A braided essay is one that weaves two or more distinct “threads” into a single essay. A thread can be a story with a plot or simply a string of thought about a specific topic.

Braided Essays and How to Write Them

This alternating movement draws out themes and ideas from each thread, such that the essay as a whole points to larger ideas and themes.

‘now’ and ‘then’ narrators as “I”

I don’t know who I miss

or

what I long for

but

I know what I want

thread A: left

thread B: middle

thread C: right

weave: 3 strands: weave left under middle, pull from right, weave right under middle, and so on..

Caught

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I love braiding hair

she sits

in between my legs

while I braid her hair

two French-

two reverse French braids

the ones that you can feel on the outside

I love braiding hair

I love braiding her hair

touching

weaving my fingers through

making it do what I want

her relaxation into my lap

her relaxation to my strokes of hair

pulling that one piece. -that sends chills down her body

her smile

no matter how it turned

because I’m weaved

in her head

on her mind

on her head

on her head

my braids

weaved

on her head

tied

Together

calm, happy

comfortable, they rest

on her collar bones

comfortably, we rest

together

her hair on my collar bone

between my arm and my chest

her fingers weaved in mine

my essence on her head

hers on my mind

in my chest

in my veins

be mine

I say

she’s mine.

as much as the braids

belong to her

they are mine