Name: Writing About Real People Ethically & Legally
Start: 2027-01-16T15:00:00-0500
End: 2027-01-16T16:00:00-0500

Writing About Real People Ethically & Legally

Saturday January 16, 2027 3:00pm - 4:00pm EST

TBA

Writing about real people — whether in memoir, essay, journalism, or fiction inspired by real events — comes with questions that craft alone can't answer. This session tackles the ethical and legal territory writers need to navigate: defamation, privacy, and the practical difference between what you're legally allowed to write and what you should write. We'll cover how to handle composite characters, changed names, and disguised details; when to seek permission (and when you don't need to); how to think about people who can't consent, including the deceased and minors; and how to stay true to your story without needlessly harming the people in it. Whether you're writing about family, exes, public figures, or anyone in between, you'll leave with a clearer framework for telling your truth responsibly.

Moderators

Nicole Graev Lipson

MOTHERS AND OTHER FICTIONAL CHARACTERS, Author

Nicole Graev Lipson is the author of the memoir in essays Mothers and Other Fictional Characters, a USA Today bestseller and LitHub Notable Small Press Book of 2025. Her writing has appeared in The Sun, Virginia Quarterly Review, Gettysburg Review, LA Review of Books, The Washing... Read More →

Speakers

Elizabeth Pryor

SOMETHING WE SAID: RICHARD PRYOR, A NOTORIOUS WORD AND ME, Author

Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor is a Professor of History at Smith College where she teaches courses on race, slavery and her father, comedic legend Richard Pryor. She is the award-winning author of the article “The Etymology of [N-Word]: Resistance, Language, and the Politics of Freedom... Read More →

Rachel Eliza Griffiths

THE FLOWER BEARERS, Author

Rachel Eliza Griffiths is a poet, novelist, and visual artist. She is the recipient of the Hurston/Wright Foundation Legacy Award and the Paterson Poetry Prize and was a finalist for the NAACP Image Award. Her debut novel, Promise (Random House, 2023) was a Kirkus Reviews and Chi... Read More →

Saturday January 16, 2027 3:00pm - 4:00pm EST
TBA

Track 6: Grab Bag

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TBR 2027

Nicole Graev Lipson

Elizabeth Pryor

Rachel Eliza Griffiths

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Success you have shared X tickets.

TBR 2027

Nicole Graev Lipson

Elizabeth Pryor

Rachel Eliza Griffiths

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