Writing your memoir is a powerful process for discovering elusive elements in your psyche. It forces you to see your life from an entirely different perspective. Peterson encourages us to explore the untold story of you — and the inner hero, heroine, angel, or villain you have yet to meet. She gives a simple writing exercise to help you get started. Brenda Peterson is a novelist, nature writer, and writing teacher. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Orion Magazine, and O: The Oprah Magazine. She’s a regular commentator for Seattle NPR and the Huffington Post. Her books include Build Me an Ark: A Life with Animals (W. W. Norton 2001), Duck and Cover (Backinprint.com 2004), I Want to Be Left Behind: Finding Rapture Here on Earth (Da Capo Press 2010) and Your Life is a Book: How to Craft & Publish Your Memoir (co-author Sarah Jane Freymann) (Sasquatch Books 2014), Wolf Haven: Sanctuary and the Future of Wolves in North America (coauthor Annie Marie Musselman) (Sasquatch Books 2016) and Wolf Nation: The Life, Death, and Return of Wild American Wolves (De Capo 2017)

Interview Date: 2/10/2010     Tags: Brenda Peterson, family, memoir, inner critic, fundamentalists, the Rapture, humor, Writing, Religion, Family/Community, Ecology/Nature/Environment, Spirituality, Philosophy