Blog
From Dublin Workshop to New York Times Byline: Celebrating Elizabeth Austin's "Happiness is a Big, Ugly Sofa"
by Writing Workshops Staff
8 hours ago
We're absolutely thrilled to celebrate a momentous achievement from our WritingWorkshops.com community: Elizabeth Austin's first byline in the New York Times with her stunning opinion piece, "Happiness is a Big, Ugly Sofa."
Elizabeth, who joined us as a student at our Dublin Writing Workshop in 2025, where she studied with Tawny Lara, has achieved something many writers dream about their entire careers. As she shared on her Substack: "So many wonderful things have happened in my life that I could have never dreamed up, but this was a dream I've held on to for a long time. What a delight to be able to see it come true."
The fact that she got to watch her daughter read it in print makes this achievement even more special—a beautiful full-circle moment for a writer who has chronicled her family's journey through her daughter's leukemia treatment with such raw honesty and grace.
Elizabeth's success story exemplifies the journey from workshop participant to published writer to workshop instructor. Her writing has appeared in TIME, Harper's Bazaar, Narratively, McSweeney's, Ms. Magazine, Brevity, and The Sun, among others. She's also co-editor of the forthcoming anthology, Root Cause: Stories of health, harm, and reclaiming our humanity in an epidemic of loneliness.
Now, Elizabeth is paying it forward as an instructor with WritingWorkshops.com, sharing her expertise with the next generation of writers. We're excited to offer two upcoming seminars with Elizabeth this fall:
Understanding Through Stories: An Introduction to Narrative Medicine Writing (Saturday, November 8th, 2025) – This intensive workshop introduces participants to narrative medicine, using storytelling and reflective writing to enhance empathy and process medical experiences. Perfect for healthcare professionals, patients, caregivers, or anyone interested in the intersection of narrative and healing.
Personal Essay Endings That Stick (Saturday, December 13th, 2025) – Transform uncertain conclusions into powerful final statements. This hands-on workshop demystifies the craft of writing compelling essay endings through practical techniques you can apply immediately to your own work.
Elizabeth's journey from our Dublin workshop classroom to the pages of the New York Times reminds us why we do what we do at WritingWorkshops.com: to bring writers out of the wilderness and into community, providing the craft, support, and connections needed to achieve publication dreams.
We couldn't be prouder of Elizabeth's achievement. Her success is a testament to the power of persistence, craft, and the courage to share our most personal stories with the world. If you haven't yet, do yourself a favor and read "Happiness is a Big, Ugly Sofa" in the New York Times.
Congratulations, Elizabeth! We can't wait to see what you'll accomplish next.
Want to follow your own path to publication? Explore our upcoming workshops or apply for our next Dublin Writing Workshop.
