ABSTRACT
In the conclusion for Narrating Estrangement: Autoethnographies of Writing of(f) Family, the editors reflect upon what it was like to give guidance and feedback to authors who were writing deeply personal and oftentimes tragic and heartbreaking stories. They discuss the personal impact of editing others’ work on how they told stories of their own, how seeing family estrangement through other perspectives helped them see their situations with new eyes. They use a conversational style to discuss in depth the themes and connections found not only between the chapters but how the stories told resonate within themselves and their lives while also discussing the limitations and future directions for their project on family estrangement. Finally, the editors prompt the audience to try on the stories they’ve read, see how reading through the stories in the collection can be of help or provide insight into each audience member’s own experience.
