Marion Roach Smith on Why Your Memoir Should Not Be About You

This is a wonderful episode for listeners ready to dive into topics ranging from aboutness, how to think about what you’re writing, and why your memoir should not be about you. Guest Marion Roach Smith shares with listeners her algorithm for writing personal writing, which include five forms: blog posts, personal essay, opinion pieces, long-form essays, and books. This is one-part craft and one-part deep dive into the genre from a writer and teacher of the form who’s been doing this work since the 80s. Not to be missed. On Memoir Milestones, we’re celebrating Kira Higgs's Winnowing: A Memoir of Spiritual Longing in Secular Life.

Marion Roach Smith is the author of four books, including The Memoir Project, A Thoroughly Non-Standardized Text for Writing & Life (Grand Central Publishing). A former staffer at The New York Times, she has been a commentator on NPR’s All Things Considered and a talk show host on Sirius Satellite Radio. Marion has published in The New York Times Magazine, Vogue, Prevention, Good Housekeeping, The Los Angeles Times and more, and currently runs The Memoir Project, an online writing lab, at marionroach.com, where she teaches memoir worldwide.

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