Feedback Fridays & Why Open Readings Are So Meaningful
by Brooke Warner
Read on Substack if you’d like to leave comments.
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Last Friday, we had the great privilege to hear our inaugural ten readers at Memoir Nation take to Zoom and read their work aloud in front of thirty or so other memoirists. Having led or witnessed many of these kinds of readings over the years, I went into it enthusiastic. It’s always moving to hear people read their own work, especially memoir (in my experience) because it’s so personal and usually delivered with such heart.
Our readers did not disappoint—and the range of experience, emotion, and voice they delivered was beautiful and restorative. This kind of connection we have with others when we receive personal work brings us right into an individual’s single and specific life experience, which is wholly theirs and yet completely relatable. Readers shared about the loss of a grandchild, of secrets held, of not feeling beautiful, of small violences, of meaningful encounters.
I wrote separately in my personal Substack, Writerly Things, about how memoirists might think about work deemed “too depressing.” It’s a separate subject, but related, and I want to share part of what I wrote here:
I can’t think of anything we do, as human beings, that is more consequential than putting our words to the page, and in turn reading the words of others—these countless silent conversations we have with others. Author Pam Allyn has this wonderful quote: “Reading is breathing in; writing is breathing out.”
The same can be said for reading aloud and listening.
As a reader, you are witnessed. In these kinds of feedback sessions, you share something defining of who you are; you are seen; and you get positive feedback in the form of comments (in the case of Feedback Friday, verbal feedback from myself and Grant as cofounders of this space, and comments from the other witnesses).
As the reader, you speak aloud your truth—and in doing so, and being received by others, there is a deep cleansing. It’s emotional. Some of our readers had tears in their eyes. Some voices cracked. What we keep under wraps day in and day out is out in the surface for a moment, being aired out, being set free.
As the listener, you take in another soul. Earlier I used the word restorative—in part because humans as a whole can be so exhausting. We get in each other’s way, we shout and we disagree and we harm each other. We are living in such a polarized and toxic time. But when you receive another person in their humanity, in this kind of context, you will be reminded how unique and special and specific each and every person is. This to me is one of the most profound reasons to come and be a listener. I was lighter, more heart-centered, and dare I say happier on Friday after the reading than I am most days when I feel the heaviness of the world bearing down.
As the listener, you hear what others do and are capable of doing in their work. We called out readers for their powers of observation; for using lesser-used senses, such as sound and smell, to such great effect; for their unique ways of composing their stories. The style and prose over ten readers was so varied, in itself inspiring for all of us writers who are thinking about new ways we might want to execute our own writing. In other words, we are listeners, and we are also learners.
We invite you to our next Feedback Friday. It’s free to any membership level, and our Path #1 membership level is free. To join the community, simply visit us here, sign up, and voila—you’re in. Find your way to PUBLIC EVENTS and RSVP to Feedback Friday.
I can’t wait to see what our next ten readers deliver on March 27 at 10am PT/1pm ET, and I’m very grateful to those of you who read last week, inspiring us to making this a monthly event. Thank you.
Breathe in, breathe out. Read, write. Speak, listen. Give, receive. These practices connect, build community, and grow empathy all at once. We hope to see you at Feedback Friday and other Memoir Nation events and offerings.
Path #3 offerings!
One reason to join Memoir Nation on the paid level is for the offerings and events that keep on coming. You can check out our our membership benefits on our site: https://www.memoirnation.com/benefit-details.
If you’re at the free level and want to come see what Show Up & Write is all about, we’re opening it up to all members for one week—Thursday, March 12, with Grant and Sunday, March 15, with Brooke. RSVP in the PUBLIC EVENTS space inside the Community.
We’re on (almost) all the socials!
We are branching out on social media. As of this week, we’re doing TikTok and YouTube to share some of our impressions of what’s going on at Memoir Nation, and to share clips from our amazing guests on the Memoir Nation podcast. Following us on social media helps us expand our reach, so if you’re on social media, please help us grow—and thank you!
TikTok: @memoirnation
YouTube: @memoirnation
Facebook: @memoirnation
Instagram: @memoirnation
LinkedIn: @memoirnation
Gotham Writers Workshop
Coming up in March, Gotham Writers Workshop is hosting—both on Zoom and in-person in NYC—a conference just for you, memoir writers and nonfiction authors alike. The weekend will consist of panels on publishing, Q&A sessions, and agent pitching roundtables in which you’ll be able to present your writing directly to literary agents. To learn more about The Gotham Writers Nonfiction Conference, visit gothamwriters.com/conference.
And to sweeten the deal, Gotham is offering you an affiliate code for a discount on their classes. Use code “MemoirNation” at checkout for $40 off your first 6 or 10 Week class (some restrictions apply).
Novel Beginnings is here.
Our sponsor, ProWritingAid, is sponsoring a novel contest! Submit the first 5,000 words of your unpublished novel for a chance to win a $50,000 grand prize, plus several $5,000 runner-up prizes.
Eligibility: Un-agented writers not published by an established publisher (self-published is okay)
Free to register. Opens Feb 2. Closes Mar 31.
Weekly Question
Answer this in the Community.
Share one line you wrote in your work in progress in the past month that surprised you or delighted you. Just one line. Add to the chorus.
This week, guest Mimi Nichter brings us a unique opportunity to talk about the courage—and many years—it sometimes takes to tell the story you must write. In Mimi’s case, it took 50 years. In 1970, Mimi was on Trans World Airlines Flight 741 when it got rerouted from Tel Aviv to to Jordan after it was hijacked by members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Her memoir, Hostage: A Memoir of Terrorism, Trauma, and Resilience, is a recounting, a compassionate examination of the human lives at the center of this event, and a courageous act, given the political moment when so many are troubled by being forced to take sides in a political conflict where there is only loss and losers. This is an important story that took years to tell—and this week’s show grapples with how many stories like Mimi’s are out there, yet untold, and again marvels at the value of memoir as a vehicle of truth and witness.
Mimi Nichter is a cultural and medical anthropologist, public speaker, and a professor emerita of anthropology at the University of Arizona. She is the author or coauthor of four anthropology-related books and the recipient of the Margaret Mead Award and the George Foster Practicing Medical Anthropology Award. Her essays have appeared in HuffPost, Newsweek, and Brevity. Her brand-new memoir, Hostage: A Memoir of Terrorism, Trauma, and Resilience, was a finalist for the the Tucson festival of books literary award for nonfiction.
