Magical Memoir Moments

Anniversaries of All Kinds: Blogging and Living Memoir

This week marks the second anniversary of www.100memoirs.com. After about 200 posts, more than 1000 comments, 35,000 hits and new links to Facebook and Twitter, this blog has brought me into the social media world, sometimes kicking and screaming, but always with a reward of new friendships. Thank you, dear readers, for helping me learn….

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Toy Story 3: A Memoir Stimulus Package

When Stuart and I saw Toy Story 3, I remembered one of our more delightful experiences while in Prague last year–a trip to the Toy Museum at the base of the huge castle in Prague, Czech Republic. At the time we visited, the museum displayed an amazing collection of Barbie dolls in honor of her…

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How NOT to Write a Memoir: Susan Shapiro's Satirical Advice

Author and teacher Susan Shapiro outlines ten tips for how NOT to get your memoir published. The Writer Magazine is the source for this post.

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Unfinished Business by Lee Kravitz: A Book Review

Like many of you, I am surrounded by books and paper everywhere I go.  Here in the red chair, which serves as my favorite office, magazines spill over each other on the both sides of me. In front of me is the pile of paper I scooped off my work desk on the way out…

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Help Marla Contact Oprah: She Wants a New Show About Conscious Aging

 I met Marla Miller at the Santa Barbara Writer’s Conference in 2007. She taught the marketing workshop which came highly recommended. She has a no-nonsense style of teaching and interviewing that I respect and enjoy. I took the class again in 2008. We became Facebook friends last year. Marla posts essays she writes for More Magazine,…

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Book Giveaway: Unfinished Business by Lee Kravitz

Time to give away another book!  This time the book is Unfinished Business by Lee Kravitz. You can visit Kravitz’s blog page here and listen to a three-minute video about the book. After you do this, please come back to this blog and leave a comment by midnight Wed. June 30. I will collect the…

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Review of Ander Monson's Vanishing Point: Not a Memoir

  Lanie Tankard is back! This time she has read and reviewed a memoir that challenges the boundaries of the genre–and in the process tells a life story (indirectly). I think you will find her review fascinating.  I know she would love your comment, no matter what you think.  Anyone teaching the genre, and brave…

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3 Things That Could Make a Difference, for Michigan, and for You

I love where I live. You may have read about my neighborhood here and about one special neighbor Priya, who moved to Texas, much to our sorrow. Michigan Public Radio stations have been running a regular series called “3 Things” since January of this year.  Lots of people have offered suggestions for a way to fix Michigan,…

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Why Go to a Writer’s Conference? Two Slideshows Illustrate Some of the Many Benefits

In April of this year poet Mark Nepo and I co-facilitated a writer’s retreat that brought 16 wonderful writers to the Fetzer Institute where we both work. The experience profoundly affected all of us, and we continue to stay in touch with each other. Soon we will have edited video interviews which I will share here.  In…

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Tom Callanan's Biking Memoir: A Story of Transformation

Last summer my friend Tom Callanan rode from Kalamazoo to Martha’s Vineyard–921 miles–in eleven days. Was he young? Not really (55). Was he an experienced biker? Not really–prior to this trip he just rode in the evenings for an hour or so. Was he crazy? Well, maybe. But at least he lived to tell some great stories…

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