#164 Writing the Restorative Memoir: Finding Meaning in the Messy Middle of Recovery with Mallary Tenore Tarpley
Release Date: 11/06/2025
#188 Reclaiming “Selfish”: On Craft, Creativity, and Braiding Truth into Memoir With Kerry Docherty
Freelance Writing Direct with Estelle: Conversations with authors, journalists, agents, novelists, memoirists, niche writers, publishers, writing teachers, assigning editors and media experts.
In this episode, Estelle Erasmus talks with Kerry Docherty, author of Selfish: Unlearning, Reclaiming, and Telling the Truth, about what it really takes to write a bold, emotionally honest memoir. They dive into: Why “selfish” is a loaded word for women and how to reclaim it Starting a memoir with rupture to hook the reader Using dreams, spirituality, and what Estelle calls the “echo effect” to deepen narrative impact Writing about marriage, motherhood, desire, and identity without holding back The risks and consequences of telling the truth on the page How to balance scene,...
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#187 People over Proposals with Literary Agent Sally Ekus
Freelance Writing Direct with Estelle: Conversations with authors, journalists, agents, novelists, memoirists, niche writers, publishers, writing teachers, assigning editors and media experts.
In this episode of Freelance Writing Direct, Estelle Erasmus sits down with literary agent Sally Ekus, senior agent at the Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency, where she leads a boutique division specializing in cookbooks, lifestyle, and select nonfiction. With over 350 book deals under her belt and deep roots in the publishing world, Sally shares what truly makes a proposal stand out, how the industry is evolving in real time, and why enthusiasm and voice still matter more than ever. Together, Estelle and Sally explore the shift from traditional publishing models to today’s fast-paced,...
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#186 Burn the Haystack: Decoding Men’s Language, Power Moves, and Red Flags with Jennie Young
Freelance Writing Direct with Estelle: Conversations with authors, journalists, agents, novelists, memoirists, niche writers, publishers, writing teachers, assigning editors and media experts.
The words people use tell you exactly who they are, if you know how to read them. Estelle Erasmus sits down with Jennie Young, a professor of rhetoric whose “Burn the Haystack” method and Facebook group sparked a powerful movement, now captured in her book Burn the Haystack. She flips the traditional dating narrative on its head, showing women how to find their “needle” by torching the men who are duds. As a former magazine editor and longtime writing teacher, Estelle was especially drawn to how Jennie breaks down language, tone, and behavior with precision. This conversation goes far...
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#185 The Rise of Authorpreneurship with Literary Agent Regina Brooks
Freelance Writing Direct with Estelle: Conversations with authors, journalists, agents, novelists, memoirists, niche writers, publishers, writing teachers, assigning editors and media experts.
What does the rise of authorpreneurship mean for writers today? In this episode of Freelance Writing Direct, Estelle Erasmus sits down with Regina Brooks, founder and CEO of Serendipity Literary Agency and president of the Association of American Literary Agents, to explore how publishing is shifting and what writers need to understand now. From what agents look for in submissions to how platform, AI, and direct-to-consumer models are reshaping the industry, this conversation offers a clear-eyed look at how writers can move beyond simply writing a book to building a sustainable writing career....
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#184 From Silence to Story: Writing a Hostage Memoir 50 Years Later with Mimi Nichter
Freelance Writing Direct with Estelle: Conversations with authors, journalists, agents, novelists, memoirists, niche writers, publishers, writing teachers, assigning editors and media experts.
What does it take to write about a life-altering trauma decades after it happened? In this episode, Estelle Erasmus chats with Mimi Nichter about the long arc from lived experience to the page, and what it means to revisit a moment of crisis with clarity. They talk about writing through memory, shaping a narrative around a defining event, and the emotional and craft challenges of telling a story that has festered inside for years, waiting to be heard. Mimi shares how she approached writing about being held hostage, why timing mattered, and how she transformed silence into story. In this...
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#183 Don’t Give Up on Ghostwriting. What Still Pays and What’s Dead
Freelance Writing Direct with Estelle: Conversations with authors, journalists, agents, novelists, memoirists, niche writers, publishers, writing teachers, assigning editors and media experts.
Ghostwriting isn’t dead. It’s just napping. The smart writers know exactly where to wake it up. It can be one of the most lucrative paths for writers, but not all ghostwriting opportunities are created equal. In this solo episode, Estelle Erasmus reveals which ghostwriting gigs are thriving in 2026 and which ones are quietly disappearing. If you've ever been curious about ghostwriting (or you're already doing it and wondering about your future), this episode is essential listening. Estelle shares insider predictions about the market, explains why the "whisper network" matters more than you...
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#182 The A–Z of AWP: Insider Tips for Writers Attending the Conference
Freelance Writing Direct with Estelle: Conversations with authors, journalists, agents, novelists, memoirists, niche writers, publishers, writing teachers, assigning editors and media experts.
Thinking about attending the AWP Conference and wondering how to prepare for it? With thousands of writers, panels, book fairs, and networking opportunities, AWP can feel both exciting, inspiring and a little overwhelming. That’s why it helps to have a strategy. In this solo episode of Freelance Writing Direct, host Estelle Erasmus shares how she prepared for AWP, what it was like moderating her standing-room-only panel, and the simple strategies that helped her navigate the conference with aplomb. Estelle talks through everything from packing light and bringing snacks to creating meaningful...
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#181 From Ashram to Author: Finding the Transformative Thread in a Near Cult Memoir with Blair Glaser
Freelance Writing Direct with Estelle: Conversations with authors, journalists, agents, novelists, memoirists, niche writers, publishers, writing teachers, assigning editors and media experts.
What happens when a story that could be told as trauma is instead shaped as triumph? Blair Glaser joins Estelle Erasmus to discuss her journey from a Catskills ashram in the 1990s to published author, and how she turned her time in a spiritual organization into her memoir, This Incredible Longing: Finding Myself in a Near Cult Experience. Rather than writing a simple escape narrative, she explores spiritual longing, group dynamics, depression, leadership, and the unexpected skills she developed inside a restrictive system. Instead of focusing solely on abuse and escape, Blair takes a nuanced...
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#180 Unlearning Childhood Lessons and Reinventing a Memoir with Anna Rollins
Freelance Writing Direct with Estelle: Conversations with authors, journalists, agents, novelists, memoirists, niche writers, publishers, writing teachers, assigning editors and media experts.
What does it take to unlearn the messages you were raised with and reshape them into a publishable memoir? In this episode of Freelance Writing Direct, Estelle Erasmus chats with Anna Rollins about the internal and structural shifts that reshaped her debut memoir, Famished. Anna reveals how expanding the scope of her manuscript, incorporating reporting, and strengthening her platform repositioned the project and led to multiple offers. They also explore how diet culture and evangelical purity culture shaped the 1990s media landscape, and what it means to critically reexamine the messages women...
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#179 Writing from the Scar: Conscious Craft Choices with Jocelyn Jane Cox
Freelance Writing Direct with Estelle: Conversations with authors, journalists, agents, novelists, memoirists, niche writers, publishers, writing teachers, assigning editors and media experts.
What do you do when your son's first birthday party becomes the same day you lose your mother? In this episode, Estelle Erasmus sits down with Jocelyn Jane Cox, author of Motion Dazzle, the award-winning memoir that follows a single day when celebration and grief collided. It's a day that would forever contain both darkness and light, joy and devastating loss. Here’s what makes this conversation essential for writers: Jocelyn shares the conscious craft choices behind weaving seemingly unrelated threads—competitive figure skating, caregiving, dating disasters, and new motherhood—into a...
info_outlineWhat if the truest recovery story isn’t about redemption—but restoration? What if healing means learning to live inside the messy middle?
Estelle Erasmus talks with journalist and professor Mallary Tenore Tarpley, author of SLIP: Life in the Middle of Eating Disorder Recovery. Mallary shares how she wrote from the in-between—the liminal space between illness and full recovery—crafting a narrative that honors imperfection and progress.
Content note: This episode discusses eating disorders, treatment, and grief.
Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/89CdVDqkx0Q
In this episode:
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Restorative vs. redemptive narratives: why “progress, not finish lines” can create a more truthful frame and recovery arc.
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Structure and symbolism: how Mallary used split chapters, recurring motifs, and dual timelines to mirror healing’s nonlinear path.
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Researching and weaving 175 interviews and scientific studies into scene-driven narrative.
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Ethical revisitation: returning to treatment centers and old journals without re-engaging harmful behaviors.
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Craft tools for memory: timelines, sensory anchors, and interviews with loved ones and clinicians as tools for depth and accuracy.
Mallary Tenore Tarpley is a journalism and writing professor at the University of Texas at Austin’s Moody College of Communication and McCombs School of Business. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, Time, and Teen Vogue, among other publications. She is the recipient of a prestigious Alfred P. Sloan Foundation grant, which helped support her research and writing. Mallary graduated from Providence College and has a Master of Fine Arts in nonfiction writing from Goucher College. She lives outside of Austin, Texas, with her husband and two children. Slip is her first book.
Connect with Mallary
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mallarytenoretarpley/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallary-tenore-tarpley-6719484/
Weekly Substack newsletter: mallary.substack.com
Get More from Estelle:
NYU (Zoom), 6-week course: Writing About Your Life Through Memoir & Essays — https://www.sps.nyu.edu/courses/WRIT1-CE9800-writing-about-your-life-through-memoir-essays-and-articles.html
Private small-group memoir class: January sold out in 4 days. The next 6-week session starts March 2026 and enrollment is open now. Email freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com for details.
New Substack post: Why Every Memoir Needs the "Echo Effect". https://estelleserasmus.substack.com/p/why-every-memoir-needs-the-echo-effect
📬 Newsletter + FREE Pitching Guide Find out more about this episode and get Estelle's free pitching guide when you sign up for her newsletter: https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast
About Estelle:
Estelle Erasmus is an award-winning journalist, author of Writing That Gets Noticed (named a "Best Book for Writers" by Poets & Writers), and host of Freelance Writing Direct—2025 Podcast of the Year (Education), American Writing Awards. A Contributing Editor for Writer's Digest and adjunct professor at NYU, her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, WIRED, PBS/Next Avenue, The Independent, and AARP: The Magazine. She's served as editor-in-chief of five national magazines.
Explore More:
• 📘 Writing That Gets Noticed – Buy the book | Audiobook
• 📰 Subscribe on Substack: https://estelleserasmus.substack.com Latest posts: "Why Every Memoir Needs the "Echo Effect". When Writers Are the Ones Blocking the Page: 6 Ways to Move Forward (and An Offer); "How to Get Published in Cosmopolitan or Seventeen"
• 🎧 More episodes: Freelance Writing Direct Podcast
• Read Estelle's latest article How to Use the Internet to Become Your Own Private Investigator (Next Avenue/PBS)
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