Why We Write About Ourselves: Twenty Memoirists on Why They Expose Themselves (and Others) in the Name of Literature

In the voices of twenty landmark memoiristsincluding New York Times bestselling authors Cheryl Strayed, Sue Monk Kidd, and Pat Conroya definitive text on the craft of autobiographical writing, indispensable for amateur and professional writers alike. For readers of Mary Karrs The Art of Memoir and Judith Barringtons Writing the Memoir, this follow-up to editor Meredith Marans acclaimed writers handbook, Why We Write, offers inspiration, encouragement, and pithy, practical advice for bloggers, journal-keepers, aspiring essayists, and memoirists. Curated and edited by Maran, herself an acclaimed author and book critic, these memoirists share the lessons theyve learned through years of honing their craft. They reveal what drives them to tell their personal stories and examine the nuts and bolts of how they do it. Speaking frankly about issues ranging from turning oneself into an authentic, compelling character to exposing hard truths, these outstanding authors disclose what keeps them going, what gets in their way, and what they love mostand leastabout writing about themselves. It's possible that Why We Write About Ourselves is the first compilation of memoirists at the top of their game seriously and thoughtfully considering the genre. LA Times