Barrie Olmstead

Many memoirists are dipping their writing tools into the waters of self-disclosure about their feelings and issues ranging from immigration and illness to work and witchcraft. These selections deliver raw honesty, poetic language, and sharp prose.

In LJ’s yearly examination of this reader-favorite genre, we found four leading trends that examine trauma and mortality, offer insight into the impact of war, readily confront mental health concerns, and experiment with hybrid forms and genres.

LJ’s first memoir preview looks at the trends in this season’s bumper crop of life stories.