A Brief History of What is Even Going On Here
First, HOW I LEARNED was a show:
A live, monthly storytelling/comedy/reading series that ran for a decade in New York.
Created, produced, and hosted by Blaise Allysen Kearsley, HOW I LEARNED featured writers and performers holding forth on a different theme every month.
Guests included Alexander Chee, Ayo Edebiri, Mira Jacob, Anna Sale, Hugh Ryan, Starlee Kine, Mara Wilson, Jami Attenberg, Isaac Fitzgerald, Aparna Nancherla, Dodai Stewart, Baratunde Thurston, Jo Firestone, Emma Straub, Maggie Estep, Sadie Stein, Josh Gondelman, Ophira Eisenberg, Jiji Lee, Mike Albo, and many more.
The show was born on the Lower East Side at a beloved, sticky-floored, fire hazard known as Happy Ending (RIP the original one, not the bad one). Over the years, there were more shows in lower Manhattan, at venues like The Bowery Electric, Housing Works, The Gallery at Le Poisson Rouge, and Caveat, and at Brooklyn’s Union Hall, plus a two-night sold out reading at Le Chat Noir in New Orleans.
HOW I LEARNED was hailed by New York Magazine, Electric Literature, CBS New York, The New York Times, Tin House, Brooklyn Magazine, The Village Voice, and more — including that one guy who recognized Blaise on the street that one time.
Everything was going great and HOW I LEARNED was basically the best thing for everybody (one time, we were sponsored by Carvel Ice Cream; there was so much cake).
Then, some life things happened. And Covid happened. And everything split into the Before Times and the After Times. You know, it’s that famous opening line from A Tale of Two Cities: “It was the worst of times, it was the worst of times.”
Also, we got old.
Now, HOW I LEARNED is a magazine:
The series was resurrected in 2025 and re-formed into what you’re looking at right now (is it actually a magazine, or a newsletter, or a ****stack, who even knows?).
It’s a space for true personal stories from diverse vantage points and new and emerging voices. It’s about ways of seeing the horror and the hilarity of the world that might lead to a kind of unexpected wisdom or confirmation that nobody really knows anything at all. It’s about trying to be a person, or whatever.
New nonfiction runs once a week (mostly) in FEATURED ESSAYS. There’s also LAST THING I’LL SAY, MY NEXT GHOST, DREADLINE, and 28 x 20, all sections written by me.
(This is the part where I switch to first person.)
I’m a writer, teacher, artist, and that lady from the HOW I LEARNED live series and magazine. I’m an awkward introvert with a self-image problem and confusing personal style, but sometimes — with one right cocktail and a great crowd on a good hair day — I’ll get up almost anywhere to read (or tell) a story about my bad decision making. You can learn how to pronounce all my names at blaiseallysenkearsley.com. If you’d like, you can follow me or HOW I LEARNED on Instagram, and also on this weird notes thing that we’re doing now for some reason.
There will be [a] HOW I LEARNED show[s] in the future, but I’m excited to see how this venture evolves. This is an indie project, a big labor of love, 100% supported by The People. So, join the fold: read, comment, like, share, become a free or paid subscriber, or make a one-time donation. It’s really whatever you want. I’m just delighted and grateful you’re here.
I think that’s it. Let’s get off the internet for a bit. We can meet back here later.
xo Blaise
Got a solid HOW I LEARNED story for the magazine? Read the Submission Guidelines and hit me with your best shot.
