled with brackish water, where wild oysters and blue crabs live. This pond is where my grandparents summered in a rustic cabin, and where, as kids, my brother and I wildly romped.

Once again, for our walk, nobody is here. We have the whole earth to ourselves.

Almost a mile in, we arrive at the opening through the tall grass and bushes at the pond’s edge. Harlow wades in up to her chest, her tail swings, and she dips her mouth in for one salty gulp. Her plunge is done. No swimming for her. As I said, she is not a full Lab. She does a vigorous shake to expose her shiny black coat, and leads the way out, heading north. We are both smiling.

– Tina Miller of West Tisbury, Martha’s Vineyard

The fish pond came with the house my husband and I bought in 2021. He thought having a pond was great, but I could take it or leave it. Fish kind of creeped me out and the notion of having to take care of yet one more thing was unnerving. We already had two dogs and a cat, and my husband’s Parkinson’s was getting worse every day.

During the chaos of getting settled in our new home, I found that the few moments I could spend staring at the goldfish were surprisingly restorative. The fish are calm. They open their mouths and expect to be fed. They don’t worry that you might forget or that you won’t give them enough. They don’t crave, they accept. They are the most Zen-compliant beings I’ve ever encountered. I peered into the pond several times a day and I always came away feeling more settled.

A year after we moved in, my husband passed away. Tending the pond reassures me that life goes on and being in the moment is enough. It helped me start rebuilding the rest of my life. The fish pond is my homily: my reflection, instruction, exhortation, and consolation.

– Lisa Peterson of Biloxi, Miss.

I have hiked Knuckup Hill for more than 50 years, from the top of which one can enjoy a wonderful view stretching to the New Hampshire border on a clear day. This Wrentham hummock is strewn with giant boulders deposited during the last Ice Age, some of which our two sons named after dinosaurs during our many trips to the summit.

Tucked away on the south side of Knuckup, there is a small cedar grove working diligently to bury its feet in the sparse soil atop the granite outcroppings. On a sunny day, you can lounge on a bed of moss that grows near the stone surfaces, which soak up and radiate solar warmth. The forest fragrances are both soothing and inspiring.

It is here that I am persuaded to dream and write, while the birds and wildlife scurry about, tending to their many chores, oblivious to the painful and worrisome travail of mankind.

– G. Gregory Tooker of Wrentham

Two years ago, we went from washed-up high tech workers to wash-ashore residents on Cape Cod. Like so many, COVID changed our lives forever.

In the pandemic’s early days, my husband and I lost jobs. No income + skyrocketing costs = bad news. So we sold our home of 36 years and quickly bought the first fixer-upper that we could tolerate. It was a whirlwind romance!

Now the honeymoon is over. It’s time for some old Cape magic.

Years ago, on my family’s annual summer trip to Cape Cod, our station wagon passed and ignored a sign on Route 6A for this jam kitchen place called Green Briar. Now the Green Briar Nature Center and Jam Kitchen is a neighbor. One sunny day this summer I heeded the sign and turned onto a narrow, shady country road to the woodland where the animal characters of naturalist and children’s writer Thornton Burgess had many adventures.

I plopped down under an ancient maple. The sky was riotously blue populated with requisite perfect clouds. A hushed hum vibrated the air as bees and dragonflies bothered wildflowers. A turtle slid off a log into the pond. The world was gone. I was home.

– DB Harrison of Sandwich

My sacred place has morphed through the years. When I was a homeowner with an acre of land, half of it in woods, it might have been the big rock where the trail through the woods to the top of the property begins. I would go there sometimes and just sit. Or sometimes I would take a folding chair and place it further up along the path, where I was in the woods but could see the lawn below, and my house.

Last year I moved into an apartment in the independent living portion of a life care community. I took my stone statue of the Buddha, the one from my old garden, and put it on my tiny balcony, thinking that would be my meditation space. But life is different here – my whole apartment has become a kind of refuge from the generally welcome but sometimes overwhelming presence of lots of other people in the public spaces of the community. I am as likely to find spiritual sustenance in reading a book or essay in a comfy chair, practicing my guitar, or editing photographs, surrounded by a welcome silence, as I am in formal meditation.

– Peg Espinola of South Setauket, N.Y.

My most sacred space exists inside my brain: My imagination.

It started out as a real place – the creek trail at Placerita Canyon, where, pregnant in 1978, I hiked and communed with nature and divinity. The glaring California sunshine gets soft under the trees creekside. I invent a cave in the rocks behind the waterfall. The cascading water is a portal; walking through it cleanses me in preparation for the sacredness inside.

As I enter, I am greeted by a wise woman dressed in white. In the dim cave, in comfy seats, an assortment of loving guides – people, animals, plants, and spirits – wait to comfort or enlighten me. The peace is absolute. Whatever is troubling me, whatever desire is unmet, whatever unrest I bring, the answer is there. With deep love and gentleness, the appropriate guide shows me another way of seeing my dilemma or walks me through confusion and heightened emotions. Sometimes I simply rest in a guide’s arms, basking in peace and love as I regain strength to go back out there.

– Carol Brach of Bellingham, Wash.

My favorite sacred place is the Jesuits’ Gonzaga Retreat House at Eastern Point in Gloucester, Mass. Overlooking the sometimes tranquil but otherwise raging North Atlantic, this holy space offers retreatants acres of rocky precipices, forested land, and a nearby deserted cove to ponder their lives and things eschatological; it also allows me to pose Kris Kristofferson’s musical question, “Why me, Lord, what have I ever done to deserve even one of the pleasures I’ve known . . .?”

In the autumn of my life now, I was first welcomed here as a BC High senior in November of 1961, but I really didn’t appreciate the overriding silence until I started going there as part of the St. Ignatius parish retreat maybe a decade ago. For 40 hours the silence prevails – even though we know our fellow parishioners – from after supper on Friday evening to lunch at noontime on Sunday; of course, one is free to “break the silence” by participating in in common prayer services. And to me, the highlight is when our former pastor arrives to humorously and prayerfully inspire us as he had done for years at our parish straddling the Brighton-Newton line.

– Joe Galeota of Boston

Weeding is peace. My large vegetable garden is where I contemplate and find strength. Fortified by a tall perimeter fence, the garden originated from my love of food and my need for my own playpen, a quiet space while my three children played outside the fence. I planted, pruned, and weeded while keeping an eye on the kids. They were allowed inside with the understanding that the garden was a place of peace. No conflict was allowed. They were welcome to help, but I did not expect them to work. The beans, corn, squash, and more sprouted – or not – thrived – or not – and always yielded plenty of food. Germinating, watering and weeding have provided me with vegetables, humility, and wonder.

– Mary Hollinshead of Rehoboth

The place I go when I need to get away is a tiny beach on the New Hampshire coast. It’s generally quiet there. I love to sit in the sun, listen to the waves crash, and read a book. Usually my thoughts wander away from my book, and I think about how my family had such happy times at the beach when my children were young. My husband also likes to sit quietly at the beach, which makes it even better.

– Sharon Pecci of Haverhill

I used to walk to an abandoned rock quarry about a mile from my house. I’d sit near the pond and contemplate the long row of random numbers painted on the rock wall across the water. My husband says those numbers were there more than 60 years ago when he was a kid. No one knows who painted them or what they mean.

Through the years, I pondered the numbers accompanied by three different dogs: Buster, Woody, and Domino. All gone over the Rainbow Bridge. I first visited the quarry with Buster, who led me home as the crow flies when I got lost. I pondered the numbers with Woody in March, 1988, newly pregnant with our son Travis but not aware yet. When he was a little boy, we hiked to the quarry together and Travis scooped up frogs from the pond with his bare hands while Domino waded and I watched.

Twenty years ago, someone bought the rock quarry and the land around it. I haven’t been there since. I miss the quiet, the pond, and the little boy my son once was. I miss the numbers. I still wonder who wrote them and why.

– Marylou Ambrose of Tafton, Penn.

My sacred space is not a physical location but a mental haven, where I find solace, self-discovery, and renewal. It’s the realm of words and imagination, where literature and writing transport me to different worlds, times, and perspectives. In the pages of a book or on a blank document, I discover my sanctuary. Within the realms of literature and writing, I find a refuge for my thoughts and emotions. Whether engrossed in a novel, exploring an essay, or weaving my narratives, this space offers an escape from daily chaos. It’s where I connect with authors, past and present, who share their wisdom and experiences, guiding me through life’s challenges and enriching my understanding of the world. Writing, in particular, allows me to process thoughts, express feelings, and articulate ideas. In this sacred space, I confront fears, embrace dreams, and give voice to my stories. My sacred space transcends physical walls and boundaries, a boundless expanse of literary exploration and creative expression. Here, I find my authentic self and connect with the wisdom of humanity. This is why my sacred space is one of words and imagination.

– Paul Tennis of Pepperell

Check list done, canopy and airbrakes locked, wing up, tow rope slack out. The tow plane departs the runway on its way to where I release. I’m free! Just the clouds, the birds and looking at the beautiful earth below. Where to now? If the conditions are good, I’m off on a short cross-country, 50-100km out, then return – all without an engine.

Watching the clouds, deciding which are best for thermals, where under the cloud the lift is, eyes continuously outside scanning for traffic, listening to radio chatter, checking instruments to decide where other glider pilots are. If close enough, I’ll join up and fly a bit with them. If not, that’s okay too, solitude under the clouds, in the clear, well above the ground truly enjoying the scenery.

After a couple of hours and wondering at the pure joy of flying a sailplane, it is time to head back to the airport. Gear down, checklist done, scanning for traffic, and listening on the radio. In the pattern, conscientiously thinking safety, speed to fly, time to turn to final approach. Over the grid, flare, smooth touch down, roll to a stop by my trailer. Another beautiful flight.

– Fred Looft of Leicester

In my bedroom, right next to my bed, I have created a small altar with some of my most sacred objects: pictures of those who have been my spiritual teachers, whether formally or informally; small statues of two Hindu gods with whom I feel a strong personal connection; a picture of the Matrimandir – the temple to the Divine Mother at the center of the spiritual community of Auroville in south India; a small candle and an incense holder. Oh, and also my malas – prayer beads for counting repetitions of the mantra I use during my morning Practice.

I find it extremely helpful to have this resource any time I need re-centering or calming down, in addition to having it be the focus of my morning meditation. Also, it is somewhere I can place as an offering anything like a letter, a gift, any kind of bill or anything that makes me feel conflicted, to help me rise above or to embrace difficult emotions that may be associated with that object. I may leave it for an hour, or a day or two, until the emotional charge has been resolved. Sometimes simply lighting a candle is enough.

– William Moss (Karun Das) of Montague

Jacob’s Pillow in Becket, Mass., is the oldest performance space in the US designed for dance, and my sacred space. Though I never was a dancer, the Pillow is a magical combination of nature and art. Just stepping out of the car becalms me (an antique but apt word).

It’s partly the setting. The views of the Berkshire hills are breathtaking, no matter which way you look. Although there’s plenty of open space, there’s plenty of forest, too. I always expect to spot Tinkerbell (or at least the odd forest faerie) behind the next tree. The outdoor performance space is the infinity pool of dance floors – jutting out into thin air with the hills in the distance. Even the main stage has a back wall that fully opens to a different forested vista – a perfect backdrop for some stunning dance performances.

And it’s partly the friendly ghosts that coexist peacefully there – generations of indigenous peoples, 18th century settlers who saw the switchbacks in the road leading to the area as rungs of a Biblical ladder and the stone boulders as “pillows,” and the spirits of 90 years of dance icons who taught and performed in this magical place.

– Alison Sneider of Lenox

People might scoff and say you cannot call a state sacred, but I disagree. I grew up in the Midwest and never saw the ocean until my teenage years. My vacations were not spent at the beach, but in Kenosha with my grandparents. It wasn’t until my 20s that I encountered Maine.

In 1995, my boyfriend (now my husband) surprised me by driving us to Maine for the weekend. A Massachusetts native, he grew up summering there and wanted to share it with me. One trip to the Nubble Lighthouse, and I was hooked. The colors, the ocean, the people. It became my favorite place.

Every trip east to visit family ends with Maine. The serenity that I feel there is unparalleled to any other place. Breathing in the pine-scented air, hearing the gulls, watching the sunrise, smelling the sea roses, these fill me up the way nothing else does. It truly is my sacred space. I understand why Maine’s motto is “The Way Life Should Be.”

On Oct. 26, we awoke in Ogunquit to frantic texts from loved ones asking if we were safe. While we slept, Lewiston was torn apart by violence. My heart aches for Maine.

– Jennifer Dolan of Louisville, Ky.

My sacred place to escape the craziness of the world around me and daily stress is to be near the ocean or a running stream. President John Kennedy once said, “We are drawn to the sea because that is where we came from, and in time that is where we shall return.”

I come from a family of seafarers, lifesavers, fishermen, and Lighthouse Keepers. The salt air and the sea run through my veins. When I need to relax and escape life, that is where I go. The calming effect of the crashing waves, the colors of the rainbow, and reflections of a setting sun or a full moon. It is my place to converse with the creations of Mother Earth, watch graceful gulls or playful seals, and perhaps encounter whales, the monsters of the sea.

The sea is where I feel most at home!

– Robert Metell of East Boston

My sacred space is along the shore of Lake Michigan. The waves crash upon the shores, the sun glints off the water. Trees rise high, home for birds, squirrels and other wildlife. Gulls soar across the open water, plucking unlucky fish out of their homes. On a rare day, a bald eagle or two can be spotted.

If you listen closely and quietly, you can feel the souls of those who lie in her icy depths. You can feel their desire to have returned home, yet also their love of being on the water.

It is easy to pray here. It is easy to feel peace here. To breathe, releasing the burdens of the real world. To feel one with nature. And to feel God’s presence all around.

– Amy Rivera of Milwaukee, Wis.

My sacred space is more of a moment in time in which I would recall regularly.

February 2017. I was visiting Kentucky. Old Friends Farm in Georgetown featured retired thoroughbreds who are now enjoying rolls in the mud while receiving bits of carrot from their fans. During the tour, we met graded stakes winners and claimers.

At that time, I was dealing with my husband’s dementia and my years-long depression and spiritual upheaval.

The tour guide brought the group to the star of the farm, 1997 Kentucky Derby winner Silver Charm. Noble yet mellow. I stepped forward to feed him. He ate the carrot from my hand and then he kissed me on my forehead. That was when things shifted from mundane to mystical.

From that kiss, a flood of divine love and joy came over me. It was a message telling me that life was too short to remain miserable. I spent the next several days pondering.

Ultimately, I moved to Kentucky and I found a healthy spiritual environment and sought mental wellness. When I had my moments of despair, I remember Silver Charm’s kiss and that reminds me that God is closer than I think.

– Carol Rutz of Shepherdsville, Ky.

When I was a kid in the 1960s, about twice a month we would head up into the San Gabriel Mountains to be the hosts for Harwood Lodge, a three-story, stone and timber, 100-plus-year-old Sierra Club Lodge, up the road from Baldy Village and deep in the trees. Once there, we kids had only two rules: We could run around anywhere on the mountain as long as we could see at least a corner of the lodge, and we had to come when the whistle sounded. Such freedom! Even when the weather precluded outdoor activities, there were games, books, and puzzles. In the evenings there might be dancing, singing, or playing music. It was magical and still where I go in my head when I think of childhood.

– Saski Augustine of Sunnersta, Sweden

I must be the only person on this planet who finds their sacred space at the office. And willingly shares that space.

To be precise, just down the corridor from my office, which as a mostly remote worker I now visit infrequently, exists a transcendent, enveloping space of peace, a small silent cocoon, a retreat from some decidedly un-sacred work moments and any other of life’s lunacies. The compact interfaith chapel, despite the prominence of the 23rd psalm engraved on the wall behind the altar, is a haven sought out by all persuasions.

In the great equalizer that is the hospital, this lapsed Catholic may encounter fellow travelers in deep nonsectarian meditation, or Muslims at prayer at the back, or a patient’s relative in deep supplication, or hospital employees at all levels of its multilayered strata seeking a moment of tranquility and escape. We are the whole world on a tiny scale, each quietly respecting the other.

I think of the chapel as a place where the dream of America is alive, a place where all visitors are freely, comfortably, able to worship or reflect or just sit quietly together without judgement or fear. Our own little practicum in democracy.

– Pat Conway of Rochester, N.Y.

I spend time walking along the Touchet River in Columbia County, Washington state, to experience both sacred space and sacred time. I have a water meditation I practice silently when walking. This is a simple process and also powerful for my 75-year-old body, mind, and spirit. The river flows alongside a mountain and the mountain provides much-needed shade during the hot/sunny summer months. This walking is a sacred space experience for me because it is also a block away from my husband’s rest home. There is the old saying that your cup needs to be half full in order for you to be able to be present and be generous with others. Metaphorically, I walk by the Touchet River so I will be quietly nourished and my cup will be half full.

– Dee McMurrey

My Sacred Space is without longitude and latitude. My Sacred Space is time.

I spend most if not all of my waking days with colleagues, my family, my pets, with others. This time is spent for the most part quite happily.

It is rare that I have time with just me. This time is my sacred space.I don’t even need to pray, meditate, or leave my chair if I prefer not to. It’s a time when my mind is free to wander. Sometimes it will wander over the times I’ve spent or will spend with others; other times, it goes beyond to other places, other times – future and past. Sometimes I ponder, other times I just reflect. Still other times I am a blank (these times usually mean I’ve been on overload and my mind needs to be empty).

These occasions do not happen often, and they’re impossible to plan. I take them when they present themselves and am exceedingly grateful for them. If you asked, I wouldn’t be able to tell you how long I’d been in my sacred space.

I emerge like a butterfly from a chrysalis, ready to fly off again. Until the next time.

– Elena Zadoroznia Larsen of Vermont

Some places hold a special home in my heart. Just being in them brings out gratitude, awe and wonderment.

We held our “Moving Through Grief, Trauma and Loss Workshops” at the Notre Dame Spiritual Center in Alfred, Maine. For more than 22 years, I had the extreme privilege and honor of working with participants struggling to move through experiences of grief, loss, and trauma.

But those are just words. Words pale and are insufficient to describe what was in that room in Eugene Hall.

Death, suicide, overdoses, accidents, cancer, divorce. Extreme violence, physical abuse, rape, incest, cults, clergy sexual abuse. How to describe the emotions they expressed in those four days? I can’t do justice to their work with words.

When we arrived at Eugene Hall on the day before the workshop, I would walk into that empty room and memories would take over and time would stop.

– Paul K. Matteson of Pownal, Maine

“Made or declared holy.” What is sacred centered in a place, a hallowed spot in the space-time continuum? Google Earth shows the ocean trenches and raised relief mountain ranges, omniscient live view drills down to 10 acres outside Pittsburgh, closer in to see the settlers’ gravestones akimbo, closer still to see the windows of the restored pioneer church. Then two real feet on the ground with hands cupping the window to hide the reflected sky, to peer through to the rows of wooden pews facing the massive tree stump holding the pulpit.

By the pulpit is the font, simple on a carved stand, dry now but filled up with every memory of every baptism whose water caressed a baby’s head. Time has passed and rippled but the space is intact and still. The difference between space and memory, and maybe the difference between holy and human. Sacred because it was consecrated and used by parishioners building in communion a rural retreat from the steel mills in Duquesne.

A tiny wooden sanctuary anchors arranged cabins made from US Army castoff building parts, a picnic pavilion, and a swimming pool dug out of former farmland. Reclaimed for sacrament; declared holy.

– Skye Fackre Gibson of Boston

My sacred place is in my small living room and serves as a refuge only in the early morning hours, when no one else is awake. The silence is of primary importance, as is the natural light that floods the room, inviting the day forward in the most pleasing way. This is “alone time” that I truly love.

Sitting in a bright-red antique chair that has molded to my body, I prioritize my morning meditation. In the “metta,” or loving-kindness practice, I direct goodwill to myself, a loved one, a challenging person, and/or all beings. My tailored phrases include: “May I experience deep joy” and “May all sentient beings delight in the natural world,” among others.

Once the meditation is done, something substantial has been accomplished. I turn to gazing outdoors at the birds or the lush landscape, watching for the sweet 8-year-old child headed to her bus stop. I note whether she is skipping ahead of herself with eagerness or hanging back reluctantly; she is so dear to me. I pick up my journal, a book, or a puzzle, and nod in gratitude for allowing myself, in this sacred space, a “soft start” to what will be a very good day.

– Rita Ghilani of Ashland

Music has forever been my place, my sacred space. When the fingers hit the keyboard, I drift into my own personal meditation, my singular Zen. Sometimes it’s a gentle touch, a soft release resolving into a cherished feeling of peace. At other times, it’s a pounding! It’s mad frustration or it’s joyful exhilaration. The world slips away. The calm overtakes me, and the beauty surrounds me.

In moments of collaboration, when other instruments join in and voices unite, there is essential joy and sweet harmony. It’s all so simple, yet it’s so beautiful.Music. My passion. My personal space. My sacred place.

Music is life.

– Marianne Howell of Nashua, N.H.

Sixty-five years ago, my 2nd-grade class took a field trip to the public library. We left clutching our first library cards, and ever since that day some library, somewhere, has been my sacred space – as the dictionary instructs, a space I regard with respect and reverence.

The libraries of my past and present have been both peaceful spots of quiet and relaxation, where the stresses of daily life fade away, and exciting places of stimulation and discovery, where the whole world awaits exploration. All are locked in my memory – the old stone building where my teenage self barreled through every book on the science fiction shelf in order and dropped nickels into an awesome new invention, the copier; the busy college center where I soaked up knowledge at my favorite carrel and earned $1.60 an hour at the check-out desk stamping due dates (and deleting friends’ fines – ssh); the children’s rooms of suburban libraries where I tried to nurture in my kids, with uneven success, the love of reading that has carried me my whole life.

Sit home and download a novel onto my e-reader? No thanks. I’m going to the library.

– Jane Wiznitzer of Stamford, Conn.

I wake at 4:30 a.m., take a cold-water plunge in the Lamprey River, and then meet with 60+ teenagers at a high school to enthrall them with the joys of French and Spanish. I write bathroom passes, remind my cherubs to take out their cahiers or cuadernos, insist they have Chromebooks charged, encourage them to quiet down and engage in the study of language.

By 2:30 p.m., I am toast.

My sacred spot is the Salvation Army Thrift Store in Rochester, New Hampshire. I head there on my way home; put on a podcast, and wander through the aisles. I do not talk, save for a “Hi” to the welcoming clerk. I disappear in the racks, perusing the bags, the dresses, the coats, the scarves.

I find the locale soothing, comforting, and not once have been asked, “Can I help you?” I crave being left alone, delighted that no one asks me for a thing. I meander and touch and, on occasion, find some treasure, a beautiful trench coat I’ll give my daughter, a fishing shirt for my husband. I hunt in silence, in peace.

I decompress just as many of the donors decompose.

– Susan Dromey Heeter of Newmarket, N.H.

I’ve spent most of my adult life looking for a place that could be my sanctuary. I found it in 2010: Briarwood Beach, Wareham. The beginning of the experience was a challenge. Purchase home – job loss – regroup – relocate – renovate – reap benefits – a roller coaster, 10-year adventure. It’s a short stroll to the sandy spot by the Weweantic River where you can park your chair, but make sure you keep moving with the tide. Most days there’s no one there but the birds looking for a meal. The gentle lapping waves and warm sun bring peace. What began as a part-time experience is now permanent. We’ve added two couples, long-time friends who also craved the serenity and spectacular sunsets of our neighborhood. The house has changed, but the feeling remains. Simple peace every day.

– Joanne Robertson

Wind in the sail, water gurgling past the hull, hand on the tiller, alone on the water in a small sailboat feeling the forces of nature – or is it the hand of God – moving us along. Wind in the sail, water churning past the hull, hand firmly on the tiller with muscles tensed as the gale drives the small sailboat forward, soaked with spray, feeling the forces of nature – or is it the hand of God – driving us furiously forward.

On a large schooner, standing wheel watch alone, feeling the forces of wind and water transmitted through spokes of the wheel, watching the compass in the dimly lit binnacle, keeping us on course moving onward through the night toward our destination, feeling the warm steady breeze, the gentle force of nature – or is it the hand of God – helping us on our way.

These are my sacred spaces, wide open places in which to find both solitude and renewal, places like no other in which to feel close to the spiritual world, to feel a gentle softness much of the time and the full fury of a possibly angry spirit testing strength and resolve. All are sacred to me!

– Walter G. Ensign Jr. of Ashland, Ore.

My rowboat is 7 1/2 feet long. I was lucky to inherit her. She needed a home and I welcomed her. I’d learned to row as a kid and rowing, like bike riding, is a skill never forgotten.

At that time my husband was falling apart with Parkinson’s and dementia. As his caregiver, I lived a constrained life. Getting out on the water seemed like a fine idea. I’d bring in a friend to keep my husband company when I rowed. And once on the water, all constraints fell away.

My husband died four years ago, and still I row in the broad, busy harbor. I like to row alone. It’s never silent, but the sounds have meaning: the cries of the ospreys and gulls, the occasional boat horn, the thrum of a lobster boat engine.

Boats, buoys, moorings are constants in the harbor, but the water, the sky, the clouds, are miracles of light. There are seals to sing to or flotillas of ducks bobbing on the waves. Sometimes I visit a beach and look for treasure. Other times I just row for hours. And watch. And listen. My rowboat is the entry to my sacred space.

– Lynn Hower Allen of Rockland, Maine

On most Sunday afternoons, after errands are completed and social gatherings are finished, my husband Jim and I sit on the bed with a bunch of pillows and our two dogs, pull out our books, and read. It is the best time of my week, and the constant answer to the question that one podcast host always asks her guests, “What is saving your life right now?” It doesn’t matter that we read differently – he devours formulaic mysteries on his iPad and I tend to enjoy literary fiction in “real book” form. What matters is the quiet togetherness. Sometimes we hold hands while we read. Sometimes we laugh at something silly the dogs are doing. Sometimes we read until we fall asleep. If we’ve been cranky with each other during the week, being here fixes everything. If, as I believe, the highest spiritual practice in any faith is love, this time and space is our sacred space and we always come away better from having been there together.

– Sharon Lewis of Williston, S.C.

My sacred space is my home yoga studio and practice. My practice happens via Zoom once a week. My yogi lives in one state and the rest of us live in different states, so it is perfect for us. I also appreciate that I do not have to leave my home to have a yoga practice. It is so peaceful to sit on my mat in my own home. I can moan and groan to my heart’s content in my own private yoga space. I have my own candle and essential oils and I do not need to worry about offending anyone with the scents. This is the one hour a week where I can be alone and at peace. This practice grounds me and helps me cope. I am very lucky to have this sacred hour as part of my life, and I offer my unending gratitude to my yogi. 🙏

– Nancy Stenberg of Easthampton

When I was little, my family would take the week before Labor Day to spend at Camp High Sierra, near Mammoth Lakes in California. Mostly, our dad would go fishing (we would, too, but not every day, like he would). We would take an all-day horse trek up to Grass Lake from McGee Pack Station. The trek would be led by Bill Bryan, a former rodeo rider and after a few years, our friend.

Along the way, there was (is still?) an area where the trees bent toward each other, forming what Bill and I called “the Cathedral.” It was a peaceful pathway and very quiet. Only the hoof-falls and birds could be heard. That was, and will always be, my sacred space.

– Janice Cagan-Teuber

My sacred place has stood the test of time, from childhood into adulthood. I now share it with my own family, and they have grown to similarly cherish the remoteness as a needed respite from a too-connected, “always-on” life we struggle to manage.

This particular haven of solace is nestled on the Maine coast, 30 minutes from the hectic thoroughfare that carries visitors into mid-coast Maine, to Boothbay, Acadia, and beyond. No signage adorns the familiar turn from the blurring traffic of Main Street to the calming pace of vacationers as we leisurely navigate toward an idyllic seaside fishing village. A quaint cottage containing a kitchen, a sitting room, three bedrooms, and two bathrooms offer me perspective in troubled times. The easy meander over a stone path to the churning and rejuvenating sea brings me strength, focus, and gratitude, all sorely needed after the tribulations we all experience from time to time. A short stroll beyond, the Marshall Point Lighthouse and Museum welcomes weary travelers keen to learn of local history or bask in the late-day sun.

This nirvana on the coast of Maine is my sacred place, and the medicinal qualities I have enjoyed here are more powerful than any other therapy I’ve yet found.

– Thomas Moore of Shrewsbury

My sacred space is a 34-foot sailboat I have sailed with my husband and son for more than 30 years. Our ship is sacred to me because it connects me with a more beneficial life rhythm. At home, there is always something else to do or an email to answer. I need to move fast to keep up and often become frazzled. But on the boat I am responsible for only a limited area below deck, mainly the salon and galley, plus internet is not constant. So I am able to slow down – to breathe, relax, dream, and just appreciate being.

I love to stare at the waves when underway, be they sparkling in sun or green-gray under clouds. I savor the “golden hour” when the almost setting sun gilds the landscape in glorious light. I like to sit on deck then with a glass of wine and contemplate the peace of the harbor. I also enjoy leaning against the deck shrouds after dark to study stars – so many points of brightness way, way above the mast. After that, to climb below, crawl into my bed in the bow’s v-berth, and be gently rocked to sleep.

– Jean Trescott Lambert of West Newbury

Fast Forward is a twice-weekly email newsletter that’s an irreverent mix of news and opinion. You can read past issues here, and sign up to subscribe for free here.