For Love of Memoir

In this episode of *For Love of Memoir*, Erin Swanson is joined by memoirist Matthew Kiell for a conversation about the fascinating challenge of writing from memory. Together, they explore the relationship between memory and truth, why memoir doesn't require perfect recall, and how writers can faithfully reconstruct the past while remaining honest about what they know, what they don't know...

This week, I’m joined by John Borden, author of *Your Mindset Is Your Reality*, a memoir exploring the profound impact a psilocybin experience had on his understanding of himself and the world around him. John shares the winding path that led him through addiction, entrepreneurship, personal loss, and ultimately a moment that challenged many of the beliefs he had carried for decades. What followed...

In this episode of *For Love of Memoir*, Christie Green joins me to discuss her memoir *Moonlit Elk*.Part memoir, part exploration of instinct, identity, and the natural world, *Moonlit Elk* follows Christie’s movement into hunting, solitude, and a way of living that challenged many of the expectations she once carried about herself and the world around her. Guided in part by her dreams, Christie...

In this episode of For Love of Memoir , Dan Williams joins me for a conversation about storytelling, memory, and the stories that shape identity across generations. We talk about the role of oral storytelling in family life, the memories that stay with us, and why certain stories continue to matter long after the moment itself has passed. Dan reflects on the people who taught him how to tell a sto...

In this episode of For Love of Memoir, Angie Hawkins, author of Running in Slippers, shares the story behind her book and the experiences that shaped it. Running in Slippers traces what it looks like to keep moving through life when things don’t unfold the way you expected. In our conversation, Angie talks about the moments that forced her to keep going, what it meant to live through those experie...

In this episode of For Love of Memoir, I’m joined by Janine Warfield, author of Becoming a Medium. Janine wasn't born a medium. She set out to learn it deliberately, treating it as a discipline rather than a belief system or an identity she stumbled into. We talk about what it means to pursue something unconventional with seriousness and restraint. Janine shares how she approached learning med...

In this episode of For Love of Memoir, Erin Swanson speaks with Christian Austin about his memoir Resilient: Childhood Adversity to Cambridge University. Christian shares his journey from abuse, trauma, addiction, and incarceration to academic achievement at Cambridge. But this conversation is not about inspiration as spectacle. It is about responsibility, education as a turning point, and the lon...

In this episode, we meet Catherine Crosby to discuss her book, Voices from Inside: A Memoir in Verse, a poetic memoir about dissociative identity disorder, formerly known as multiple personality disorder. As Catherine invites us into her fascinating but often misunderstood world, we talk about the realities of dissociation and how she has learned to work with her alters, ultimately harnessing what...

In this episode of For Love of Memoir , I’m joined by Sue William Silverman, author of Selected Misdemeanors . Sue is one of the most authentic people I’ve ever met, and her way with language — especially metaphor — is nothing short of genius. She shares her story with radical honesty, taking us through her upbringing in a religious household, an early marriage, and a secret life shaped by shame,...

In this episode of For Love of Memoir, I’m joined by Maggie Doyne, author of Between the Mountain and the Sky. Maggie’s journey began when she was just a teenager on a gap year and encountered a young girl working in a Nepali riverbed. That moment led her to dedicate her life to supporting children and communities in Surkhet, Nepal, co-founding the BlinkNow Foundation and the Kopila Valley School...

My conversation with Bill Hulseman dives into the heart of his memoir-in-essays, Six to Carry the Casket and One to Say the Mass — a powerful exploration of family, faith, queerness, and the complicated legacies we carry. Bill talks about what it means to grow up in a world that both shapes you and wounds you, and how loss, love, and truth-telling helped him rebuild his sense of self. If you’ve ev...

In this episode of For Love of Memoir , we meet Jeanne Krieg, author of Seeing Red: A Misfit’s Unapologetic Search to Be Used by God —a raw memoir of spiritual restlessness, unexpected break-through, and a misfit’s search for purpose. Jeanne’s story begins with a prayer in the middle of a moment she couldn’t handle—and leads into audacious healing, strange hauntings, and the deep clarity that come...

In this episode of For Love of Memoir, I sit down with psychologist and memoirist Diane Pomerantz , author of Lost in the Reflecting Pool . We talk about what happens when the fairytale you thought you were living slowly unravels into gaslighting, confusion, and emotional danger. Diane opens up about loving a man who slowly chipped away at her sense of self — and the long road back to clarity, cou...

In this episode of For Love of Memoir, I sit down with Anne Beaudoin, author of The Truth of Chasing Rainbows, to talk about what happens when you leave everything behind to start over in a new country and in a new life. Anne’s story begins with a bold leap of faith: buying a rainbow trout farm in Costa Rica. But what unfolds is far more than an adventure. It’s a story about reinvention, resilienc...

In this episode, I talk with author Frances Rowley Beaumont about A Life Without Hands , the remarkable story of John Oliver — a man born without hands who defied every expectation placed on him. Frances shares her deeply personal journey through love, identity, caregiving, and the lessons John taught her about resilience, independence, and grace. 🎧 Highlights: • Falling in love with someone the...

Singer-songwriter and memoirist Kelita Haverland joins me to talk about her life behind the microphone — and the secrets she carried long before she ever stepped onto a stage. Kelita’s story is one of survival, loss, and the way art becomes a lifeline when your world breaks open. 💬 In this episode we explore: • Her childhood trauma and the silence surrounding it • How music became her refuge • Wh...

In this episode of For Love of Memoir , I talk with Erika C. Lowenkopf about her memoir, Missing the Boat . Erika’s book is told in three acts and takes us through the lasting wounds of childhood bullying, the grief of infertility, and the surprising adventure that helped her rediscover joy. With honesty, vulnerability, and humor, Erika shares what it means to live through pain and still find ligh...

In this conversation with Inga Aksamit , we explore what it means to grow up between cultures, between parents, and between versions of yourself. Her memoir, We Walk Faster When We’re Alone , reveals a family history shaped by displacement, trauma, and hard-won freedom. 💬 Topics include: • Navigating identity in complicated family systems • The emotional weight of survival stories • Carrying both...

Step into the world of Larry Formato—where the line between survival and ruin is razor-thin. In Dangerous Ways, Larry takes us deep into his past, revealing a life shaped by high-stakes decisions, calculated moves, and the constant hum of risk. From the streets where trust was earned the hard way to moments where everything could change in an instant, his story is raw, unflinching, and unforgettab...

When Jim Mazziotti's teenage son entered a youth challenge program, it felt like a last-hope move—a lifeline for a family struggling to find something, anything, that might break through. But what happened next wasn’t just transformative for his son—it reshaped Jim’s life, too. In this episode of For Love of Memoir, Jim shares the story behind his book The Challenge: How 144 Letters Changed My Lif...

What happens when your childhood is shaped by two worlds—one Native, one assimilated—and neither quite fits? In this episode, I sit down with Deborah Jackson Taffa, Quechan and Laguna Pueblo author of the powerful memoir Whiskey Tender. Part coming-of-age story, part cultural excavation, Deborah’s book is a lyrical and unflinching look at growing up in 1980s New Mexico, navigating family secrets,...

In this episode of For Love of Memoir, I sit down with Christine Reed, author of Alone in Wonderland, to talk about hiking solo, navigating grief, and learning to trust yourself when the path ahead is unclear. Christine shares her story of leaving behind a life that no longer fit, walking into the wilderness with a heavy pack and an open heart. We talk about what it means to rewrite the stories we...

Hospice nurse and TikTok storyteller Penny Hawkins Smith joins me to talk about her memoir, Influencing Death: Reframing Dying for Better Living. In this powerful conversation, Penny shares what it's like to sit at the bedside of the dying—and how witnessing death has helped her live more fully. We talk about her journey from addiction to caregiving, her viral presence on TikTok, and how telling t...

Author Jane Wong joins me to talk about her lyrical and rebellious memoir, Meet Me Tonight in Atlantic City . Born to a Chinese immigrant family and raised in a working-class neighborhood, Jane explores hunger in its many forms—emotional, cultural, and physical—and how writing became an act of survival, resistance, and joy. We talk about abandonment, family, poetic storytelling, and what it means...

⚠️ Trigger Warning: This episode includes discussions of childhood abuse, emotional manipulation, and domestic violence. Please take care while listening. What happens when the person who’s supposed to protect you becomes the one you have to escape? In this episode, I talk with David Crow, author of *The Pale-Faced Lie*, a gripping memoir about growing up under the shadow of a violent and manipula...