Bowen Theory and the Geometry of Crafting Fictional Families

Presenter: Michelle Brafman

Faculty member Priscilla Friesen joins novelist Michelle Brafman to discuss how she relies on Bowen theory to create and intubate her characters. Brafman’s newest book, Swimming with Ghosts, explores how addiction operates within the context of a family system and in turn a broader tightly knit community. Her goal is to write “no fault fiction,” where there are no villains or heroes, just regular folks trying to understand, manage, and often transcend their multi-generational triangles.   

Bio: Michelle is a writer and teacher. Her debut novel, Washing the Dead, was included in Book Riot’s list of 100 must-read books about women and religion. Her second book, Bertrand Court, features stories that have won numerous awards including a Special Mention in the Pushcart Prize Anthology. Her essays and short fiction have appeared in the Los Angeles Review of Books, Slate, LitHub, Tablet, The Nervous Breakdown, The Forward, and elsewhere. Michelle teaches fiction writing at the Johns Hopkins MA in Writing program and also founded the Glen Echo Workshops where she leads monthly multi-genre workshops and teaches summer college essay writing classes.