memoir
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Writing as a Cure
Word by word, and brick by brick, I began understanding the foundation of myself—of where I had been, and where I would go—from previously unseen angles. Over at Brevity’s nonfiction blog, Lauretta Zucchetti shares her experience of finding herself and…
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Necessity of Truth
Over at Book Riot, Hannah Engler discusses memoir, when the absolute truth is necessary, and why it is okay—even unavoidable—to fabricate facts: Fabrication is inherent in memoir writing. Number one, it’s impossible to have an unbiased view of your own life,…
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When Serial Killers Write Memoirs
In a surreal exchange between fiction and reality, Amazon recently allowed a convicted serial killer to self-publish his memoir where he pleads his innocence, much to the horror of his victims’ families. The memoir in question was quickly pulled when…
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Sound & Vision: June Millington
Allyson McCabe talks to June Millington of Fanny, the first all-female rock band to release an album on a major label.
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Anna March’s Reading Mixtape #19: Truth
Truth—a higher, bigger truth—is what I want when I read. I want to nod my head in radical understanding. I want to grasp our complex, fragile humanity better. I want the ancient truths on every page, shown in unique ways.…
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Guildtalk #4: The Rumpus Interview with Saeed Jones
Saeed Jones talks about his forthcoming memoir How Men Fight For Their Lives, his new fellowship program at BuzzFeed, and making peace with the phantom.
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The Bible and Birdie Jean
At twelve, my grandfather climbed into his Prayer Tower and said he’d die if he didn’t get $8 million; I was a gay kid living on a Pentecostal compound with an autographed photo of Ronald Reagan on my desk. At…
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Rumpus Exclusive: An Excerpt from Rob Roberge’s Liar
Rob Roberge’s new memoir, Liar, is out February 9 from Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House.
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Black Memoir
Memoir, the offspring of the slave narrative, is not simply a form within the Black literary tradition; it has thoroughly shaped that tradition. With the release of smash hit Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, as well as…
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Conversations with Writers Braver than Me: Anne Roiphe
Anne Roiphe on respecting writers’ freedom to express the truth of their experiences, while also respecting their subjects’ prerogative to shun them for it.
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The Saturday Rumpus Essay: A House, a Girl
The day you follow me to that mound of oyster shells on the beach is the day I realize muscle and bone have been at war for a long, long time.
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The Rumpus Interview with Karen Salyer McElmurray
Karen Salyer McElmurray talks about academia, the relationship between flaws and perfection, writing memoir, and the “tapestry” of writers who inspire her.