If you were able to join us for the Family Memoir Teleseminar last Thursday, you would have heard some interesting discussions about this valuable, and controversial, topic. Most memoir writers are curious about the research involved, how to handle family secrets and different form of truth, and how to keep track of the stories they may glean for their family memoir.

I was excited to share with everyone a special addition to the audio and CD version of the teleseminar–two sisters in my group in Berkeley who are writing a family memoir. Etty and Seyedeh graciously allowed me to interview them about the process of writing their memoirs about growing up in Iran. The whole family is involved in the project in different ways, and Seyedeh is writing her brother’s memoir using his point of view and voice, which takes many hours each week of work and discussion. I think you all will enjoy our discussion of her process, and how Etty, her sister, approaches writing since some of the stories appear to her in Farsi first, then she must translate them into English.

The teleseminar co-hosted by Matilda Butler and myself, Linda Joy, will be edited together with the interview by the Iranian sisters. I hope you enjoy learning about this fascinating topic.