On the Merits of Not Letting the Past Stay in the Past, featuring Susan Lieu

This week we touch upon the struggle that presents itself for memoirists who can’t or won’t let the past stay in the past, especially when other people wish you would. Guest Susan Lieu shares powerfully in this week’s show about how her mother became the central force and inspiration for her work after she died due to complications from a tummy tuck. In the process of writing about her mother and making sense of what happened, Susan discovered so much about her family’s silence, their trauma, and about her living parent—her father. If you are looking for a case study for how memoir heals and reveals, don’t miss this episode.
ABOUT SUSAN LIEU
Susan Lieu is a multi-hyphenate storyteller, activist, and author. She is an author, a podcaster, and a performer. Her solo show “140 LBS: How Beauty Killed My Mother” received critical acclaim from LA Times, NPR, and American Theatre. Her debut memoir, The Manicurist’s Daughter, is an Apple Book Pick of the Month and Must Listen of the Month, and has received accolades from The New York Times, NPR Books, Elle magazine, and The Washington Post.
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