Magical Memoir Moments
Shall I Follow Jane's Friedman's Great Example? Or Just Let Jane Do It?
Jane Friedman has 22,679 Twitter followers, some of whom could more appropriately be called devotees. It’s worth getting a Twitter account just to follow her. You’ll soon see why she has built a rabid tribe. She’s smart, ahead of the rapidly evolving book industry curve, witty–and generous. One of the things I like most about…
Judging a Book By its Cover: Rosanne Cash's Composed
Your mother told you never to judge a book by its cover. Right? Well, your publisher isn’t likely to tell you that. And, admit it, when you go into a bookstore, you don’t follow Mom’s advice either. The cover of Rosanne Cash’s memoir Composed: A Memoir arrested me. The author is sitting on a bench…
City of Tranquil Light: A Fabulous Pre-Publication Book Giveaway
I’m so excited! Today I got three shiny new hard copies of Bo Caldwell’s brand new novel City of Tranquil Light. Caldwell wrote the bestseller The Distant Land of My Father, her first novel set in WWII Shanghai, in 2001. This excellent new novel (I’ve read it) takes place in the north China plain and…
Presidential Memoirs, College Essays, Tony Blair Memoir: Memoir in the News
Memoir is in the news! Do you know how many copies of Barack Obama’s memoirs have sold? Which was more popular, Jimmy Carter’s memoir or Bill Clinton’s? Check out the answers to these and other presidential memoir questions here. An occasional writer for The New York Times, Caren Osten Gerszberg, describes the college essay, something…
Let Us Now Praise Independent Bookstores, Public Libraries, and Local Newspapers
If it weren’t for independent bookstores and my local newspaper I would not be writing this blog. So this post is all about thanks and praise. There’s a role for you to play too, so keep reading! I got the idea to praise these outstanding local institutions by reading this delightful Ann Patchett essay in…
Seven Creative Skills You Need to Master in Order to Reinvent Your Life
What do Pablo Picasso, Mary Cassatt, Rembrandt, and your favorite memoir writer have in common? A lot more than you might think. The book below will teach you not only to recognize patterns in the lives of great artists but to become a great artist yourself–a “life change artist.” Becoming a Life-Change Artist: 7 Creative…
Never Underestimate The Power of the Pen to Change Lives
Sometimes we get surprised by joy–by the growth of seeds we planted but did not cultivate. On August 18, 2010, I was asked to attend a tea commemorating the beginning of the Anabaptist Center for Religion and Society at Eastern Mennonite University, my alma mater. Apparently, in 1994, when I gave a speech at EMU…
In Praise of Book Reviews and An Invitation to Review
Did you ever think about how important book reviews are? Jo Parfitt, over at Write Your Life Stories explains just why and how books and book reviews need each other in this post called “The brilliance of book reviews.” If you love to read, you can help your favorite author by writing a review. Using…
Memory of Trees: Another Farmer's Daughter Memoir
I love reviewing books for Christian Century magazine. If editor Richard Kauffman had not asked me to review this book, I may never have found it, and that would have been a great loss. You can find the review below in the August 24, 2010 issue. When it is posted online, I will link to…
Rosanne Cash: Composed
I have always had a fondness for the best of country music and have always enjoyed making fun of the worst. One thing is true about country music: you get a lot of memoir packed into most of those three-minute songs. Johnny Cash and Ruth Carter Cash were some of the best. When I heard…