Memoir Nation
Brooke Warner and Grant Faulkner
Memoir Nation: Weekly Inspiration for Writers is an extension of the Memoir Nation community hosted by Brooke Warner and Grant Faulkner, two friends and colleagues who bring a community-minded sensibility to the writing journey. Originally launched as Write-minded in 2018, this is a weekly writing podcast that focuses on memoir and personal writing, as well as industry trends and tips and resources for writers and authors. Memoir Nation features a segment called Substackin’ at the end of each episode to talk about topics, ideas, trends, and writerly inspirations that Brooke and Grant are tracking in their weekly Substacks (Writerly Things and Intimations). Brooke and Grant bring to this weekly podcast their deeply held belief that everyone is a writer, and everyone’s story matters. Discover more about Memoir Nation at memoirnation.com.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Oct 9, 2023 • 49min
The Art of Coauthoring, featuring Helen Macdonald and Sin Blaché
This week’s co-authoring duo, Helen Macdonald and Sin Blaché, take us inside their relationship and share authentically and honestly about some of the considerations unique to writing your book with someone else. With tools available to authors that allow writing together over distance and time zones, many writers are keen to coauthor and explore new terrains with a creative collaborator. This week offers insight and permission, and a few tips from lessons learned on the journey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
11 snips
Oct 2, 2023 • 39min
The Best Way to Learn to Write a Novel? Write It!, featuring Kayvion Lewis
Guest Kayvion Lewis suggests in this episode to write the thing that sets your heart on fire. They discuss the challenges of writing a novel and a memoir, the transformative power of accountability, and the best way to learn to write a novel is through trial and error. They also touch on NaNoWriMo and recent changes to Amazon's category system for self-published authors.
Sep 25, 2023 • 39min
Dreaming and Writing, featuring Tzivia Gover
Tzivia Gover explores the connection between dreaming and writing, emphasizing the importance of writing for writing's sake. They discuss the impact of the 'midnight mind' on creativity, as well as the influence of dreams on their daily lives and creative processes. They also share exercises to access dreams and overcome writer's block.
Sep 18, 2023 • 39min
What Short Stories Do That Novels Can’t, featuring Ghassan Zeineddine
This week’s episode is an exploration of form, and why some stories are better contained in short story form rather than a novel. Guest Ghassan Zeineddine shares the evolution of his short story collection, Dearborn, as well as some of his process, including research and spending serious time with subjects who sometimes play roles in stories years down the road. Dearborn is part-celebration, part-astute observation of the Arab-American community in Dearborn, Michigan. This episode also contains a bit of history about how Dearborn became the US city with the highest concentration of Arabs and Arab Americans, and also lends insights into process, craft, and why the short story form is sometimes just right. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
13 snips
Sep 11, 2023 • 44min
Unconventional Points of View, featuring Jimin Han
Guest Jimin Han discusses narration choices for her new novel, The Apology, including using a 105-year-old ghost as the narrator. The hosts explore unconventional points of view in storytelling, the benefits of reading and writing fiction, and writing from powerlessness. They also touch on the use of AI in writing and publishing, discussing concerns and debates surrounding its impact on creativity and safety standards.
Sep 3, 2023 • 43min
Agent Insights, featuring Lisa Leshne
Write-minded is kicking off our sixth year this week with an episode focused on the skinny around what agents do, what they’re thinking about, and how to think about working with an agent—all through the lens of our guest, Lisa Leshne of The Leshne Agency. Lisa brings an honest and fresh perspective to the hard work of agenting, how authors want to think about being strategic partners with their would-be agents, and we touch upon some recent publishing news, like the future of AI and the Simon & Schuster buyout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
4 snips
Aug 28, 2023 • 55min
The Art of Memoir, featuring Rebecca Carroll and Jeannine Ouellette
Rebecca Carroll and Jeannine Ouellette, authors of memoirs with exceptional craft, discuss emotional aspects of writing about family, the structure and themes of their books, and the process of organizing and structuring their memoirs.
Aug 21, 2023 • 44min
Storytelling from Legacy Authors, featuring Gish Jen and Peggy Orenstein
This week we’re celebrating two of our more accomplished guests of last year. Grant and Brooke talk about the joy of interviewing authors we’ve long admired, and highlight these two fabulous shows with Gish Jen and Peggy Orenstein, two authors at the top of their game. These are great shows to revisit for their insights from writers who’ve been at their craft for a while, and have a thing or two to impart to writers at all stages of their career. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 14, 2023 • 49min
The Business of Publishing, featuring Rachael Herron and Joe Biel
This week we’re revisiting our favorite two book biz episodes from last year. Both episodes got more listener feedback than any others—and if you missed the money episode, there’s so much here to be inspired by. For all writers and aspiring authors, there’s not enough we can say about being savvy about the business side of authorprenuership, which is why we’re spotlighting these two shows for our August round-up of our favorite shows of the past year. Happy Summer! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 7, 2023 • 44min
High-Stakes Fiction, featuring Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah and Ana Reyes
This is the first of our summer favorites series, featuring Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah and Ana Reyes. We’re revisiting our favorite episodes of the past year during the month of August, so we invite you to tune in or relisten as we celebrate and honor high-stakes fiction with two writers whose books we felt pushed the limits of fiction and made us think more critically about complex topics that wiggle their way into readers' hearts and souls. Happy Summer! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
