In this episode, we explore how dialogue takes shape and varies in nonfiction writing through journalism, personal essay, and memoir. The question we return to again and again is, what does truth telling look like when we write down the words of other, real-life people?

This question leads us to a conversation about honesty in writing, and how two things can be true at the same time.

Helpful Terms and Links

• Dialogue- Finding ___ through talking (logic, meaning, ideas etc.)
• Essay- “an attempt”
• Memoir- (the author’s personal retelling of a crucial event or life-lesson learned) versus autobiography (a retelling of the author’s life events, in general).

Art and Stories mentioned

Examples of personal essays;

• Consider the Lobster, David Foster Wallace
• Essays, Michel de Montaigne
• Small Victories, Anne Lamott
• Many works by C.S. Lewis

Truth-telling in story

• The Lifespan of a Fact, John D’Agata and Jim Fingal
• The Big Short, directed by Adam McKay