What to Get the Writers in Your Life—From the Writers In Ours

Not sure what to buy your nonfiction group pals or grad school buddies for the holidays? We've got you covered—but be warned, you'll likely want everything on this list for yourself 😉.

Illustration by Sophie Butcher/Narratively archive

I was driving the first time I listened to the recording of “How to Write Great Dialogue in Nonfiction Stories,” our Open Book conversation between Creative Nonfiction founder Lee Gutkind and author and journalist

Kim Cross

, so when Kim started describing the compact journal case she swears by, I immediately made note of exactly where they were in the conversation so I could look it up ASAP. My first thought when I saw the absolute adorableness of the Lochby journal she had mentioned was: I need this! My second thought: I think our whole team needs this!

Naturally, this led me to imagine that maybe my colleagues and I weren’t the only ones who would feel this way. So, with that in mind, I asked a few additional writers in the Narratively universe if they had any favorites to share when shopping for writer friends and loved ones (or you know, to send to the people requesting their gift lists this holiday season), and boy, did they deliver. The only thing I should have seen coming but somehow didn’t was just how dangerous these recommendations would be for me personally, because now I want everything on this list! You probably will, too. 😉 Read on and shop away…

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Kim Cross, bestselling author, journalist and historian

I never leave the house without the Lochby Pocket Journal, which holds one to two notebooks, business cards, my favorite fast-writing gel pen, the Pentel EnerGel Alloy (refillable and made of metal, but not likely to be confiscated by TSA like a tactical pen), and the Sony UX570 digital audio recorder (so small that people forget it’s there). Made of waxed canvas, which is water resistant and develops a lovely patina, it holds my recorder securely, with the mic pointed at my source, so I can record while taking notes. It comes with a Lochby notebook, which has fountain pen–friendly Tomoe River paper, and also fits one to two 3.5 x 5.5-inch notebooks including Field Notes, Moleskine Cahiers and waterproof All Terrains. While Lochby’s customer service recently let me down, I still recommend them to every writer I know for their thoughtful designs and craftsmanship.

Shawna Kenney, writer, teacher and contributing editor at Narratively

Most writers love a good journal for note-taking or to store scraps for future stories, and I have finally found my favorite: these “recycled moments” journals made by artist Jeffrey Everett, who turns the leftover material from his world-renowned band posters into these hand-sized journals covered with original pop art, encasing quality matte paper inside. (It looks like some are sold out on his website right now, but he tells me more are coming soon!)

Parisa Saranj, writer, Persian translator and contributing editor at literary magazine Consequence Forum

Here are my top 10 must-gives:

1. Notepads with a sense of humor for to-do lists before sitting down to write. For this, I adore Party of One notepads.

2. Gift card from a local used bookstore.

3. 642 Things to Write About prompt journal.

4. I recently discovered Pigeon posts, and I’m obsessed.

5. The all-time classic, The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron.

6. This sticky-note dispenser. I have one and all my writer friends ask me where I got it.

7. Teal pencil sharpener cup. I have this one, too. 😉

8. Mary Karr’s The Art of Memoir.

9. Craft in the Real World: Rethinking Fiction Writing and Workshopping by Matthew Salesses.

10. True Notebooks: A Writer’s Year at Juvenile Hall by Mark Salzman.

Lee Gutkind, author and co-founder of Creative Nonfiction

This may sound like a joke gift, and it is — sort of. We sit so long day after day. We know we should get up every half hour and walk around, but who can get up when you’ve got momentum and the story is exploding before you? This pillow is designed to treat bed sores, but it works just as well guarding against “writers’ rear end sores,” especially for writers over 50. And it’s got a handle, making it easy to carry around. Working in the field, you never know where you might have to sit in a pinch.

I also like a good old-fashioned notebook — I don’t much care for the fancy kind. I use reporter’s notebooks, like Talese and Wolfe used — and reporters in movies produced before iPhones. The pages are lined, and they’ve got a nice pocket in the back for cards and receipts.

Angie Chuang, award-winning author and tenured university professor

Like seemingly all writers, I have Moleskine notebooks of many sizes. They’ve consistently been my favorite for their quality, durability and sleek design, and their iconic classic black soft cover never disappoints. But I also love the Peanuts characters, and this limited-edition, very giftable Peppermint Patty hardcover notebook, with her lament, “I hate it when you have to know what you’re writing about,” is irony tailor-made for nonfiction writers.

This one would admittedly be a splurge of a gift, but even as a vast assortment of notebooks and pens pile up in my writing spaces, the one tool I use every day that makes the most difference in my writing process is this ViewSonic portable monitor that serves as a second screen to my laptop. Being able to look at different versions of my work simultaneously, or to have research on one screen and writing on another, or even to Zoom my virtual writing group while looking at documents at the same time has been life-changing. This particular monitor has great resolution, is lightweight and charges and connects with no fuss.

Cathy Alter, essayist, lecturer and author

I know $95 is a lot to spend on a sweatshirt, but this whole series is just so delightful, I can’t resist opening my wallet for my girl Joan. Plus, there are lots of additional writers represented on the site, so you really can’t go wrong — especially if you include a book by the author in the gift box. A total win as far as I’m concerned.

Ages ago, when I was an administrative assistant at a big New York City ad agency, my boss somehow got the drift that I wanted to be a writer. For Christmas, he gave me a Montblanc pen like this one and said, “This is what real writers use.” Decades later, when I got my first book contract, this was the pen I used to sign it. This one is certainly a splurge, but it’s hands down one of the best gifts I’ve ever received. (I love you, Ed!)

Elizabeth Austin, essayist, journalist and teacher

I’d love to recommend Debbie Millman’s The Remarkable Life Deck. It’s a bucket-list-meets-10-year-plan, done in an inspiring, beautiful way. Thirty gorgeous prompt cards help you map out individual writing goals, and also a whole remarkable life, one thoughtful question at a time. I keep mine on my desk at all times, and it’s one of the gifts I give most often, especially to the writers in my life!

Kern Carter, author, writer and co-creator of CRY Creative

Mugs are great, but what’s even better for writers is what’s inside. So when thinking about receiving the perfect gift, a pack of tea sounds like music to my ears (or maybe words to my ears — we are writers, after all!). The choices are endless and the cost is usually reasonable.

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P.S. Do you have a favorite gift you send to your writer friends each holiday season (or something you want someone to send to you 😉)? If yes, please share it in the comments!