ART OF THE PERSONAL ESSAY

How do you turn authentic experiences into universally relatable stories? This panel takes the voices of journalists, memoirists, and novelists and explores how they use personal stories as a vessel to carry larger, societal themes. They’ll discuss the craft of the personal essay, how essay writing differs from other forms of nonfiction, and how they’ve used the form to turn true stories into works that engage and inspire readers. Maegan Poland will moderate the discussion. Laura Lippman was a reporter for twenty years and is the author of My Life as a Villainess, a collection of essays exploring motherhood, family, and friendship. Kirsten Reneau is the author of Sensitive Creatures, a memoir in essays that explores trauma through the lens of the natural world. Desiree Richter is the author of The Presence of Absence, a collection about parenting, leaving fundamentalism, and living with loss. Julia Ridley Smith is the author of The Sum of Trifles, a memoir about grief and losing one’s parents.