“[I work with] people who are writing their first memoir because they feel really compelled to get their story of something big and important that they experienced or that they learned out into the world, because I believe that stories create empathy, and empathy is how we change the world.” -Stephanie Mitchell

The month of June carries a lot inside it, and so when I saw that it’s Anne Frank‘s birthday and also the anniversary of The Diary of Anne Frank being published on June 26th, it unlocked a new road into how we learn history: memoir.

[EDITOR’S NOTE: This is a preview of the down and dirty, lightly edited interview with our guests that only our Patreon community gets early. If you want the bonus, full interviews with our experts or know someone who would, please support this work by subscribing to the free tier or contributing $3 + to Out Think’s expenses monthly. I’ll share a sweet Perry puppy photo for every new patron. Thank you in advance — Cindy]

Update on our June Poll

Each month I ask the Patreon community what they want The Deep Dive on–this month, they chose Pride Month and Juneteenth! More info on the Patreon when that’s ready—

The Impact of Media History on the World

On Friday, we begin to untangle Media History and the direct lines between historical movements and our digital lives today, it feels fitting to begin with a bonus interview with Stephanie Mitchell, a beautiful and incisive soul.

I love running Out Think Media, not just because of how I can connect with audiences like yourself, but also reconnect with the smartest and most inspiring people in my lives. I met Stephanie 15 years ago at Antaeus Company, where she was studying classical theatre.

It makes perfect sense to me that both Stephanie and I landed more in the writing world, and I’m just thrilled to introduce you to her!

Stephanie Mitchell is a book coach and editor who has been helping first-time writers with their manuscripts for over fifteen years. Since 2018, she has specialized in working with people to write their first memoir – whether they’ve got a published novel under their belt, a long-running blog, or no writing experience whatsoever. She runs the Memoir Writers’ Book Club on Facebook, and her course for beginning memoirists, the Memoir Launchpad, helps people with an important story to tell to navigate the process in a compassionate, supportive environment.

At storytellingthetruth.com, people can download her free workbook on how to write their memoir with confidence, knowing they’ve included all the right stories and skipped the ones they don’t need, at storytellingthetruth.com/freeworkbook

Full, lightly edited interview with full transcript on Patreon.