Table of Contents
Introduction: Therein Lies the Magic ix
Writing the Silence Away Jill Kandel 1
My Own Story Eanlai Cronin 11
The Shower and the Fish Peter Gibb 22
From the Projects to Prosperity Lynette Charity 28
Interview with Mary Karr, author of The Liars' Club 37
I Told Her to Shut Up Donna Barnes 42
Of Kids and Rabbits Roseaun M. Bozzone 52
What Is It About Memoir? Carol E. Anderson 57
Writing Naked Bella Mahaya Carter 66
Interview with Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love 75
Takeaway: The Heart of Memoir Linda joy Myers Brooke Warner 81
The Journey of the Two-Hundred-Thousand-Word Memoir Krishan Bedi 86
The Taste of Her Milk Sarah Conover 91
Interview with Margo Jefferson, author of Negroland 97
The Empty Space Leza Lowitz 101
I'm Running Circles Around You Nadine Kenney Johnstone 110
No More Secrets and Silence Lynette Benton 114
Interview with Dani Shapiro, author of Devotion 122
Be Brave and Say Their Names Kelly Kittel 126
Dialoguing with the inner Critic Robert W. Finertie 134
From Fear to Freedom Rita M. Gardner 137
Interview with Hope Edelman, author of Motherless Daughters, Motherless Mothers 146
I Still Have a Story to Tell Robert Hammond 151
My Twenty-Three-Year Project Marina Aris 156
Where's the Juice? LaDonna Harrison 166
Interview with Azar Nafisi, author of Reading Lolita in Tehran 174
Why I Don't Find Writing Memoir Cathartic Jill Smolowe 179
The Gift of Loss Alison Dale 183
The Power of Words Vanya Erickson 192
Interview with Daisy Hernandez, author of A Cup of Water Under My Bed 195
Journey to a Memoir Sonvy Sammons 199
It Would Never Happen to Us Laurie Prim 209
We Are All Writers Ashley Espinoza 217
Interview with Mark Matousek, author of The Boy He Left Behind 224
From China's Red Stone Bridge to San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge Jing Li 229
I Called You a Memoir Nancy Chadwick-Burke 239
As If Your Parents Are Dead Dhana Musil 243
Interview with Sue William Silverman, author of Love Sick 247
The Aftermath of Memoir Crystal-Lee Quibell 252
Life Inverted Apryl Schwab 259
Writing Without an Agenda Irene Sardanis 264
Interview with Raquel Cepeda, author of Bird of Paradise 269
The Unfolding Story Jude Walsh 275
Trust the Process and Find the Thread Fran Simone 281
On Becoming a Memoirist Rosalyn Kaplus 290
Interview with Jessica Valenti, author of Sex Object 300
Doing It Wrong Till You Get It Right (Eventually) Rosie Sorenson 305
The Mythic Journey of Memoir Paula Wagner 313
Life into Stories Jerry Waxier 319
By the Grace of God, I Write Memoir Ruthie Stender 326
About the Editors 333
Gratitude 336