There’s a new collection out called The Science of Story: The Brain Behind Creative Nonfiction, and I was very happy to have one of my essays, The Secret Lives of Stories: Rewriting Our Personal Narratives, included.

Here’s the jacket copy:

Bringing together a diverse range of writers, The Science of Story is the first book to ask the question: what can contemporary brain science teach us about the art and craft of creative nonfiction writing? Drawing on the latest developments in cognitive neuroscience the book sheds new light on some of the most important elements of the writer’s craft, from perspective and truth to emotion and metaphor.

The Science of Story explores such questions as:

· Why do humans tell stories?
· How do we remember and misremember our lives – and what does this mean for storytelling?
· What is the value of writing about trauma?
· How do stories make us laugh, or cry, make us angry or triumphant?

Check it out here.