F248. Following the Thread of Thought

Liberty Salon N, O, & P, Marriott Marquis, Meeting Level Four
Friday, February 10, 2017
3:00 pm to 4:15 pm

 

How do writers follow the thread of a thought through the maze of events in an essay or memoir? What is the art of reflection? Writers of nonfiction may have more latitude than poets or fiction writers to tell as well as show in their work, but the challenge is to keep these ruminations from becoming dull, simplistic, or moralistic. Panelists examine the way writers keep ideas lively and offer techniques for effectively weaving the thread of thought into the fabric of nonfiction.


Participants

Moderator:

Steven Harvey is the author of a memoir, The Book of Knowledge and Wonder and three books of personal essays, A Geometry of Lilies, Lost in Translation, and Bound for Shady Grove. He is a senior editor of River Teeth, a faculty member in the Ashland MFA, and the creator of The Humble Essayist.

Phillip Lopate has written over twenty books, most recently, the essay collections Portrait Inside My Head and To Show and to Tell: The Craft of Literary Nonfiction. He has also edited the anthology Art of the Personal Essay, and directs the MFA nonfiction program at Columbia University.

Ana Maria Spagna is the author of the braided narrative, Reclaimers, the memoir/history, Test Ride on the Sunnyland Bus, winner of the River Teeth Literary Nonfiction Prize, and two essay collections, Now Go Home and Potluck. She teaches in the low-residency MFA program at Antioch University.

Sarah Einstein is an assistant professor of creative writing at UT Chattanooga. Her book, Mot: A Memoir, was selected for the AWP Award for Creative Nonfiction for 2014. She's the special projects editor for Brevity and her work has appeared in The Sun, Ninth Letter, and other journals. She has been awarded a Pushcart Prize.

#AWP24

February 7–10, 2024
Kansas City, Missouri

Kansas City Convention Center