• First-person essays

    Everyone has a story to tell. That's something we firmly believe here at CNN. The essays on this page come from regular people around the world with extraordinary stories and experiences to share. They've been curated and edited by CNN iReport staff, but they're told in the writers' own voices. Ready to share your own story? Submit an essay via CNN iReport.

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    Take a look at our best essay-writing tips, and then upload your essay and a photo. Don't worry if you don't have professional writing experience -- our editors will work with you to make your piece sing. If we're interested in publishing, we'll be in touch.

Compelling reads 

  • Bonnie Adler (right) and her mother

    Shopping for a mother with dementia

    By Bonnie Adler, Special to CNN
    I felt as if I had whisked my mother from her quiet, controlled pastel-colored old folks home to the land of Oz.
  • The silhouette of a Ukrainian soldier is seen against a Ukrainian flag as Ukrainian soldiers wait inside the Sevastopol tactical military brigade base in Sevastopol on March 3, 2014. Russian forces have given Ukrainian soldiers an ultimatum to surrender their positions in Crimea or face an assault, a Ukrainian defence ministry spokesman said. 'The ultimatum is to recognise the new Crimean authorities, lay down our weapons and leave, or be ready for an assault,' said Vladyslav Seleznyov, the regional ministry spokesman for the Crimea. AFP PHOTO / FILIPPO MONTEFORTE (Photo credit should read FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images)

    A divided Ukraine? Think again

    Maia Mikhaluk, Special to CNN
    I am a Russian-speaking Ukrainian. I am ethnically half-Russian, as my father was born in Siberia. I spent much of my life in Donetsk, a Russian-speaking area of Ukraine. Now I live in Kiev.