Date
6-17-2026
Department
College of Arts and Sciences
Degree
Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (MFA)
Chair
Charity Givens
Keywords
Memoir, Narrative identity, Braided memoir, Faith-informed storytelling, Meaning-making, Resilience, Generational healing, Cultural memory, Reflective storytelling
Disciplines
Creative Writing
Recommended Citation
Snead, Pamela, "Season That Speak: The Power of Storytelling in Memoir" (2026). Masters Theses. 1493.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/masters/1493
Abstract
Memoir bridges literature and lived experience, transforming personal history into shared meaning through storytelling. This creative-critical thesis examines memoir as a reflective narrative practice through which identity, resilience, and faith are shaped over time. Grounded in narrative theory and selected memoir readings, the primary site of inquiry is the original braided memoir Seasons That Speak, which explores faith, endurance, generational healing, and provision. The project also draws on world literature traditions to show how storytelling across cultures uses voice, structure, imagery, testimony, and reflection to preserve memory, question authority, and shape meaning. Through alternating scenes and reflective passages, Seasons That Speak demonstrates that storytelling functions not only as recollection but also as interpretation and becoming. Lived experiences—including trauma, recovery, caregiving, displacement, and spiritual formation—are revisited through memory, embodiment, and testimony, revealing how narrative transforms fragmented experience into coherence and meaning. The thesis suggests that memoir operates as both an artistic and ethical practice, enabling writers to reclaim narrative authority, reinterpret inherited patterns, and construct identity within cultural, generational, and faith-informed contexts. Ultimately, this thesis affirms memoir as a practice of meaning-making that extends beyond the individual, offering pathways for healing, connection, and transformation. By situating personal narrative within a broader reflective and cultural framework, the study demonstrates how storytelling sustains identity and shared understanding across time.
