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Memoir Nation

Memoir Nation

By: Brooke Warner and Grant Faulkner
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Memoir Nation: Weekly Inspiration for Writers is an extension of the Memoir Nation community hosted by Brooke Warner and Grant Faulkner, two friends and colleagues who bring a community-minded sensibility to the writing journey. Originally launched as Write-minded in 2018, this is a weekly writing podcast that focuses on memoir and personal writing, as well as industry trends and tips and resources for writers and authors. Memoir Nation features a segment called Substackin’ at the end of each episode to talk about topics, ideas, trends, and writerly inspirations that Brooke and Grant are tracking in their weekly Substacks (Writerly Things and Intimations). Brooke and Grant bring to this weekly podcast their deeply held belief that everyone is a writer, and everyone’s story matters. Discover more about Memoir Nation at memoirnation.com.Copyright 2025 Memoir Nation Art Literary History & Criticism
Episodes
  • Molly Jong-Fast on Opening a Vein on the Page
    Jun 30 2025
    Molly Jong-Fast’s new memoir, How to Lose Your Mother, is celebrity memoir meets real literary merit. As fans of Molly’s podcast and political commentary, and also because we had Molly’s mother, Erica Jong, on the show back in 2023, we were eager to connect with Molly to talk about mother-daughter dynamics, the buzz and controversy this book is getting, and—importantly—opening a vein on the page (in the tradition of Erica Jong). This interview explores betrayal, reclamation, dementia, alcoholism, narcissism, the theme of bad mother/bad daughter, and so much more. As Brooke said, this is the kind of nepo baby memoir she can get behind—so come find out why. Molly Jong‑Fast is a contributing writer at Vanity Fair and a political analyst at MSNBC. She also hosts the wonderful podcast, Fast Politics. She’s the author of three previous books—Normal Girl, Girl [Maladjusted], and The Social Climber’s Handbook—and has written for The Atlantic, The Daily Beast, Playboy, Glamour, Vogue, and The Forward. Her brand-new memoir, How to Lose Your Mother, just came out this month, and centers among other things her relationship with her mother, the novelist Erica Jong. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    41 mins
  • How Illustrations and Photos Inform and Enhance Memoir
    Jun 23 2025
    This week Grant and Brooke consider images as enhancements to memoir. Historically publishers have tended to regard images in memoir with reservation, but that’s been changing in recent years. Guest Jennifer Croft’s recent memoir, Homesick, is accompanied by her own Polaroids. When should photos be included, or central? And what are some other memoirs that have been improved by the addition of images? Whether to include images involves many considerations—from your reader, to style, to the interplay between words and image, and Jennifer Croft offers thoughtful insights around this and more. Jennifer Croft is the author of the illustrated memoir, Homesick, and the translator of Polish of Nobel laureate Olga Tokarczuk’s Flights, for which she won the 2018 International Booker Prize. She won a 2022 Guggenheim Fellowship for her novel The Extinction of Irena Rey, the 2020 William Saroyan International Prize for Writing for Homesick. She is a founding editor of The Buenos Aires Review and has published her own work and numerous translations in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Review of Books, Granta, VICE, n+1, Electric Literature, Lit Hub, BOMB, and many more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    45 mins
  • Sara Kehaulani Goo on Writing as Kuleana
    Jun 16 2025
    This week’s Memoir Nation show is an exploration of Hawai’i, heritage, and land—part of the story told in guest Sara Kehaulani Goo’s new memoir: Kuleana. Kuleana is a word that means “responsibility” in the most broad terms, but as you’ll hear in this interview, Kuleana can be anything that you are safeguarding for the world. As such, you’ll hear about Sara’s story of Kuleana, and be invited to ponder your own Kuleana, whether that’s your writing or something else you hold sacred. A beautiful episode and invitation! Sara Kehaulani Goo is a journalist and senior news executive who has led several news organizations including Axios, NPR and The Washington Post. She is the former editor-in-chief at Axios, where she launched the company’s editorial expansion into national and local newsletters, podcasts and live journalism. Before Axios, she led online audience growth as a managing editor at NPR, overseeing the newsroom's digital news operation. Sara lives in Washington, D.C. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    42 mins

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