Magical Memoir Moments
You Are Invited to a Cover Reveal!
One of the most important decisions that publishers and authors make about a book is its title and its cover. This decision has been made for my memoir. I used Rosy Cheeks: A Mennonite Childhood as a working title when I proposed the book to Herald Press. But the title has changed. I want to…
Honoring Willa Cather: A Happiness Project
Last fall I traveled a long way to Jaffrey, New Hampshire. I wanted to place flowers at the grave of Willa Cather, my favorite author.
The Things She Couldn’t Carry: Touching the Hem of My Grandmother’s Garment
After we die, who is left to tell our story? And what is left of who we were? My maternal grandmother Anna Mary Herr Hess died at the age of 56 when I was not quite three years old; hence, I do not consciously remember her living presence. Almost everything I know about my grandmother has…
Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou, and the Immortality of Powerful Words
When Nikki Giovanni and Joanne Gabbin call them to assemble, the stars of the African-American literary community and their fans gather. And when these two poets choreograph the stars, they sparkle, dance, and sing like never before. It was my sheer good fortune to participate in an event organized by Giovanni and Gabbin that I will not soon…
Pilgrim's Progress: Walking Backward from England to Childhood, Part III
Blessed by several experiences of pilgrimage this summer, I’m now in the final stage of the journey: the return, where the main focus is on reflection. Because I am also finishing the first draft of my memoir about a Mennonite childhood, the return takes me back not only in space but in time also. Like the characters…
The Yearning: How a Pilgrim Journey is Like a Memoir, Part II
Yearning. Everything starts with yearning. But that doesn’t mean the nature of the yearning is clear to the yearner. Sometimes we go on pilgrimage to find out what we yearn for. Sometimes a book, especially a memoir, grabs us by the hand and takes us on the same journey. In my case, I went on…
How Writing a Memoir Is Like a Pilgrimage: Part I, Overview
Even though the time clock is ticking on my memoir deadlines, I took time out this summer to travel. In July my husband and I traveled to Turkey and Greece, an amazing experience for both of us which I described in a previous post. After returning from that trip and hosting our whole family for…
Adventures with eReaders: The Kindle Part 3
Here’s what Amazon calls “Shirley’s 2nd Kindle.” They gave me this one because I called their customer service department when my first one, an earlier model, died. Pretty impressive, eh? How many other companies offer you a newer model of a product valued at $149 for free without kicking and screaming? A more cynical person…