#94 Writing Our Stories in Sharp Relief Featuring Sue William Silverman

Listen:

Sue William Silverman and I were both at AWP 2023, which was such a great opportunity to connect with other writers. We both are dedicated to teaching the craft of writing and inspiring our students.

I was excited to hear about her new book, Acetylene Torch Songs, and once I had it in my hands, knew that I wanted to have her on the program.

In This Episode

How Sue came up with the title ‘Acetylene Torch Songs’
Writing down situations, emotions and dialogue that grip the reader
Addressing the gap in memory
Crafting the “Aware” and “Unaware” voice in memoir
The power of small moments, sensory language and metaphors
The untruth about only writing about headline heavy events
Employing texture for the ending of your essay
The key distinction between writing an essay collection vs. memoir

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About Sue

Sue William Silverman is an award-winning author of eight works of nonfiction and poetry. Her most recent book is Acetylene Torch Songs: Writing True Stories to Ignite the Soul. Her previous book, How to Survive Death and Other Inconveniences, won the gold star in Foreword Reviews Indie Book of the Year Award and the Clara Johnson Award for Women’s Literature. Other works include Love Sick: One Woman’s Journey through Sexual Addiction, made into a Lifetime TV movie; Because I Remember Terror, Father, I Remember You, which won the AWP Award; and The Pat Boone Fan Club: My Life as a White Anglo-Saxon Jew. She is faculty co-chair in the MFA in Writing Program at Vermont College of Fine Arts.

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Recent Episodes with Other Writing Teachers

Episode #87 Writing Memoir That Reads Like a Novel and Captivates on Every Page Featuring Joanna Rakoff

Episode #85 Jumping Genres in Writing Featuring Melissa Hart

Episode #83 Writing Your Way Into an Engaging and Enthralling Story Featuring Abigail Thomas

Episode #81 The Art of Writing A Compelling Story Featuring Maggie Smith