Anjali Enjeti

Arts, Culture, & Society II: Writing About People We Know

Saturday, December 7, 2024, 12:30 to 2:00 p.m.

One of the biggest dilemma’s writers face, no matter the genre, is whether (and how) to write about people they know. Memoirist Anne Lamott famously said: “Tell your stories. If people wanted you to write warmly about them, they should have behaved better.” Many writers, particularly in the age of social media and virality, are seeking a more balanced approach than Lamott’s.

In this seminar, we’ll talk about the ethical issues we face when writing about people we know, especially when the writer wants to preserve the relationships with the people or communities they are writing about. We’ll also explore degrees of “knowing” a particular community. At what point do we really know a community well enough to write about them? We’ll talk about research, sensitivity editors, and other ways writers can increase their chances of writing a person or a community authentically. We’ll specifically address the writer’s power to shape stories from their point of view, as well as the art of omission, permission, and informed consent.

Required Reading (in Reader):

Hertzel, Laurie. “But Will They Love Me When It’s Done? Writing about Family in Memoir.” TriQuarterly, 8 Mar. 2016. https://www.triquarterly.org/the-latest-word/craft-essays/will-they-love-me-when-its-done-writing-about-family-memoir?rq=laurie%20hertzel