Summer Rewind: Writing about Intergenerational Trauma with Margaret Lee

Send us Fan Mail About this episode: In this summer rewind episode, I revisit my conversation with Margaret Lee, author of the highly acclaimed memoir Starry Field. In it we explore the impacts of intergenerational trauma on our identity, the challenges of writing a researched memoir, staying motivated over the long haul, and the problem of getting an agent too soon. Since recording this episode, Starry Field has been named a best book of 2024 by the San Francisco Chronicle, Washington Independent Review of Books and Largehearted Boy. It was also the winner of the Discovery Prize for Nonfiction by the Writers’ League of Texas. Episode Highlights 4:00 Why Explore the Past? 7:00 The Impact of Intergenerational Trauma 9:00 The Role of Stories in Identity Formation 15:00 Maintaining Your Momentum Over the Long Haul 20:00 Getting an Agent Too Soon 22:00 Structuring a Researched Memoir 26:00 The Miracle of the Memoir Process 29:00 Turning Yourself into a Character 35:00 Understanding Situation versus Story Resources for this Episode: Starry Field with Margaret Juhae Lee and Grace M. Cho Interview for the Korea Society Margaret’s Bio: Margaret Juhae Lee is an Oakland-based writer and a former literary editor of The Nation magazine. She has been the recipient of a Bunting Fellowship from Harvard University and a Korean Studies Fellowship from the Korean Foundation. She is also a Tin House alum and has been awarded residencies at the Mesa Refuge, Anderson Center, and Mineral School. In 2020, she was named “Person of the Year” by the Sangcheol Cultural Welfare Foundation in Kongju, South Korea, for her work in honoring her grandfather, Patriot Lee Chul Ha. Her articles, reviews, and interviews have been published in The Nation, Newsday, Elle, ARTnews, The Advocate, The Rumpus and Writer's Digest. Connect with Margaret: Website: www.margaretjuhaelee.com Instagram: @mjuhae Twitter: @margaretjuhae LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaret-juhae-lee-2b95905/ Building Better Memoir Scenes: https://janefriedman.com/building-better-memoir-scenes-with-lisa-cooper-ellison/ Connect with your host, Lisa: Get Your Free Copy of Ditch Your Inner Critic: https://lisacooperellison.com/subscribe/ Website | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook | LinkedIn Produced by Espresso Podcast Production