A Talk About Memoir in Its Many Forms

Karen is holding my signed copy of her book.

My buddy Karen Prior, an English professor at Liberty University and author of the marvelous memoir Booked: Literature in the Soul of Me  sparked a fascinating hour-long conversation last night at Community High School in Roanoke, home of the Writers Series.

Karen's memoir is narrowly focused--her spiritual growth through literature--and her talk centered on all the various ways memoir can be written. The very definition--memoir vs. biography, for example--is often elusive, but the form has become increasingly popular as the population ages (people want to record their legacies) and publishing becomes easier and more widely available.

The conversation will continue at the 2014 Roanoke Regional Writers Conference Jan. 24-25 at Hollins University where Karen and a memoirist from Sweet Briar College, Jessica Griffith, will teach back-to-back classes--and answer all your questions except "where can I find an agent/publisher?" You'll have to figure that one out yourself.

The August Writers Series will feature WVTF Public Radio News Director Connie Stevens and me talking about how to write your radio essay so it will find its way into the lineup. This should be fun because one of the most frequent questions I get from writers is, "How do I get my essay on the radio?"