Category Archives: Book review
Listen Up: The Art of Personal History Interviewing by Paula Stahel
Paula Stahel is a personal historian and the author of Listen Up!: The Art of Interviewing for Personal History, which she self-published in 2013 just in time for the Association of Personal Historians conference, where I purchased a copy. Paula … Continue reading
About Writing “Mountain Girls”: An Interview with Stephanie Kadel Taras
Stephanie is my friend and colleague in the Association of Personal Historians. In this interview she reflects on writing Mountain Girls, her memoir published in 2013. Last week I posted an excerpt here on True Stories Well Told. Sarah: What got you started on this … Continue reading
Excerpt from “Mountain Girls”
by Stephanie Kadel Taras Stephanie is my friend and colleague in the Association of Personal Historians. She published her memoir Mountain Girls in 2013, from which the following is exerpted. Next week I’ll post an interview with Stephanie about the process … Continue reading
“Braving the Fire,” by Jessica Handler
Suffering is a teacher, and writing is a way of taking lessons from it. Jessica Handler’s book Braving the Fire is an excellent guide to this aspect of writing craft. I have read other books on writing as a way … Continue reading
Interview with Libby Atwater, author of “What Lies Within”
Last week I posted a review of Libby Atwater’s memoir, What Lies Within. Today I offer this interview with Libby, one of my colleagues in the Association of Personal Historians, of which she has been a member since 1997. We … Continue reading
What Lies Within, by Libby J. Atwater
At the recent Association of Personal Historians conference I bought a copy of the memoir written by my colleague Libby Atwater, titled What Lies Within. Having heard that Libby was working on her memoir–and being aware of her “backstory” as … Continue reading
Sarah White Interviews Jerry Waxler, part 2
Part 2 of 2 In part 1, Jerry and I discussed the evolution of his thoughts on memoir and the insight that we are in the midst of a “memoir revolution.” In part 2 Jerry and I explore memoir’s organizing … Continue reading
Sarah White Interviews Jerry Waxler, author of “Memoir Revolution”
I am at the Association of Personal Historians annual board meeting and conference in Bethesda November 7-12. Maybe you’ll find me live-blogging from Bethesda, if time permits and ideas emerge. In case they don’t, I’ve prepared a two-part interview with … Continue reading
Book review: Handling the Truth: On the Writing of Memoir
Don’t you hate books on how to write by professors who get to enjoy year after year of the attention of an ever-changing parade of young faces, upturned to receive their wisdom like flowers drinking rain? Okay, maybe you don’t. … Continue reading
True Stories Well Told 
2013 in Review: How My Personal Got Political Again
In 2013 I was reborn a Feminist. You know how people say, “I’m not a feminist but…”? And then they go on to say something perfectly reasonable about women’s rights? This was the year I swore never to allow those … Continue reading →