Magical Memoir Moments
Tell Your Travel Story–Win a $3,000 Vacation
Can you tell a great story in 450 characters- just about three Tweets? If you entered the six-word memoir contest a few weeks ago, you should be in good shape to try this new contest from GoAhead Tours. They will give away 20 trips to lucky (and skillful!) players, so why not give it a try?…
Chicken Soup for the Soul: A Potential Source for Memoir Writers
My friend Lanie Tankard discovered today that one of the stories she had published in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series has now been digitized by Google. I recommend that you open this link and read “Rite of Passage,” her description of parting with her daughter on the one hand and mother on the…
Memoir Contest: Seven Hours Left!
Sorry that I just learned about this contest today. But if you have a memoir manuscript ready to go, it won’t matter. All you have to do is follow the guidelines at this Guide to Literary Agents website. Good luck!
Huston Smith's Tales of Wonder: Adventures Chasing the Divine–A Review
If you want to spring out of bed tomorrow morning, saying, “Good!” I suggest you read this book the night before. And if you want a role model for how to age with zest and enthusiasm, even to the extent of looking forward to death as the last great adventure, Huston Smith is your man….
Man on Wire: Enough Inspiration for Film, Memoir, Novel
Philippe Petit has blown me away. And so has this film about his life, focused on the day in August,1974, when he walked on a cable stretched between the South Tower and North Tower of the World Trade Center. I loved the music, graphics, and juxtapositions in this film. Petit is such a clown-like, dancer-like,…
Listmania!–Jerry Waxler's 70 Memoirs List with Annotation
If you are looking for the 100 best memoirs, you are coming to the right place. We are making progress building not only one list but many! Several of the posts in this blog include lists, and here is another blogger’s list with annotations. You surely will find something to your taste in this list…
Announcing the Winner(s) of the Six-Word Memoir Contest
The six-word memoir contest ended at 5 p.m. today. There were 28 entries, three of which were posted on Facebook and added into the comments section of the original post by me. Click here if you want to see all 28. I have selected the entry of Chin Pheng Oh “Watching her grow, I see…
Six-Word Memoir Contest
Have you tried to tell your life story in just six words? Smith magazine discovered a gold mine with this concept a few years ago and now has published several popular books listing these short narratives. The whole concept derives from a single story. Supposedly Ernest Hemingway was challenged to tell a story in six words and…
Want to Create Your Own Memoir Course? Here's a Syllabus to Get You Started
Melanie Springer Mock wrote a very insightful comment on my review of Mennonite in a Little Black Dress. I learned that she teaches memoir writing at George Fox University, which led me to request a copy of her syllabus. She was kind enough to share it. So I include it in its entirety below. A…
Top Ten Memoir List from Mary Karr
As you know, the goal of this blog is self-education in public. I am trying to learn about memoir by reading and reviewing great examples of the genre, books about the genre, and offering some mini-memoir on the way. When readers search for good memoir reading lists, I want them to find this blog. What…