#196 Going Back Through Time to Get the Story: Dionne Ford on Family History, Reporting, and Memoir cover art

#196 Going Back Through Time to Get the Story: Dionne Ford on Family History, Reporting, and Memoir

#196 Going Back Through Time to Get the Story: Dionne Ford on Family History, Reporting, and Memoir

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In this episode of Freelance Writing Direct, Estelle Erasmus talks with acclaimed author Dionne Ford about her memoir Go Back and Get It, a powerful exploration of family history, ancestry, and identity. Dionne shares how journalistic research, personal reflection, and historical investigation came together to help her uncover the stories of her enslaved ancestors while examining themes that continue to resonate in her own life. She also discusses the craft of blending memoir with history, navigating difficult family truths, and the importance of preserving stories for future generations. They discuss The inspiration behind Go Back and Get It Researching family history and ancestral stories Blending memoir, journalism, and historical narrative Writing about difficult personal experiencesThe concept of Sankofa and "going back to get it" Craft techniques for weaving multiple narrative threads Resources for historical and genealogical research Advice for writers exploring family stories Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/JhmE6CD5D8Y About Dionne Ford Dionne Ford is author of Go Back and Get It, a 2024 finalist for the Hurston Wright Foundation Legacy Award and co-editor of the anthology Slavery's Descendants. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Virginia Quarterly Review, LitHub, The Boston Globe, and Ebony among other publications and won awards from the the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Association of Black Journalists and the Newswomen's Club of New York. She teaches creative writing as an adjunct at Fordham University and is editor of Lynchings in the North, an initiative of NYU's journalism program. Website: https://www.dionneford.com Instagram X Get More From Estelle Erasmus My first Substack Live will be with the former Editor-in-Chief of Chatelaine, Rona Maynard on June 25 at 4 pm ET. Here is the link to the post: Musings on Magazines: The Story Behind the Story. Sign up here https://estelleserasmus.substack.com/p/musings-on-magazines-the-story-behind. I hope to see you there.My next editor-on-call event with NYU is on Wednesday, September 16 with the executive editor and publisher of Electric Literature, Denne Michele Norris. Here is the link to that event. https://events.nyu.edu/event/400238-light-up-your-literary-life-with-electric-literaturesPrivate Small-Group Memoir/Essay ClassMy Next 6-week session that begins September 2026 has one more spot left. Email freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com for details.WatchEstelle's TEDx Talk: How to Get Noticed in Your Writing and BeyondBookWriting That Gets Noticed — named a Poets & Writers "Best Book for Writers."Listen/WatchFreelance Writing Direct Podcast — 2026 Podcast of the Year, Business (American Writing Awards) https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast About Estelle Estelle Erasmus is an award-winning journalist, TEDx speaker, and author of Writing That Gets Noticed. She is the host, founder, and executive producer of Freelance Writing Direct and an adjunct professor at NYU. Her work has appeared in more than 150 publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, WIRED, PBS/Next Avenue, The Independent, and AARP The Magazine. She has served as editor-in-chief of five national magazines. Follow Estelle Instagram: @EstelleSErasmus TikTok: @EstelleSErasmus Twitter/X: @EstelleSErasmus Bluesky: @estelleserasmus.bsky.social If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review Freelance Writing Direct, and share it with the writers in your life.
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