Memoir Nation

Latest Episodes:

Amanda Knox on Reclaiming Your Story on Your Terms May 19, 2025

Show notes

This week, Amanda Knox granted us a special interview that delves into the power of memoir to reclaim your own narrative. This episode touches upon themes that run through Amanda’s new memoir—about what it means to be free, how we live with the stories that are told about us, and how memoir can be a vehicle to release yourself from the stories others tell to center the story you need to tell. There’s so much insight in this interview, and permission and encouragement for writers to write, write, write! Not to be missed.

Amanda Knox is an author, journalist, and podcast host whose work explores criminal justice, media ethics, and the human experience. She is the author of two memoirs—Waiting to Be Heard and Free: My Search for Meaning—and co-hosts the podcast, Labyrinths. Her writing and public speaking focus on wrongful convictions, storytelling, and personal transformation.

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Nicole Graev Lipson on Self as a Fictional Character May 12, 2025

Show notes

On the heels of Mother’s Day, tune into Memoir Nation this week for a conversation about *mother as character*—among many other potential characters any one of us might be on the page. Guest Nicole Graev Lipson explores the idea of where fiction ends and truth begins when you’re a woman through this fascinating conversation prompted by her recent memoir-in-essays Mothers and Other Fictional Characters. If you’ve ever thought about the boundaries between truth and fiction as a writer or a reader, or the confines certain roles limit women to or within—girl, mother, wife—you won’t want to miss this episode.

Nicole Graev Lipson is the author of the memoir-in-essays Mothers and Other Fictional Characters. Her writing has been awarded a Pushcart Prize, selected for The Best American Essays anthology, and shortlisted for a National Magazine Award.Her work has appeared in The Sun, Virginia Quarterly Review, The Gettysburg Review, Creative Nonfiction, Fourth Genre, River Teeth, Alaska Quarterly Review, LA Review of Books, The Millions, Nylon, The Washington Post, and The Boston Globe, among other publications.

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Jill Ciment on What It Means to Reconsider a Memoir? May 05, 2025

Show notes

This week on Memoir Nation, Jill Ciment joins us to talk about what it means to reconsider a previously written memoir, and what that says about the nature of truth. We’re diving into the unreliability of truth, how we see things differently over time, and the nature of memoir as a flawed container for our stories. We’re also two weeks into the rebrand of this podcast, and Brooke and Grant invite you to check out Memoir Nation at www.memoirnation.com and sign up to join us at any level of membership—including free. We’re excited for what’s in store!

Jill Ciment is the author of several acclaimed novels, including The Body in Question, Heroic Measures, and The Tattoo Artist, as well as two memoirs—Half a Life and her most recent, Consent. Born in Montreal and based in both Brooklyn and Gainesville. Her work has been adapted for film and widely anthologized, and she has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. Jill is Professor Emerita of English at the University of Florida.

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Grant Faulkner and Brooke Warner present: Write-Minded Is Now Memoir Nation Apr 28, 2025

Show notes

We’ve been waiting a long time to make this announcement, and the day is finally here. Write-minded is rebranding as Memoir Nation—and along with Memoir Nation the podcast comes Memoir Nation the community and website, and an annual event we’ll be kicking off in January called JanYourStory. On this week’s episode, Grant and Brooke share the news, and talk about why they’re going this direction, and why they’re both so moved and inspired by memoir. The show won’t change all that much, though the focus may be a little more refined. Please visit www.MemoirNation.com to see what we’re up to, and if you’re a long time listener, we’re asking for your support by way of donations at: https://buymeacoffee.com/memoirnation. This helps us get off the ground with this new endeavor. And we thank you for listening and for your support!

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How to Read in Public, featuring Jorah LaFleur Apr 21, 2025

Show notes

Writers, authors, you do not want to miss these great insights about reading on stage, taking up space, and generally being yourself—only amplified—when you read your work in public. Guest Jorah LaFleur brings a wealth of encouragement and permission, along with some great tips to improve your presence when you perform or read aloud.

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Write What You Know, featuring Betsy Lerner Apr 14, 2025

Show notes

This week we’re featuring longtime agent and publishing pro Betsy Lerner on her debut novel, Shred Sisters. We talk about being an industry insider and whether that gives you a leg up, as well as the old adage to write what you know. Betsy shares with us how her lived experience shows up in this book, noting that Freud would have a field day—and before it’s all over, she offers generous and tactical marketing tips for authors. This episode has got it all!

On this week’s Substackin, we’re giving a shoutout to Sub Club, which you can and should subscribe to at https://subclub.substack.com. Sub Club offers many great resources for writers—on where to submit, who's looking for submissions, and best practices for getting your work out into the world. Highly recommended resource for writers!

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Brooke & Grant on Miranda July’s All Fours Apr 07, 2025

Show notes

A few weeks back, Grant suggested Write-minded dedicate a whole episode to All Fours, by Miranda July—and we decided to do it. This week Brooke and Grant explore All Fours as a novel of a generation, and talk about who Miranda July is, why the book has hit such a zeitgeist moment, and whether publishers can anticipate or make these kinds of successes. Brooke has suggested that All Fours is the Fear of Flying of this generation, and we’re diving into why the book matters, some of its controversies and uncomfortable moments, and why we think you should read it.

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You’re Going to Have Feelings About Publishing, featuring Kate McKean Mar 31, 2025

Show notes

Write-minded delves into publishing again in this week’s show, specifically focused on traditional publishing and the feelings that are part of the journey. Brooke and Grant connect with literary Kate McKean about her new book, Write Through It, which really is a roadmap to everything you want to know about how to stay the course on your publishing journey, and how to work through your feelings. There’s tons of good advice and cheerleading and straight-shooting in this book to help you understand and to demystify the whole publishing process. Kate is a generous guest, and whether you’ve published, want to publish, or feel daunted by publishing, you’ll benefit tons from her wisdom!

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Shapeshifting, featuring Lidia Yuknavitch Mar 24, 2025

Show notes

This week we invite one of our favorite authors, Lidia Yuknavitch, back to Write-minded to discuss her new book, Reading the Waves, as well as how we can re-envision and reimagine our past experiences through the practice of asking questions and reconsidering what we think we know. “Shapeshifting” is Lidia’s word, and the book (as well as this conversation) considers ways we can re-enter our own memories and rearrange the pieces so that we might change and grow.

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Writing to Save Your Life, featuring Samina Ali Mar 17, 2025

Show notes

This week’s episode tells the story of a dramatic and traumatic story, and how writing played a central role in recovery and changing the outcome of one author’s life. This week’s episode is an epic tale as much as it is interview, and it will change the way you think of the power of writing to charge your neurons and heal your mind—not to mention the way you think about willpower, writers’ block, and why writing is both personally and universally life-changing and life-saving. This week’s harrowing and fascinating story-episode is not to be missed.

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