Writers turning memories into memoirs

Roxana Robinson and Dani Shapiro
Jennifer Almquist
Roxana Robinson and Dani Shapiro
Early evening in West Cornwall, twilight descending, the lights of the Cornwall Library glowed as a capacity crowd found their seats to spend the next two hours in the presence of three local authors Saturday, Jan. 27.
Cornwall resident Roxana Robinson was the moderator of the Author Talk in the library, part of a series of scheduled events. She began the evening by introducing the women seated on either side of her: “Dani Shapiro and A.M. Homes are two of our most interesting contemporary writers. Through the lenses of fiction and memoir, they have explored the world as we know it. It’s a choice all writers face — which genre, which form, will best allow me to explore this subject?”
Robinson, the biographer of Georgia O’Keeffe, has written six novels and three collections of short stories. She was named a Literary Lion by the New York Public Library. She is an environmentalist, master gardener and scholar of American paintings. Robinson teaches in the MFA program at Hunter College.
The evening in Cornwall felt like a university seminar. Robinson spoke of the transformation of the genre of memoir in the last 20 years following the “blazing memoir” ["The Liar’s Club"] written by Mary Carr, who once wrote of “the sheer convincing poetry of a single person trying to make sense of the past.”
Robinson said, “Dani Shapiro has chosen primarily to use memoir as a means of exploring the world, writing about her rather sensational coming of age, in 'Slow Motion,' the question of faith in 'Devotion,' the story of her marriage in 'Hourglass,' and the revelatory discovery of her biological parent in 'Inheritance,' while writing novels that explore similar themes.”
Shapiro has written four memoirs — "Hourglass," "Still Writing," "Devotion" and "Slow Motion" — and five novels. Her work has been translated in 14 languages. She has taught at Wesleyan University, the New School, New York University, and Columbia University.
Robinson asked Shapiro how she chose her form. She answered: “It is dictated by what happens — a shimmer — and my obsession becomes the theme. Writing 'Slow Motion' was a conscious choice, but I was not in charge. 'Slow Motion' was a curative for my fiction.”
Turning to her right, Robinson asked Homes, “How did you choose memoir?”
She replied: “I was adopted, I was a replacement for a child who had died, and my biological family found me in my 30s. Time and history change things. I think the relationship between self and story IS the story. I was writing about secrets, but I WAS the secret.” She was the product of an affair between a married man with a family and his young mistress. Homes said she had grown up fascinated by George Washington, written about him, and was freaked out to learn from her biological father that she was related to Washington, and her family once owned all the land that is now Washington, D.C. Her prescience was uncanny.
Shapiro added that in psychiatry that is called the “unthought known” — what we know in our bones. She referred to her own “genealogical bewilderment” upon learning that the man she had adored as her father until 2016 was not her biological father. Her true identity had been hidden from her for 50 years. Shapiro marveled that she had written over 100 pages describing a certain male character, and then learned later that her biological father was a dead ringer for the fictional character she had summoned up.
Robinson explained: “A.M. has focused on the sociological aspects of the world, exploring the possibilities of transgressive behavior in her controversial novel, 'The End of Alice,' which was about a homicidal pedophile, and 'Music for Torching,' about subversive currents in the well-behaved suburbs, and now in 'The Unfolding,' which imagines a group of rich, entitled men who can’t tolerate the election of a black man for president, and who set out to undermine the American system in response. Her memoir, 'The Mistress’s Daughter,' explores her own discovery of biological parents who intrude on her life in an unsettling way.”
Homes, who teaches creative writing at Princeton University, has written 26 books that have been published in 22 languages, and is the writer/producer on television shows including "Mr. Mercedes" and "The L Word." She has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York Foundation for the Arts. She collaborates on book projects with artists including Carroll Dunham of Cornwall and has written the libretto for three operas. Her newest book, "The Unfolding," is oddly prescient as she began writing it when Obama was elected, and it centers on a character known as “the Big Guy” who organizes a group of wealthy Republicans to form the “Forever Men,” a secret cabal who will do anything for their species to stay in power.
The friendship between these three women was palpable during their dialogue. They know and respect each other’s writing. The sensibility of Homes and Shapiro are polar opposites, yet they write about the impact of their parent’s decisions, and family secrets, on their own emotional, psychological development. Homes is irreverent, witty, and creates “the least likely characters, and then I inhabit them — I want my characters to be someone I would like to spend time with.”
“A.M., you make people love your unsavory characters, they have a strange dichotomy,” observed Shapiro, and Homes replied, “Dani, your characters are beautifully struggling with that, but they are way more tender.”
Each author asked questions of the other. “Dani, you are renowned in the mentoring teaching world, what was the evolution of that?" Shapiro answered that moving up to the country changed everything and she began running writing classes, creating a creative bond with her students that has continued for 25 years. “I teach at Kripalu once a year — real generative work with small groups with prompts, and in 2007 started the Sirenland Workshop in Positano, Italy." Shapiro’s podcast "Family Secrets" has 30 million downloads.
Homes: Writing a memoir is like doing surgery on yourself.
Shapiro: Writing a memoir is not cathartic, it drills down your own story more deeply. What haunts us is part of our DNA.
Homes: Dani, how do you translate memory?
Shapiro: Annie Dillard said follow the line of words.
Shapiro: Dolly Parton said, “figure out who you are, and do it on purpose.”
Shapiro and Robinson will be in discussion again on Feb. 13 at The White Hart Inn in Salisbury at 6:30 p.m. to discuss Robinson's newest novel, "Leaving."
Tom Quinn, State Rep. Maria Horn (D-64), Joanne Borduas, CEO of Community Health & Wellness, and Nancy Heaton, CEO of the Sharon based Foundation for Community Health.
SALISBURY — Community Health & Wellness Center’s annual fundraiser, Music in the Meadow, drew a lively crowd Friday evening, Sept. 13, at the Barn at Stillwaters Farm.
Guests enjoyed an enchanting night filled with music, scenic views and farm-to-table flavors in support of the nonprofit’s mission.
Set against the rolling hills of Stillwaters Farm, the evening featured live entertainment from singer-songwriter Johnny Irion, which brought the crowd to their feet with a soulful mix of music.
Guests dined on a menu prepared by Emily’s Catering Group, while browsing an impressive silent auction that included experiences from Lime Rock Park, Foxwoods Resort & Casino, the New York Giants, Boston Red Sox, Warner Theatre, among many others.
Hosts Thao and Scott Matlock welcomed supporters to the rustic barn setting, where friends, neighbors, sponsors and donors came together to celebrate community spirit and the vital work of Community Health & Wellness Center (CHWC), the only comprehensive Federally Qualified Health Center in Northwest Connecticut.
Guests also received a warm welcome from Maria Gonzalez of New Opportunities, Inc, who serves as chair of CHWC’s board of trustees, as well as State Rep. Maria Horn (D-64), and Joanne Borduas, CEO of Community Health & Wellness, which operates healthcare centers in North Canaan, Winsted and Torrington.
Event sponsors included, Gold level: NBT Bank, Shipman & Goodwin LLP and The Hotchkiss School. Silver sponsors were Mountainside Treatment Center and Northwell Health/Nuvance Health. Bronze sponsors included Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, Ed Herrington, Inc., Elyse Harney Real Estate, Eversource, Indian Mountain School, National Iron Bank, Northwest Community Bank, PAC Group and Torrington Savings Bank. QualPrint donated the printing of event programs.
As CHWC’s largest annual fundraiser, Music in the Meadow supports residents across the region, regardless of their ability to pay.
“The money raised will go towards general operating/fulfilling our mission to provide high-quality, comprehensive medical and behavioral healthcare to our community,” said Kelly Baxter Spitz, CHWC’s director of development.
Located close to the road, 393 Lime Rock Road was the least expensive house sold in Salisbury this summer. Built in 1850, it is appraised at $135,000 and sold for $165,000.
SALISBURY — With approximately 50 sales of single-family homes per year in Salisbury, the month of August’s property 11 transfers constitute another busy month.
Salisbury’s median prices peaked on a 12-month basis in May 2025 at $1,350,000 and by August had declined to $962,500 – still 18% higher than August of last year.
By mid-September there were 26 single family homes and two condos listed for sale with a median price around $1,500,000.
Transactions
393 Lime Rock Road — 2 bedroom/2 bath home built in 1850 on 0.62 acres sold by Lime Rock Ventures Incorporated to 393 Lime Rock LLC for $165,000.
4 Lime Rock Hollow Road — 3 bedroom/2 bath home on 0.81 acres sold by Laura James and Jonathan Daniel Kosakow to Catherine C. Bowman Revocable Trust and Nicholas W.W. Boman Revocable Trust for $585,000.
136 Belgo Road — Mid-Century renovated 4 bedroom/4.5 bath home ranch on 7.23 acres sold by Step Aside LLC to Peter Donohoe for $2,361,000.
28 Rocky Lane — 1 bedroom/1.5 bath home on 0.63 acres sold by Carol Connolly Trustee Natures World Order Ministries to Lee F. Potter and Nicholas F. Potter for $690,000.
Twin Lakes Road — 296.77 acres sold by SLH Holdings LLC to Salisbury Association Incorporated for $2,450,000.
34 Lime Rock Road — 2 bedroom/2 bath home on 7.66 acres sold by Pond Drive LLC to Hotchkiss School for $1,195,000.
9 Overlook Drive — 4 bedroom/4.5 bath modern house built in 1982 sold by Lisa Billington Foehrenbach and Jens Foehrenbach to Andrew E. Zobler for $2,587,000.
20 Undermountain Road — 5 bedroom/3.5 bath home on 1.1 acres sold by Holly M. Leibrock to Michael M. Keating and Avele Conlogue for $865,000.
240 Main Street — 4 bedroom/2 bath home sold by Sherry Newkirk to McBridge Builders LLC for $650,000.
195 Undermountain Road — 2 bedroom/1 bath home sold by Estate of Lester A. Hoysradt to Linda Roddy for $310,000.
15 Echo Street — 3 bedroom/1 bath home home on 0.49 acres plus an additional 0.03 acre parcel sold by Samuel Hurwitz to Adam J. Lang and Brian Dunkin for $420,000.
53 Wells Hill Road — 3 bedroom/2 bath home with guest house sold by Serena W. Granberry to 53 Wells Hill LLC for $720,000.
* Town of Salisbury real estate transfers recorded as sold between Aug. 1 and Aug. 31, 2025, provided by the Salisbury Town Clerk. Transfers without consideration are not included. Compiled by Christine Bates, Real Estate Salesperson with William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty, Licensed in CT and NY.
CORRECTION The report on Canaan/Falls Village transfers published on Aug. 14 mistakenly provided the incorrect address of a property. Instead of 309 Route 7 North, the correct entry is: 43 Dublin Road — 4 bedroom/2.5 bath home with 18 acres and a pool sold by Patrick Hafner to John Duca for $650,000.
The following information was provided by the Connecticut State Police at Troop B. All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Assault warrant arrest
Just after 9 a.m. on Sept. 6, troopers served an arrest warrant to Robin Nichols, 60, of Sharon for an incident dated to July 4 of this year. Nichols was processed for disorderly conduct and third degree assault and was subsequently released on a $2,500 non-surety bond. She was scheduled to appear at Torrington Superior Court on Sept. 17.
Asleep at the wheel crash
On the morning of Sept. 7, Michael Magill, 61, of Harwinton fell asleep at the wheel of his Honda Accord LX while traveling east on Route 44 in North Canaan. The car drifted off the right shoulder and struck a utility pole, damaging the pole and disabling the vehicle. Magill was uninjured in the crash. He was found to be at fault for the incident and was issued a written warning for failure to drive in proper lane.
Driver leaves vehicle after tree strike
Just after midnight on Sept. 8, Benjamin Dubow, 30, of Falls Village was traveling north on Route 7 in Cornwall when he drove off the road, striking a tree. The Subaru Legacy Outback SSV Ltd was disabled in the incident, but he was uninjured and left the scene of the accident before troopers arrived. He was later located at his Falls Village address where he was issued an infraction for failure to drive in proper lane.
Illegal camping arrest
Troop B received several calls on Sept. 9 regarding an unknown individual camping in the residential area near Housatonic Avenue and Park Avenue in North Canaan. Troopers investigated the calls, ultimately arresting Lucas Wells, 48, of North Canaan, who had an active warrant for his arrest. He was transferred to Troop B for processing, and was ultimately issued a bond for $903, which he posted. He is scheduled to appear at Torrington Superior Court on Sept. 19.
Car strikes tree
On the morning of Sept. 10, Gwen Lindberg, 27, of Somerset, Pennsylvania, was driving east on Johnson Road in Falls Village when she struck a tree. The Nissan Versa was disabled in the crash, and Lindberg initially left the scene after sustaining a minor knee injury. After calling Troop B to notify of the incident, Lingberg returned to the accident location where she was issued a citation for failure to maintain proper lane.
Rear-end hit-and-run on Point of Rocks Road
On the afternoon of Sept. 10, Danella Schiffer, 81, of Salisbury was traveling in her Volvo XC40 Plus on Point of Rocks Road near the intersection with Sand Road in Falls Village when, upon stopping, she was rear-ended by a brown pickup truck. The driver of the truck was identified as a white male in his 30s before driving away down Point of Rocks Road. Schiffer was uninjured in the incident. The case remains under investigation, and anyone with information is encouraged to contact Troop B at 860-626-1820 or Trooper Colon #1159 at jean.colon.carattini@ct.gov.
The Lakeville Journal will publish the outcome of police charges. Contact us by mail at P.O. Box 1688, Lakeville, CT 06039, Attn: Police Blotter, or send an email, with “police blotter” in subject, to editor@lakevillejournal.com
Chris Ohmen worked the griddle Saturday, Sept. 13.
LAKEVILLE — Chris Ohmen flipped large blueberry-studded pancakes with the nonchalance that bespeaks years of practice during the Salisbury Volunteer Ambulance Service’s pancake breakfast at the Grove Saturday, Sept. 13.
Inside the tables were filled with a cross-section of Salisbury, ranging in age from toddlers to “it’s better not to ask.”
Stacey Dodge, Grove manager and SVAS member, was happy. “All my cooks, all my servers came back,” she said, gesturing to the line of people dressed in SVAS shirts ready to heap pancakes and sausages on the plates.