New and Experimental Approaches to Writing Lives - Tapa dura

This collection offers a sweeping analysis of the many types of life writing. The personal and instructional tone of the essays makes this book accessible to students, and the exercises at the end of each chapter will allow anyone who has their own story to tell find their voice. – Julie Taddeo, University of Maryland, USA

A comprehensive discussion of new and some older forms of life writing, ranging from affective and political cartographies, docu-memoirs and poetry to digital forms such as memes and GIFs. Writers’ accounts of their own practice enliven the volume, and the creative exercises at the end of each chapter will make this book invaluable. – Lyn Thomas, University of Sussex, UK

With recent advances in digital technology, a number of exciting and innovative approaches to writing lives have emerged, from graphic memoirs to blogs and other visual-verbal-virtual texts. This edited collection is a timely study of new approaches to writing lives, including literary docu-memoir, autobiographical cartography, social media life writing and autobiographical writing for children. Combining literary theory with insightful critical approaches, each essay offers a serious study of innovative forms of life writing, with a view to reflecting on best practice and offering the reader practical guidance on methods and techniques.

Offering a range practical exercises and an insight into cutting-edge literary methodologies, this is an inspiring and thought-provoking companion for students of Literature and Creative Writing studying courses on life writing, memoir or creative non-fiction.