In this episode of Freelance Writing Direct, Estelle Erasmus talks with acclaimed author Dionne Ford about her memoir Go Back and Get It, a powerful exploration of family history, ancestry, and identity. Dionne shares how journalistic research, personal reflection, and historical investigation came together to help her uncover the stories of her enslaved ancestors while examining themes that continue to resonate in her own life. She also discusses the craft of blending memoir with history, navigating difficult family truths, and the importance of preserving stories for future generations.

Topics Discussed

• The inspiration behind Go Back and Get It
• Researching family history and ancestral stories
• Blending memoir, journalism, and historical narrative
• Writing about difficult personal experiences
• Craft techniques for weaving multiple narrative threads
• Resources for historical and genealogical research
• Advice for writers exploring family stories

Watch on YouTube

About Dionne Ford

Dionne Ford is author of  Go Back and Get It, a 2024 finalist for the Hurston Wright Foundation Legacy Award and co-editor of the anthology Slavery’s Descendants. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Virginia Quarterly Review, LitHub, The Boston Globe, and Ebony among other publications and won awards from the the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Association of Black Journalists and the Newswomen’s Club of New York.  She teaches creative writing as an adjunct at Fordham University and is editor of Lynchings in the North, an initiative of NYU’s journalism program.

Learn more at

Website: https://www.dionneford.com
Instagram
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Don’t Forget to watch episode #195 Writing Through Brain Fog, Chronic Illness and Unerwith Rachel Weaver

Click here to see the resources from the 2026 AWP Panel, Estelle moderated that Dionne was a panelist in.

Get More From Estelle Erasmus

•  My first Substack Live will be with the former Editor-in-Chief of Chatelaine, Rona Maynard on June 25 at 4 pm ET. Here is the link to sign up: Musings on Magazines: The Story Behind the Story. I hope to see you there.
• My next editor-on-call event with NYU is on Wednesday, September 16 with the executive editor and publisher of Electric Literature, Denne Michele Norris. Here is the link to that event. And here are my podcast episodes with Denne.
• I’m on the Mom Coms hilarious comedy podcast reading and talking about so much, including a piece I wrote for Scary Mommy called Mom’s Life Hacks to Cut Through Other People’s Crap. Check it out here on YouTube and let me know what you think.
• Private Small-Group Memoir/Essay Class
  My Next 6-week session that begins September  2026 has one more spot left.
  Email freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com for details.
• Watch
  Estelle’s TEDx Talk: How to Get Noticed in Your Writing and Beyond
• Book
  Writing That Gets Noticed — named a Poets & Writers “Best Book for Writers.” Please leave a review.
• Listen/Watch
  Freelance Writing Direct Podcast — 2026  Podcast of the Year, Business (American Writing Awards)

About Estelle

Estelle Erasmus is an award-winning journalist, TEDx speaker, and author of Writing That Gets Notice (named a best book for writers by Poets & Writers). She is the host of Freelance Writing Direct and an adjunct professor at NYU.

Her work has appeared in more than 150 publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, WIRED, PBS/Next Avenue, The Independent, and AARP The Magazine. She has served as editor-in-chief of five national magazines.

Follow Estelle

Instagram: @EstelleSErasmus
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Twitter/X: @EstelleSErasmus
Bluesky: @estelleserasmus.bsky.social

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