“Implementing outlier forms
allowed me to write about the tough stuff. They offered protection
for the soft underbelly of vulnerability that often accompanied the
writing of emotionally charged subject matter. They provided a
container to safely transform fragments of memory and trauma
into a coherent whole. Some examples: In my memoir/essay
collection, one essay is written in the form of a legal contract,
while others are structured as a short screenplay, a crossword
puzzle, a beginner’s grimoire, a botanical guidebook, a series of
real estate advertisements, and a speech-therapy report.”
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