The Memoir Land Author Questionnaire #107: Nina B. Lichtenstein
"Every time I sit down to write it surprises me how much it feels as necessary as breathing. Writing is a life force for me, a true survival tool I rely on to stay alive and well."
Since 2010, in various publications, I’ve interviewed authors—mostly memoirists—about aspects of writing and publishing. Initially I did this for my own edification, as someone who was struggling to find the courage and support to write and publish my memoir. I’m still curious about other authors’ experiences, and I know many of you are, too. So, inspired by the popularity of The Oldster Magazine Questionnaire, I’ve launched The Memoir Land Author Questionnaire.
Here’s the 107th installment, featuring , author of Body: My Life in Parts.-Sari Botton
P.S. Check out all the interviews in The Memoir Land Author Questionnaire series.
Nina B. Lichtenstein is a native of Oslo, Norway, and a recovering academic. She has a PhD in French literature from University of Connecticut and an MFA in creative nonfiction from University of Southern Maine’s Stonecoast Program. Nina’s essays have appeared in many publications and anthologies, and her book Sephardic Women’s Voices: Out of North Africa (Gaon Books) was published in 2017, and her memoir, Body: My Life in Parts (Vine Leaves press) came out in May 2025. She is the founder and director of Maine Writers Studio, and the co-founder/co-editor of the literary e-zine In a Flash. Nina is the mother of three adult sons and lives in Maine —which reminds her of Norway—with her husband. You can find out more about Nina’s work HERE.
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How old are you, and for how long have you been writing?
I turned 60 a few weeks ago, and have been writing in some capacity for as long as I can remember.
What’s the title of your latest book, and when was it published?
Body: My Life in Parts (Vine Leaves Press in May, 2025).
What number book is this for you?
My second.
How do you categorize your book—as a memoir, memoir-in-essays, essay collection, creative nonfiction, graphic memoir, autofiction—and why?
This book is a memoir-in-essays as each chapter is named for a body part and has distinct essays relating body parts, which serve as portals toward remembrances grounded in the physical body, while linking to other forms of experiences.
What is the “elevator pitch” for your book?
“Body: My Life in Parts is the memoir of an ex-pat Norwegian Lutheran turned American Viking Jewess who is on a quest. This front-end Gen X’er wonders, “How the hell did I end up here, now, like this?” In stand-alone but interconnected chapters (“Eyes,” “Belly,” “Breasts,” “Hands,” etc.; 16 chapters in all), the author’s body parts serve as portals toward remembrances grounded in the physical body while linking to other forms of experience, with one goal: making sense of a life that she realizes— only through writing it— has been full of reactivity (not so great) and agency (better), despite rarely noticing it in the moment. A quiet, grounding book in turbulent, uncertain times, Body: My Life in Parts, shows the reader how the treasure chest that is her own body can be a source of meaningful discovery, and recovery, of meaning.”
When I was young I journaled half-heartedly ( I was too busy and curious running around the neighborhood getting into trouble!), and then followed many years of academic writing until at 40, I discovered the joy of writing the personal essay when I was hired by Norway Times to write a column about being an ex-pat returning to Norway after twenty years away. Then, at 45 I was going through my divorce and started blogging as “The Viking Jewess” and used my writing as a way to survive the massive shifts happening in my mid-life.
What’s the back story of this book including your origin story as a writer? How did you become a writer, and how did this book come to be?
When I was young I journaled half-heartedly ( I was too busy and curious running around the neighborhood getting into trouble!), and then followed many years of academic writing until at 40, I discovered the joy of writing the personal essay when I was hired by Norway Times to write a column about being an ex-pat returning to Norway after twenty years away. Then, at 45 I was going through my divorce and started blogging as “The Viking Jewess” and used my writing as a way to survive the massive shifts happening in my mid-life.
When some of my essays were picked up by various outlets, I got a taste of how gratifying that was, but because English is my second language, I wanted to explore the language and craft more purposefully and decided to pursue an MFA in creative nonfiction. It was then, during my first semester, that my hip was killing me one night and I began to explore and commune with this body part in order to understand what was going on in my middle-aged body. I submitted this writing as my first assignment, and my mentor said, “Give me more of this!” and that was the beginning of this book. When I graduated at age 55 in 2020, I had a decent first draft, engaged a brilliant developmental editor (Allison K Williams) and by 2022 felt confident to begin querying.
What were the hardest aspects of writing this book and getting it published?
The hardest part of writing this book was not arriving at my shitty first draft, which was joyful writing, but rather that moment after I received my developmental editor’s feedback, before I sat down to tackle the deep-dive editing process. It felt overwhelming, because she identified many language issues that my MFA mentors had not. Once I got into it, though, it was almost exhilarating, because I could see how my writing and the whole of the manuscript improved.
I did not find the querying and the subsequent rejections as hard—more of an expected challenge and par for the course—as all the non-writing work that comes along with publishing a book: from asking for blurbs (which I wrote about for the Brevity Blog), to all the marketing and events planning that we need to do ourselves as indie authors, unless we have the resources to hire a publicist. I keep asking myself, When will I have time for my next project??
When some of my essays were picked up by various outlets, I got a taste of how gratifying that was, but because English is my second language, I wanted to explore the language and craft more purposefully and decided to pursue an MFA in creative nonfiction. It was then, during my first semester, that my hip was killing me one night and I began to explore and commune with this body part in order to understand what was going on in my middle-aged body. I submitted this writing as my first assignment, and my mentor said, “Give me more of this!” and that was the beginning of this book.
How did you handle writing about real people in your life? Did you use real or changed names and identifying details? Did you run passages or the whole book by people who appear in the narrative? Did you make changes they requested?
I changed the names of the people whom I knew would appreciate it or who I wanted to be more discreet writing about, and then I asked others like my kids, my husband, and my friends, what they wanted me to do. Some of them read the parts where they figure. Nobody made any requests that I change the narrative, as in my experience of the stories we share. My three sons, now young adult men (27, 28, and 30), have read or heard me read many of the essays where they appear and have all been supportive.
Who is another writer you took inspiration from in producing this book? Was it a specific book, or their whole body of work? (Can be more than one writer or book.)
I was not inspired by a specific book (or the structure of a particular book) but rather by the voices of writers I admire, among them Nora Ephron, David Sedaris, and especially Abigial Thomas. I felt an immediate kinship with these writers whose voices are alive with as much humor and attitude as well as warmth, intimacy, and wisdom.
What advice would you give to aspiring writers looking to publish a book like yours, who are maybe afraid, or intimidated by the process?
Take as many classes and workshops on all the aspects of writing and the business of writing as your time and wallet can afford. Never be afraid to reach out to fellow writers for advice, and prepare for rejections, but know that it is never personal. Just keep on slugging through with as much resilience and stubbornness as you can muster.
Find your people (i.e. other writers and creatives) and join groups online or in person for comradery and inspiration. Try your best to publish excerpts in outlets that accept personal essays, be they literary magazines/journals, or more mass-market outlets like newspapers and magazines, online or print. Be fearless and shameless in self-promoting, no matter how uncomfortable it can be. And know when and who to thank for supporting you on your journey.
What do you love about writing?
I love the solitary time with ideas and words, that never feel lonely, because when I write, it is as if I am communing with other creators and writers whom I admire.
What frustrates you about writing?
That my monkey mind constantly interrupts me! As a writer with ADHD, this is by far my biggest frustration. Also, because I juggle so many languages in my head (Norwegian, English, French, Spanish, and Hebrew) it often takes me more time than I would like to come up with the right word in English. This slows down my writing process even more.
What about writing surprises you?
Every time I sit down to write, it surprises me how much it feels as necessary as breathing. It sounds dramatic, but writing is a life force for me, a true survival-tool that I rely on to stay alive and well.
The hardest part of writing this book was not arriving at my shitty first draft, which was joyful writing, but rather that moment after I received my developmental editor’s feedback, before I sat down to tackle the deep-dive editing process. It felt overwhelming, because she identified many language issues that my MFA mentors had not. Once I got into it, though, it was almost exhilarating, because I could see how my writing and the whole of the manuscript improved.
Does your writing practice involve any kind of routine, or writing at specific times?
Every time I try to stick to a routine, it may last for a day or two or maybe a week at most, and then I digress or lose focus. It’s my earnest goal and fantasy to get up bright and early and write until lunch time six days a week, except on Shabbat, but…There’s the morning yoga class “I need” and the pickle ball round “I want” and the walk in the woods with the friend whose company I adore and who prefers morning walks…I have learned to not beat myself up about this, to not consider it a failure that specific times or a routine seem not to work for me.
I am fortunate now that my kids are all grown and out of the house and I have a husband who is entirely supportive of my writing life (a husband who has over seventeen books to his name and who does sit at his desk every morning like clockwork and has an amazing writing habit, even into his 80s) that I can climb into my third floor turret, as I call my office, whenever I want, and do my writing. Having said all this, what really works for me are deadlines; there’s nothing that gets my butt in the chair and keeps it there like a solid deadline.
Do you engage in any other creative pursuits, professionally or for fun? Are there non-writing activities you consider to be “writing” or supportive of your process?
I teach writing and I have clients whose work I help edit, which are both pursuits supportive of my own process. Also, I run a monthly literary salon & open mic for writers in my area of mid-coast Maine which fosters a community of writers and lovers of stories, and this meeting of minds inspires me endlessly. I also on occasion design websites for creatives and appreciate visual design as part of what feeds my own creative process. And while biking and kayaking may not be considered “creative pursuits” I love how during the solitary time I spend pedaling on the road or paddling on the water here in Maine I often reach some clarity about a project I’m working on.
What’s next for you? Do you have another book planned, or in the works?
My next book, tentatively titled That’s Funny, You Don’t Look Jewish, is also a memoir, probably also in essays, and will be about my journey as a convert to Judaism. I have always wanted to write the book I wish I had when I was going through my conversion when I felt alone and isolated in my experience.
Brava, fellow Vine Leaves Press author!!!