Jasmin Faulk-Dickerson joins Let’s Talk Memoir for a conversation about growing up in Saudi Arabia under an oppressive regime, what being a woman of color does and doesn’t mean to her, invisible identities, writing about ethnicity, race, and culture, her advocacy work, and how she navigated the socio-political in her memoir The Last Sandstorm. Also in this episode: -Recognizing our privilege as we write -Knowing what to leave out of our manuscripts -How hyper liberalism has impacted her Memoirs ...
Mar 21, 2023•37 min
Debbie Weiss joins Let’s Talk Memoir for a conversation about widowhood and capturing grief and loneliness in ways that keep readers invested, starting scenes in the middle, finding themes in your story, how her blog was a stepping stone to watching her writing take off, and her new memoir Available As Is. Also in this episode: -writing about the character-you from the narrator-you lens -the online dating scene after 50 -structuring a memoir with lots of material Books Mentioned in this episode:...
Mar 14, 2023•31 min
Laura Cathcart Robbins joins Let’s Talk Memoir for a conversation about writing Stash, her new memoir that delves into addiction, privilege, and race, what self-care looked like for her while she tackled traumatic material, why she had to let go of controlling the narrative to better serve her story, and depicting the physical impact of addiction on the page. Also in this episode: -Laura’s wildly popular podcast The Only One in the Room -the importance of journals -sharing a manuscript with fami...
Mar 07, 2023•39 min
Suzanne Roberts joins Let’s Talk Memoir for a conversation about the difficulty of being in a human body - especially a woman’s, the male gaze, deciding how to approach our work, writing about loss, grief, death, and desire, reading widely and deeply, being an employee to our art, and Animal Bodies, her memoir made of lyrical essays, narrative pieces, and prose poems. Also in this episode: -when the body becomes political -how poetry has informed her work -a tool to get yourself to write even ma...
Feb 28, 2023•46 min
Felicia Thai Heath joins Let’s Talk Memoir for a conversation about growing up on the run to help keep her father, a notorious Vietnamese kingpin, safe from capture, the power of dialogue to tell our stories, beginning scenes in the middle, orienting the reader in time and space, and making the decision to share the family history she once tried to hide. Also in this episode: -Crafting interludes to give readers a break -Writing the most emotional scenes first -Depicting fraught relationships Bo...
Feb 21, 2023•31 min
Happy Valentine’s Day! In honor of artistic partnership, Vincent Paterson and Amy Tofte join Let’s Talk Memoir for a conversation on their experience collaborating on their new book Icons and Instincts, Vincent’s experience working with Madonna, Robin Williams, and other stars, the 6-step process Amy relied on during the writing process, the fight against artistic erasure, and allowing manuscripts to tell us what they need to be. Also in this episode: -How all of what we do as artists informs ou...
Feb 14, 2023•49 min
Maria Giura joins Let’s Talk Memoir for a conversation about which stories define us, avoiding the self-pity trap, the importance of allowing the reader to make decisions about the characters in our memoir for themselves, how we frame childhood and family dynamics, writing about the very early versions of ourselves after we’ve changed so much, and what challenges she faced writing Celibate in which she explores her relationship with the priest she fell in love with and how that experience helped...
Feb 07, 2023•39 min
Buick Audra joins Let’s Talk Memoir for a conversation about her new album and companion memoir in essays Conversations with My Other Voice, the importance of protecting our work from judgment, being an abuse survivor, how she views regret, and the tool she used when deciding which details to share about others and which to leave out. Also in this episode: -why writing about the abuse she suffered does not retraumatize her -how misogyny has impacted her art and career -a closer look at why shari...
Jan 31, 2023•41 min
Beth Kephart joins Let’s Talk Memoir for a conversation about the crucial differences between a book of essays and a memoir in essays, choosing what to keep and what to cut, the gifts of nonlinear storytelling, the ethics of telling other people’s stories, allowing ourselves to find beauty in the seemingly ordinary, and her new craft book We Are the Words. -Visit the Let's Talk Memoir Merch store: https://www.zazzle.com/store/letstalkmemoir Also in this episode: -Privacy in memoir -Remaining ope...
Jan 24, 2023•39 min
Lori L. Tharps joins Let’s Talk Memoir for a conversation about why memoirs are not an indulgence, the importance of finding your memoir’s theme, deciding where your book should begin, having a writing life that feeds you and also keeps you fed, and systemic racism in the U.S. and how her Black and Spanish children were the impetus for her to uncover Spain’s hidden Black history and write her memoir Kinky Gazpacho. Also in this episode: -the multiple memoirs we have within us -how memoirs are he...
Jan 17, 2023•53 min
Literary Citizen of the Year Allison K Williams joins Let’s Talk Memoir for a conversation about the importance of plot, structure, and dramatic arc in memoir, the elements that make a story a story, insuring your memoir has a reader takeaway, what being in the circus taught her about writing, why she calls herself the unkind editor, and how she really feels about memoir. -Visit the Let's Talk Memoir Merch store: https://www.zazzle.com/store/letstalkmemoir Also in this episode: -Allison’s editor...
Jan 10, 2023•45 min
Kathy Curto joins Let’s Talk Memoir for a conversation about accepting imperfection in our writing, the effect of time and distance in our work, finding beauty even in the painful, what she’s learned through teaching writing to a broad range of students, and her memoir in micro essays Not for Nothing: Glimpse into a Jersey Girlhood. Also in this episode: -the importance of a writing community no matter how small -the potency of the flash form -how voice is always changing Books mentioned in this...
Jan 03, 2023•41 min
Celebrated author and memoir teacher Laura Davis joins Let’sTalk Memoir for a special holiday episode for a conversation about writing her memoir The Burning Light of Two Stars: A Mother-Daughter Story and how she reconciled with the mother who betrayed her and came to care for her in her final days. In this episode Laura also shares her tips for writing about traumatic experiences, where the boundaries are when writing about family experiences, and what all memoir writing needs. Laura Davis is ...
Dec 27, 2022•1 hr 25 min
Keema and Tekla Waterfield join Let’s Talk Memoir for a conversation about being raised by a young single mother in Southeast Alaska after their father left the family. With very little money but a passion for music and art, their mother moved them frequently in pursuit of her education, gigs, and new relationships. As the sisters grew, art and their at-times traumatic childhood led each of the sisters on different paths. Keema wrote Inside Passage, a memoir about her nomadic Alaskan childhood, ...
Dec 20, 2022•53 min
John Ross Bowie joins Let’s Talk Memoir for a conversation about working in Hollywood, mental health, the patterns we discover in our lives and write about, grappling with shame, coming to terms with who his father really was, and his new memoir No Job for a Man. Also in this episode: -distress in the body -New York City in the 80s -What it’ like to voice your loved ones for an audiobook Books mentioned in this episode: Life’s Work by David Milch A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave...
Dec 13, 2022•44 min
Isidra Mencos joins Let’s Talk Memoir for a conversation about setting her coming-of-age memoir against the backdrop of Spain’s cultural upheaval after the death of Franco, balancing personal narrative with history and research, writing about sex, the destructive power of shame, and the decision to write about family secrets in her new memoir Promenade of Desire. Also in this episode: -What to do about gaps in our memory when writing memoir -Trusting our instincts -Deciding what and what not to ...
Dec 06, 2022•39 min
Jamie Gehring joins Let’s Talk Memoir for a conversation about her braided memoir Madman in the Woods which details her and her family’s experience living next to Unabomber Ted Kaczynski, how she incorporated and structured research, interviews, and her own memories, the challenge of organizing so much information, and why writers need to follow their instincts. Also in this episode: -Not losing the reader -Getting it all onto the page -Intimate true crime as a genre Books mentioned in this epis...
Nov 29, 2022•39 min
Lily Dunn joins Let’s Talk Memoir for a conversation about the impact her father leaving to follow the guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh had on her childhood, when she knew it was time to write her memoir Sins of the Father, stepping into her role as reflective narrator, creating tension, family members in our work, and understanding as a means to healing. Also in this episode: -writing to find answers -our early experiences as shadows in our lives -staying true to your purpose Books mentioned in this...
Nov 22, 2022•33 min
Sonya Huber joins Let’s Talk Memoir for a conversation about structure and time in memoir, the challenge of getting to the core of who we are and facing ourselves on the page, how her perspective on “voice” has changed over time and why that drove her to write her new book Voice First: A Writer’s Manifesto. Also in this episode: -the power of shame to silence us -how “authentic” voice might not mean what we think -a writing exercise to help jumpstart your work Books mentioned in this episode: Mr...
Nov 15, 2022•32 min
Season 2 of Let’s Talk Memoir is almost here! I’m incredibly excited to bring you all of the interviews I’ve been working on. These episodes cover voice, sharing family secrets, braided memoir, nonlinear memoir, what it’s like to move from other creative disciplines to memoir, advocating for our work, and lots more. Season 2 of Let’s Talk Memoir will launch November 15th, that’s Tuesday, November 15th and new episodes will come out weekly. If you have questions about memoir or about how memoiris...
Oct 21, 2022•3 min
Dr. Ginger Campbell joins Let’s Talk Memoir for a conversation about the nature of memory and how that affects memoir writing, the phenomenon of false memories, cognitive dissonance, the slipperiness of what we can remember and how each time we do we actually recreate the memory, and why this is all good news for memoirists. Dr. Ginger Campbell started podcasting in 2006 and was recently inducted into the Podcast Hall of Fame . Her shows include Brain Science, Books and Ideas, and Graying Rainbo...
Jun 14, 2022•31 min
Phillip Lopate, a central figure in the revival of the American essay joins Let’s Talk Memoir for a conversation about the integral role the divided self plays in memoir, striking the balance between telling and showing, how knowing your own flaws and defects helps build trust with the reader, why the intelligent narrator must be present from page one, and why having an interesting take on your story is as if not more important than the story itself. Also in this episode: -why memoirs aren’t for...
Jun 07, 2022•26 min
Judy Bolton-Fasman joins Let’s Talk Memoir for a conversation on how writing about complicated relationships with generosity creates stories and characters that stay with readers, the case for speculative nonfiction, the impact fellowships have had on her writing, negotiating family members who appear in memoir, and don’t-miss-encouragement for all artists. Also in this episode: -how seeds of her memoir began in fiction -what blew her work open -Ronit mispronounces illustrative Memoirs mentioned...
May 31, 2022•31 min
Laura Davis joins Let’s Talk Memoir for a conversation about creating tension, writing for ourselves versus an audience, moving from the personal to the universal, trusting your reader, and the gift of self-discovery on the page. Also in this episode: -self-care when writing about trauma -using correspondence in manuscripts -the power of beta readers Memoirs mentioned in this episode: Expecting Adam by Martha Beck Half the House by Richard Hoffman I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou ...
May 24, 2022•50 min
Paulette Perhach joins Let’s Talk Memoir for a conversation about why it’s okay to see writing as a business, balancing both grace and accountability in our work, the importance of a writing community, overcoming imposter syndrome, nurturing ourselves, and what happened when her essay “The F*ck Off Fund" went super viral. Also in this episode: -balancing both pay and appeal in writing jobs -getting paid well for memoir essays -financial safety for writers Memoirs mentioned in this episode: Angel...
May 17, 2022•28 min
Kelly Sundberg joins Let’s Talk Memoir for a conversation about sharing her story of domestic violence with the world, depicting trauma and triggering events in memoir, the alchemical value of PTSD, navigating the privacy of others, and incorporating essays in manuscripts. Also in this episode: -using direct address in memoir -the publisher’s vision vs. the writer’s -lyric essays and poetry for memoirists Books and articles mentioned in this episode: Somebody’s Daughter by Ashley C. Ford The Chr...
May 10, 2022•30 min
Debi Lewis joins Let’s Talk Memoir for a conversation on best practices for writing about our children, navigating the medical memoir, positioning books to make them appealing to publishers, and how she broke into The New York Times and sold her book during a global pandemic. Also in this episode: -rewriting drafts from scratch -using texts and messages as manuscript material -discovering a memoir’s structuring principle Memoirs mentioned in this episode: Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan Happin...
May 03, 2022•30 min
Jane Friedman joins Let’s Talk Memoir for a conversation about the most common craft issues she sees in memoir manuscripts, what writers often misunderstand about the industry, The Big Five, how to write memoir query letters, ways the publishing landscape has changed for memoirs, and so much more in this do-not-miss episode. -Visit the Let's Talk Memoir Merch store: https://www.zazzle.com/store/letstalkmemoir Also in this episode: -the lowdown on platform -protecting identities in memoir -Jane F...
Apr 26, 2022•38 min
Melissa Gould joins Let’s Talk Memoir for a conversation about how writing was a way back to herself after she became a widow unexpectedly and at a young age, making the jump from screenwriting to nonfiction, when she knew she had a memoir, and how she protected her daughter in her writing. Also in this episode: -Melissa’s experience leading workshops -how writing helps transform grief -what it’s like to have your book optioned for TV. Memoirs mentioned in this episode: Wild by Cheryl Strayed Ea...
Apr 19, 2022•31 min
Meg Weber joins Let’s Talk Memoir for a conversation about knowing when the right time is to tell your story, approaching loved ones about scenes in your memoir featuring graphic sex and kink, why compartmentalizing on the page doesn’t work, and writing with a broken heart. Also in this episode: -real names and pen names -asking your family’s permission -why there can never be enough memoirs Memoirs mentioned in this episode: The End of Eve by Ariel Gore Refuge by Terry Tempest Williiams Abandon...
Apr 12, 2022•35 min
