Myth, Memory, and the Haunted Muse

It’s an image a writer can’t forget, perhaps from memory, maybe from an old snapshot, the edges of the paper yellowing. Maybe it’s a phrase of music heard through an open window, or the scent of perfume lingering in an empty room. It could be a name scrawled in an immigration ledger or a date barely visible on a gravestone. Or perhaps it’s a beloved glimpsed on a crowded city street, or maybe the remembered taste of something that will never taste as good again. It’s the force of secret histories, and forgotten voices. It’s the haunted muse—that insistent idea, brainchild, and inspiration that drives the writer to the page, time and again. 

The Auburn Writer's Conference is fast approaching! This year's theme, Myth, Memory, and the Haunted Muse, asks participants to consider the ways that writers use the idea of “the haunted” in their work—either literally or figuratively, as in the memories, histories, people, and places that haunt, and hence propel, characters.

Want to learn more about the conference? Visit our website for workshop descriptions, a schedule, and registration information. Chantel Acevedo, the conference founder, has all of the details on her blog. Or hear from someone who participated last year!