What’s in a Name?—The Risks of Writing About Family

By Laurie Hertzel

When the editor of a literary journal asked me to contribute to his final issue a few years ago, I had only one essay that was ready to send, one I hadn’t planned on publishing. It was autobiographical, an account of the accidental death of my oldest brother, told through the eyes of nine-year-old me.

I knew I was taking a risk. Several members of my family deeply value their privacy, and they have let me know they disapprove of my writing about family. And I didn’t wa...