International Memoir Writers Association is excited to announce Nancy O’Sullivan as our March 2023 Member of the Month!

Please take a minute to read Nancy’s interview with IMWA Board Member Janet Hafner. 

  1. How did you first discover IMWA?

I found IMWA in 2020 when I had time to write. I signed up for Marni and Tracy’s Memoir Certificate class in January, stepped away in March, and returned the next year to complete the program. 

  1. Have you always been a writer?

In my senior year of college, I took a creative writing class for fun as I completed my “serious” classes in Literature and History. That creativity felt like play. It was exciting and made me happy. From that point on, I wrote poetry and fiction. When possible, I took courses, joined writing groups, and went to workshops to learn more about the craft. At one point, I dreamed of earning an MFA in poetry but veered away from that dream to attend to practical needs like earning an income. For many years I was a technical writer for a nonprofit. 

I’m now in my third phase of life and realize life is finite. I am motivated by the knowledge that if I am to develop my craft and tell my stories, I must do it now. I have returned to writing that is creative, personal, and important to me.

  1. What impacts do you think writing classes and workshops have made on your writing? 

When I first signed up for the first class of the Memoir Certificate program, I knew I wanted to write again, but I wasn’t sure I had any creativity left. With Marni and Tracy’s encouragement and the camaraderie of class participants, I was able to trust that my creativity was still there and writing was indeed my craft. In the memoir classes, I learned how to structure stories and develop authentic character arcs, and I watched my writing voice emerge. Participating in the Memoir Certificate program gave me confidence, new writing skills, and a caring and supportive writing community. 

  1. We’d love to hear about your writing projects.

 I am working on a memoir that follows me through my fifties as the parent of a teen father. The memoir is about family, women’s roles, aging, the tug of war between family, career, and personal goals, and grandparents raising grandchildren. It is a story of crashing through expectations, rolling with the punches, and learning to accept human frailties, loss, and messiness as an ordinary part of life.

  1. Who are your favorite authors? Favorite memoirs?

Anthony Doer and Janet Fitch are favorite authors for their brilliant use of language, attention to detail, and carefully woven stories.

  1. What advice do you have for new writers?

Persevere. Find a supportive community. Read widely. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Learning new skills is difficult, and you are probably used to success. Ask for help when you need it. 

  1. Nancy, please tell us about the memoir you’re working on and some of the challenges you’ve overcome.

Just as my husband and I began to imagine the creative possibilities of an empty nest, our teenage son and his girlfriend became parents—twice within a year. My memoir follows me through this chapter of my life as I overcame my initial surprise and shame about teen pregnancy and committed to doing whatever it took to help the young couple flourish as adults and parents.  

  1. Please let us know how we can reach you. 

 I’m on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/nancy.l.osullivan.5

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