The Lyric Essay As Resistance: Truth from the Margins by Zoë Bossiere


The Lyric Essay As Resistance: Truth from the Margins
Title : The Lyric Essay As Resistance: Truth from the Margins
Author :
Rating :
ISBN : 0814349609
ISBN-10 : 9780814349601
Language : English
Format Type : Paperback
Number of Pages : 224
Publication : Published March 21, 2023

Lyric essayists draw on memoir, poetry, and prose to push against the arbitrary genre restrictions in creative nonfiction, opening up space not only for new forms of writing, but also new voices and a new literary canon. This anthology features some of the best lyric essays published in the last several years by prominent and emerging writers. Editors Zoë Bossiere and Erica Trabold situate this anthology within the ongoing work of resistance-to genre convention, literary tradition, and the confines of dominant-culture spaces. As sites of resistance, these essays are diverse and include investigations into deeply personal and political topics such as queer and trans identity, the American BIPOC experience, reproductive justice, belonging, grief, and more.

The lyric essay is always surprising; it is bold, unbound, and free. This collection highlights the lyric essay's natural capacity for representation and resistance and celebrates the form as a subversive genre that offers a mode of expression for marginalized voices. The Lyric Essay as Resistance features contemporary work by essayists including Melissa Febos, Wendy S. Walters, Torrey Peters, Jenny Boully, Crystal Wilkinson, Elissa Washuta, Lillian-Yvonne Bertram, and many more. Their work demonstrates the power of the lyric essay to bring about change, both on the page and in our communities.

The Lyric Essay As Resistance: Truth from the Margins Reviews

  • Amy Estes

    I went to a panel at AWP that was hosted by the editors of this book, & heard several contributors read. It was a captivating panel & I eagerly picked up the book. I was not disappointed. The depth & variety of voices & structures in this book was compelling & each essay made me think (not surprising considering that some of the best writers working today are in it). If you’re a writer, I highly recommend for the craft of it, & if you’re seeking many perspectives & deep thinking, this is the collection for you.

  • Tracey Ormerod

    A great "sampler" of the lyric essay form. Love this description in the intro: "This form-between-forms seemed to ignore the conventions of prose writing ... in favor of embracing more liminal styles, moving by association rather than story, dancing around unspoken truths, devolving into a swirling series of digressions." (p. 2)

  • Amanda Karch

    Ordered this even before I listened to the 2023 AWP panel and I knew I was onto something of magnitude, even before I turned the first page. An incredible collection showcasing the wide ranging definitions of “lyric essay,” full of truth and story woven in different images. A beautiful source of inspiration to explore a form that is difficult to contain in a single explanation.

  • Joe Sacksteder

    Fantastic, important work—full review forthcoming somewhere.