The Migraine Diaries – A Novel by Zach Powers
Coming April 2026
“A prismatic chronicle of mind, memory and loss.”
–Patricia Lockwood, author of Will There Ever Be Another You
With lyrical prose and a deeply empathetic voice, The Migraine Diaries offers a raw, unflinching look at the impact of chronic illness on the human spirit.
When a 30-something man experiences his first migraine at the funeral for his best friend, his life within a close-knit friend group threatens to come undone. He must navigate despair and debilitation alongside relationships, work, and the quest for meaning. He struggles to find sparks of hope and beauty even as his body and mind rebel against him.
How does he live with endless, invisible hurt? How does he support his friends even as he loses the ability to support himself? His very experience of time alters—looping, regressing, and flashing back to a before that’s lost forever.
The Migraine Diaries, told in the unique format of a diagnostic headache journal, is a visionary look at human endurance, as well as a poignant exploration of pain. Most of all, it’s a testament to the power of friendship in the face of strife and grief.
Find out more »
"I’ve come to adore the word comorbid. So many things can be parts of other things." –THE MIGRAINE DIARIES
A Little About Zach Powers
Zach Powers is a writer and poet originally from Tybee Island, Georgia and now living in Northern Virginia.
Zach’s books include a story collection and two novels, the newest of which is The Migraine Diaries, coming from JackLeg Press in April 2026. He also wrote a travel guide for Savannah.
He worked in local television for a decade, winning 4 Emmy awards. He wrote arts and culture pieces for Savannah Morning News, including a long-running column about booze. He’s taught at colleges and worked for an art museum and waited tables at the third-worst TGI Friday’s in America.
He studied saxophone and has found several thousand shark teeth and once lost an Emmy to MC Hammer.
He’s now the Executive & Artistic Director for The Writer’s Center in Bethesda, Maryland, and oversees Poet Lore, America’s oldest poetry journal.
"Here we are trying to write about a thing that wants to thwart our writing." –THE MIGRAINE DIARIES
New Stuff from Zach Powers
Zach Powers in conversation w/ Karen Russell, Hanif Abdurraqib, Patricia Lockwood & more:
Zach is one of the co-hosts of The Writer’s Center Virtual Craft Chat series, featuring over a hundred acclaimed authors in conversation about the craft of writing.
