Genres of literature are defined, in part, by similarities in style and form. Memoir tends toward authenticity of emotion by focusing on a particular time period or central question in one’s life. It is intimate and illuminating. Bildungsroman highlights the fraught period from adolescence into adulthood, when protagonists contend with what is expected of them versus who they find themselves to be. And while poetry is too expansive to encompass in a few words, it displays an aesthetic of language and imagery that is impossible to overlook. The richness of these genres shines as our presenters make the personal universal. 

Using Genre for Reflection

Presenters: Rich Benjamin, Kyle Edwards, Eileen Myles