Although memoir and narrative nonfiction continue to thrive as genres, the writers of such works tend to be seen as something other than artists—reporters, survivors, historians, and social thinkers, yes, but not artists. Can works driven by facts aspire to true artistry, or does the burden of representing reality inherently place it in a different category? Together, writers Tom Barbash, Lindsey Crittenden, Glen David Gold, and Rachel Howard, along with moderator Jason Roberts, explore these worthwhile questions. Presented by Litquake. 

Panelists:

Tom Barbash is the author of four books as well as reviews, essays, and articles for publications such as Men’s Journal, ESPN The Magazine, McSweeney’s, Tin House, the Believer, Narrative Magazine, ZYZZYVA, and The New York Times. His non-Fiction book, On Top of the World, was a New York Times bestseller.

Lindsey Crittenden is the author of The View From Below: Stories and The Water Will Hold You, a memoir ("exquisitely written," Publishers Weekly starred review). Her personal essays have appeared in Cimarron Review, the Washington Post, the New York Times and others.

Connect: Lindsay Crittenden - Website

Glen David Gold is the author of the international best-selling novels Carter Beats the Devil and Sunnyside, and the memoir I Will Be Complete. He's written comic books for Marvel, DC and Dark Horse, and composed essays and short stories for Playboy, McSweeney's, Wired, Zyzzyva, and more.

Connect: Glen David Gold - Website

Rachel Howard is the author of The Risk of Us, a novel, and The Lost Night, a memoir about her father's unsolved murder. A 2024 National Endowment for the Arts literature fellow, she has published fiction and nonfiction in ZYZZYVA, StoryQuarterly, the Los Angeles Review of Books and other publications.

Connect: Rachel Howard - Website

Moderator:

Jason Roberts is a writer of fiction and nonfiction. His newest book, Every Living Thing: The Great and Deadly Race to Know All Life, came out in April. His previous book, A Sense of the World, was a national bestseller and a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. 

Connect: Jason Roberts - Website

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