I was surprised and delighted to discover a generous review of Ancestor Trouble by Deanna Korte in the latest issue of the National Genealogical Society Quarterly. Here’s an excerpt: Maud Newton, in a fascinating author debut, shows readers that our ‘obsession with ancestors opens up new ways of seeing ourselves.’ Newton… takes the reader on a journey of genealogical exploration, . . .
I’m teaching a creative writing workshop—Family Stories We (Tell Ourselves We) Can’t Tell—for the Miami Book Fair, as part of the festivities around the 2024 Miami Big Read featuring Madeline Miller’s Circe. We’ll gather in person at the Miami-Dade Wolfson campus. The workshop is priced for accessibility and size-limited for intimacy. For more details, or to register, go to the Miami Book Fair site.
Maud Newton will speak with Abbott Kahler tonight, January 16, at 6 PM, about Kahler’s widely recommended first novel WHERE YOU END.
When an ancestor who was persecuted also persecuted others–in even more devastating ways.
The Guardian U.S. has published my argument for what I’ve called acknowledgment genealogy, the importance of reckoning with our individual families’ participation in slavery. “Amid a rise of laws forbidding discussions of racist histories, sharing our ancestors’ shameful wrongdoings is more urgent than ever” is the subhead. Acknowledgement is a crucial first baby step toward the repair we need. The illustration above was . . .