Welcome To My World

I’m Sean Murphy, and you might have heard me on NPR’s “All Things Considered” or seen my name in The New York Times or The Huffington Post, among others. As a contributor to outlets ranging from The Good Men Project and PopMatters to The Village Voice and The Weeklings, my aim has always been to connect, provoke, and celebrate the stories that define us.

I founded 1455, a non-profit dedicated to celebrating creativity and community, and I direct the Center for Story at Shenandoah University, but I’ve been telling—and savoring—words for as long as I can remember. Since I first began writing, I’ve been obsessed with the ways powerful narratives explain our world while creating new possibilities, how art broadens awareness and builds empathy.

Here you’ll find writing that spans the breadth of my passions: you can read my short fiction and poetry, or various essays about the literary and technology industries. You can discover two decades worth of book and movie reviews, and you can check out some of the artists I’ve interviewed. If you’re a music fan, I’m your guy — jazz aficionados go here and prog rock lovers dive deep here. If you’re a political junkie, I’ve got plenty of opinions, and if you’re interested in the intersection of creativity and culture, these pieces might scratch that itch. If you’ve lost a loved one and are searching for solidarity, my extended meditation on grief Please Talk about Me When I’m Gone won the 2022 Memoir Prize. Finally, if you experienced the dot.com boom & bust, this novel should make you laugh and cry. More about all my books here.