Last week ended with a lively virtual book launch of a writing craft how-to delivered as a new memoir from the living literary icon and educator Marita Golden. Similar to the way in which August Wilson composed "The Pittsburgh Cycle" to examine the complexity of the African-American experience throughout the 20th century, each Marita Golden memoir offers insights into different aspects of her life as a Black person, a woman, a creative, an academic, a wife, a mother with compelling discourse that urges readers to excavate their own lives, motives, and lessons learned in easy and hard ways.
by Marita Golden
non-fiction memoir
Mango, February 2025
"All writing is autobiographical."
Marita Golden
This memoir offers an examination of self as a way into engaging public conversation with a variety of subjects: the evolution of the publishing industry during the past four decades; the expansion of memoir as a category that's broad in approach and popularity, especially beyond focusing on white men; gaining perspective on one's life and behavioral patterns, and recognizing one's purpose along with healthy ways to pursue it.
During this spirited event, Marita Golden shared that she's had the same literary agent for 40 years, a person who from the beginning declared her commitment to the author as a distinct, multifaceted human being in addition to the source of creative output, which is very rare these days. She underscored the importance of unplugging to make space for inspiration. Silent retreats are one of her methods for releasing mental clutter and reclaiming her focus. She reminded us that thinking about ideas for writing is a fundamental element of the writing process, and to strive for clarity on why we're writing, which may change and evolve over time.
She also mentioned the work of Dr. Ope Lori. https://opelori.com/
There was so much more, but these were some of my personal highlights.
[a blurry screenshot of author Marita Golden seated in front of shelves filled with books; How to Become a Black Writer is facing forward on the shelf visible over her right shoulder]
Read and enjoyed the six books shown above plus Give Me Butterflies (not shown). My personal and professional to-do lists are so long that my choice this week was to use as much time to read rather than to compose reviews. Thank you to these talented authors for providing hours of escapist pleasure: another installment of a series about dangerous people with dangerous secrets living off the grid; messy-borderline-taboo family dynamics and hockey; real grown folks with issues; 2 more New Adult hockey romances; overcoming an abundance of trauma responses; assorted grief experiences and strategies for healing.
Treat yourself and those you love who love you in return with compassion. We're living in challenging times, but we all have within us what is required to meet this moment.
Happy reading & creating!
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