Thomas Larson, author of The Memoir and the Memoirist: Reading and Writing Personal Narrative, discusses the rise in popularity of the modern memoir and offers tips on how aspiring writers can find a niche in the challenging genre.

Larson will cover the differences between the traditional autobiography and the contemporary memoir, how to choose a subject and begin writing a memoir, and the mainstays of the memoir form.

Larson writes personal essays, memoir, nonfiction, and literary criticism. Larson is a contributing writer for the San Diego Reader where, since 1999, he has specialized in narrative nonfiction. Larson’s work has also appeared in many literary magazines and other publications, among them The Gettysburg Review, Southwest Review, Antioch Review, The Potomac Review, and The San Diego Union-Tribune.