Writing A Memoir with Annie Lanzillotto

Grace Vaccaro, Staff Writer

Professor Femiani’s Creative Writing class recently had the privilege of meeting and speaking with author Annie Lanzillotto. Annie Lanzillotto was born in the Bronx to an Italian-American family. Her memoir, L Is for Lion: An Italian Bronx Butch Freedom Memoir, was published in 2013. This memoir recounts her life beginning in the 1960’s Bronx. 

Lanzillotto shared how she found her story. It began in a diner. She sat with a napkin and a cup of coffee. She scribbled moments in her life on the napkin, covering every centimeter of the surface and this napkin later became her table of contents for her memoir. She recommends that everyone make a “wild list.” The most important piece of knowledge to know before you begin writing is to accept your voice. Anything that bothers you is what you want to let out. 

The first part of her memoir begins with her childhood, recounting memories of learning to gamble with her father to her first day of school. To find these memories and be able to repaint them in vivid detail, Lanzillotto meditated on them.

Using sensory exercises, such as tracing back a sound or smell, she was able to find more of the memory she may have forgotten. This was a painful thing to do, especially when looking back on traumatic events. Specifically, one memory she did this with was her birthday, when she was forced to wear a pink cotton dress she hated. Focusing on that memory, she held cotton in her hands to ground herself in that moment. Lanzillotto described doing this as a “spiritual journey.” 

Having an authentic voice is vital for being an artist. Growing up in the Bronx, Lanzillotto adopted a thick Bronx accent. When she attended Brown University, many people didn’t take her seriously due to their perceptions of her accent; however, Lanzillotto refused to change herself. As an artist, your voice, unchanged, is your most powerful tool. Use it. 

In Lanzillotto’s memoir, she has an amazing ability to show and not tell her emotions. This skill took time to develop. When writing, she imagines her scenes cinematically and pushes herself to naturally show emotions rather than state them. 

Finally, her memoir shares the ups and downs that come naturally with life. Growing up with an abusive father, her memoir shares the trauma she endured. When covering difficult and personal topics in your writing, Lanzillotto urges everyone to find people who will always answer your calls. Writing about trauma is the same as “scuba diving,” as Lanzillotto put it. You need help and support to get through those moments. Lanzillotto discovered that writing through her trauma has made part of it fade, allowing her mind to accept new parts of life to remember. There is always a community out there for you — finding it is all you have to do. 

Everyone has their story to tell. It only begins with finding it. Whether you begin writing your memoir today or in years to come, Lanzillotto’s wisdom can guide you there.