Into Being

Lily Dunn is a memoirist, teacher and mentor. Her literary memoir Sins of My Father was published to great acclaim in 2022, being named a best nonfiction book of the year by the Guardian and the Spectator. She is also the author of Shadowing the Sun (2007) and co-editor of A Wild and Precious Life (2021). She is co-director of London Lit Lab and teaches creative writing at Bath Spa University.

'Lily Dunn is one of our best teachers and theorists of autobiographical writing and Into being is an inspiring, philosophical and helpful guide. If you are a memoirist feeling discouraged or lost, this book will give you both encouragement and insight into the value of the form, and practical ways forward. I copied many lines into my own journal.'Amy Liptrot, author of The Outrun'As astute as it is generous, Lily Dunn's Into being draws a capacious doorway for all who seek to write from lived experience, illuminating the contours of the endeavour using copious examples and abundant wisdom.'Melissa Febos, author of Girlhood'A beautiful book: absorbing, propulsive, generous and humane, both in its honesty and in its willingness to share process.'Marina Benjamin, author of The Middlepause: On Turning Fifty'A profound examination of the value of memoir for both writer and reader, with practical advice on how to access emotionally meaningful events. Lily Dunn's Into being is the essential guide to all things memoir.'Richard Beard, author of The Day That Went Missing'Into being could not be more timely. Life writing, memoir and autobiographical storytelling are culturally prevalent and Lily Dunn has provided us with a sensitively written, wise and insightful combination of advice, reflection and theory. An instant classic that I will be using in my teaching and writing life.'Suzanne Joinson, author of The Museum of Lost and Fragile Things'A revelatory and vibrant exploration of the transformative power of memoir - an essential read for writers, readers and teachers.'Jenn Ashworth, author of Notes Made While Falling'This book is a gift to the serious memoirist or life writer looking to develop their work. Full of practical advice, inspiring examples and a generous breadth of references, Into being looks set to become an essential part of any writer's toolkit.'Julia Bell, author of Hymnal-- .

• Introduction: From repatterning to becoming1 Taper in the rushing wind: moments of insight2 Snow in August: when memory collides with the imagination3 From the static into the moving world: the memoirisation of time4 Radical deconstruction: embodied writing and protective forms5 The holder of the threads: who is speaking and where are they standing?6 Writing about others: our other selves7 Who gets the last word? extracts from author interviewsIndex