Essays

Death Barged In
Grief is an unbecoming emotion. It’s raw and unvarnished. It exposes truths we’d rather left unsaid.
Last Word On Nothing, February 26, 2014

What is a good death?
Last Word On Nothing, July 11, 2013

I hate climbing, but love having climbed
Last Word On Nothing, July 31, 2013

The Molester and Me
My high school coach was like a dad to me, until he abused my teammate and violated us all.
Slate, June 2013

Lost in the Cloud
The ephemeral nature of digital data.
Last Word On Nothing, Sept 26, 2012

Bracing: A military brat remembers 9/11/01
Last Word On Nothing, September 8, 2011

Could You Find Contentment in Your Own Backyard?
Christie Aschwanden spent her youth traipsing around the globe—until she discovered what it meant to find contentment in her own home.
Oprah Magazine, May, 2012

Why I Blog
Blogging at Last Word On Nothing is my commitment to the act of creation.
Last Word On Nothing, May 24, 2012

Motherhood: Never Is Ok
I’m childless by choice, with no regrets.
Why Last Word On Nothing, May 9, 2012

Life without beer: part 2 of my beer & running science experiment
Last Word On Nothing, February 2, 2012

Eating ethically
A tree-hugging former vegetarian learns to hunt
High Country News, September 22, 2011

You don’t live in the Twitterverse
A plea to ground yourself in place
Last Word On Nothing, July 10, 2011

For a moment, we could get along
Despite our deep political differences, most Westerners work together when it counts.
High Country News, January 19, 2011

The Dog Who Wouldn’t Run
Teaching a reluctant puppy how to run.
Runner’s World, September, 2010

Flight of the Bumble Bee
Why would anyone run all night through some of the West’s most rugged mountains just to help some other guy finish a completely ridiculous race? Christie Aschwanden went to the Wasatch Front 100-mile ultramarathon to find out.
Runner’s World, May 2009

Thanksgiving Turkey for the Soul
A small farmer’s first-person account of the reckoning: “I need to know my birds can resist.”
Mother Jones, Nov. 26, 2009
 
Christie Aschwanden’s Painful Truth
A runner finds a physical outlet for emotional suffering.
Runner’s World, December 2009
 
One Daughter, One Dad, Two Bikes
A test of endurance becomes a journey of discovery.
by Christie Aschwanden
Health Magazine,  Jun 2006   (Winner, ASJA 2007 Outstanding Essay Award)