Letters, found art and photographs are used to explore loss, preserve memories and explore identity.
REVIEW: Dear Memory: Letters on Writing, Silence, and Grief by Victoria Chang
Category: Reviews
An archive of our reviews of memoirs, essay collections, and other works of creative nonfiction.
REVIEW: American Honey: A Field Guide to Resisting Temptation by Sarah M. Wells
A strong voice and lyrical writing mark a memoir that pulls back the curtain to capture ten years in a marriage.
REVIEW: A Harp in the Stars: An Anthology of Lyric Essays edited by Randon Billings Noble
The anthology showcases different forms of the lyric essay, offering insights to inspire readers and motivate writers.
REVIEW: South of Somewhere: Wine, Food, and the Soul of Italy by Robert V. Camuto
In a memoir focusing on place, wine is the unifying theme as the author traces the changes in Southern Italy, his ancestral home.
REVIEW: Art for the Ladylike: An Autobiography Through Other Lives by Whitney Otto
The book examines the lives of eight groundbreaking female photographers and that of its author, pondering issues faced by all female creatives.
REVIEW: Unnatural Selection: A Memoir of Adoption and Wilderness by Andrea Ross
The memoir intertwines experiences in the outdoors with the author’s journey to find her biological mother, blending the topics of adoption, family, and the living world.
REVIEW: Artful Truths: The Philosophy of Memoir by Helena de Bres
The book blends philosophy and literary theory to challenge memoirists – and writers in general — to consider the broader implications of their craft.
REVIEW: Special Topics in Being A Human: A Queer and Tender Guide to Things I’ve Learned the Hard Way… by S. Bear Bergman
The book’s “special topics” are the ways that we interact with, empathize with, and support our fellow humans that make for a better life.
REVIEW: Saga Boy: My Life of Blackness and Becoming by Antonio Michael Downing
A beautifully written and captivating look at how one Black boy’s identity is shaped by landscape, relationships, and family.
REVIEW: Telephone: essays in two voices by Brenda Miller and Julie Marie Wade
The collection reads like life itself with the simple unpredictable connection of every moment.
