M Train

This is in large part a travel memoir. Consider your own travel experiences and write a personal essay detailing them. Think about the details Smith chooses to include or skip over in her descriptions of travel. How do her experiences compare to your own?

Smith won a Grammy for her recording of M Train. Listen to part or all of her recording. How does this new medium change your perspective of the work? Which medium do you think is most effective, and why?

Did this memoir change your perspective on who Patti Smith is? Were you familiar with her work beforehand, or is this your first introduction to her? Explain your perception of Smith now that you have read M Train.

This is Smith’s second memoir; the first was Just Kids (2010). Write an essay comparing and contrasting who Smith is in each memoir. Consider how she understands her experiences in hindsight. Be sure to reference the respective books’ themes.

Smith talks extensively about food (and coffee) in M Train. How do these vivid descriptions contribute to the story’s plot, themes, and atmosphere? Use examples from the text to support your answer.

Smith often references her dreams in M Train. Why do you think these dreams are significant to the text? Track the changes in her recurring dreams about the cowpoke and compare them to her mental state throughout the memoir.

Compare and contrast Smith’s memoir with another spoken word memoir, essay-based memoir, or memoir in verse. Some options could include Apple by Eric Gansworth, The Favorite by Lucinda Watson, or Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion.

Smith often photographs the possessions of famous people who have long since died. With reference to M Train’s themes, why do you think this practice is important to her?