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Lee Gutkind on the birth and surprising history of a different type of narrative form.

Originally published in Issue #76 of Creative Nonfiction, under the title “I’d Like to Thank the Academy.”

“My memoir, ‘My Last Eight Thousand Days,’ published in October 2020, had been a work in progress for at least 10 years—just as my life had been a work in progress for 70-plus. I think of the book and the process of writing it, digging deeply into my life, as a bridge from the Lee I used to be to the Lee I am now—transformed. Writing the book helped me analyze my life and adjust to a more satisfying and realistic future.”

“Gutkind made his name writing creative nonfiction, an offshoot of new journalism. After a lifetime of telling other people’s stories, MY LAST EIGHT THOUSAND DAYS is Gutkind’s look inward. Narrator Johnny Heller is the perfect voice for sharing Gutkind’s honest reflections…This is an engaging listen about looking back at life and accepting oneself.”

“On this week’s Seekers of Meaning TV Show and Podcast, author Lee Gutkind discusses his newest book, My Last Eight Thousand Days, An American Male in His Seventies, a look inward at his own experience with aging.”

Seekers of Meaning is a podcast and TV show by Jewish Sacred Aging, “a forum for the Jewish Community with resources and texts that feature discussions on the implications of the revolution in longevity for Baby Boomers and their families.”

“Lee Gutkind (@LeeGutkind) has returned to the show after a long, long time, this time to talk about his wonderful new book My Last Eight Thousand Days: An American Male in His Seventies (University of Georgia Press).”

“With refreshing honesty, Lee Gutkind’s book, My Last Eight-Thousand Days is an intimate and holistic look at his successes, his failures, and his vulnerabilities . . . infusing his language with candid, energetic comedy . . . this frank, humorous tone continues throughout the entire memoir, softening even the hardest of truths by tapping into those human idiosyncrasies that we all, in one way or another, share.  More than solely a memoir about aging, it’s also a memoir about the importance of human connection, something that everyone, regardless of age, can relate to.”

“After a lifetime spent writing about others, a Pitt alumnus hones in on his toughest subject yet: himself.”

“[My Last Eight-Thousand Days by Lee Gutkind] offers insights for people of all ages — inspiration for young journalists to follow their passions, and for older individuals to realize that they still can make meaningful change . . . Gutkind provides an enduring lesson about working on your passions no matter your age.”

Lee Gutkind on KFAI Twin Cities radio show Write On! Radio with Liz Olds for a short reading and discussion of his memoir My Last Eight Thousand Days.

The Live Long and Master Aging is “a podcast that explores the science and stories behind human longevity.” Lee joins podcast host Peter Bowes to talk about aging and his memoir My Last Eight Thousand Days.

Lee talks with Yvette Benavides from Texas Public Radio about My Last Eight Thousand Days.

Lee joins Robert Boynton for the New York Institute of Humanities podcast to discuss creative nonfiction and his memoir My Last Eight Thousand Days

“I stepped out onto the street to allow the guy approaching me on the sidewalk six feet of safety, and said to him as he passed, ‘Were you able to see your grandchildren this weekend?’ He stopped and kind of rolled his eyes above his checkered mask and said: “I don’t have any grandchildren. I don’t even have any children.” And then we both realized what had happened. I had mistaken him for someone else I knew.”

“Lee Gutkind, recognized by Vanity Fair as ‘the Godfather behind creative nonfiction,’ is the founder and editor of Creative Nonfiction, and editor of more than 25 books. He is Distinguished Writer-in-Residence in the Consortium for Science, Policy & Outcomes at Arizona State University and a professor in the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication.”

Watch interview on Author2Author website

“Lee Gutkind is The Godfather behind creative nonfiction according to Vanity Fair and they’re right. His latest book is the intimate memoir entitled My Last Eight Thousand Days. He has appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Good Morning America, and now, here on Drinks with Tony. I’m a lucky fella.”

“To hear Lee Gutkind tell it, his 40th birthday was a disaster, and his relationship with aging only deteriorated. His 70th was even worse, falling near-synchronously with the deaths of his beloved mother and his two closest friends, the breakup of a longtime romantic partnership and the disintegration of a book project he hoped would be his crowning achievement.”

“As a matter of principle, and self-protection, I never discussed my age nor anyone else’s age, if I could help it, especially after I reached seventy. I did everything in my power to dodge these ‘How old are you?’ or ‘Do you realize how long ago that was?’ discussions that seem to come about more frequently as time passes.”

“Lee Gutkind has played a singular role in shaping the world of creative nonfiction, as an author, as a teacher, as a public advocate for the genre, and by founding Creative Nonfiction magazine (and the many offshoots that form the Creative Nonfiction Foundation.) Though his best-known books over the years fall into the category of immersion journalism, his latest book, My Last Eight-Thousand Days: An American Male in His Seventies, tackles two acutely personal subjects, aging and death. I recently spoke with Lee about the book, the challenges of memoir, and how he turned his immersion skills around to focus on the self.”

Lee discusses aging and his new memoir My Last Eight Thousand Days with gerontologist Holley Kelley of the podcast “Aging GreatFULLy.” Listen on the show’s CTR Network website or wherever you get your podcasts.

Lee Gutkind has made several costume changes in his life. The fatigues of the U.S. Coast Guard. The leather of a biker. The black T-shirt of a beatnik. The tweed of a college professor. But through it all, one thing has remained the same: He is a writer.

Lee Gutkind admits it, with a kind of relish: He used to lie about his age.

At some point in his late middle years, the author and creative-nonfiction guru started telling people who asked that he was “47.” He knew he looked, and was, rather older; he lied largely to confuse his questioners. Nonetheless, he was also truly self-conscious about his age.

As usual, that morning, I was the first Starbucks customer. Six a.m. on the dot, when the lights went on and the doors unlocked. Since it had opened 31 years ago, I’d almost always been the first customer any morning I was in town. The baristas know what I want, a takeout venti dark roast, and usually have it ready or start pouring when I walk in the door. But that day, as I stood at the counter waiting, Tony the barista was taking longer than usual to fill my venti cup.

Dubbed the “Godfather behind creative nonfiction” by Vanity Fair Magazine, Lee Gutkind shares his first experience with memoir, what makes it different than his previous books, what writers can’t take back, and more!

Refusing to lose his identity, Lee Gutkind deep dives into literary subject: himself

It might seem that writers live pretty safe lives. Yes, there are some, mostly journalists, who immerse themselves in troubled and war-torn countries, and they can and do get hurt. But most of us who write sit at keyboards or notepads every day and create stuff—poems, plays, stories, essays—mostly from our heads.

A scathing article in Vanity Fair accused creative nonfiction writers, of memoir in particular, of “navel gazing.” Cultural critic James Wolcott reserved his sharpest words for an unsuspecting Lee Gutkind. He labeled Lee, with a healthy dose of sarcasm, “The Godfather behind creative nonfiction.”

Lee discusses how personal narratives can contribute to our understanding a profession, the writing process, and how the stories in What I Didn’t Know compare to those featured in his other works.

Lee was guest co-editor, “The Story Behind the Design,” focusing on design and story for Innovation, the official publication of the Industrial Designers Society of America.

Lee joins the podcast that documents the creative process and the creative purpose.

Brendan O’Meara interviews the world’s best artists about creating works of nonfiction.

A mention of Lee’s book “Almost Human.”

A conversation on writing, reporting, and turning an idea into bestselling book.