F244.
Fragments, Figments, and Flash: Unconventional Memoir and the Myth of Memory
Friday, February 9, 2024
3:20 pm to 4:35 pm
Memory is fragile cargo, easily fragmented by time and distance. Traditional memoirs can appear to avoid this reality by presenting a flawless reconstruction of lived experience. But writers have many tools that embrace and emphasize memory’s flaws and limitations. Panelists will discuss their unique approaches to the questions of memory and the memoir impulse, revealing the challenges of writing, revising, and publishing.
Participants
Charles Jensen is the author of a memoir Splice of Life, three poetry collections, and seven chapbooks. His work has appeared in American Poetry Review, Crab Orchard Review, Florida Review, New England Review, Passages North, and Prairie Schooner. He directs the writers' program at UCLA Extension.
Joseph Lezza is a writer in New York, New York with an MFA in creative writing from the University of Texas at El Paso. His debut memoir in essays, I'm Never Fine: Scenes and Spasms on Loss (Vine Leaves Press), was a finalist for the 2021 Prize Americana in Prose. Find him on the socials @lezzdoothis.
Manuel Betancourt is an LA-based writer and film critic. His work has been featured in the New York Times, BuzzFeed Reader, Los Angeles Times, and Catapult, among others. He's the author of The Male Gazed: What Hunks, Heartthrobs and Pop Culture Taught Me About (Desiring) Men.
Ander Monson is the author of nine books, including Predator: a Memoir (Graywolf, 2022). He teaches at the University of Arizona and edits the magazine DIAGRAM, the website Essay Daily, March Xness, the Assessment Matters Institute, the Memory Vending Machine, and the New Michigan Press.
