Unlocking Creativity: Elissa Altman Reveals the Radical Power of Saying ‘Yes’ in Memoir Writing
Ever wondered what it truly means to write your own story when family secrets lurk in the shadows? Elissa Altman’s journey isn’t just about putting pen to paper—it’s about grappling with the raw, sometimes ruthless consequences of memoir writing. When a single paragraph in her debut memoir, Poor Man’s Feast, sparked a familial firestorm, leading to her being disowned, Elissa faced every writer’s nightmare head-on. Through her groundbreaking book, Permission: The New Memoirist and the Courage to Create, she unpacks the thorny questions of storytelling ownership and the emotional grit required to forge ahead. If you think writing your memoir is just about recalling memories, think again—it’s about courage, ethics, and the unpredictable fallout that tests your very soul. Michèle Dawson Haber sat down with Elissa to delve deep into this fascinating intersection of creativity and consequence, revealing insights no memoirist should miss.
Interviewed by Michèle Dawson Haber
Elissa Altman’s hybrid craft/hybrid memoir, Permission: The New Memoirist and the Courage to Create, is the book writers new to memoir have been waiting for, even if they don’t yet know it.
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