It’s never too late. In her early forties, Tina Essmaker fulfilled her lifelong dream of earning her MFA in Creative Nonfiction, graduating from Vermont College of Fine Arts. In 2023, she was a finalist for the Sewanee Review Fiction, Poetry, and Nonfiction Contest. Her first published essay is forthcoming in October 2025.

Tina is currently writing a book-length memoir about her mother’s sudden death when Tina was only ten and how it thrust her into being a caregiver for her father and disabled twin brother while wrestling with the desire to build a life of her own and the responsibility she felt toward her dad and brother.

Previously, Tina was cofounder and editor-in-chief of The Great Discontent magazine, a multimedia publication of long-form interviews with notable creators. Through the magazine, Tina had the opportunity to converse with the likes of Cheryl Strayed, Roxane Gay, Reggie Watts, Tavi Gevinson, Leon Bridges, Krista Tippett, and many more.  

In 2017, Tina transitioned out of The Great Discontent magazine and became certified as a coach, launching a practice to help creative professionals. She has written for outlets serving the creative community, including Adobe's 99U and Working Not Working Magazine, and spoken around the world, teaching at companies like Vice UK and lecturing at Parsons. Tina has been featured in Forbes, Print, and Brooklyn Mag’s 100 Most Influential People. 

In a distant life, Tina earned a Bachelor's of Social Work from Wayne State University in Detroit and worked at a shelter and transitional living program for unhoused young people in her Michigan hometown.

Tina has lived in Michigan, New York City, and London. She now splits her time between New Hampshire and Jersey City with her partner and their two young sons.