I am also a bit of a hoarder when it comes to saving the breadcrumbs of day-to-day living - the receipts, credit card statements, calendar entries, correspondences, news clippings, photographs - that all combine to weave a detailed tapestry of a life.”ĭetails: ‘Marley & Me: An Evening with John Grogan’, Wed, October 3rd, 2018, 18:30 – 20:00, Thomas Davis Theatre, Arts Building, Trinity College Dublinįurther information and registration details are available here: I am a firm believer in journaling as a means of capturing a first draft of one’s personal history while it is fresh in the mind. “Memory alone is not enough, and it is the memoirist’s duty to corroborate and challenge those recollections to assure they are as accurate as humanly possible. Unlike fiction, it must all be true, and that requires reporting and a deep level of observation and documentation, even when writing about one’s own life.” It should have conflict and resolution, and it should leave the reader with a deeper understanding of the human condition. “ Like fiction, a successful narrative nonfiction piece should offer complex, well-drawn characters, an evocative sense of place, and escalating action that rises along a narrative arc, pulling the reader forward.

He will also talk about his work for younger readers with students on the Master’s programme in Children’s Literature. This public event forms part of a two-week visiting fellowship at Trinity where the author will meet with and give classes to students, including a masterclass in life writing to the students on the M.Phil in Creative Writing. The event will also feature an ‘in conversation’ style interview with novelist and lecturer in creative writing Deirdre Madden, followed by a Q&A with the audience.

Hosted by the School of English and the Oscar Wilde Centre for Irish Writing, Trinity, the event, ‘Marley & Me: An Evening with John Grogan’, is free and open to the public.Īt the event John Grogan will talk about his work which also includes the American bestseller The Longest Trip Home: A Memoir and numerous children’s books. US bestselling author to share his thoughts on memoir and memory at Trinity public eventĪmerican journalist and author of the bestseller ‘Marley & Me’ John Grogan will give a public talk and interview in Trinity College Dublin on Wednesday, October 3rd, 2018.

Marley and Me by John Grogan