Magical Memoir Moments
The Truthiness of Fiction: A Review of Lunch Bucket Paradise: A True-Life Novel
Do you remember your father’s workbench? I can still smell the oil, paint, tools, and see the big black vise at the end of the bench. Guest blogger Lanie Tankard was moved by her own memories as she read about the father’s workbench in Fred Setterberg’s new book. Other times, she was more perplexed than…
An Exclusive Love: Author Interview
Here’s another memoir author interview of a memoir that’s been translated into 15 languages and is soon coming out in paper after a successful hardcover run. Learn from the author directly! 1. Please describe the plot of your memoir briefly. It’s the story of my grandparents, who commited suicide together hand in hand in their…
Chinaberry Sidewalks: Another Excellent Crazy Childhood Memoir by Rodney Crowell
Welcome new guest blogger, Richard Potter. Below you can learn more about him and more about an excellent memoir from singer/song writer Rodney Crowell. If you love memoirists Mary Karr, Rosanne Cash, and Jeanette Walls, you will love this one also. By Richard Potter Chinaberry Sidewalks is my first direct exposure to a great American…
Shirley Kurtz on the Difference Between Writing Memoir and Fiction
Welcome today to Shirley Kurtz, another memoirist and Mennonite. Shirley and I graduated from Eastern Mennonite College (now university) and both of us have used our English majors as writers all our lives. Shirley, however, began writing books long ago and has published one memoir, several children’s books, and now a novel. I asked her to reflect…
The Accidental Memoirist: How a Writer's Rare Disease Became the Catalyst to "Overnight" Literary Success
I am thrilled to share with you a lovely essay written by Jon Reiner, whose new memoir describes what it is like to live with the medical command NBM, nothing by mouth — no food, no drink. For three months. If you want an excellent introduction to the memoir, read the Esquire essay that preceded it. Now…
Composing a Life: Counterpoint in Memoir
If you missed Fine Arts 101, read Lanie Tankard’s review below and click on all the links. You will enjoy the ride–especially since a lot of those links take you to countries and cities in Europe. Lanie is heading off to Singapore soon. We’re all lucky she squeezed this fine review of an excellent memoir…
Sisterhood of the Wild Rose: A Review of Moonlight on Linoleum
I met Terry Helwig when she brought her amazing Thread Project to The Fetzer Institute several years ago. I could tell then that her passion for peace comes from a deep place. Lanie Tankard’s review of Helwig’s new memoir confirms the resilient transformation that made her mature contribution to peacemaking possible. Moonlight on Linoleum: A…
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…
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…