Magical Memoir Moments
John Lithgow's New Memoir — Drama: An Actor's Education
Sometimes a memoir knocks you over even before you read all of it. Such is the case with John Lithgow’s Drama: An Actor’s Education. I’ve read about it, listened to the author, and read a chapter of it at the Diane Rehm Show website. Lithgow, who lives in New York, has made the rounds of the…
Take a Roadtrip in Your Armchair: The Road to Somewhere by James A. Reeves
Lanie Tankard, reviewer extraordinaire and world traveler, is about to set off for distant lands — again. Before she left, however, she sent in this review. Reading it is an adventure in itself. Enjoy! The Road to Somewhere: An American Memoir. New York: W.W. Norton, August 2011 (411 pages) by James A. Reeves Reviewed by Lanie…
After You Die: Do You Want to Live on Digitally? Want to Become an Influential Hologram??
Sometimes all one can say to an idea is “wow.” That’s the way I felt after watching Mashable editor-in-chief Adam Ostrow’s five-minute TED talk below. Writers may not admit it, but one of their desires is to leave evidence that they were here on earth long after they are gone. Memoirists perhaps have this drive…
A Query Critique Focusing on the Hook: Taking Care of Mother When Mother Didn't Take Care of You
Marla Miller, of Marketing the Muse, explains to a writer with excellent credentials how to make her query letter stand out by strengthening the “hook”: I agreed with Marla’s advice. Did you? Would you want to read a memoir on this subject? How do you determine a good “hook” in your own writing? Do you…
Another Way To Hope–A 9-11 Survivor Tells Her Story
My first post on 9-11 this week asked for stories. One friend, artist Erma Martin Yost could not just write a comment. Her heart and mind were bursting. So she sent me an essay, which I immediately asked permission to share. As journalists search for stories of hope, I wonder how many of them have…
The Architecture of Grief: A Review of Project Rebirth
When guest blogger Lanie Tankard, who has reviewed a dozen other books on this site, read my last post about Courtney E. Martin, she was ecstatic because, unbeknownst to me, she had just finished a review of Project Rebirth and had planned to send it to me. Synchronicity at work! Project Rebirth Survival and the…
Nine 9-11 Memoirs that Will Touch Your Heart
Living in New York for a year has many benefits. It’s like having a box seat to culture and history. In a few days the focus in the city will be on the tenth anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center towers. I saw tenth-anniversary t-shirts on sale a month ago. Among all…