As one who believes that stories save us, Ronit Plank walks the writer’s walk with grace and skill. She  is a teacher and editor whose work has appeared in The Atlantic, Poets & Writers, The Rumpus, Hippocampus, The New York Times, and elsewhere and earned Pushcart Prize nominations. 

Kirkus Reviews calls her memoir When She Comes Back, “An intimate, intuitive, emotionally vivid family account that finds hope in reconciliation". About the loss of her mother to the guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and their eventual reconciliation, When She Comes Back earned Finalist in the Housatonic Awards and the National Indie Excellence Awards and was a Book Riot Best True Crime Book of 2021. 

Her short story collection Home is a Made-up Place won Hidden River Arts’ Eludia Award and the 2023 Page Turner Awards for Short Stories. She is also a prolific essayist, keeping the art of the essay alive through her skillful craft. Enjoy this recent essay, The Shadow in Me, to get a feeling for the beauty and poignancy of  Ronit’s writing. 

Ronit teaches memoir writing for the University of Washington’s Continuum Program and other writing schools, is Creative Nonfiction Editor at The Citron Review, and hosts the podcast Let’s Talk Memoir featuring interviews with memoirists about their writing process and creative life. All of this can be found on her website RonitPlank.com.

Although Ronit teaches all aspects of writing, she is excited to bring cult survivors a focus on Memory. Sometimes fraught and conflicted, embracing a better understanding of how memory works supports the writing journey. Ronit is excited to bring these essential perspectives and educational wisdom to fellow survivors.