Magical Memoir Moments
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…
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…
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….
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…
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,…
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,…
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…
Memoirs for High School Students: Do You Have a Suggestion or List?
Last weekend three of my college friends and I met in the beautiful home of my friend Tina in Virginia. We first spied each other in September, 1966, when we played hookey from college orientation sessions and walked to the local pizza shop instead. We have remained in each other’s lives ever since. Tina is…
Two Wedding Blessings for Our Daughter and Her Husband
Yesterday our only daughter became a bride and wife. Today is Mother’s Day. Need I tell you that my heart was full this morning, even before Stuart placed a handwritten card and a cup of Starbucks coffee on the bedstand and even before the last event of the wedding–brunch with the two families and the wedding…