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# Shirley Hershey Showalter

writing and reading memoir

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## Posts

- [Blog: Magical Memoir Moments](https://shirleyshowalter.com/blog/) - [et_pb_section fullwidth="on" specialty="off" background_color="#791a2f" inner_shadow="on" parallax="off" transparent_background="off" allow_player_pause="off" parallax_method="off" padding_mobile="off" make_fullwidth="off" use_custom_width="off" width_unit="on" make_equal="off" use_custom_gutter="off"][et_pb_fullwidth_header admin_label="Fullwidth Header" title="Magical Memoir Moments" background_layout="dark" text_orientation="left" header_fullscreen="off" header_scroll_down="off" parallax="off" parallax_method="off" content_orientation="center" image_orientation="center" custom_button_one="off" button_one_letter_spacing="0" button_one_use_icon="default" button_one_icon_placement="right" button_one_on_hover="on" button_one_letter_spacing_hover="0" custom_button_two="off" button_two_letter_spacing="0" button_two_use_icon="default" button_two_icon_placement="right" button_two_on_hover="on" button_two_letter_spacing_hover="0" /][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fullwidth="off" specialty="off" background_color="#f7f7f7" inner_shadow="off" parallax="off"][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_blog admin_label="Blog" fullwidth="off" posts_number="18" meta_date="M j, Y" show_thumbnail="on" show_content="off"
- [Cancer and Father's Day](https://shirleyshowalter.com/cancer-and-fathers-day/) - It began on Thanksgiving week. It has ended, for now at least, on Father's Day week. In between were consultations with oncologists and surgeons, surgery, proton radiation treatments, and infusions of the drug Keytruda every six weeks. And now. . . Stuart's malignant melanoma is gone! The doctor declared him to be "cancer free." In
- [My Amtrak Writer's Residency: Five Tips for Authors After 4,000 Superliner Miles](https://shirleyshowalter.com/my-amtrak-writers-residency-five-tips-for-authors-after-4000-superliner-miles/) - Authors who want to promote books, see the country, connect with friends and find material for future writing may want to use 5 tips for creating an Amtrak Residency.
- [The Long Loneliness Cure](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-long-loneliness-cure/) - "We have all known the long loneliness and we have learned that the only solution is love and that love comes with community." --Dorothy Day Five hundred years ago, Anabaptists broke from the Catholic Church, sparking the wrath of a powerful hierarchy. Growing up, I learned this history through gory stories of persecution that served
- [A Letter to Our Grandchildren about Peace, Courage, Love, Justice, Kindness and Loyalty](https://shirleyshowalter.com/a-letter-to-our-grandchildren-about-peace-courage-love-justice-kindness-and-loyalty/) - Dear reader, we are still writing the letter below to our grandchildren. They haven't seen it yet. We invite you to pretend you are almost 12, or 10 (we chose to write to the developmental level of the older two. The younger one, age 5, will want to be right in there with them but
- [Vocation: How Do We Listen for a Joyful Calling at Any Age?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/vocation-how-do-we-listen-for-a-joyful-calling-at-any-age/) - Vocation, or calling, gives purpose to life. The questions that help us listen for who we are and what God wants for us are remarkably similar at any age. My young colleague Jess reminded me of this truth this week.
- ["And Thou America"](https://shirleyshowalter.com/and-thou-america/) - Can buildings increase democracy? Frank Lloyd Wright's answer was "yes!" If you visit Taliesin West, outside of Scottsdale, AZ, the entire visit is organized around the idea of "organic" architecture illustrated by this iconic building -- a combination of home, studio, and school. The four tenets of Organic Architecture as defined by Frank Lloyd Wright:
- [Three for Thee: From the Road](https://shirleyshowalter.com/three-for-thee-from-the-road/) - My laptop is earning its name — perched on my lap in the passenger's seat — as we barrel through interstate highways and meander through mountainous roads. We are on our way to join other volunteers in Phoenix, AZ, in a program initiated by our church: SOOP. Trips are actually a wonderful time to sample
- [Three for Thee!](https://shirleyshowalter.com/three-for-thee/) - I love Top 5 Things lists. Apparently lots of bloggers and their readers do. One of the best is Courtney Martin's Sunday 5. When I get together with friends, we almost always share our recent favorites in books, movies, and podcasts. Do you? So, today I will share some recent faves in each of those
- [Onward! Through Life and Death](https://shirleyshowalter.com/onward-through-life-and-death/) - Yesterday Stuart turned 80 years old. Wow. I've written about him frequently on this blog. He is the star of our romance and of his recovery from cancer story. When he turned 70, I called him the "linebacker of my life." In almost everything I do or write he is a quiet, consistent presence. To
- [Color Me, Beautiful!](https://shirleyshowalter.com/color-me-beautiful/) - Remember the fashion trends of the 80s? Big hair! Big shoulder pads! Neon colors! Leg warmers! The divas were Princess Di, Madonna, Janet Jackson, Cyndi Lauper, Lisa Bonet, and Whitney Houston. And the book Color Me Beautiful by Carole Jackson spent 3-4 years on the New York Times bestseller list. By 1983 it had sold
- [The Handmaid Cometh](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-handmaid-cometh/) - "Margaret Atwood should sue the U. S. for plagiarism." When I saw the post above on the social media platform Threads, I recognized a good English major joke. Atwood's classic novel The Handmaid's Tale takes place in Gilead, a fictional place that is meant to represent the future United States where life has
- [Pura Vida! A Great Gift](https://shirleyshowalter.com/pura-vida-a-great-gift/) - A month has passed since Stuart and I flew with our granddaughter Julia to Costa Rica. We celebrated her "coming-of-age" (12.5 years) by joining other grandparents and grandchildren on a Road Scholar tour. What will we remember from our hikes, mud bath, swims, zip lines, farm visits, river rafts, making tortillas by hand, stomping on
- [Slipper'd Pantaloons: A Parody of the Seven Stages of Man](https://shirleyshowalter.com/slipperd-pantaloons-a-parody-of-the-seven-stages-of-man/) - My friend Tina took me to the theatre to celebrate my birthday. As we sat in the balcony, I eagerly anticipated Jacques' famous speech, one I first heard live on the Goshen College stage. Do you remember "The seven stages of man" speech? Like so many of Shakespeare's comedies, As You Like It does
- [Hopelessly #GranolaMennonite](https://shirleyshowalter.com/hopelessly-granolamennonite/) - "The transformation of waste is perhaps the oldest preoccupation of man."
- [Do You Want to Live to 100?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/do-you-want-to-live-to-100/) - If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans. --Woody Allen When it comes to dying, we don't get to choose the date, of course. But what if we could? Would you set your clock to 100 years? The internet offers you a way to predict your death year by entering data into
- [Anabaptist Women Unchained](https://shirleyshowalter.com/anabaptist-women-unchained/) - The Radical Reformation dates back to 1525 -- 500 years ago. So Mennonites, Amish, Hutterites, and other assorted groups who trace their theology back to the Anabaptists are throwing a party this year. It will be a subdued one, of course, since thousands of the first Anabaptists were martyred, and we are not known as
- [Our Meet-Cute Story](https://shirleyshowalter.com/our-meet-cute-story/) - The beginning of every romantic comedy features a tension-filled encounter that pits the two main characters against each other in some kind of twisted fate circumstance, otherwise known as the "meet-cute." The actions those characters take in their first encounter will set a pattern that contains the theme of the whole book. Cue the violins,
- [Triumph of the Will Then and Now](https://shirleyshowalter.com/triumph-of-the-will-then-and-now/) - You have seen the images. A man stands elevated at a podium in the midst of a vast field. An enormous crowd packed into the field roars with one voice and salutes in unison — "Heil, Hitler!" Soldiers in knee-length black leather boots goose-step through the streets. Those pictures from the 1930s and 1940s are
- [A Day in Passau:](https://shirleyshowalter.com/a-day-in-passau/) - What is your favorite way to travel? I love going with people I love to a beautiful place and then connect with people who live there who generously share their love of their place and its history with us. On our most recent trip, a Viking European Grand Tour of the Danube, Main, and Rhine rivers
- [The Headache by Lydia, age 7](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-headache-by-lydia-age-7/) - A few weeks ago, Lydia and I went to Allentown with Lydia's mom. When I climbed into the car, I could tell that taking a long drive was not Lydia's idea of a good time today. I sat in the back seat with my special "Frida bag" to help make the time go faster. Inside
- [Separation of Church and State](https://shirleyshowalter.com/separation-of-church-and-state/) - The reason my family today is American and not Swiss is due to religious persecution. How to explain this? My religious ancestors left behind few words for future posterity. Felix Manz and Conrad Grebel, the earliest Anabaptists, were well-educated, ardent seekers during the early Reformation, who disputed with the leader of the Reformed movement, Ulrich
- [Digging Up a Hidden Heritage](https://shirleyshowalter.com/digging-up-a-hidden-heritage/) - Since I am the first person in both sides of my Mennonite family to go to college, and since my family praised "common sense" over too much "book learning," I was surprised to discover recently that some of my earliest ancestors in America were actually public school pioneers. I should not have been totally surprised
- [What Will Your Death Illustrate?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/why-public-schools/) - He was the most powerful congressman in America during the Civil War. He helped unknown hundreds escape to freedom on the Underground Railroad. All pictures of him show a man of determination, a man who knew suffering, a man who eased the sufferings of others. His name was Thaddeus Stevens, and he represented Lancaster County,
- [My Friend Elliott](https://shirleyshowalter.com/my-friend-elliott/) - Did you realize that among the 20,000 young individuals transitioning out of foster care annually upon reaching the age of eighteen, a staggering 40% will grapple with homelessness within just three years? This stark reality casts a shadow over the lives of individuals like Elliott Glover, who narrowly escaped the same fate. However, homelessness is
- [What's Good About Aging?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/whats-good-about-aging/) - I turned 75 years old on July 30. This is the first birthday that seems undeniably like the beginning of old age — three quarters of the way to 100. Six years away from the average American female life expectancy of 81. No matter my fate, I am beginning to see the horizon and the
- [Grandmas For Love](https://shirleyshowalter.com/grandmas-for-love/) - It started with a sidewalk conversation just after we moved to Lititz in 2021. I was admiring the artwork of my neighbor, Margaret Thorn, and trading stories about the Warwick High School Class of 1966 with her husband, my WHS classmate, Art Thorn. Margaret told me she had spoken at the local school board meeting.
- [A Story of Hope for Those Who Struggle with Depression](https://shirleyshowalter.com/a-story-of-hope-for-those-who-struggle-with-depression/) - A few weeks ago Stuart and I were visited by a former student of mine, now a wife and mother who spent many years living in Indonesia, which is her husband's home. Karin will soon move to Bangladesh, where her husband will be working for Habitat for Humanity, and she hopes to continue online work for her master's
- [Ukrainian Grandma Star](https://shirleyshowalter.com/ukrainian-grandma-star/) - The war in Ukraine has touched the hearts of millions around the world. Many people have found ways to show their concern. For two years in a row, a group of friends in our community has made comforters to ship to Ukraine. But one reader has a more personal connection. Let me introduce you to Lisa
- [The Grandsandwich Generation](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-grandsandwich-generation/) - Last Sunday after church, I brought my daughter, granddaughter, Mother, and a bowl of cookie batter to my sister Doris' house. We joined her and her daughter, two granddaughters, and my niece Joyous and her daughter. We had lunch together and then decorated Easter cookies and made chocolate peanut butter eggs. Another way to describe
- [Love and Its Relation to Death](https://shirleyshowalter.com/love-and-its-relation-to-death/) - "Death destroys a man. But the idea of death saves him." --E. F. Forster We are traveling the pilgrim's path between love and death. Our home is filling up with emblems of beauty, hope, and care from thoughtful people who have chosen to come on pilgrimage with us. Our neighbors, family, and friends near and
- [An Antidote to GrandSlump: Those Simple Little Pleasures](https://shirleyshowalter.com/an-antidote-to-grandslump-those-simple-little-pleasures/) - Perhaps you have seen this neologism from my friend Kerry Byrne: If you have grandchildren, and were lucky enough to have them all together, or even in stages, over the holidays, you know how grandslump feels. I do. After the children and grandchildren gather up their luggage and head for the car, and we have
- ["YOU Do Not Have Cancer. WE Have Cancer."](https://shirleyshowalter.com/you-do-not-have-cancer-we-have-cancer/) - He found a lump near his ear when he was shaving. He went to the doctor right away and was referred for tests and then to an ENT specialist/surgeon. The doctors said most of these tumors are benign. But to be sure, the surgeon ordered a deep needle biopsy. On Nov. 22 we received the
- [Serendipity: Introducing Mary Lou Weaver Houser, Another Lancaster County Mennonite Woman With Her Own Story](https://shirleyshowalter.com/serendipity-introducing-mary-lou-weaver-houser-another-lancaster-county-mennonite-girl-with-her-own-story/) - The winner of the 100 Day Challenge just happens to be another Lancaster County Mennonite farm girl who grew up in the 1950's and '60's. She describes her own Home Place and her own way of sharing her stories through art and hospitality.
- [Dancing with Change, Part Three: Gramps and Granny Nanny Leave for the Big Apple](https://shirleyshowalter.com/dancing-with-change-part-three-gramps-and-granny-nanny-leave-for-the-big-apple/) - In a few days, Stuart and I will move a second time in less than seven months! Our journey has taken us from the Midwest to the South to the Northeast. By the end of this week, we will be living in a Brooklyn highrise. And by August 1, we will be sharing a new
- [Why a Night at Forgotten Seasons is the First Prize of the 100 Day Challenge: An Interview With Kathy Wenger](https://shirleyshowalter.com/why-a-night-at-forgotten-seasons-is-the-first-prize-of-the-100-day-challenge-an-interview-with-kathy-wenger/) - Forgotten Seasons, a bed & breakfast near Lititz, Pennsylvania, holds a special place in my heart. When I thought about a prize for the 100 Day Challenge, a night at Forgotten Seasons seemed like a natural. All across America, family farms are disappearing. They are either turned into residential and commercial development or into
- [My Husband's Project: Biographical Geneaology](https://shirleyshowalter.com/my-husbands-project-biographical-geneaology/) - What do retired people do all day long? Stuart and I have been answering that question a little differently every year for the last eighteen years. Stuart retired from Goshen College in 2004. I left my last full-time position in 2010. For 28 years we both worked at Goshen College, changing jobs (I had nine
- [Our Sacred Texts: What Will Your Spiritual Legacy Be?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/our-sacred-texts-what-will-your-spiritual-legacy-be/) - I am writing this post from New York City. For the last four days we have been exploring the place that we called home in 2011-2012, traveling with friends from Goshen, Indiana. One of the highlights was returning to Manhattan Mennonite Fellowship where I preached a sermon called "Loving Our Children's Children." I was rather
- [Melodie Davis' Memoir of an Unimagined Career](https://shirleyshowalter.com/melodie-davis-memoir-of-an-unimagined-career/) - Unlike most of us, author Melodie M. Davis can locate the exact day and place when the shape of her vocation came to her. She was gathering eggs in the chicken house on the family farm when she wrote these words: "On this day, November 18, 1967, Saturday afternoon at 4:30 p.m., I decided what
- [Summer Adventures: It's Not Just About the Grandkids](https://shirleyshowalter.com/summer-adventures-its-not-just-about-the-grandkids/) - If it seems like my recent posts have all been about grandchildren, you are right. Seven of my last ten essays featured grandchildren in some way. These three littles are moving rapidly in time and space, and I want to capture as many memories as possible. I know many of you have older grandchildren (mine
- [The Bonfire of Aging—And Seven Grandparent Resources to Warm Your Heart](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-bonfire-of-aging-and-seven-grandparent-resources-to-warm-your-heart/) - Perhaps you've heard of the Silver Tsunami, the Age Wave that is sweeping the world? It's now a controversial term because it implies older people will overwhelm society with their numbers and their needs. Perhaps it encourages fear of aging and disrespect for the elderly—ageism. By whatever name we call it, however, we are in
- [Five Suggestions for Cousin Camp or Grandparent Camp This Summer](https://shirleyshowalter.com/five-suggestions-for-cousin-camp-or-grandparent-camp-this-summer/) - The phrase "summer vacation" puts a smile on every kid's face. Grandparents also love summer, because chances are the vacation plans might include them! We had three days of continuous celebration of summer here in Lititz when our son's family from Tulsa and our daughter's family from Lancaster were united at our house. I've been
- [Dora Dueck: A Memoirist's Memoirist](https://shirleyshowalter.com/dora-dueck-a-memoirists-memoirist/) - I received an advance reader's copy of this lovely book: When I first saw the cover of this book, which will be released on June 1, 2022, I couldn't take my eyes off it. It looks topographical, both scientific and mysterious. It suggests far more than its spare language and amorphous images indicate. According to
- [Make a Comforter. BE a Comforter. Comforters for Ukraine](https://shirleyshowalter.com/make-a-comforter-be-a-comforter-comforters-for-ukraine/) - My Grandma Sue Snyder Hershey, pictured on the left below, looked like this when I was growing up in the 1950s and 1960s. My widowed great-grandmother, her mother, stands like the prow of a ship in front of her four adult children. I thought a lot about my grandmothers and great-grandmother as I was writing
- [A Grand Spring Break: Portugal, Days 1-5](https://shirleyshowalter.com/a-grand-spring-break-portugal-days-1-5/) - Here in Lisbon, tonight, we are putting up our feet in the hotel suite living room after a day of walking 15,000 steps. We have seen so many sites and listened to so many stories, it's hard to choose a story to tell you, dear reader. We will be here two more days before flying
- [The Big Sleepover: Five Nights and Six Days with a Nearly-Five-Year-Old](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-big-sleepover-five-nights-and-six-days-with-a-nearly-five-year-old/) - Last week Lydia stayed at our house while her parents took a week away to celebrate their anniversaries disrupted by Covid (#ten and #eleven) as well as the one coming up in May (#12). This was the first long sleepover for Lydia at our house. A few years ago, we did Grandparent Camp with Owen
- [A New Website and Newsletter Look! Seeking Your Tweaks](https://shirleyshowalter.com/a-new-website-and-newsletter-look-seeking-your-tweaks/) - My website was first set up in 2008 to be a place to house a blog called "100 Memoirs." When my first book Blush: A Mennonite Girl Meets the Glittering World came out, I needed a different kind of website, an author's version, to accommodate the various kinds of information prospective book buyers, reviewers, and
- [Are You Bubbe, Zaide, Oma, Opa, Grandma, Grandpa? Paula Span Is Your Must-Read Journalist](https://shirleyshowalter.com/are-you-bubbe-zaide-oma-opa-grandma-grandpa-paula-span-is-your-must-read-journalist/) - Do you have a must-read journalist or columnist? I discovered mine in the pages of The New York Times. She specializes in some of my favorite subjects: the new old age, grandparenting and memoir. Her name is Paula Span. Her writing combines clarity, elegance and empathy. I love that she tells her own story as she
- [Did You Go GaGa When You Became a Grandparent?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/did-you-go-gaga-when-you-became-a-grandparent/) - Way back in 2003, Donne (pronounced Donnie) Davis got a special invitation. Her pregnant daughter invited her to be present in the delivery room. When Donne tells the story of seeing her granddaughter emerge into the world from the body of the woman she herself had birthed, her eyes still glisten and her voice trembles.
- [Take Your Mother to Work Day: Episode Two](https://shirleyshowalter.com/take-your-mother-to-work-day-episode-two/) - My mother and I tried one second-hand store in the 1960's. It was dark, the clothing was not attractively presented, and we weren't sure we wanted anyone to see us go in or out. Second-hand shopping simply meant you couldn't afford new clothes. There was a stigma attached. Enter 2022. Every town has at least
- [Take Your Mother to Work Day: Episode One](https://shirleyshowalter.com/take-your-mother-to-work-day-episode-1/) - You’ve heard of Take Your Daughter to Work Day? Recently, I flipped the script and asked my daughter if she was up for Take Your Mother to Work Day. She was! But before we go to work, a story. Once upon a time there was a girl who loved to shop for clothes with her
- [Before the "White Man" -- The Longhouse and Other Stories of Shelter](https://shirleyshowalter.com/before-the-white-man-the-longhouse-and-other-stories-of-shelter/) - The Longhouse Project and a little-known, long-ago family story have inspired hope that Native-American and European-American healing may some day be possible.
- [Grandparent Day — A Day of Rejoicing and Thanksgiving](https://shirleyshowalter.com/grandparent-day-a-day-of-rejoicing-and-thanksgiving/) - Have you ever attended a Grandparents Day event as a child or adult? Perhaps on the second Sunday in September, the "official" Grandparent Day? Or maybe you have been invited to a grandchild's school? Our Tulsa, OK, grandchildren, ages 10 and 9, invited us to attend Grandparent Days at their school recently. We were able
- [Giving Thanks 2021: Doubling Down on Gratitude](https://shirleyshowalter.com/giving-thanks-2021-doubling-down-on-gratitude/) - Last year at this time was very dark. The pandemic. Both children were in hospitals miles apart. Cold weather. Fading light. A dark night of soul and body. It was very hard to see the blessings in my life when there was so much suffering. So this year, I am rejoicing twice. Once for all
- [What I Learned from Julia Spicher Kasdorf's Mother](https://shirleyshowalter.com/what-i-learned-from-julia-spicher-kasdorfs-mother/) - Virginia was terribly chagrined that she forgot to bring flowers, her intended house warming present, the day we went to lunch together. I laughed and told her to surprise one of her new neighbors, since she lives 20 minutes away and she is even newer to Lancaster County retirement community living than we are. But,
- [How Bob Dylan, Patti Smith, and Norbert Krapf Helped Me to Become a More Mindful Grandparent](https://shirleyshowalter.com/how-bob-dylan-patti-smith-and-norbert-krapf-helped-me-to-become-a-more-mindful-grandparent/) - Did you watch the Nobel Prize ceremony in 2016 when Patti Smith sang "It's a Hard Rain's Gonna Fall" in honor of her friend Bob Dylan? If not, you need to watch it here. And if you are one of the three million people who have already watched this video, trust me, it's worth another
- [Location, Location, Location: Choosing It and then Exploring it](https://shirleyshowalter.com/location-location-location-choosing-it-and-then-exploring-it/) - Q: What are the three most important things about choosing a new home? A: Location, location, location. Why did we choose Warwick Woodlands? There are, after all, dozens of other retirement communities in Lancaster County, PA. In 2018, in fact, U.S. News & World Report ranked Lancaster County as the #1 retirement destination in the
- [Vintage Dress Photo Shoot at the Home Place](https://shirleyshowalter.com/vintage-dress-photo-shoot-at-the-home-place/) - Several weeks after we moved to Lititz, PA, I invited my daughter Kate, granddaughter Lydia, niece Joyous, and her daughter Anna Mary to join me in exploring a pile of vintage clothing I bought in the late 1980s at my Grandpa Hess' estate sale.The dresses had stayed in closets in Goshen, IN; Kalamazoo, MI; and
- [Living a Dream: Owning A Bookstore](https://shirleyshowalter.com/living-a-dream-owning-a-bookstore/) - How many people living in a big city dream of getting away from it all, moving to a small town, and setting up a shop? How many harried professionals wish they could buy books, read books, and talk to customers every day? How many parents of young children wish they could go into a family
- [One is Silver and the Other Gold: Making Friends after 70](https://shirleyshowalter.com/one-is-silver-and-the-other-gold-making-friends-after-70/) - When I was about five years old and discouraged about some relationship with another child, I asked my parents how to make a friend. My parents were both young, in their twenties, but on this subject they were wise beyond their years. "To make a friend, be a friend." Did my mother say it, or
- [Porch Culture: Where Architecture and Hospitality Meet](https://shirleyshowalter.com/porch-culture-where-architecture-and-hospitality-meet/) - A few mornings ago, I stepped out my front door here in Warwick Woodlands, and there was neighbor Donna talking to neighbor Anna over the porch railing. Just the sight of them gave me a pleasant little frizzon -- that "electric feeling behind the navel" that informs me that something profound is speaking to me.
- ["Whatever Happened to That Book You Were Going to Write?"](https://shirleyshowalter.com/what-ever-happened-to-that-book-you-were-going-to-write/) - If you are a regular reader of this blog, you may recall that I wrote a prayer on February 15, 2020, asking for guidance and strength as I undertook a new book-writing project. I had no idea that a month later the whole country would be closed down due to a pandemic. Nor could I have
- [Juneteenth: A Black Holiday With a Place for White People Also?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/juneteenth-a-black-holiday-with-a-place-for-white-people-also/) - Positioned between two worlds of Harrisonburg, VA, and Lititz, PA, right now, I am sitting in Lititz, listening and watching virtual performances of the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival broadcast from Harrisonburg. Under the direction of Amanda Gookin, the festival is both in-person and virtual as the nation emerges from the isolation of a pandemic.
- [Was Tom Wolfe Right or Wrong: Can We Go Home Again?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/was-tom-wolfe-right-or-wrong-can-we-go-home-again/) - “You can't go back home to your family, back home to your childhood … back home to places in the country, back home to the old forms and systems of things which once seemed everlasting but which are changing all the time—back home to the escapes of Time and Memory.” --Thomas Wolfe Thomas Wolfe
- [A Very Moving Experience: Sorting, Giving, Tossing, Selling, Keeping](https://shirleyshowalter.com/a-very-moving-experience-sorting-giving-tossing-selling-keeping/) - We are counting down the days now — seven left! One week before we drive north, our car packed with paintings and blankets. Our lives as Virginia residents behind us. Our new lives as Pennsylvania residents ahead. Fortunately, we have had three months to prepare for this transition. A journey of 225 miles begins with
- [A Role Model Shows Up in the Inbox: Plus, A Book Giveaway](https://shirleyshowalter.com/a-role-model-show-up-in-the-inbox-plus-a-book-giveaway/) - All my life I have looked ahead to someone older to help show me the path ahead. Role models, we sometimes call these people. I started early, looking up to my neighbor Shirley Clark. She was a member of the safety patrol. I became a member also. Last week someone who just might qualify as
- [From This Valley They Say We Are Going: Another Turning Point](https://shirleyshowalter.com/from-this-valley-they-say-we-are-going-another-turning-point/) - A few days ago I wrote about the long, cold winter our family has endured. This week new life has erupted. Daffodils are budding, and the early ones are dancing in the breeze. This beautiful passage from the second chapter of the Song of Solomon speaks for us: “Arise, my love, my fair
- [The Crucible of Winter: What Has It Taught You?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-crucible-of-winter-what-has-it-taught-you/) - "Winter is not the death of the life cycle, but its crucible." -- Katherine May I have been through a very painful winter. Have you too? Today, turning the calendar page today to March 1 felt liberating. Then a walk in balmy, windy, air, listening to birds, looking for crocuses and pansies, admiring the
- [What Keeps Me Standing: The Wisdom of Black Grandmothers](https://shirleyshowalter.com/what-keeps-me-standing-the-wisdom-of-black-grandmothers/) - In the midst of both a pandemic and an anti-racist social justice movement in our country, I find myself, as a white person, a mother, grandmother, and now a caregiver, searching for the wisdom of black grandmothers. I believe black women may be the most resilient people in the world and that their strength gives
- [The Means of Saving Us: One Good, Sacred, Memory](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-means-of-saving-us-one-good-sacred-memory/) - We live in partisan times in America. Depending on where we stand politically, we see different problems, but everyone seems to agree we have problems. Serious problems. We yearn for peace. Yet peace is not possible without "liberty and justice for all." Or, to use the framework that John Paul Lederach teaches, derived from Psalm
- [In Our Dark Night: Mother Julian's Words and a Grandson's Drawing](https://shirleyshowalter.com/in-our-dark-night-mother-julians-words-and-a-grandsons-drawing/) - It's hard to write tonight. The news is so distressing. George Floyd's tragic death is the tip of the spear. We should all be coming together to fight the Corona virus -- and the other viruses of injustice, racism, and inequality. We need wise leaders. We need change. Will it happen? Despair comes more easily
- [How to Get Ready to Die: Easter Lessons from My Mennonite Mother](https://shirleyshowalter.com/how-to-get-ready-to-die-easter-lessons-from-my-mennonite-mother/) - Mother and I talked about the hard subject of death as we prepared to celebrate resurrection. We found ways to laugh as she shared her obituary and funeral ideas with me.
- [Care Packages for Grandchildren:  Creativity While Quarantined](https://shirleyshowalter.com/care-packages-for-grandchildren-creativity-while-quarantined/) - What's a Grandma to do? When hugs are forbidden? Stores are closed? And she's told "elders" like her must stay home? She asks her friends on Facebook, of course. "What can I do to stay connected when all I have are things around the house?" I asked. You wouldn't believe how many GREAT ideas other
- [A Broken-Winged Bird: Life in the Time of the Coronavirus](https://shirleyshowalter.com/a-broken-winged-bird-life-in-the-time-of-the-coronavirus/) - All winter long I gazed sorrowfully at the wooden hummingbird that hung from the window ledge. The left wing was missing! Often, looking at the sad sight, I recalled the famous Langston Hughes poem, "Dreams:" Hold fast to dreams For if dreams die Life is a broken-winged bird That cannot fly. Hold fast to dreams
- [My Dear God: How I Feel About Writing Another Book](https://shirleyshowalter.com/my-dear-god-how-i-feel-about-writing-another-book/) - Writing books is hard work. After writing, revising, publishing, and touring with a memoir, 2011-2014, I said I didn't think I wanted to write another book. The only exception would be if I felt called again. When my friend Marilyn McEntyre asked if I would join her and others on a panel discussion at the
- [Helen Alderfer, Poet, Mother, Wise Woman, Role Model](https://shirleyshowalter.com/helen-alderfer-poet-mother-wise-woman-role-model/) - My husband Stuart gave me a book for Christmas I did not know existed--a pleasant surprise indeed. Helen Alderfer, an early woman leader in the Mennonite Church and someone I have long admired, has published a book in her 90th year. I have always loved reading about people who keep achieving their dreams well into
- ["Have a Good Time with Your Friends:" A Granddaughter Milestone on the Brink](https://shirleyshowalter.com/have-a-good-time-with-your-friends-a-granddaughter-milestone-on-the-brink/) - She's two and a half and heading full speed toward three years old. She's on the brink of everything. Just before Christmas, she helped put up lights and pine garland on her porch. She couldn't stop saying her favorite new word: "energy!" By the time she arrived at our house for the Christmas holiday, Lydia
- [Playing and Working: Launching a Book while Helping to Launch Children](https://shirleyshowalter.com/playing-and-working-launching-a-book-while-helping-to-launch-children/) - The best writers have something in common with young children. They pay attention to life, which gives them something to write about. Which means that they can play and work together. My Mennonite memoir Blush owes a lot to my two small grandchildren.
- [New Year's Resolutions 2020](https://shirleyshowalter.com/new-years-resolutions-2020/) - Christmas came. Christmas was wonderful, overflowing with "energies" (granddaughter Lydia's latest word). Christmas, and 2019, are now history. When the house gets quiet again, my spirit searches for poetry. "Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee." --Augustine of Hippo Here on this
- [After the Children Drive Away: Memoir in the Form of a Poem](https://shirleyshowalter.com/after-the-children-drive-away-memoir-in-the-form-of-a-poem/) - This week I offer you two pictures and one poem. When the Children Leave Home The children are no longer children. They live far away. When they leave, so soon, again, I do the vacuuming. I pick up the white fluffy polar bear, take the Pat the Bunny book downstairs where it will wait
- [Your Grandparent Name: A Twenty-first Century Choice](https://shirleyshowalter.com/your-grandparent-name-a-twenty-first-century-choice/) - What is one of the oldest jokes about becoming a grandparent? "I don't mind being a grandma, but I'm not sure about sleeping with a grandpa!" Getting used to the role of grandparent takes time, but is a universal experience. Getting used to the name, these days, is much more culturally variable. Depending on how
- [In Praise of Breakfast: Starting Three Good Days at The Bishop's Hall](https://shirleyshowalter.com/in-praise-of-breakfast-starting-three-good-days-at-the-bishops-hall/) - Three days in Oak Park yielded three extraordinary breakfasts, from freshly-squeezed orange juice to Eggs Benedict. We Pilgrim Sisters launched three good days there.
- [Train Up a Child: The Legacy of My Great-Grandma Snyder](https://shirleyshowalter.com/wit-and-wisdom-another-way-to-leave-a-memoir-legacy/) - My Great-Grandma Snyder was a widow from March 15, 1924, until her own death forty years later. She reared four children to adulthood and managed a farm and then a house in the town of Lititz until she was no longer able to do so. Then she rotated among her children, living in a
- [What kind of Mennonite Mother Would Name Her Daughter for Shirley Temple?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/what-kind-of-mennonite-mother-would-name-her-daughter-for-shirley-temple/) - After Shirley Temple Black died Feb. 10, 2014, my mother and I tried to locate her influence in our lives. I was led to an epiphany about my memoir Blush as a result.
- [Honoring Willa Cather: A Happiness Project](https://shirleyshowalter.com/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.
- [I See Iowa Politics Up Close, and Carol Chooses Her Candidate!](https://shirleyshowalter.com/i-see-iowa-politics-up-close-and-carol-chooses-her-candidate/) - Remember my friend, Carol, who lives in Iowa? I wrote about her in June. We met online as memoir writers, presented together at Prairie Lights bookstore, and have stayed in touch by phone for several years. In June, Carol was still trying to decide who she will caucus for in February. Well, there's news to
- [Prairie Lights Bookstore, Faulkner, Carol Bodensteiner, and Me](https://shirleyshowalter.com/prairie-lights-bookstore-faulkner-carol-bodensteiner-and-me/) - My current book tour takes me to Iowa City's famous Prairie Lights bookstore this Sunday Oct. 19, 2014. Using Faulkner's famous quote, we will reflect on the meaning of the past.
- [Little Mystic, Great Mind: Splendor in the Grass](https://shirleyshowalter.com/little-mystic-great-mind-splendor-in-the-grass/) - “[To the mystic] grass is really a forest and the grasshopper a dragon. Little things please great minds.” --G. K. Chesterton When little Lydia, almost two and a half, visited our house recently, she spent the first few minutes walking from room to room, noticing things she remembered from her last visit nearly a year
- [57 Varieties of Wisdom: Sooner or Later, We All Quote Our Mothers (and Fathers)](https://shirleyshowalter.com/57-varieties-of-wisdom-stuff-our-parents-told-us/) - As I intimated in my last post, the response to my Facebook query asking for examples of sayings from parents was amazing. Fifty-seven responses in all, counting multiple entries and conversations about entries. Then my Facebook friend Linda Hoye posted a Mary Englebreit painting featuring these words: "Sooner or Later, We All Quote Our Mothers."
- [Interview with Carol Bodensteiner, Memoirist Turned Novelist](https://shirleyshowalter.com/interview-with-carol-bodensteiner-memoirist-turned-novelist/) - An interview with Carol Bodensteiner, indie author of Growing Up Country. Now author of the new novel Go Away Home.
- [On Being Not Quite Amish: A Mennonite Perspective](https://shirleyshowalter.com/on-being-not-quite-amish-a-mennonite-perspective/) - Amish and Mennonites are related to each other historically, and often through family lines also. That makes family reunions huge and brings unity out of diversity.
- [Three Things Every Grandparent Learns Again and Every Wise Parent Knows](https://shirleyshowalter.com/three-things-every-grandparent-learns-again-and-every-wise-parent-knows/) - My plan to write about children and storytelling failed. Instead, I learned three lessons from grandchildren: let go, re-frame, and smell the roses.
- [Grandparenting: How it Helps Us to Simplify](https://shirleyshowalter.com/grandparenting-how-it-helps-us-to-simplify/) - Preparing to speak on the subject Recovering Simplicity, I see the connection to the Not Quite Amish post on grandparenting and to gifts of time, stories, song . . .
- [The Harvest Comes For You and For Me](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-harvest-comes-for-you-and-for-me/) - Here is a poem fragment I think of every fall. "Live as if you liked yourself, and it may happen: reach out, keep reaching out, keep bringing in. This is how we are going to live for a long time: not always, for every gardener knows that after the digging, after the planting, after the
- [My First Podcast: On Dancing with Change, Grandmothering, and Leadership!](https://shirleyshowalter.com/my-first-podcast-on-dancing-with-change-grandmothering-and-leadership/) - Brian Paff, a very creative young leader-in-the-making at Laurelville Mennonite Church Center, interviewed me for his podcast series at the Laurelville website. Brian wrote a press release about the series of three speeches I gave at Laurelville April 30-May 1. The theme was dancing with change, and Stuart and I demonstrated the "frame" in ballroom
- [The Things She Couldn't Carry: Touching the Hem of My Grandmother's Garment](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-things-she-couldnt-carry-touching-the-hem-of-my-grandmothers-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
- [What Remains: The Most Lasting Images from 24 Days in the Baltic Region . . . And a New Chapter Begins](https://shirleyshowalter.com/what-remains-the-most-lasting-images-from-24-days-in-the-baltic-region-and-a-new-chapter-begins/) - Travel brings many rewards and pleasures too obvious to mention. But it also contains a danger: too many miles covered too quickly can all blur at the beginning and fade at the end. That's one reason to take pictures. Looking back over the entire set of 340 photos taken over 24 days of travel, some
- [Top 50 Memoir Blogs](https://shirleyshowalter.com/top-50-memoir-blogs/) - @2019 Update If you are looking for help in writing your memoir, check out this resource: The Memoir Network. 2017 Update: This post has brought many readers to this site. I hope you find the lists and links below helpful. Recently I found a new resource that should prove beneficial to anyone searching for
- [So Much Fun: Making Collage Photos and Getting Chills](https://shirleyshowalter.com/so-much-fun-making-collage-photos-and-getting-chills/) - A few weeks ago everyone seemed to be playing with FaceApp, which aged faces of young people. You could see yourself in the future, say, fifty years from now. On our second honeymoon to Nova Scotia, we did the reverse. These collages were much fun to make. They were taken almost exactly fifty years
- [The Three Most Important Words in Marriage: Fifty Years of Learning Together](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-three-most-important-words-in-marriage-fifty-years-of-learning-together/) - It's a family joke with us. We picked it up from a friend who asked, "What are the three most important words in marriage?" Our immediate response was "I love you." We say those words to each other every day. We've been doing so for more than 50 years. But our friend said, "No, there
- [Why We Installed Solar Panels: Old Age and the Triple Bottom Line](https://shirleyshowalter.com/why-we-installed-solar-panels-old-age-and-the-triple-bottom-line/) - It makes no sense. We are not likely to recoup the money it takes to buy and install solar. We're too old. But we did it anyway. Our next door neighbors went first. They were in their eighties! When I saw their solar panels going up, I remembered a proverb: A modern way of
- [Grandparent Camp: Like Baking a Cake](https://shirleyshowalter.com/grandparent-camp-like-baking-a-cake/) - Grandparent week at our house started out at the Showalter Reunion. Owen and Julia's parents drove 8.5 hours to Mountain Lake Lodge in Pembroke, Virginia, to participate in the festivities. At the end of the reunion, Owen and Julia jumped into Grandma and Granddad's car, and their parents drove back to Philadelphia and Montclair so
- [In Defense of Iowa Caucuses and an Explanation for Mayor Pete's Popularity Among Seniors](https://shirleyshowalter.com/in-defense-of-iowa-caucuses-and-an-explanation-for-mayor-petes-popularity-among-seniors/) - Iowa plays an important role in presidential politics, and CNN polling reveals that this year Iowa is responding to Mayor Pete. One explanation: Senior fervor.
- [My Three Cherished Things: Preserving the Stories that Go With Them](https://shirleyshowalter.com/my-three-cherished-things-preserving-the-stories-that-go-with-them/) - Last week I shared a conversation starter question that ignited a lively discussion. Readers shared three things they most cherished, three things they would clutch in a fire. I promised to share mine. So here goes. My first choice: I was wearing this ring on my right hand while I tried to choose my three
- [Three Things Most Cherished: A Spiritual Exercise in Material Form](https://shirleyshowalter.com/three-things-most-cherished-a-spiritual-exercise-in-material-form/) - If your house were on fire, what would you most want to save? Or, less dramatically, if you strolled through your house today, which items would you miss most if they weren't there? Take your time, I'll wait for you. Recently, my friend Tina challenged our group of college friends to name our three favorite
- [Our Callings, Our Bodies, and Our Lodestar Books](https://shirleyshowalter.com/our-callings-our-bodies-and-our-lodestar-books/) - Do you have a lodestar book? One that explains your self to yourself? One that you can read in any season of life and it still instructs, comforts, and inspires you? Like this one? I have read this book at least four times. I come back to some passages nearly every year. This novel tells
- [Silence, Solitude, and Aging: A Winter Revery](https://shirleyshowalter.com/silence-solitude-and-aging-a-winter-revery/) - This is the season of silence and endurance, deep freeze of the soul. I have been writing haiku with photos, praying one pearl at a time. As I gaze outside, I read John O'Donohue's Walking in Wonder The idea of my clay connected to my sister, the mountain! Reminded me of poet Gerard Manley Hopkins.
- [Purging and Pruning Post Epiphany](https://shirleyshowalter.com/purging-and-pruning-post-epiphany/) - Yesterday, the Day of Epiphany, fell on a Sunday, and a little group from our church jumped into conversation about the wise men, the star, and global warming, in response to the sermon. So, I was receptive when my friend Richard posted a wonderful epiphany reflection, which begins this way: For this Time Being –
- ["The Nancy Drew of Joy:" A Seasonal Meditation](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-nancy-drew-of-joy-a-seasonal-meditation/) - In a dark time, a candle ignites hope, sparking the advent of joy. How are you spending these short days and long nights? We celebrated our family Christmas during Thanksgiving week this year, which means the gifts and feasts came early. Now there is time to rest, read, go to concerts, light candles, and reflect.
- [Halfway Home: Adding a New Prize to the 100 Day Challenge](https://shirleyshowalter.com/half-way-home-celebrating-the-half-way-point-on-the-100-day-challenge/) - A weekend in Lancaster, PA, with new restaurant gift card completes prize package.
- [An Election Day Meditation: Voting, Praying, Singing](https://shirleyshowalter.com/an-election-day-meditation-voting-praying-singing/) - It's a grey day in the Shenandoah Valley. The scene in front of me looks upside down. The clouds are lower than the mountains. The transition between sky and land, heaven and earth, is not clear. Threshold spaces are like this. Neither one nor the other. Neither yet both. Our country, too, stands at a
- [How to Live: Prophets, Poets, and Mystics](https://shirleyshowalter.com/how-to-live-prophets-poets-and-mystics/) - After one returns from pilgrimage, the sense of living inside a movie recedes. Then certain remembered single images stand out. For me, Father Michael Rodgers, Glendalough pilgrimage guide, quiet in demeanor, kindly in manner, yet passionate in his love for his special place stood out. How many times had he told the story of St.
- [The Return Stage of Pilgrimage: Reflecting on Celtic Spirituality](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-return-stage-of-pilgrimage-reflecting-on-celtic-spirituality/) - I'm back in the red chair looking out at fog-covered mountains, feeling grateful. The dire hurricane forecasts at end of our trip to Ireland gave us pause, but all of us eighteen pilgrims on Tour I of Eklectic Pilgrimages to Ireland have returned safely. Thanks be to God. Our itinerary kept us stepping. In fact, one day
- [When Breath Becomes Air: On Being A Mortal Pilgrim](https://shirleyshowalter.com/when-breath-becomes-air-on-being-a-mortal-pilgrim/) - When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi has inspired me to reflect on the role of mortality and pilgrimage as we enter the stage of life called Jubilación.
- [Witnessing for Peace: Then and Now](https://shirleyshowalter.com/a-witness-for-peace-then-and-now/) - Where have all the protests gone? A visit to Washington, DC, illustrates the change from the protest May 9, 1970, to today's signs in front of the White House.
- [The Sweet Sorrow of Saying Goodbye to Collegeville](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-sweet-sorrow-of-saying-goodbye-to-collegeville/) - Tomorrow we leave Collegeville, sad to leave such good friends and an incredibly beautiful place. We came to write; we leave some work undone, but no regrets.
- [My Seventieth Summer, "O Lord, to look at the clouds."](https://shirleyshowalter.com/my-seventieth-summer-o-lord-to-look-at-the-clouds/) - My dear daughter-in-law gave me a copy of this book as a Christmas present last year. I've been chewing it slowly, lectio divina-style. Right now, the summer poems are calling to me. You probably know the most famous one, "The Summer Day." Here's another, called "While I Am Writing a Poem to Celebrate Summer, the
- [Living in a Almost Tiny House: Creative Grandparenting Spaces](https://shirleyshowalter.com/living-in-a-almost-tiny-house-creative-grandparenting-spaces/) - When we decided to move to Pittsburgh for a year, to help take care of granddaughter Lydia, we thought it would be important to have a place of our own. The more intimate the work, the greater the need for two-family-privacy, was the idea. So we moved into one apartment and later into another. But
- [Seeking Wisdom: A Lifelong Quest](https://shirleyshowalter.com/seeking-wisdom-a-lifelong-quest/) - Back in 1992, my daughter and I invited nine Wise Women to a party. Here's what happened.
- [The Celestial Openness of the Child's Mind: Lydia's Breakthrough, Our Goodbye](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-celestial-openness-of-the-childs-mind-lydias-breakthrough-our-goodbye/) - Those Romantic poets, especially Wordsworth, got it right. We do arrive on this earth trailing clouds of glory! For the last eleven months, Stuart and I have had a front-row seat as Lydia exuberantly shared with us the trailing clouds of glory she brought with her from birth. Today neuroscientists are using the term "celestial
- [Baby Songs: "You're Gonna Thank Me Everyday"](https://shirleyshowalter.com/baby-songs-youre-gonna-thank-me-everyday/) - Did you have a record player in your house long ago? This record player came from an estate sale, the first one Nik and Kate went to several years ago. The price was $150. That number seemed high. It's probably about as much as the original cost in the late 1950s or early 60s. They
- [How to Write About Family: Honoring Self and Other in Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/how-to-write-about-family-honoring-self-and-other-in-memoir/) - Today's post comes to you from Annette Gendler, a nonfiction writer who teaches memoir and blogs about memoir. Annette has published many personal essays and is seeking a publisher for her book-length memoir about forbidden love between a German and a Jew, a love which succeeded despite great odds. She offers her advice on how
- [Prince Charles, Pittsburgh, and People Turning Seventy](https://shirleyshowalter.com/prince-charles-pittsburgh-and-people-turning-seventy/) - I remember how pleased I was to read, in My Weekly Reader, in 1957, that Prince Charles was born in 1948. He was my age! I would later learn that Al Gore, James Taylor, Kathy Bates, Stevie Nicks, Samuel L. Jackson, Alice Cooper, and Andrew Lloyd Weber, all share the same birth year, which means. .
- [The 200-Year Present: A Way to Lengthen Your Days](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-200-year-present-a-way-to-lengthen-your-days/) - Last week I spoke at a gathering of educators at Berry College. The subject was "Called to Tell Our Stories." As I prepared my speech, reviewing my own life for stories that might connect with the audience, I remembered the visit of Elise Boulding to Goshen College in the 1980s. Boulding had a great impact
- [Learning to Be, From a Baby, with Help from Annie Dillard](https://shirleyshowalter.com/learning-to-be-from-a-baby-with-help-from-annie-dillard/) - I've learned a lot from babies. Apparently, I am not alone. Babies are now becoming teachers in some schools. Meet Baby Naomi in this short video. She's exactly the same age as our Baby Lydia. https://youtu.be/TH5mmBEMavI The school children in this video are learning empathy. Persistence. And the value of vulnerability. Older children learn by
- [Moving Across the Bridge: From Dream to Reality, Christmas to New Year, and Part I and Part II of Our Pittsburgh Adventure](https://shirleyshowalter.com/moving-across-the-bridge-from-dream-to-reality-christmas-to-new-year-and-part-i-and-part-ii-of-our-pittsburgh-adventure/) - The end of December is like Monet's Japanese footbridge, says writer Philip Martin. For us, this time has been a moving experience, bridging Christmas and New Year, dreams with reality, and the first half of our "grannynanny" sojourn with the last half. Christmas Kate and Nik hosted our whole family in Pittsburgh, the city of
- [Feeling Useful: A Place Where Age and Love Meet](https://shirleyshowalter.com/feeling-useful-a-place-where-age-and-love-meet/) - In my twenties and thirties and forties, I was a professor. In my fifties I was a college president. In my sixties I was a foundation executive. Now that I am six months away from age seventy, I've been promoted to "granny nanny." But what, exactly, does that mean? Obviously, it means helping to keep
- [Our New City: Pittsburgh](https://shirleyshowalter.com/our-new-city-pittsburgh/) - First it was Brooklyn. Now it is Pittsburgh. The grannynanny gig takes us to cool places. I'm trying to learn all I can about Pittsburgh. I ask all my new friends for help. Let's start with geography. This is a city of three rivers and 466 bridges. In the U. S., only New York City
- [Yeats, Mennonites, and Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/yeats-mennonites-and-memoir/) - At the Mennonite/s Writing VI conference March 30-April 1, 2012, the theme of "the self" recurred often. Poet and scholar Ann Hostetler drew attention to this theme in her talk: "The Self in Mennonite Garb, or, Where Does the Writing Come From?" Hostetler has been thinking about the lyric voice ever since she put together
- [Laughing Every Day: The September Report](https://shirleyshowalter.com/laughing-every-day-the-september-report/) - "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine." That Proverb poetry branded itself in my spirit. I've always loved a good laugh, whether a chuckle or a guffaw. According to the latest edition of the AARP magazine, "Laughing can give your immune system a temporary boost, ease pain, relax arteries and offer your torso a
- [Wiping Away the Tears, Embracing the Fears, Celebrating the Joy!](https://shirleyshowalter.com/wiping-away-the-tears-embracing-the-fears-celebrating-the-joy/) - The birth of a new baby brings all our emotions to the surface: curiosity, fascination, elation, and joy beyond compare. There's also terror! "Is she breathing?" "Will I let her down?" "How do I handle the responsibility for another life?" Every parent asks these questions, alternating between ecstasy and anxiety. Fortunately, others have been there
- [What I Love About Portraits: The Beauty of Every Face](https://shirleyshowalter.com/what-i-love-about-portraits-the-beauty-of-every-face/) - Almost everything I remember clearly about the past has to do with a person, often with a face. These days, granddaughter Lydia is teaching me about the early origins of love for the human face. Below is 29 seconds of a typical interaction with her at ten weeks of age. She is alert and curious,
- [Connecting Voice to Touch: What I Learned About Writing from Max DePree](https://shirleyshowalter.com/connecting-voice-to-touch-what-i-learned-about-writing-from-max-depree/) - "Find your own voice," say the writing experts. Easy to say. Hard to do. In another post on voice, I described how helpful it was for me to try to visualize my voice as a farm. Today I am pondering the role of another of the senses--touch. How does one sense inform, enlarge, or restrict,
- [Home for the Holidays: A New Mini-Memoir Blog Series](https://shirleyshowalter.com/home-for-the-holidays-a-new-mini-memoir-blog-series/) - After I left the Fetzer Institute this summer, both Stuart and I began to feel an eastward tug. Our life together has followed this path: VA, TX, IN, Haiti, IN,VA, IN, Ivory Coast, IN, NC, IN, MI, VA. Love has taken us to a circle of new places, and now love calls us home. Forty-four years
- [Encountering Borders and Crossing Boundaries: Metaphorically and Literally](https://shirleyshowalter.com/encountering-borders-and-crossing-boundaries-metaphorically-and-literally/) - It was a big week in the Shenandoah Valley. An international conference. The world premiere of a play. A book talk about Mennonites and Nazism. Preparations for a 24-day trip to Scandinavia. And, of course, daily check-ins to see how baby Lydia and her parents are doing. The theme of the conference, Crossing the Line, applies,
- [A Cartoon With Uncanny Accuracy: Predicting the Winding Blog Path](https://shirleyshowalter.com/a-cartoon-with-uncanny-accuracy-predicting-the-winding-blog-path/) - See how yellow this cartoon is? The darkest areas are tape that is no longer transparent after a decade. My colleague Amy clipped this image out of a newspaper ten years ago when she heard I was thinking about becoming a blogger.. For some reason, I kept it. I could not have known, then, that I
- [The Purpose of Memories: The Question I Am Carrying from May](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-purpose-of-memories-the-question-i-am-carrying-from-may/) - The month of May zipped by so fast. It was a full month. It was a busy month. Let's start with this man and his talk at the Family History Conference: New Arrivals in a New Land, in Lancaster, PA, on May 20. John L. Ruth, historian and storyteller, told how three ships came sailing
- [A Good Man is Hard to Find: Flannery O'Connor](https://shirleyshowalter.com/a-good-man-is-hard-to-find-flannery-oconnor/) - Having just returned from Savannah, I am taking life at a slower pace. One visit from the trip stands out: Flannery O'Connor's childhood home. I met one of my favorite authors again for the first time. Here, she is! She taught her chickens how to walk backward and became news reel famous in her youth. She's
- [The Garden of Good and Evil: Savannah, Georgia](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-garden-of-good-and-evil-savannah-georgia/) - Savannah, Georgia. Magnolias, Spanish Moss, Palm Trees. Stuart and I are enjoying a beautiful week in the Old South. He is working. But this weekend we are meeting up with six other Showalters and spouses to explore the city. In the meantime, we are getting a head start on the river walk. And tonight, it's
- [A Mother Blessing: Something to Consider in Your Life?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/a-mother-blessing-something-to-consider-in-your-life/) - Last Sunday I participated in an alternative to a baby shower called a Mother Blessing. I knew I would enjoy it because my fun-loving, color-loving, people-loving daughter would be the expectant mother. Not only did I enjoy this event, I was deeply moved. Everything was exquisitely beautiful. We gathered at Coterie -- a woman-focused co-working
- [MJ Sharp: A "Sparkplug" Who Lived and Died for Peace](https://shirleyshowalter.com/mj-sharp-a-sparkplug-who-lived-and-died-for-peace/) - Perhaps you read about him or heard about him on the news? The young United Nations peace worker who was kidnapped in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on March 12, 2017, and whose body, along with a colleague's, was found in a shallow grave on March 26? His name was Michael Jesse Sharp. He
- [Another Mennonite Memoir: The Steppes are the Colour of Sepia](https://shirleyshowalter.com/another-mennonite-memoir-the-steppes-are-the-colour-of-sepia/) - My fellow memoir reader Clif let me know that the review I wrote of the following book has now been published in the Mennonite Quarterly Review.It has not been posted online yet, so here it is for those of you who are Canadian, Mennonite, or just interested in good family stories. The Steppes are the
- [Nine 9-11 Memoirs that Will Touch Your Heart](https://shirleyshowalter.com/nine-9-11-memoirs-that-will-touch-your-heart/) - The Rebirth Project continues the work of transforming tragedy into story after 9-11.
- [Willa Cather:  A Pictorial Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/willa-cather-a-pictorial-memoir/) - Since Willa Cather is one of my favorite writers, it will not surprise anyone who knows me well that one of my most beloved books is Willa Cather: A Pictorial Memoir. The book was published 35 years ago and is still in print. Bernice Slote, Cather scholar from the University of Nebraska, wrote the text,
- [The Frugal Traveler:  A Mini-Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-frugal-traveler-a-mini-memoir/) - The pattern started on our honeymoon, 1969, 40 years ago. Stuart had $600 in his checking account when we got married. I spent all the money I earned that summer-- the summer of my 21st birthday, the summer of Woodstock and the moon landing, and the summer of our wedding-- on the wedding dress, flowers,
- [A Moveable Feast:  Classic Memoir, Classic Metaphor](https://shirleyshowalter.com/a-moveable-feast-classic-memoir-classic-metaphor/) - On the memoir bookshelf in my home office sit at least 100 memoirs. Many of these are classics I read long ago without thinking of them as memoirs. Some, like the one I focus on now, are famous books that fit the category but that I have never read. Thinking about genre has allowed me
- [Three Glorious Days and a Sign Off Until Easter](https://shirleyshowalter.com/three-glorious-days-and-a-sign-off-until-easter/) - O what a wonderful time we had. Three days in a row of joyful frolic. Mother celebrated her 90 years with more than 100 of her closest friends and family. Our immediate family booked the entire Forgotten Seasons Bed and Breakfast. Kathy and Jay Wenger set a lovely table for us on Sunday morning. Here
- [Happy 90th, Mother: This Is Your Life!](https://shirleyshowalter.com/happy-90th-mother-this-is-your-life/) - It's finally here. My mother has been talking about this day for the last six months. "Can you believe I'm going to be ninety?" she asks in genuine amazement every time I talk with her. Her five children, their spouses, children, their spouses, and their grandchildren now number 46. And all of us are celebrating
- [Teaching as Satyagraha: Remembering Christopher Dock as I Read Gandhi](https://shirleyshowalter.com/teaching-as-satyagraha-remembering-christopher-dock-as-i-read-gandhi/) - One of the themes of jubilación is this: Gather it up. Give it away. When your vocation is learning and teaching, it's good to gather up mentors and give them away. Here's a mentor of mine: Christopher Dock (c.1698-1771) was a remarkable Mennonite schoolmaster whose book, School Management, was the first educational philosophy and advice manual
- [The Four Ashramas of Life: Connecting Wisdom from Benedictine to Hindu to Anabaptist Sources](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-four-ashramas-of-life-connecting-wisdom-from-benedictine-to-hindu-to-anabaptist-sources/) - Brother Aaron was our liaison to Saint John's Abbey at the Collegeville Institute last fall. He always came to our scholars' seminars with a resource to offer. When he came to my seminar on jubilación, he brought with him a handout on the four ashramas of life from the Hindu tradition. Here is Sri Sri Ravi
- [The Best is Yet to Be: Joyful Aging From Browning to Lennon to Carpenter](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-best-is-yet-to-be-joyful-aging-from-browning-to-lennon-to-carpenter/) - Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be, The last of life, for which the first was made --Robert Browning, "Rabbi Ben Ezra," 1864 In 1980, John Lennon, just before he was killed at the age of 40, rediscovered these words, simplified them, and set them to music after Yoko Ono had
- [Taking a Turn Toward the Sixties, Mennonite Memoir Style](https://shirleyshowalter.com/taking-a-turn-toward-the-sixties-mennonite-memoir-style/) - I left home for college in 1966. As a result, I have become alert to the depiction of the sixties in recent media: the World's Fair and the Pat Boone Fan Club.
- [Like Leaping into Heaven: The Grandmother Effect](https://shirleyshowalter.com/like-leaping-into-heaven-the-powerful-grandmother-effect/) - As you know, grandmothers have been on my mind. They pop up in the most surprising places. At the recent march in Washington, DC, In my own memory of my peacemaker grandma. And in the class I am teaching to 22-year-olds. Here, for example is a still photo from the TED talk I encouraged my
- [Grandma Power: Why I Marched](https://shirleyshowalter.com/grandma-power-why-i-marched/) - I didn't go to hear celebrities. I didn't go because I expected to agree with every sign or every chant. I didn't go because I thought a march would instantly solve any problem. I went because I felt called. I had the very same feeling Teresa Shook, retired lawyer and grandmother of four, had when
- [Sprinting into Older Age: Jubilación](https://shirleyshowalter.com/sprinting-into-older-age-jubilacion/) - My blog subject is changing from memoir to finding joy in the "third act" of life. Isabel Allende inspired me. The Collegeville Institute gave me a fellowship.
- [Bookends: Satisfying,  Surprising, or Stultifying?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/bookends-satisfying-surprising-or-stultifying/) - I've been doing a lot of de-cluttering lately. Beginning of a new year, returning from a semester away, it's time to cull books, which leads to rearranging wall hangings and other objects of art. Like these: I saw these beautiful bookends in a new way this week. They commemorate a momentous time in my life,
- [Jubilee Time: Chronos or Kairos?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/jubilee-time-chronos-or-kairos/) - This has been a week when I am back to keeping a schedule. Or trying to. Today a forgot a lunch date until 20 minutes past the appointed hour. So embarrassing! It was a very busy morning, starting with 6:30 birthday song chorus from Owen and Julia for Granddad's birthday, then a trip to the
- [How to Write a Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/how-to-write-a-memoir/) - So you want to explore the fog of memory and write a memoir. Great! Like the IRS, I'm here to help. And so are many others. In fact, I am going to send you to them. Here is an eight-page booklet (.pdf) I wrote on the subject. What I say below will not duplicate the
- [Teaching and Learning Across the Life Span: 2017 Here We Come!](https://shirleyshowalter.com/teaching-and-learning-across-the-life-span-2017-here-we-come/) - Though there are many reasons to be concerned about the coming year, there are also many reasons to hope. I'll have more to say later about concerns later.
- [Learning from a Baby: A Memoir Writer's Teacher](https://shirleyshowalter.com/learning-from-a-baby-a-memoir-writers-teacher/) - I was a baby once. Now I'm a grandma learning to write about childhood while holding my grandson.I remember Wordsworth's "Ode on Intimations of Mortality" (1803) Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting; The Soul that rises with us, our life’s Star, Hath had elsewhere its setting And cometh from afar; Not in
- [A Pennsylvania Christmas: A Living Example of Jubilación](https://shirleyshowalter.com/a-pennsylvania-christmas-a-living-example-of-jubilacion/) - Our family Christmas traditions were designed long ago by our mother. Now we make her the center of our circle as we celebrate the values she taught us.
- [From the Candy Cane Tree in Virginia to the Great Hall Tree in Minnesota](https://shirleyshowalter.com/from-the-candy-cane-tree-in-virginia-to-the-great-hall-tree-in-minnesota/) - Three special Christmas trees this year started the Advent Season: the candy cane tree, the Scotch Pine we cut down, and the huge tree in the Great Hall.
- [Waiting: As the Children Journey Home](https://shirleyshowalter.com/waiting-as-the-children-journey-home/) - The time before the children come home is holy. Tonight it is silent and anticipatory. The image of the Madonna and child comforts me.
- [Hope and Perseverance in Post-Election America](https://shirleyshowalter.com/hope-and-perseverance-in-post-election-america/) - Living in community, one with a long history rooted to a place, has allowed me to find both hope and resolve after the election. Taking small steps now.
- [Beside the Still Waters and The Liturgy of the Hours](https://shirleyshowalter.com/beside-the-still-waters-and-the-liturgy-of-the-hours/) - Today calls sources of strength and inspiration -- in the Bible, in art, in the Benedictine and Anabaptist traditions, in nature, singing, and friendship.
- [Finding a Public Voice: At Homecoming](https://shirleyshowalter.com/finding-a-public-voice-at-homecoming/) - I aspire to a public voice and am trying to learn new genres of speaking and writing aimed at general audiences. So I said "yes" when my alma mater called.
- [Rethinking Middle Age in Community and Envisioning Older Age as Ascent](https://shirleyshowalter.com/rethinking-middle-age-in-community-and-envisioning-older-age-as-ascent/) - Yesterday fall sunshine suffused our conference room at the Collegeville Institute. I was "on deck" as the first scholar to present my findings and receive feedback on my project: Jubilación: Vocation in the Third Act of Life. Having colleagues, a community of scholars who challenge and encourage you, is a gift at any stage in
- [Waking Up to the News In Lake Wobegon and What I'm Learning About Op-Eds: the Backstory](https://shirleyshowalter.com/waking-up-to-the-news-in-lake-wobegon-and-what-im-learning-about-op-eds-the-backstory/) - Today is Hillary Clinton's 69th birthday. I've been thinking about writing a letter to her since February. The backstory of my Minneapolis StarTribune Op-Ed
- [My First Rock Concert: A Mini-Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/my-first-rock-concert-a-mini-memoir/) - Rock music is like a foreign language to me even though I graduated from high school in 1966 and college in 1970. Like many explanations of my most anomalous behaviors, this one goes back to being Mennonite. And a little geeky (meaning bookish--not a math whiz!) on top of that. I like to joke that
- [On Reviewing Books: We Are What We Read](https://shirleyshowalter.com/on-reviewing-books-we-are-what-we-read/) - Writing reviews is hard work but worth it. It's a way to honor the even harder work of writing books themselves and furthers the culture of learning.
- [The Rule of Life: What Saint Benedict Is Teaching Me](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-rule-of-life-what-benedictines-are-teaching-me/) - The Benedictines have followed The Rule of Life for centuries. I've adapted my daily ritual to fit both my mission statement and my writing project.
- [Mennonite Memoir, Lutheran Setting, Universal Spirit: Reconnecting After Twenty Years](https://shirleyshowalter.com/mennonite-memoir-lutheran-setting-universal-spirit-looking-back-after-twenty-years/) - A conference at Valparaiso University to honor Mark Schwehn and his book Exiles from Eden allowed me to revisit the birth of my first storytelling community.
- [Living in Lake Wobegon](https://shirleyshowalter.com/living-in-lake-wobegon/) - Here in Central Minnesota the characters and places that populate Lake Wobegon are alive and well. They connect all of us who grew up country and look back.
- [Joan Rough Takes on a Big Challenge of the Jubilación Years : Forgiveness](https://shirleyshowalter.com/joan-rough-takes-on-a-big-challenge-of-the-jubilacion-years-forgiveness/) - Joan Z. Rough used the experience of taking care of her abusive mother to come to terms with the cause of her pain --PTSD--and the cure--forgiveness.
- [Beginner's Mind: A Writing Residency, A New Setting, A New Day](https://shirleyshowalter.com/beginners-mind-a-writing-residency-a-new-setting-a-new-day/) - The Collegeville Institute features spaces designed by Marcel Breuer that inspire the scholars and artists who live here in community.
- [Beginner's Mind: How New Beginnings Lead to Growth Through Grace](https://shirleyshowalter.com/beginners-mind-how-new-beginnings-lead-to-growth-through-grace/) - The birth of a baby reminds us of how fragile and malleable the human mind and spirit are. We can only stand in awe as a baby opens her eyes and eventually finds her fingers and toes. Soon she is smiling and reaching for toys. This same transformation takes place thousands if not millions
- [A Golden Jubilee Move-In: How a 50-Year-Old Dorm Room Still Inspires My Future](https://shirleyshowalter.com/a-golden-jubilee-move-in-how-a-50-year-old-dorm-room-still-inspires-my-future/) - I moved into Northlawn dormitory almost exactly fifty years ago today. Getting there was a real adventure. I take with me icons from that journey on a new one.
- [The Pilgrim Soul in You: Traveling Toward Jubilación](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-pilgrim-soul-in-you-traveling-toward-jubilacion/) - Yeats' "When You Are Old" takes on new meaning after a pilgrimage to Iona Abbey and Lindisfarne. Life always moves from old to new. We travel with God.
- [Thin Places: Where Earth and Heaven Touch](https://shirleyshowalter.com/thin-places-where-earth-and-heaven-touch/) - Twenty years ago I missed the chance to go to Iona. I still chanced upon thin places in the Lake District and Leeds. Now I go to Iona again, expecting surprise.
- [Let Your Life Speak:  A Memoir Writer's Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/let-your-life-speak-a-memoir-writers-memoir/) - Parker Palmer turned 70 years old today. I celebrated his birthday by re-reading his book Let Your Life Speak. I took the memoir lens in hand and went searching for how Parker uses his life story in this book. The code on the back jacket cover says "spirituality/work life" not "memoir." But what if we
- [What Hath John L. Ruth to Do with Hillary R. Clinton?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/what-hath-john-l-ruth-to-do-with-hillary-r-clinton/) - Not since H. S. Bender announced Marilyn Monroe's suicide at the 1962 Mennonite World Conference has a more surprising juxtaposition occurred.
- [The Shadow Side of Birthdays: The Side We Can't See](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-shadow-side-of-birthdays-the-side-we-cant-see/) - The shadow side of celebration in older age is that we are more aware that each one could be the last one. So we live with the flower of our lives above ground.
- [Making New Friends at the Mennonite Church-USA Convention: Lakota and Choctaw Women](https://shirleyshowalter.com/making-new-friends-at-the-mennonite-church-usa-convention-lakota-and-choctaw-women/) - Yesterday, Independence Day, I felt an inward nudge to visit the Native Mennonite American Ministries booth here at the Mennonite gathering in Phoenix. I wanted to know more about Mennonites who are also Native Americans. Writing my memoir Blush has brought more awareness about the long history of this great land. Six generations of my
- [Blessed Are the Peacemakers: Grandma Hershey's Way of Peace](https://shirleyshowalter.com/blessed-are-the-peacemakers-grandma-hersheys-way-of-peace/) - Sue Snyder Hershey, my Mennonite grandmother, showed me how to be a peacemaker, starting with the holy kiss. An excerpt from my memoir Blush illustrates how she combined soft and tough.
- [Two Volunteers Who Make This July Special](https://shirleyshowalter.com/two-volunteers-who-make-this-july-special/) - A volunteer sunflower and a volunteer interview fill me with joy in my favorite month of July. Laurie Buchanan's new book Note to Self is coming soon!
- [Do You Say,  "Have a Nice Day"? If Not, Why Not?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/do-you-say-have-a-nice-day-if-not-why-not/) - Ever since the 1960's, when the phrase "Have a Nice Day" became more popular, controversy has followed. Is it social lubricant or a sign of American superficiality?
- [Owen and Julia and the Amazing, Excellent, Superb, Splendid, Very Good Day](https://shirleyshowalter.com/owen-and-julia-and-the-amazing-excellent-superb-splendid-very-good-day/) - Children teach us how to live in the moment and enjoy each day to the hilt. Follow along as Owen and Julia make a Very Good Day together on Julia's second birthday.
- [Three Amazing God Stories from My Self-Chosen Amtrak Writer's Residency](https://shirleyshowalter.com/three-amazing-god-stories-from-my-self-chosen-amtrak-writers-residency/) - My book Blush showed up on an Amtrak seat, a former student cooked a meal for us, and a new author friend who is undergoing chemo -- three stories of grace from the road.
- [Book Clubs: Strengthening the Invisible Connection Between Authors and Readers](https://shirleyshowalter.com/book-clubs-strengthening-the-invisible-connection-between-authors-and-readers/) - Massanutten and Harrisonburg book clubs have provided me a way to act on my word of the year: connect. The story Blush: A Mennonite Girl Meets a Glittering World tells a story that elicits others.
- [Two Wedding Blessings for Our Daughter and Her Husband](https://shirleyshowalter.com/two-wedding-blessings-for-our-daughter-and-her-new-husband-a-mini-memoir/) - When Kate married, we wrote Mennonite blessings at her request and shared them in the wedding service itself. Blessings name the special qualities of the child.
- [So How 'bout that Toast?: A Mini-Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/so-how-bout-that-toast-a-mini-memoir/) - Our son Anthony and our new daughter-in-law Chelsea were married September 12 at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church in Manhattan. It's time to share more of the story that has been unfolding here since they announced their engagement. I described the synchronicity in their meeting--their origin story involving Forrest Church and Match.com here. And
- [Three Reasons to Read Your Memoir in New York City](https://shirleyshowalter.com/three-reasons-to-read-your-memoir-in-new-york-city/) - New York City is a magnet for artists. Authors who want to read there but who haven't published by the Big Five, may have more options than they think. Here are three.
- [The Things They Didn't Carry: Grandparent Jubilación](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-things-they-didnt-carry-grandparent-jubilacion/) - After the grandchildren leave, the house heaves a sigh. Some of the objects left behind carry the stories and await the next visit.
- [Richard Gilbert's Memoir Shepherd: A Masterpiece of Rumination](https://shirleyshowalter.com/richard-gilberts-memoir-shepherd-a-masterpiece-of-rumination/) - The forthcoming memoir from Richard Gilbert shows a sheep on the cover. It's about farming and much more. Three archetypal themes guide the reader on the journey to paradise.
- [Everything that Rises Must Converge: Naming What Rises](https://shirleyshowalter.com/everything-that-rises-must-converge-naming-what-rises/) - Adult children visits, Celtic Pilgrimage, writing assignments, family vacations, and preparation for a fellowship in the fall. How will the risings converge?
- [Stop! And Listen! -- David Whyte, Krista Tippett, and Jubilación](https://shirleyshowalter.com/stop-and-listen-david-whyte-krista-tippett-and-jubilacion/) - Poet David Whyte believes that a beautiful question shapes a beautiful mind. I believe elders have invisible, beautiful new questions to live out in our time.
- [Dream Job: How Do You Define It? Find it?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/dream-job-how-do-you-define-it-find-it/) - Yale professor Amy Wrzesniewski says job and life satisfaction are enhanced by a sense of being called. My dream job is no job. I'm called to "retirement."
- [Odyssey: Two New Stages of Life](https://shirleyshowalter.com/odyssey-two-new-stages-of-life/) - The columnist David Broder gobsmacked me this week with these words: There used to be four common life phases: childhood, adolescence, adulthood and old age. Now, there are at least six: childhood, adolescence, odyssey, adulthood, active retirement and old age. Of the new ones, the least understood is odyssey, the decade of wandering that frequently
- [Escape to New Zealand: Taking You With Me](https://shirleyshowalter.com/escape-to-new-zealand-taking-you-with-me/) - New Zealand helped me take Tolkien's advice to escape. Now the challenge: to see and remember the wisdom of an enchanted land, and then to share it.
- [Eight Tips for a Great "Staycation": A Mini-Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/eight-tips-for-a-great-staycation-a-mini-memoir/) - You know that feeling you get at the end of an exotic vacation to Disney World or New York City or Istanbul? Or the feeling in August that summer is slipping through your fingers? A feeling akin to nausea? You wish you had time now to organize your pictures, mow the yard, sit on the
- [Mini-Memoir:  How Long Have I Been Teaching Memoir?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/mini-memoir-how-long-have-i-been-teaching-memoir/) - How long have I been teaching memoir writing? On its face, the answer is, "not very," but I can also truthfully say "about 40 years." How can both be true? The recent teaching comes in the form of workshops I have blogged about previously-- three sessions at the Fetzer Institute and two about workshops given
- [When Time Shall Be No More: Kalanithi and Kairos](https://shirleyshowalter.com/when-time-shall-be-no-more-kalanithi-and-kairos/) - After reading When Breath Becomes Air, I remembered a time in childhood when I thought a miracle occurred. I discovered Kairos without knowing it.
- [When Did You Stop Dreaming?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/when-did-you-stop-dreaming/) - If your dreams have stopped: "Start daydreaming about the autumn of your life as much as you daydreamed about finding your perfect love." Laura Carstensen
- [How #70 Became 70: A Tribute to the Linebacker of My Life](https://shirleyshowalter.com/how-70-became-70-a-tribute-to-the-linebacker-of-my-life/) - My husband Stuart turns 70 today. I found an old photo of him as a high school linebacker wearing #70. He is the linebacker of my life.
- [How I Found My Word for 2016](https://shirleyshowalter.com/how-i-found-my-word-for-2016/) - My word for 2016 arrived just in time for Epiphany, the holiday we celebrate today. The timing is perfect! Learn how I found it and share your dreams for 2016.
- [Reposting a Tribute to My Mother-in-Law: A Mini-Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/reposting-a-tribute-to-my-mother-in-law-a-mini-memoir/) - Note to Readers: My first blog was created on the Santa Barbara Writer's Conference site. When the site closed, I lost the web connection for this post written in 2008. I am reposting it so that others can appreciate the woman I considered a second mother--and so that one small piece of her legacy is
- [Reviewing 2015: A Lot to NOTICE](https://shirleyshowalter.com/reviewing-2015-a-lot-to-notice/) - This year I needed three journals to try to capture the ups and downs of life. So much happened so fast. Now I'm slowly trying to NOTICE a new theme at year end.
- [A Christmas Miracle](https://shirleyshowalter.com/a-christmas-miracle/) - Christmas miracles come in many forms. This Christmas my sister Linda's gift to our Mother seemed to personify the very meaning of Christmas itself.
- [The Gift of Peace -- Sacred Pauses -- in a Frenzied Season](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-gift-of-peace-sacred-pauses-in-a-frenzied-season/) - In the midst of holiday frenzy, how do you find peace? This post invites you to take a Sacred Pause. Stop. Look. and Listen.
- [When the Lights Went Out: Finding Inner Light on Whidbey Island](https://shirleyshowalter.com/when-the-lights-went-out-finding-inner-light-on-whidbey-island/) - What happens when the lights and heat go off at a writer's retreat? Fourteen of us on Whidbey Island discovered what we really needed in order to write.
- [Celebrating a Year Since Launching a Website: A WordPress Report](https://shirleyshowalter.com/celebrating-a-year-since-launching-a-website-a-wordpress-report/) - Last January 17, with help from my daughter Kate and the good folks at PlumbMedia, I launched the website that houses this blog. So today, on the exact anniversary of that date, I am pleased to share the summary of the year as WordPress described it for me. According to blogging guru Derek Halpern there
- [Cars in Cuba: Why Do We Love Them so Much?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/cars-in-cuba-why-do-we-love-them-so-much/) - American Cars in Cuba stopped coming when the two countries broke diplomatic relations in 1959. The cars that were already there have maintained their elegance.
- [In Search of the "Real" in Cuba: A Pictoral Journey](https://shirleyshowalter.com/in-search-of-the-real-in-cuba-a-pictoral-journey/) - When I travel, I love to meet people in their homes and observe their daily lives. I know that I can't experience "authentic" culture in a short trip, but I look for opportunities to make real human contact. Below are some people I met in Cuba in settings that took me back in time as
- [Derek Halpern and the Perfect Blog Post: A Short Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/derek-halpern-and-the-perfect-blog-post-a-short-memoir/) - When I dropped into Chris Guillebeau's (The Art of Nonconformity blog) book launch in Manhattan a few months ago, I also met author and blogger Jonathan Fields, who introduced me to Derek Halpern. Only in New York does a grandma get to talk to Chris Guillebeau, Jonathan Fields, and Derek Halpern--all within 20 minutes. (Tweet
- [The Bee Hummingbird as Angel of Annunciation](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-bee-hummingbird-as-angel-of-annunciation/) - A little bird whispered a message to me in Cuba. I'm still trying to listen to it. Maybe you can help.
- [From Bathtub to Cuba](https://shirleyshowalter.com/from-bath-tub-to-marea-del-portillo-cuba/) - We started our spirit of adventure sitting in a galvanized bath tub in 1952. Now, my cousin, other friends, and I are heading to the beaches of southern Cuba.
- [Gliding, Swinging, and Proposing: Love in Motion](https://shirleyshowalter.com/gliding-swinging-and-proposing-love-in-motion/) - My father proposed to my mother while they sat on a porch glider. Stuart popped the question on a double seated swing. Forty-six years later, love is motion.
- [Storytellers: Memoir Encounters at the Grand Canyon](https://shirleyshowalter.com/storytellers-memoir-encounters-at-the-grand-canyon/) - When you come to Phoenix in July, it's wise to to what the natives do. Get out of town. Go north. My two "sabbath" days from this blog were spent in the amazing desert/canyon/mountain country of Northern Arizona. Saturday was Sedona and Sunday was the Grand Canyon. Sedona The red rocks rose right up out
- [Wild Nights! Wild Nights!](https://shirleyshowalter.com/wild-nights-wild-nights/) - "Poetry will make your life infinitely better," said a teacher. "Take it with you in your heart and in your backpack."
- [Keeping the Spark Alive: Spontaneous Combustion](https://shirleyshowalter.com/keeping-the-spark-alive-spontaneous-combustion/) - Nothing ignites a routine like a sudden shared vision for adventure. A recent spontaneous trip to Washington, DC, brought back memories of other quick decisions and short trips, starting in Virginia Beach.
- [BLUSH Turning Two -- Means a Bargain for You](https://shirleyshowalter.com/blush-turning-two-means-a-bargain-for-you/) - BLUSH turns two this week. BookBub will promote to Canada, India, and the UK. US readers get the 99 cent deal also! Only for the next few days.
- [Continuing the Great Adventure: 1966 - 2015](https://shirleyshowalter.com/continuing-the-great-adventure-1966-2015/) - Two Mennonite college students met as roommates in 1966 and have kept in touch. This year we take up another adventure -- to Cuba!
- [Becoming an Artist: A Lifelong Dream](https://shirleyshowalter.com/becoming-an-artist-a-lifelong-dream/) - An old painting, uncovered from The Box in the Basement, reminds me of my deepest desire: to become an artist who keeps learning and teaching.
- [Beach Day or Beach Week? Which Is Better?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/beach-day-or-beach-week-which-is-better/) - This week's vacation at Long Beach Island evokes strong memories of the few times I got to go swimming as a child. Rarity then helps me savor now a beach week.
- [The Bedroom Where It All Began: A Truly Magical Memoir Moment](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-bedroom-where-it-all-began-a-truly-magical-memoir-moment/) - Sometimes a Magical Memoir Moment occurs in less than a second. The way my parents told the story, their first meeting was like that. If either of them had made different choices that fateful day, forty-six people would have very different stories. Or no story at all.
- [Things My Father Said: A Message from the Grave](https://shirleyshowalter.com/things-my-father-said-a-message-from-the-grave/) - A photo I never saw before jars me. Daddy's eyes make me remember one of the things he often said: "If you can't say anything good about someone, . . ."
- [Community or Solitude: Are You Called By Either? Both?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/community-or-solitude-are-you-called-by-either-both/) - Together or alone? Good writing benefits from both community and solitude. Sometimes a deep experience of one leads to a craving for the other.
- [Why Go to a Writer's Conference? Two Slideshows Illustrate Some of the Many Benefits](https://shirleyshowalter.com/why-go-to-a-writers-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
- [Writer's Retreat Videos: Inspiration for Living and Creating](https://shirleyshowalter.com/writers-retreat-videos-one-a-day-vitamins-starting-with-naseem-rakha/) - Last spring poet Mark Nepo and I gathered a group of artists together at Seasons, the retreat center of The Fetzer Institute. What happened next was magical--solitude and community intertwined for an entire, delicious, week. The staff at the Institute has posted a series of short videos on the website above. You can participate with
- [Asking for Your Feedback, Friends: How to Improve a Website](https://shirleyshowalter.com/asking-for-your-feedback-friends-how-to-improve-a-website/) - Websites can't remain static. They need to evolve as technology changes and the purpose of the site evolves. I just changed mine and would love some feedback.
- [Why There’s More than Enough Love to Go Around](https://shirleyshowalter.com/why-theres-more-than-enough-love-to-go-around/) - It’s tempting to think of love as finite. A loving mother can help her children to trust the infinite nature of love. Were you fortunate enough to have a loving mother? If not, how have you found love in your life? Today's writing prompt: Can you tell as story of the day that you touched
- [100 Magical Memoir Moments: A Possible New Book?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/100-magical-memoir-moments-a-possible-new-book/) - After sending 100 weekly emails called Magical Memoir Moments, I am inviting readers to submit ideas for new Moments and to help select 100 best ones for a new book.
- [The Red, Red Rose of Memory: A Surprise Update](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-red-red-rose-of-memory-a-surprise-update/) - A single red rose, preserved in a scrap book, is all that remains of an exciting memory -- Spring Banquet, 1967. We had to laugh when we revisited the location of the rose.
- [Our Friend Joel's Life Legacy: Eternal Laughter and Love](https://shirleyshowalter.com/our-friend-joels-life-legacy-eternal-laughter-and-love/) - Joel Kauffmann, our friend for more than 30 years, died suddenly May 8. His many friends tried to give back some of his love and laughter by singing and telling stories.
- [Wedding Blessings Revive the Magical Memoir Moments of Childhood](https://shirleyshowalter.com/wedding-blessings-revive-the-magical-memoir-moments-of-childhood/) - Nothing makes our children more vivid to us than their wedding day. The blessings of fathers and mothers begin, like poetry, with delight and end with God's wisdom.
- [My Brother the Artist: Uniting Avocation and Vocation](https://shirleyshowalter.com/my-brother-the-artist-uniting-avocation-and-vocation/) - My brother played the role of sidekick in my memoir. In adulthood, he became a physical therapist. Photography awakened the artist within, joining avocation to vocation.
- [Entering the Underworld: Treasure, Moth, Rust, and Corruption](https://shirleyshowalter.com/entering-the-underworld-treasure-moth-rust-and-corruption/) - After readers requested a sequel to my childhood memoir Blush, I said I would go down to the "box in the basement" and see what stories memorabilia might inspire.
- [From the Underworld to the Woodcarver: The Power of Changed Metaphor](https://shirleyshowalter.com/from-the-underworld-to-the-woodcarver-the-power-of-changed-metaphor/) - Having gone into the cellar, literally and figuratively, to work with memorabilia, I remembered the Parker Palmer's inspiring phrase "the work before the work."
- [A Gift from the Memory Sea: A Moment Captured in Another Family's Photo Album](https://shirleyshowalter.com/a-gift-from-the-memory-sea-a-moment-captured-in-another-familys-photo-album/) - The Martin family, our neighbors, took pictures that included us. Sixty-odd years later, I experience shivers of sadness and recognition looking at myself and Carol.
- [You've Got Mail! My Weekly Reader, Pen Pals, and Other Treasures in the Mailbox](https://shirleyshowalter.com/youve-got-mail-my-weekly-reader-pen-pals-and-other-treasures-in-the-mailbox/) - I loved getting mail as a child, especially My Weekly Reader. The mail still brings me treasures, including a lovely note from Isabel Allende.
- [The Ultimate Touchstone of Friendship: Witness](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-ultimate-touchstone-of-friendship-witness/) - Mary, Tina, and Gloria were the main characters in the mini memoir of my life called The College Years. Here we are about to graduate. Tina appears to have the stage. There were a few things we still didn't know. :-) Like all graduates, we had no idea of where we would ultimately live, travel,
- [Commencement: Go Where There Is No Path](https://shirleyshowalter.com/commencement-go-where-there-is-no-path/) - "Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail," said Ralph Waldo Emerson. It turns out to be good advice.
- [When the Lost Thing Appears: The Completion of a Circle](https://shirleyshowalter.com/when-the-lost-thing-appears-the-completion-of-a-circle/) - The red rose started the memory. The two lost photos have now completed it.
- [An Old Tree Growing Stronger: The Thrill of Discovering My Younger Self](https://shirleyshowalter.com/an-old-tree-growing-stronger-the-thrill-of-discovering-my-younger-self/) - I graduated from college forty-five years ago. This spring I had a chance encounter with that younger self. Then I remembered a song.
- [Do You Have a Landscape of Love? A Walk Down Memory Lane](https://shirleyshowalter.com/do-you-have-a-landscape-of-love-a-walk-down-memory-lane/) - Some people remember Paris in the Springtime. Stuart and I remember the hills and blooms and limestone walls of Harrisonburg, Virginia. We remember this building.
- [Seven Lessons from My Lenten Sabbatical](https://shirleyshowalter.com/seven-lessons-from-my-lenten-sabbatical/) - I fasted from Facebook, Twitter, and sugar during Lent. Now I am back to tell the story of what happened and to embrace my readers, catching up with their stories.
- [Entering Lent and Leaving Social Media Behind: Welcoming a More Passive Life](https://shirleyshowalter.com/entering-lent-and-leaving-social-media-behind-welcoming-a-more-passive-life/) - The Active Life, though joyous, takes a toll, especially performed at the high speed and multiple levels of social media. I am taking a break from Facebook and Twitter.
- [Be a Namer! How Madeleine L'Engle Named My Vocation](https://shirleyshowalter.com/be-a-namer-how-madeleine-lengle-named-my-vocation/) - The conversation between Meg and Progo in A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L'Engle has named who I want to be as mother, wife, teacher, and friend.
- [The Snowstorm that Wasn't: Legendary Busts and Blizzards](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-snowstorm-that-wasnt-legendary-busts-and-blizzards/) - The NYC snow "bust" of January 27, 2015, will be remembered as much or more than a blizzard would have been. Snow and memory go together and get more momentous over time.
- [Pittsburgh and Propelle: Where Fun and Family Meet](https://shirleyshowalter.com/pittsburgh-and-propelle-where-fun-and-family-meet/) - After the "year of the book" (2014), how to make room for the next project? I went to my daughter Kate, her co-pilot Emily, and their business Propelle in Pittsburgh.
- [A Week in Sarasota: The Bittersweet Disruption of Cars](https://shirleyshowalter.com/a-week-in-sarasota-the-bittersweet-disruption-of-cars/) - Tesla cars might disrupt our reliance on fossil fuels. I never expected to encounter a Tesla in Sarasota, but that's what happens when you plan more -- and less.
- [Plan More, Plan Less: Continuing the Search for Simplicity and Legacy By Reviewing 2014 and Sharing Goals for 2015](https://shirleyshowalter.com/plan-more-plan-less-continuing-the-search-for-simplicity-and-legacy-by-reviewing-2014-and-sharing-goals-for-2015/) - It's time to evaluate what I said I wanted to accomplish last year at this time and to set out some goals for 2015. I pick NOTICE as my word for this year. You?
- [Eves-dropping: A Good Way to End 2014](https://shirleyshowalter.com/eves-dropping-a-good-way-to-end-2014/) - We had a lovely Hershey family gathering at Landis Homes. Then two more days with children and grandchildren in Virginia. These were 2014 highlights on the eve of 2015.
- [Christmas Eve: In the Bleak Midwinter](https://shirleyshowalter.com/christmas-eve-in-the-bleak-midwinter/) - This Christmas eve brings fog, bleakness, no tinsel, no bells. Christina Rosetti and Gustav Holst captured this kind of Christmas perfectly in the song "In the Bleak Midwinter."
- [A Good Day is a Gutsy Day: How You Can Win a Free Book or Download a Bargain](https://shirleyshowalter.com/a-good-day-is-a-gutsy-day-how-you-can-win-a-free-book-or-download-a-bargain/) - Win one of three My Gutsy Story Anthologies and check out the work of nine authors I have come to admire in the last three years. Also, don't miss the .99 Kindle sale!
- [Recovering Joy in A Good Day: The Woman in the Photograph](https://shirleyshowalter.com/recovering-joy-in-a-good-day-the-woman-in-the-photograph/) - Mani Feniger's guest post tells the story of how troubled she was as a child who did not know the full story of her mother's life. Her memoir unravels the mystery.
- [Always Returning: Prairie Wisdom for Breathing in a Good Day Every Day](https://shirleyshowalter.com/always-returning-prairie-wisdom-for-breathing-in-a-good-day-every-day/) - When we have arrived at spiritual enlightenment, we don't judge one day as more "good" than another. Daisy Hickman shares why she's "not there yet" but wants to be.
- [The Quiet, Productive, Connected Very Good Day: Tina Fariss Barbour's Wise Words](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-quiet-productive-connected-very-good-day-tina-fariss-barbour/) - After loading up on superlatives about a very good day, it's time to look at the other side -- the quiet, productive day. Tina Fariss Barbour defines her good day.
- [Every Day Is All There Is: Defining a Good Day](https://shirleyshowalter.com/every-day-is-all-there-is-defining-a-good-day/) - Joan Didion, Joel Elkes, Brother David Steindl-Rast and Don Clymer have all contributed to my understanding of the value of a good day. Contemplate that value in your own life.
- [Rest, Rock, and Roll: Some Thoughts about Rhythm from the Road](https://shirleyshowalter.com/rest-rock-and-roll-some-thoughts-about-rhythm-from-the-road/) - October has included a women's retreat on simplicity and another long road trip. The secret to both slow and fast movement? Rhythm!
- [Black Like Me: What I Learned by Listening to Black Voices Then and Now](https://shirleyshowalter.com/black-like-me-what-i-learned-by-listening-to-black-voices-then-and-now/) - I learned from Mr. Price that authors could teach me what it's like to be black and that I had a responsibility to learn from them. Joanne Gabbin continues to teach me.
- [Building "THIS": How an Online Course Has Inspired Me to Continue Blogging](https://shirleyshowalter.com/building-this-how-an-online-course-has-inspired-me-to-continue-blogging/) - Professor Al Filreis, who teaches Modern and Contemporary Poetry, a MOOC, says "this" is the most important word. As a memoir writer, it helps me dwell in Possibility.
- [Does BLUSH Have a Sequel?: The Box in the Basement](https://shirleyshowalter.com/does-blush-have-a-sequel-the-box-in-the-basement/) - Readers have been asking if BLUSH has a sequel. I don't know the answer yet, but I do feel the Box in the Basement calling me to come investigate my life in the 1960's.
- [Celebrating Readers! An Invitation to Help Plan a Book Birthday Party](https://shirleyshowalter.com/celebrating-readers-an-invitation-to-help-plan-a-book-birthday-party/) - Blush: A Mennonite Girl Meets a Glittering World is about to turn one year old. What questions shall I answer at the birthday party at Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community?
- [Blog Post #500 and a Six-Year Anniversary Milestone](https://shirleyshowalter.com/blog-post-500-and-a-six-year-anniversary-milestone/) - My son Anthony gave me the gift of a blog post set-up for my sixtieth birthday. Today's milestone post is #500 and this month marks six years of continuous blogging.
- [Carpe Diem: A Tribute to Robin Williams](https://shirleyshowalter.com/carpe-diem-a-tribute-to-robin-williams/) - When Robin Williams died, I immediately thought of Niel, from Dead Poet Society. Perhaps the most lasting lesson from that film, and from Williams himself, is Carpe Diem.
- [The Tie that Binds: How Mennonite College Friendships Grew from Twig to Vine](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-tie-that-binds-how-mennonite-college-friendships-grew-from-twig-to-vine/) - After finding each other in 1966, four Mennonite women became lifelong friends. A reunion this summer provided the perfect symbol for them: a trumpet vine.
- [Book Expo America: Three Tips to Keep You from Going Broke or Crazy](https://shirleyshowalter.com/book-expo-america-three-tips-to-keep-you-from-going-broke-or-crazy/) - Three tips on how to keep costs manageable and benefits high at the Book Expo America in NYC. Join Authors Guild or go to Bloggers Conference and expect serendipity.
- [Happy Birthday, Bill Moyers! Eighty Years Young](https://shirleyshowalter.com/happy-birthday-bill-moyers-eighty-years-young/) - Bill Moyers has no parallel in journalism today. The length, depth, breadth, and consistency of his career proves his integrity as a human being and television journalist.
- [Why I Love to Travel and Why the Big Apple is a City Like No Other](https://shirleyshowalter.com/why-i-love-to-travel-and-why-the-big-apple-is-a-city-like-no-other/) - Upon arriving in New York, Stuart and I meet unexpectedly with one stranger and one hometown friend. Both encounters involve serendipity. Both will stand out in memory.
- [Not Quite Amish: Photos of Simplicity Rooted in a Mennonite Childhood](https://shirleyshowalter.com/not-quite-amish-photos-of-simplicity-rooted-in-a-mennonite-childhood/) - My brother's hobby in youth, taking pictures of our farm and family, helped me write my memoir Blush. Now I share his photos on Not Quite Amish in my monthly column there.
- [On the Road Again: Coming to a City Near You?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/on-the-road-again-coming-to-a-city-near-you/) - This summer Stuart and I celebrate 45 years of marriage. We'll cross the country and travel on two Amtrak trains for 15 book events: our own Writers Residency Program.
- [Catherine R. Mumaw: A Different Kind of Mother's Day Tribute](https://shirleyshowalter.com/catherine-r-mumaw-a-different-kind-of-mothers-day-tribute/) - Though Catherine R. Mumaw has no biological children, she is a mother. Both to four women who entered her family through marraige. And to me and many others as a role model.
- [Are You a Pantser or a Plotter? Approaches to Memoir Writing and Life](https://shirleyshowalter.com/are-you-a-pantser-or-a-plotter-approaches-to-memoir-writing-and-life/) - When I wrote my Mennonite childhood memoir Blush, I used mostly a pantser approach, augmented by careful attention to themes and rising and falling action in the plot.
- [Are You a Sprinter or a Marathoner? Is There a Third Way?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/are-you-a-sprinter-or-a-marathoner-is-there-a-third-way/) - Inspired by daughter Kate, who ran ten miles recently, I reflect on being more like a sprinter, reject the dualism, and conclude that I am a marathon sprinter.
- [Learning from Rachel Held Evans: A Book Tour Pro](https://shirleyshowalter.com/learning-from-a-pro-on-a-book-tour-rachel-held-evans/) - Here's a list of steps to increase networking and help other authors when they visit your hometown. These twelve actions will turn a weak connection into a strong one.
- [What's the Best Way to do a Book Tour? A Hybrid Approach Between Virtual and "Live"](https://shirleyshowalter.com/whats-the-best-way-to-do-a-book-tour-a-hybrid-approach-between-virtual-and-live/) - Is it worth it to travel long distances to promote your book? The answer depends on how you define success, but the lessons here can apply to many authors.
- [Coverings and Bonnets, Part Three: Church of the Brethren and Quaker Stories](https://shirleyshowalter.com/coverings-and-bonnets-part-three-church-of-the-brethren-and-quaker-stories/) - Charlene Fahnestock and Eileen Kinch describe the reasons they choose head coverings and modest dress. Both are religious women, but their communities differ.
- [Coverings and Bonnets, Amish, Quaker, and Mennonite Stories: Part Two](https://shirleyshowalter.com/coverings-and-bonnets-amish-quaker-and-mennonite-stories-part-two/) - Having written a childhood memoir BLUSH about leaving the practice of wearing a Mennonite prayer covering, I interview Kathy Wenger to show the other side of the choice.
- [Mennonite Bonnet and Covering Stories: Part One](https://shirleyshowalter.com/mennonite-bonnet-and-covering-stories-part-one/) - In preparation for speaking at Mount Joy Mennonite Church with Saloma Miller Furlong, I asked other women to tell me their covering stories. Most rejoiced when they left the covering behind.
- [Miranda, Mary Ann, and FriendStory: Bittersweet Childhood Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/miranda-mary-ann-and-friendstory-bittersweet-childhood-memoir/) - In response to Miranda Beverly-Whittemore's request, I contributed a friendstory to her website about my cousin and encourage other writers to do the same.
- [Staring Death in the Face: How I Became a Gutsy Mennonite Memoirist](https://shirleyshowalter.com/staring-death-in-the-face-how-i-became-a-gutsy-mennonite-memoirist/) - The story of the death of my baby sister in 1954 inspired my entry into Sonia Marsh's My Gutsy Story contest. Love is the key to the courage to face death.
- [Three Reasons Why We Need Books and Authors](https://shirleyshowalter.com/three-reasons-why-we-need-books-and-authors/) - Books make us more creative, imaginative, peaceful, empathetic, and wise. Whether authors write poetry, fiction, or memoir, they can open new worlds to readers.
- [Crossing Cultures Through Memoir: A Guest Blog Post](https://shirleyshowalter.com/crossing-cultures-through-memoir-a-guest-blog-post/) - Do you remember Jimmy Carter's mother Lillian? She did many remarkable things, but what I remember most is that she applied to the Peace Corps at age 68 and then nursed leprosy patients during a two-year term in India. Let me introduce you to another Peace Corps volunteer, also a Gestalt psychotherapist and sociologist, Janet
- [Reviewing 2013 and Setting Goals for 2014: Continuing the Search for Simplicity, Legacy](https://shirleyshowalter.com/reviewing-2013-and-setting-goals-for-2014-continuing-the-search-for-simplicity-legacy/) - My mission, written in 2003, is to prepare for the hour of my death, one good day at a time. I came closer to that goal by publishing Blush in 2013. It allows me to focus on simplicity and legacy as my themes for a good day. I want to travel and speak more in 2014.
- [Sharing Nostalgia for Childhood at Christmas Time With Linda Gartz](https://shirleyshowalter.com/sharing-nostalgia-for-childhood-at-christmas-time-with-linda-gartz/) - Linda Gartz, family archaeologist, responded to my Magical Memoir Moment request to tell a Christmas childhood memory. Her story will awaken nostalgia in anyone.
- [A Modern Farm Girl Bookworm Evaluates Blush and the Value of a Tobacco Worm Today](https://shirleyshowalter.com/a-modern-farm-girl-bookworm-evaluates-blush-and-the-value-of-a-tobacco-worm-today/) - Testing the appeal of my memoir Blush to the "young adult" reader, I asked my grand niece Clara to evaluate it. She gave it a ten! She liked the young Shirley best.
- [Do You Remember December 1, 1969? Another Chance to Publish Your Story!](https://shirleyshowalter.com/do-you-remember-december-1-1969-another-chance-to-publish-your-story/) - The draft lottery on December 1, 1969, changed the lives of all college students in America. Some were headed for war. Others were exempted by a "lucky" number. Tell your story.
- [Your Chance to be an Author! Tell a FriendStory](https://shirleyshowalter.com/your-chance-to-be-an-author-tell-a-friendstory/) - Author Miranda Beverly-Whittemore invites submissions of FriendStories as she prepares to tell the story of two childhood girlfriends in her upcoming novel Bittersweet.
- [How Writing Helps Us Peel Back Meaning and Purpose One Layer at a Time](https://shirleyshowalter.com/how-writing-helps-us-peel-back-meaning-and-purpose-one-layer-at-a-time/) - After writing a blog post about all I needed to learn about leadership I learned at church and with family, I discovered even more depth and meaning by re-reading a letter sent to me in 1956.
- [My Cousin, My Friend: How Memoir Photos Connect Us](https://shirleyshowalter.com/my-cousin-my-friend-how-memoir-photos-connect-us/) - The act of writing a Mennonite memoir took me back to pictures of childhood. My cousin Mary Ann was my best friend and shows up in many of the photos. She wrote a letter after she read the book.
- [After the First Blush: So, How's the Book Doing?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/after-the-first-blush-so-hows-the-book-doing/) - Blush: A Mennonite Girl Meets a Glittering World went into a second printing after one week. Reviews have been 5-star. Sales good. Now time to plan next steps!
- [Another Winner: Elfrieda Schroeder's New Beginnings Keep on Going and Going](https://shirleyshowalter.com/another-winner-elfrieda-schroeders-new-beginnings-keep-on-going-and-going/) - Elfrieda Schroeder, a Mennonite from Canada, continues her work on her own memoir after reading Magical Memoir Moments and entering the 100 Day Challenge
- [Amish and Mennonite: What's the Difference?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/amish-and-mennonite-whats-the-difference/) - Saloma Miller Furlong, about to publish Bonnet Strings: An Amish Woman's Ties to Two Worlds, reviews Blush on her blog. Memoir can be the answer to the question above.
- [The Blessed Ties of Memoir: And A Chance at TWO Book Giveaways](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-blessed-ties-of-memoir-and-a-chance-at-two-book-giveaways/) - The ties that bind BLUSH and GROWING UP COUNTRY, two memoirs from women about their childhoods on dairy farms, show that rural life is a form of faith, whether Mennonite or Lutheran.
- [Seeing with Great Care: Richard Gilbert's Review of Blush](https://shirleyshowalter.com/seeing-with-great-care-richard-gilberts-review-of-blush/) - Richard Gilbert's blog, Draft No. 4, features a review of Blush: A Mennonite Girl Meets a Glittering World. Gilbert probes the depths of a book.
- [To Know as We Are Known: David Crumm's Five Tips for Interviewing](https://shirleyshowalter.com/to-know-as-we-are-known-david-crumms-five-tips-for-interviewing/) - Many interviewers do not know how to interview authors or celebrities. They need to follow the five rules laid out in this post by David Crumm, editor and publisher of ReadtheSpirit magazine
- [How a Romantic Getaway Led Me to An Ideal Reader: And Another Book Giveaway](https://shirleyshowalter.com/how-a-romantic-getaway-led-me-to-an-ideal-reader-and-another-book-giveaway/) - Each author imagines the person who might benefit from reading the Mennonite memoir one has worked on so hard and long. After drawing a picture of "Rachel," I was ready for a chance encounter.
- [A Fancy Review from a Former Plain Girl: And a Book Giveaway](https://shirleyshowalter.com/a-fancy-review-from-a-former-plain-girl-and-a-book-giveaway/) - Marian Longenecker Beaman reviews Blush and will giveaway a free copy on her blog, Sept. 25- Oct.1, 2013. Her blog also describes a Mennonite plain girl growing up in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. She is also a former academic now living in Florida. We have much in common. The Blush event tour locations and times are listed at the end.
- [The Day Before Launch: Going Home to Lititz During Harvest.](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-day-before-launch-preparing-to-go-home-during-harvest/) - Author Shirley Hershey Showalter travels to Lititz Mennonite Church for the book launch of Blush, her childhood memoir of growing up Mennonite. Harvest time.
- [The Longhouse Project at the Hans Herr House: A Good Beginning](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-longhouse-project-at-the-hans-herr-house-a-good-beginning/) - The Longhouse Project at the Hans Herr Museum tells the story about the Native Americans who lived on the land of Lancaster County before the author's Swiss ancestors.
- [Embrace the Blush! A New Book Trailer and A Look at the Other Side of the New Beginnings Screen](https://shirleyshowalter.com/embrace-the-blush-a-new-book-trailer-and-a-look-at-the-other-side-of-the-new-beginnings-screen/) - Book trailer for Blush: A Mennonite Girl Meets a Glittering World introduces "Embrace your blush" theme connecting author, readers, and new beginnings.
- [An Ode to Lancaster County Corn Harvest: And an Excerpt from Blush](https://shirleyshowalter.com/an-ode-to-lancaster-county-corn-harvest-and-an-excerpt-from-blush/) - Harvesting and "putting up" corn is a Mennonite family tradition. Four generations help to bring in the corn harvest and enjoy its sweetness.
- [Were Every Stalk on Earth a Quill: Hymn Singing As Transcendence](https://shirleyshowalter.com/were-every-stalk-on-earth-a-quill-hymnsinging-as-transcendence/) - Singing hymns is a way to bond friends and family to each other. My 86 year-old mother enjoys playing the organ as my friends and I sing "The Love of God."
- [A Sneak Peak into the Black Box of Preparing to Launch a Book: A To-Do List for Book Marketing](https://shirleyshowalter.com/a-sneak-peak-into-the-black-box-of-preparing-to-launch-a-book-a-to-do-list-for-book-marketing/) - To launch a book you need to do a long list (12 steps) of activities. You have to prioritize the list because doing all things well is impossible.
- [Praising Herald Press: A Birthday Guest Post for Jane Friedman](https://shirleyshowalter.com/praising-herald-press-a-birthday-guest-post-for-jane-friedman/) - I'm on my way out the door on my birthday. I'm celebrating in two locations today. First, there was breakfast at the Prince Street Cafe in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Then I discovered that I had a guest post over on Jane Friedman's blog. So that was another reason to celebrate, and to share with you here.
- [It Takes a Village to Write a Memoir: Returning to Lititz, Pennsylvania, Cool Small Town](https://shirleyshowalter.com/it-takes-a-village-to-write-a-memoir-returning-to-lititz/) - My childhood Mennonite memoir features Lititz, PA. I worked at Stauffers Market, attended Warwick High School and Lititz Mennonite Church--all in a convertible
- [Getting Ready for Half Time: Taking a Time Out in the 100 Day Challenge](https://shirleyshowalter.com/getting-ready-for-half-time-taking-a-time-out-in-the-100-day-challenge/) - I can't believe that we are almost fifty days away from the launch of Blush: A Mennonite Girl Meets a Glittering World You've been wondering whether I would keep blogging daily for 100 Days, haven't you? Me too. I want to give you a break and myself a break. And I want to prepare to
- [Eileen R. Kinch: Quiet Poet with a Strong Voice](https://shirleyshowalter.com/eileen-r-kinch-quiet-poet-with-a-strong-voice/) - Is your life out of control? Do you want to simplify? Take Eileen Kinch as your teacher. I met Eileen at the Mennonite(s) Writing VI conference last spring, 2012. She struck me as wise beyond her years and willing to stand for something contrary and beautiful in this hectic world. Of course, those of you
- [If I Should Die Before I Wake: Why I Wrote A Mennonite Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/if-i-should-die-before-i-wake-why-i-wrote-a-mennonite-memoir/) - Death itself is one of the driving forces behind memoir. Life has been no crystal stair but it can be a stairway to heaven. Like Thoreau, the memoirist writes in order to live an examined life and to discover who they are and their purpose in life.
- [Connecting Through the Power of Love and Forgiveness: Two Mennonites at Breakfast](https://shirleyshowalter.com/connecting-through-the-power-of-love-and-forgiveness-two-mennonites-at-breakfast/) - I invited Jim Smucker to breakfast at Mr. J's Bagels, within walking distance of both our houses, this morning. I wanted to say thanks to him for agreeing to sponsor the Sweet and Sour food collection as a prize to the person who wins the 100 Day Challenge. Jim has recently moved to Virginia and
- [Sweet And Sour Food Prize: For the Lucky Winner](https://shirleyshowalter.com/sweet-and-sour-food-prize-for-the-lucky-winner/) - We are fast approaching the mid-way point of the 100 Day Challenge. Woot! Help! So much to do and so little time left. The good folks at Bird-in-Hand Restaurant have taken a picture of what they have in store for the winner of the 100 Day Challenge. They are offering this prize as a way
- [Kittens, Puppies, and Capons: A Motley Crew of Farm Animals](https://shirleyshowalter.com/pets-from-my-childhood-part-two/) - My brother Henry became the family photographer after he traded in the S & H Green Stamps for a 35 mm camera. Here are a few he took in the years 1965-70. We moved from black and white to color! He even took pictures of our 4-H Capons on their way to their new homes.
- [A Rabbi's Call for Sabbath: Come Out to the Water](https://shirleyshowalter.com/a-rabbis-call-for-sabbath-come-out-to-the-water/) - I don't fish. But I enjoyed this piece from the NPR program Only a Game on Saturday. I won't be checking in to see what you have to say about it until Monday. My New Beginning is once again to enjoy the sabbath. Here are the words of Rabbi Eric Eisenkramer: I see a deep
- [Pets From My Childhood: A Memoir in Pictures](https://shirleyshowalter.com/pets-from-my-childhood-a-memoir-in-pictures/) - One of the best parts of growing up on a farm is that people and animals interact in ways different from those in cities or suburbs. They can share space while maintaining freedom. Animals don't have to live like humans in order to be enjoyed by and to enjoy humans. Not that that's a bad
- [A Powerful Stimulant to Memoir: Crayola Memories Past and Future](https://shirleyshowalter.com/coloring-inside-and-outside-the-lines-crayola-memories-past-and-future/) - A new box of Crayolas -- is anything more beautiful? Those perfect points. The swoon-inducing fragrance! When I was a child, I craved the box of 64 I saw inside the desk of one of my first-grade friends. I loved the varied hues and the strange names: vermillion, burnt umber, magenta. I got one or
- [How to Turn Garden Guilt into Virtue In One Easy Lesson](https://shirleyshowalter.com/food-sharing-garden-abundance/) - The neighbors on either side of us have lovely gardens. We used to plant our own. For years, however, we have managed to avoid gardening. The soil here is rocky. We travel a lot. Can you tell I'm making excuses? Because other people labor in the soil, we often become the beneficiaries of their generosity.
- [On Prayer: From the Starry Night of Childhood to the Morning Light of Now](https://shirleyshowalter.com/on-prayer-from-the-starry-night-of-childhood-to-the-morning-light-of-now/) - Yesterday, July 9,2013, I wrote: I’m listening to Barber’s Adagio for Strings conducted by Leonard Bernstein as we fly above the clouds enroute from Phoenix to Houston on the way to the Shenandoah Valley airport via Dulles. It’s going to be a long day. However, I have dedicated this day in advance to a New
- [Living in a State of Grace: What I've Learned from Maya Angelou](https://shirleyshowalter.com/living-in-a-state-of-grace-what-ive-learned-from-maya-angelou/) - When you read this, I will be in the air on my way home to Virginia. So this will be a very short post. I loved this interview with Maya Angelou posted by my author friend Carolyn Butts and posted on her blog several weeks ago. Here's how it starts: Living In A State of
- [Good-Bye Phoenix: Signing Out For a Few Days](https://shirleyshowalter.com/good-bye-phoenix-signing-out-for-a-few-days/) - As another Mennonite Convention ends, I am saying goodnight to the excitement of five days spent in worship, meetings, reunions, and conversation. In times past I have attended the convention as a representative of Goshen College. This time I just moved around the halls as the spirit led me, meeting relatives, former students and colleagues,
- [Happy Independence Day:  Memoir Photo, Report, and Check-In](https://shirleyshowalter.com/happy-independence-day-memoir-photo-report-and-check-in/) - Every memoir includes some things and leaves some things out. The picture above didn't make it into Blush: A Mennonite Girl Meets the Glittering World, so I'm sharing it now. My family will be gathering tonight with my sister Doris on top of the hill of what used to be called The Home Place to
- [An Inspiring Gift Leads Me to Ask for Your Memoir Help](https://shirleyshowalter.com/an-inspiring-gift-leads-me-to-ask-for-your-memoir-help/) - Today's New Beginning just happened to me. And I did nothing to ask for it. It was like grace. Unmerited and free. Did you know that when you pre-order a book on Amazon you can share the news on Facebook and Twitter? Today one of my Facebook friends, Renee Nofzinger Quistorf, did that. Then she
- [Tobacco: An Unlikely Mennonite Crop and a Source of a Memoir Excerpt](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tobacco-an-unlikely-mennonite-crop-and-a-source-of-a-memoir-excerpt/) - "Stop," I cried. "I need to take a picture of that." My dear husband turned the car around and allowed me to jump out long enough to take the photo above. It brought back some vivid memories. One of the earliest stories I wrote when I started my memoir concerned my early career as a
- [Mennonite Dancing! It Ain't Pretty, But that's Okay](https://shirleyshowalter.com/mennonite-dancing-it-aint-pretty-but-thats-okay/) - Mennonite prohibitions included dancing, television, and movies. When my gym teacher taught a class unit on dancing, I had to turn in a note sent by my mother excusing me for religious reasons. Those classes spent with one other lonely Mennonite classmate on the wooden bleachers were some of the longest fifty minutes in high
- [A Lancaster County Wedding: Celebration of Faith, Family, Friendship, and Farming](https://shirleyshowalter.com/a-lancaster-county-wedding-celebration-of-faith-family-friendship-and-farming/) - Our niece Valerie, the youngest of my mother’s grandchildren, married her sweetheart Nate yesterday. The whole family labored for months to restore an old mill to a usable space, mow the grass, pump out the overflow from the creek, pick the flowers for centerpieces, put up and take down chairs, tent, and then get dressed
- [Hershey Chocolate: A Life-long Combination](https://shirleyshowalter.com/hershey-chocolate-a-life-long-combination/) - Now that you know that the last two numbers have been written with Hershey chocolate syrup, and now that you know frugality is a life-long habit of mine, you are probably wondering how I put that syrup to good use. Shirley Hershey was my name for 21 years, and it's still part of my identity.
- [Saying Good-bye to My Memoir: The Final Proofreading](https://shirleyshowalter.com/saying-good-bye-to-my-memoir-the-final-proofreading/) - This will be short, folks! I have a very important job to do today. This is the deadline for returning my manuscript to the Herald Press editor so that he can implement the print schedule. So many stages in the production of a book! And it's scary to find corrections even at the end when
- [Meadow Tea: A Memoir Story You Can Really Drink In](https://shirleyshowalter.com/meadow-tea-a-memoir-story-you-can-really-drink-in/) - One of my favorite summer time chores was gathering mint for Mother. My brother and I would take a bucket and two sharp knives and walk into the meadow, following the creek, past the weeping willow trees, to the bank where the mint grew in profusion. When we heard the Tetley Tea commercial on the
- [Summer Sunday Sabbath: A Different Lancaster County Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/summer-sunday-sabbath-resting-sweetly-resting/) - I loved the screen Sabbath I took two weeks ago. I made an exception for Father's Day, but now I am back for another try. If you are joining me, let me know, either as your New Beginning or below in the comments section. My new beginning today will be biking somewhere I haven't been
- [A Perfect Summer Afternoon: Friendship, Beauty, Food, Books, and Other Fun](https://shirleyshowalter.com/a-perfect-summer-afternoon-friendship-beauty-food-books-and-other-fun/) - “Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” ― Henry James I met Tina in the fall of 1966. We were college roommates in Northlawn residence hall at Eastern Mennonite College. Now we both live less than a mile from the place we met. That
- [How to Change Your Life in a Big Way: Lessons from a Marathoner](https://shirleyshowalter.com/how-to-change-your-life-in-a-big-way-lessons-from-a-marathoner/) - Brook Kreder is the kind of person you want on your team. When we met at a conference for women entrepreneurs, more than two years ago, she asked about my book, which then had the working title of "Rosy Cheeks: Growing Up Mennonite." I was the writer. She was the one with the MBA and
- [Charming Letters to Authors: Ready, Set, Go!](https://shirleyshowalter.com/charming-letters-to-authors-ready-set-go/) - The author Carolyn See spoke at the first Santa Barbara Writer's Conference I attended and said something I've never forgotten: Write a charming note to someone in the literary world five days a week, to someone who makes your hands sweat. Do it for the rest of your life. I thought that was a great
- [Shirley Hershey's Twitter Account: What Kind Shall it Be?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/shirley-hersheys-twitter-account-what-kind-shall-it-be/) - My younger self, Shirley Ann Hershey, the main character of Blush, now has her own Twitter account. This account does not replace my @Shirleyhs account, active since 2009. The idea, to give the persona of my memoir her own voice, was the brain child of Evan McCarthy, who works at Herald Press, but is on
- [How Silly to Envy John Green: A Confession of an Elderly Newbie](https://shirleyshowalter.com/how-silly-to-envy-john-green/) - First, I need to register a complaint. I refer to myself as an "elderly newbie," since it has taken me 65 years to write my first book. I'm used to bowing graciously to the vastly superior writing and technical knowledge of my juniors. But, this guy John Green takes me down a notch more. He's
- [Searching for the Fit Self: A Physical and Spiritual Check In](https://shirleyshowalter.com/searching-for-the-fit-self-a-physical-and-spiritual-check-in/) - Time for a check up on my bigger goals. Let's re-examine the goals on June 4: Personally, I want to feel rested, trim, fit, and ready for a marathon fall. I also want to experience gelassenheit. Whoa, you say. What’s that? Gelassenheit means yieldedness or submission to God and to community. It was a favorite
- [A Story for Father's Day: What I Learned About Love from Daddy](https://shirleyshowalter.com/a-story-for-fathers-day-what-i-learned-about-love-from-daddy/) - My father was a farmer. He was just 23 years old when I was born. Three years later, my brother Henry entered our world. We were sharecroppers living on an 80-acre dairy farm near Manheim, Pennsylvania. My memories of this farm are almost entirely happy ones. Almost. Below is an excerpt from Chapter 15, "Dueling
- [Frugality: Lessons Remembered from My Mennonite Upbringing](https://shirleyshowalter.com/frugality-lessons-remembered-from-childhood/) - Can you guess why I took this picture? No, I didn't go on a butter binge. Nor am I experimenting with French cooking. These are wrappers saved over the last year. Every time I look at a butter wrapper, I smile, remembering a statement one of Stuart's Old Order Mennonite aunts made years ago when
- [On the Way to the Finish Line: Stopping to Hug an Author](https://shirleyshowalter.com/on-the-way-to-the-finish-line-stopping-to-hug-an-author/) - Since I've never published a book before, I find every phase of the process fascinating. The first thing I've learned that it's harder work than I ever could have imagined. And it takes a whole village to produce one book. I turned my last draft in on April 1. Since then, I've worked with two
- [The Plain Girl Within: One of Many Surprises in Writing My Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-plain-girl-within-one-of-many-surprises-in-writing-my-memoir/) - At first I thought that my memoir would be about difference -- how I felt like an outsider much of the time in my growing up years. When I started going to school, I became aware that I was "plain." Sometimes I felt inferior to the majority of the students who were "fancy." I
- [Returning Thanks: An Annoying Duty to a Child, A Profound Memory for the Adult](https://shirleyshowalter.com/returning-thanks-an-annoying-duty-to-a-child-a-profound-memory-for-the-adult/) - My father's father, David Paul Hershey, figures large in my memory of growing up. That's primarily because the relationship between him and my father was complicated. Daddy bought the family farm (called The Home Place in my memoir Blush). Enough said. For now. But despite the differences of opinion between the two patriarchs who ruled
- [The Author Responds to Critique: Thrill of the Chaste Part III](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-author-responds-to-critique-thrill-of-the-chaste-part-iii/) - I've admired Valerie Weaver-Zercher's insights and frisky, learned (not a combo you meet every day) writing style ever since I first read her work in magazines. Over the years, I found her reviews in Christian Century, her articles about practical spirituality in Sojourners (you can purchase at Amazon through the link) and her op-eds in
- [Sabbath: A Challenge to Truly Take a Break](https://shirleyshowalter.com/sabbath-a-challenge-to-truly-take-a-break/) - Every Sabbath is a New Beginning. But we don't always take the gift it offers. Today can be different. My New Beginning today is to do no blogging. In fact, I am not going to check email, Facebook, or my blog all day. I've written this post in advance so that I could try a
- [Wholeheartedness: The Way to Make a New Beginning](https://shirleyshowalter.com/wholeheartedness-the-way-to-make-a-new-beginning/) - Yesterday we talked about Brene Brown's TED talk on vulnerability. Her word for the people who have embraced vulnerability with courage, is "wholeheartedness." I hope your New Beginnings give you greater, and more whole, heart. If you need a little extra heart today, just take a look at my grandson Owen on this picture. He's
- [The Power of Vulnerability: Admitting My Ambition and Fear of Pride](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-power-of-vulnerability-admitting-my-ambition-and-fear-of-pride/) - One of the themes I heard from the pulpit during my Mennonite childhood was called "nonresistance." We read texts like these: "My strength is made perfect in weakness." II Corinthians 12:9 "Perfect love casts out fear." I John 4:18 Keep these texts in mind as you watch (or possibly watch again) Brene Brown in her
- [Bowled Over by New Beginnings: Day Two of the Journey toward Launch](https://shirleyshowalter.com/bowled-over-by-new-beginnings-day-two-of-the-journey-toward-launch/) - Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:19 King James Version (KJV) Confession: yesterday when I set out the 100 Day Challenge, I wasn't sure what would happen. I knew
- [100 New Beginnings: Your Chance to Be a Winner](https://shirleyshowalter.com/100-new-beginnings-your-chance-to-be-a-winner/) - Well folks, here we are. After reading 100 memoirs, writing 400 blog posts, and drafting page after page of memoir, we are entering the last trimester of labor. 100 Days Until Launch. Yea! Thank you, thank you, for sustaining me thus far. The best is yet to be. The goal has always been more than
- ["You Can't Have it All": Part Two from Saloma Furlong's Review of Thrill of the Chaste](https://shirleyshowalter.com/you-cant-have-it-all-part-two-from-saloma-furlongs-review-of-the-thrill-of-the-chaste/) - I grew up in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country. Farms like the one on the left peppered the hills and valleys of that beautiful place. So did other signs of rural life. Two years ago I stayed with my sister Sue for several days, preparing for a talk called "The Purpose of Memory" at
- [American Culture and Amish Fiction: Why Now and Why So Much? Part One.](https://shirleyshowalter.com/american-culture-and-amish-fiction-why-now-and-why-so-much-part-one/) - When he heard that I finally earned my Ph.D., my grandpa told me those three letters meant "Piled High and Deep." He didn't have a lot of respect for speculation and abstraction. My field is an interdisciplinary one, called American Civilization, at the University of Texas at Austin, where I did my doctoral study. A
- [Sing Out Like Susan Boyle: Five Lessons to Help You Find Your Signature Story](https://shirleyshowalter.com/sing-out-like-susan-boyle-five-lessons-to-help-you-find-your-signature-story/) - Nothing is more beautiful than an authentic voice that comes straight from the heart and soul of another human being. I can't think of a better illustration of this fact than Susan Boyle's first appearance (2009) on the TV show Britain's Got Talent, which electrified the audience and, eventually, the world. Even if you've watched
- [Writing as Spiritual Practice: A Guest Blog Post](https://shirleyshowalter.com/writing-as-spiritual-practice-a-guest-blog-post/) - How do you view your work? Is it a paycheck, an obstacle to your real life, a source of anxiety, or just something you do because everyone else does it? Do you cherish the dream that your work could be a calling -- something that challenges you and makes you stronger and better? Something that
- [The Secret of the Best Wedding Blessings: Find the Memoir Moments That Fit Your Child's Purest Self](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-secret-of-the-best-wedding-blessings-find-the-memoir-moments-that-fit-your-childs-purest-self/) - Three years ago today our only daughter became a bride and wife. Stuart and I were asked to write wedding blessings to read in the ceremony. We were honored and a little daunted by the seriousness of the occasion. How to choose the words when the heart was so full, the memories so overwhelming, the
- [Choosing Photos for a Memoir: Which One Should it Be?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/choosing-photos-for-a-memoir-an-opportunity-for-community-engagement/) - Robert Burns asked for the gift to "see ourselves as others see us." Every author wants that same gift and yet trembles before the awful throne of reader judgment, hoping that one's private thoughts made public will be held with respect, maybe even with tenderness and love. A writer needs to earn that trust. Selecting
- [A Week with Kate: Working and Playing with My Memoir Marketing Director](https://shirleyshowalter.com/a-week-with-kate-working-and-playing-with-my-memoir-marketing-director/) - One of the rewards of intensive parenting of young children is that they grow up to be friends. I love spending time with both my adult children and their families. Last week, I enjoyed the luxury of spending five whole days with my daughter Kate. We both are blessed with flexible schedules, so we can
- [A Mennonite Memoir Filled with Awe: Don Jacobs' What a Life!](https://shirleyshowalter.com/a-mennonite-memoir-filled-with-awe-don-jacobs-what-a-life/) - I'm grateful today for publishers and publications that allow small groups of people to keep their collective identity alive. Good Books is one of those publishers. Mennonite World Review offers a place for readers to connect to the books. Hurrah for both! April 1 issue Voice of awe and gratitude by Shirley Hershey Showalter Is it
- [Combining Service, Learning, and Memoir: An Intergenerational Approach and Syllabus](https://shirleyshowalter.com/combining-service-learning-and-memoir-an-intergenerational-approach-and-syllabus/) - Since I am preparing to teach memoir to college students, I'm anticipating a question: How write about a life when it does not yet contain a long timeline with twists and turns in it? There are many solutions to this problem: Memoir thrives on the short view anyway. It is not the chronicle of a
- [The Power of Narrative: Another Memoir Class Syllabus](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-power-of-narrative-another-memoir-class-syllabus/) - Since my own book order is due to the bookstore by April 15, I need to start thinking hard about my own choices for the course I'll be teaching in the fall. So here is one more syllabus to study. Every time I look at a syllabus created by Richard Gilbert I want to sign
- [Who Wants to Take a Memoir Class? Tantalizing Syllabi from Pro Teachers](https://shirleyshowalter.com/who-wants-to-take-a-memoir-class-tantalizing-syllabi-from-pro-teachers/) - I've been a teacher since the age of three. That's when I became a big sister. Ready or not, poor Henry got to pitch me softballs while I learned to bat. He was the first pupil in my classroom and the Watson to my Sherlock. Next fall I will be teaching again, and I'm excited.
- [Here's a Quick Way to Discover Great Books: Six Lists That Get to the Heart of Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/heres-a-quick-way-to-discover-great-books-six-lists-that-get-to-the-heart-of-memoir/) - I love lists. Don't you? Lists save us time. They help us visualize our goals. They inspire us. They appeal to our sense of completion with a beginning, middle, and end. Book lists are the best of all. I first enjoyed lists I found on Amazon. Then Goodreads offered me the chance to see the
- [Spiritual Practices and the Memoir Writing Process: An Interview with Karen Horneffer-Ginter](https://shirleyshowalter.com/spiritual-practices-and-the-memoir-writing-process-an-interview-with-karen-horneffer-ginter/) - Do you ever feel someone else's words rattle around in your brain? I've been thinking all week about these words by Richard Gilbert from last week's post. Richard makes the case, eloquently as always, that the craft of writing may be less important than the spiritual sources of writing, but it has one great advantage:
- [What Makes a Memoir "Too Personal"? What Makes it Good?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/what-makes-a-memoir-too-personal-what-makes-it-good/) - Richard Gilbert asks and answers an intriguing question today: What gives memoirists the right to share their stories? As you read it, I invite you to compare your own experience as a reader and writer and then to comment at the end. What gives memoirists the right to share their stories? By Richard Gilbert For,
- [Valentine's Day -- A Perfect Day to Show and Tell](https://shirleyshowalter.com/valentines-day-a-perfect-day-to-show-and-tell/) - The artifact today is a 1957 Valentine preserved in the scrapbook that starred in Episode One of Show and Tell, the video series that will run in this blog space once or twice a month, depending on the response it gets from viewers like you. The valentine in the video could use a little more
- [Family Aphorisms: A Memoir Legacy of Advice](https://shirleyshowalter.com/family-aphorisms-a-memoir-legacy-of-advice/) - Did you cotton to the advice of Ma and Pa in your youth? Or did you roll your eyes? One source of memoir in almost every life consists of the aphorisms -- the boiled down wisdom or witticism -- passed on by previous generations. The pattern of youth is to disdain these. The pattern of
- [Who Else Wants Simplicity? April Yamasaki's Sacred Pauses Offers a Way](https://shirleyshowalter.com/who-else-wants-simplicity-april-yamasakis-sacred-pauses-offers-a-way/) - We all know about the value of silence, taking breaks, and breathing deeply. We know we're supposed to do these things. But then we get completely involved in our work. And we forget. April Yamasaki, a Mennonite minister from Abbottsford, British Columbia, has written a book to help us remember: Sacred Pauses: Spiritual Practices for
- [Give Me a Few Minutes, and I'll Get You Started With Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/give-me-a-few-minutes-and-ill-get-you-started-with-memoir/) - That creative and persistent daughter of mine, Kate, keeps challenging me to do new things. We were looking at the result of the survey we sent to the people who have signed up (right hand side above) for my e-booklet and weekly emails. They told us that they want to write their stories but that
- [The Girl Who Opened Up My World: A Birthday Tribute to Vicky](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-girl-who-opened-up-my-world-a-birthday-tribute-to-vicky/) - Before Vicky died at age 35, she changed my life. In 1954, when I was six years old, almost everyone I knew was either a farmer or a Mennonite or both. Then Vicky Martinez blew into my life -- all the way from Manhattan! She stayed with us for two weeks. Vicky was like me.
- [A Pork 'n Sauerkraut New Year: Happy Birthday, Stuart!](https://shirleyshowalter.com/a-pork-n-sauerkraut-new-year-happy-birthday-stuart/) - At our house, the holiday season begins with Christmas and ends on January 11. Why January 11? That's my husband Stuart's birthday. We don't clear out the wrapping paper and bows until Jan. 12. Our serious efforts to go back to low-carb eating only starts after that date also. This year, Stuart discovered a tradition
- [Ten Steps to Doing a Book Cover Reveal: How to Build Community as You Prepare Your Book Launch](https://shirleyshowalter.com/ten-steps-to-doing-a-book-cover-reveal-how-to-build-community-as-you-prepare-your-book-launch/) - During the holidays, when my tech-savvy adult children were visiting us, we had a blast with an event called a Cover Reveal. It brought my publisher, my audience, and me together for the first time in a formal way. So, using the holiday theme, I've concocted a recipe for the event to share with you.
- [Starting Off 2013 with a Contemplative Bang](https://shirleyshowalter.com/starting-off-2013-with-a-contemplative-bang/) - Let me introduce you to Theresa. She's kind, spunky, creative, and playful. Can't you just see all of these things in her face? She's also a mom and a very savvy business woman who takes her faith seriously. We met two years ago at a conference and have kept in touch online. Theresa describes herself
- [The First Peak at Blush: Cover Reveal Coming This Friday](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-first-peak-at-blush-cover-reveal-coming-this-friday/) - Did you know my book-to-be book has fans? I'm blushing here, because I didn't give them this name, but that's what Facebook calls the special pages you "like," in contrast to the personal pages where you "friend" each other. I place blog posts on my website and on the Shirley Hershey Showalter page. The page
- [Comfort and Joy, Christmas and Food: An Unusual Mennonite Story](https://shirleyshowalter.com/comfort-and-joy-christmas-and-food-an-unusual-mennonite-story/) - Today's Christmas Eve guest post comes from Kathleen Foster Friesen, no stranger to these pages. Kathleen commented on a thread on my Facebook writer's page several weeks ago, and I asked her to tell her family holiday food tradition story here. So, from Kathleen and from me, Merry Christmas, curry style! And if you celebrate
- [You Are Invited to a Cover Reveal!](https://shirleyshowalter.com/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
- [Mennonites and Santa: Then and Now](https://shirleyshowalter.com/mennonites-and-santa-then-and-now-here-and-there/) - This picture of Santa and me, taken when I was one and a half years old, says a lot about my childhood, but tells only half the story. You would think, looking at this picture, that my family members were big fans of Santa and had lots of decorated trees, windows and presents. You would
- [How to Leave a Legacy. Hint: It Goes Beyond Your Book](https://shirleyshowalter.com/how-to-leave-a-legacy-hint-it-goes-beyond-your-book/) - The most piercing thought any of us have is that some day we won't be here. Some day, instead of sitting here looking out at the Shenandoah Mountain, I will be gone from this earth. Someone else will be looking through this window. In the words of poet Jane Kenyon, "all morning I did/the
- [Review of Jean Janzen's Mennonite Memoir: Entering the Wild](https://shirleyshowalter.com/review-of-jean-janzens-mennonite-memoir-entering-the-wild/) - The word "wild" has loomed large over the field of memoir this year. You've probably heard of Cheryl Strayed's wonderful book about her amazing journey on the Pacific Crest Trail. I reposted a wonderful review of the book by Strayed's mentor Paulette Bates Alden here. Now I have another wild book to recommend. Here's my
- [Seeing a Ghost or Entertaining an Angel: Which was It?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/seeing-a-ghost-or-entertaining-an-angel-which-was-it/) - Have you ever seen a ghost? An angel? The physical image of a departed loved one? No? Nor have I. But my mother did. Here's how it happened. The year was 1951. Our family of four, Mother, Daddy, baby Henry, and me, lived on a farm near Manheim, Penna. It was a Monday morning. Mother
- [Speaking of Faith: Writing About Being Mennonite](https://shirleyshowalter.com/speaking-of-faith-writing-about-being-mennonite/) - Last week on this blog Annette Gendler offered her prescription for how to write about family, which might be one of the most difficult challenges a memoir writer faces. Annette invited me to write about religion, since both of us are shaped by faith. This morning I appear here as her guest blogger. The best
- [How Laughter Can Heal--A Mennonite Actor's Journey after a Tragic Suicide](https://shirleyshowalter.com/how-laughter-can-heal-even-after-a-mennonite-suicide/) - I love when comedy arises out of tragedy. So I loved Ted Swartz's memoir. Here's how he starts the book: My review of Laughter Is Sacred Space: The Not-so-Typical Journey of a Mennonite Actor appeared in the October 15 issue of Mennonite World Review. Read it by going directly to the link or by continuing below.
- [Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou, and the Immortality of Powerful Words](https://shirleyshowalter.com/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
- [Rhoda Janzen's New Memoir: A Christian Century Review](https://shirleyshowalter.com/rhoda-janzens-new-memoir-a-christian-century-review/) - If you have been following the bestselling author Rhoda Janzen since the publication of Mennonite in a Little Black Dress, and many people who read this blog, especially this post, have been doing so, you will want to buy her second memoir. I'm deeply grateful to Janzen for helping both Mennonites and others, both secular
- [Pilgrim's Progress: Walking Backward from England to Childhood, Part III](https://shirleyshowalter.com/pilgrims-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
- [Mark Nepo's Thoughts on Memoir and Voice: Seven Thousand Ways to Listen](https://shirleyshowalter.com/mark-nepos-thoughts-on-memoir-and-voice-seven-thousand-ways-to-listen/) - Oprah Winfrey has said that Mark Nepo's writing takes her breath away. His The Book of Awakening has sold steadily since its publication in 2000 and then climbed up the bestseller lists in 2011 after Oprah picked it as one of her "favorite things." Now Mark is ready to launch a new book called Seven
- [The Yearning: How a Pilgrim Journey is Like a Memoir, Part II](https://shirleyshowalter.com/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](https://shirleyshowalter.com/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
- [A Memoir Overview: Guest Blog post at Jane Friedman's blog](https://shirleyshowalter.com/a-memoir-overview-guest-blog-post-at-jane-friedmans-blog/) - Depending on whom you ask—or what lens you apply—memoir is either a boomlet that burst or a timeless form just now coming into its own. The first lens, the literary lens, gets a fair amount of press attention. The second lens, a more hidden one, may need a little more magnification. While I believe memoir is
- [Gutsy: An Indie Publishing Success Story Interview](https://shirleyshowalter.com/gutsy-an-indie-publishing-success-story-interview/) - Gutsy author Sonia Marsh has an incredible story. It's the story of a mom (and a dad) who fled the rat race and saved their family by moving to Belize for a year. How do I know about Sonia? I first wrote about her, one of my Santa Barbara Writers Conference friends, when she started her
- [Adventures with eReaders: The Kindle Part 3](https://shirleyshowalter.com/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
- [Thriving in Leadership: One of the Best Ways Ever to Write a Book](https://shirleyshowalter.com/thriving-in-leadership-one-of-the-best-ways-ever-to-write-a-book/) - Since leadership is not the subject of this blog, I haven't told you yet about a great leadership book writing project I've been part of. Now, however, the book is being published, so I want to focus on a part of the experience that is relevant to this blog -- the writing process. Like all
- [350 Posts! Can You Believe It?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/350-posts-can-you-believe-it/) - The end of July and the first half of August are always celebration times in our family. We celebrate three birthdays and a wedding anniversary in the span of eighteen days. Four years ago, my son Anthony delighted me with the birthday gift of setting up a Wordpress blog for me. The blog today has
- [The Memoir Shadow: Greeting the Child Self](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-memoir-shadow-greeting-the-child-self/) - I've been visiting my family -- my mother and three sisters and one brother -- all of whom live close to our childhood home of 304 E. Newport Road, Lititz, PA. This morning I took a walk along the linear park that runs through the meadow and along the creek of the land that was
- [Paying Life Forward: Memoir and Mentorship](https://shirleyshowalter.com/paying-life-forward-memoir-and-mentorship/) - When I was twelve years old, my family moved from a farm we rented in Manheim, Penna., to the "home place," the farm my parents bought from my grandparents. That move, I now recognize, changed my life. I went from being a moderately engaged student trying to fit in with a social crowd to being
- [The Brooklyn Dodgers and The Philadelphia Phillies, a Father/ Child Baseball Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-brooklyn-dodgers-and-the-philadelphia-phillies-a-baseball-memoir/) - What's more American than baseball and apple pie? And what game is more archetypal than baseball for the bonding of fathers and their children, especially their sons? Watch the 4-minute video below from my blogger friend Charles K. Hale, and try to imagine why I connect viscerally with Charlie's story. We are about the same
- [Simplicity: A Very Short Mennonite Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/simplicity-a-very-short-mennonite-memoir/) - "The more we have, the less we own." Meister Eckhart I grew up in a simpler age, the 1950's. We lived on a 100-acre dairy farm. We were Mennonite. I should know all about simplicity, right? Of course, it's not that simple. Recently someone asked for advice on how to simplify his life. In turn,
- [Rhoda Janzen, First Lady and Hottest Chick of Mennonite Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/rhoda-janzen-first-lady-and-hottest-chick-of-mennonite-memoir/) - There's news from Rhoda Janzen, author of Mennonite in a Little Black Dress. Her sequel memoir Does This Church Make Me Look Fat? is available for pre-order. Here's a short blurb from USA Today to whet your appetite. Now is that a catchy title or what? The subtitle comes back to remind the reader of her
- [A Room of One's Own: How to Be More Creative](https://shirleyshowalter.com/a-room-of-ones-own-how-to-be-more-creative/) - It's Wednesday, June, 27, 2012. 8 a.m. Time to go to the office. Oh wait, I am at the office! I have finally arrived at a place I have fantasized about -- a room of my own for writing -- and freedom from the 9-5 job world. Much as I loved having a career, I
- [Sailing Acts: A Memoir and an Inner Transformation](https://shirleyshowalter.com/sailing-acts-a-memoir-and-an-inner-transformation/) - We've just returned. In so many ways I am home again. Back from Brooklyn, back from the world's best job of being a Granny Nanny, back from living out of suitcases for three weeks and a studio apartment for ten months before that. Back from writing ten chapters of memoir on a dining room table.
- [Jean Raffa on Dream Interpretation and Memoir Writing](https://shirleyshowalter.com/jean-raffa-on-dream-interpretation-and-memoir-writing/) - Author Jean Raffa has been sharing her knowledge of dreams in a series begun with this post and continuing with last week's post about the Big dreams of childhood. Here are two more concluding questions from me and Jean's answers. Q: If we don't have dream interpretation training like you do, do we need an analyst
- [Understanding a Childhood Dream: With Help from Jean Raffa](https://shirleyshowalter.com/understanding-a-childhood-dream-with-help-from-jean-raffa/) - When I saw the picture that author Jean Raffa sent me to represent the landscape of western North Carolina, her summer home, I smiled. The picture shows a root cellar, a place that must be important to Jean as she looked for landscape to represent who she is. Synchronistically, cellars are also important to me.
- [Dreams and Memoir: A Way to Discover Inner Truths About the Past](https://shirleyshowalter.com/dreams-and-memoir-a-way-to-discover-inner-truths-about-the-past/) - I've been carrying on a conversation with author Jean Raffa ever since she posted this essay about the active imagination and her creative process, excerpted below: Here’s how it works for me. I find a quiet, comfortable, private, and distraction-free place to sit, usually in front of my computer so I can record what is
- [Dancing With Change -- A Memoir About Parting](https://shirleyshowalter.com/dancing-with-change-a-memoir-about-parting/) - Today is the first day of the last week of taking care of Owen in Brooklyn. As I get ready to walk to Owen's house, I am filled with gratitude and a little grief. Yesterday I took a walk in the park -- Ft. Greene Park -- on what might have been our last sunny
- [A Twitter Post-Script: How Online Can Lead to Offline Memoir Connections](https://shirleyshowalter.com/a-twitter-post-script-how-online-can-lead-to-offline-memoir-connections/) - Just have to share a lovely experience because it continues the conversation about social media and "real" writing that began with this post about social media and continued when Kathy Pooler did a guest post about Twitter here last week. As I write my own memoir, I am learning to know many authors who have
- [A Chance Encounter, Elizabeth Bird, Chuck Close, and Memoirs for Young Readers](https://shirleyshowalter.com/a-chance-encounter-elizabeth-bird-chuck-close-and-memoirs-for-young-readers/) - What hath memoir to do with children's lit? To find out, I consulted an expert, Elizabeth Bird, youth materials specialist at the New York Public Library. She's known as a go-to kid-lit expert for writers, editors, and reporters. When Maurice Sendak died last week, she was interviewed on television. She ended the week as a
- [Going to Chris Guillebeau's World-Class Book Launch: The Art of Nonconformity](https://shirleyshowalter.com/going-to-chris-guillebeaus-world-class-book-launch-the-art-of-nonconformity/) - This is just a note to let you know that I plan to attend a New York City book launch for Chris Guillebeau's new book The $100 Start Up tonight. He calls his tour the world's first seven continent book tour. I found Chris's website over a year ago because of one of his fans
- [Cheryl Strayed's Wild Reviewed by Her Mentor Paulette Bates Alden](https://shirleyshowalter.com/cheryl-strayeds-wild-reviewed-by-her-mentor-paulette-bates-alden/) - Have you ever been named in the acknowledgment section of a book? If so, you know how thrilled and tender you can feel. How about being named in the hottest memoir of the season? That's what happened to my guest today, Paulette Bates Alden, who was lucky enough to have Cheryl Strayed as a student
- [Using Twitter Strategically: It's All About Making Meaningful Connections](https://shirleyshowalter.com/using-twitter-strategically-its-all-about-making-meaningful-connections/) - Two weeks ago I wrote about balancing two kinds of writing -- memoir and social media (Facebook and Twitter). Kathleen Pooler wrote a comment on that post, which prompted my invitation to her to share what she has learned about Twitter. I tend to use Facebook more than Twitter, but I see the advantages of Twitter when
- [How to Balance Writing with Facebook, Blogging, and Twitter](https://shirleyshowalter.com/how-to-balance-writing-with-facebook-blogging-and-twitter/) - While I draft memoir chapters about growing up Mennonite, I am also writing to you, the friends of this blog, and to others on my facebook page and twitter feed. Is it worth it to spend my time this way? Sometimes I wonder. A few weeks ago, I was asked by a friend of this
- [Some Assembly Required: A Review of Anne (and Sam) Lamott's Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/some-assembly-required-a-review-of-anne-and-sam-lamotts-memoir/) - I wasn't going to write any more reviews in this blog -- except by offering this space to guest reviewers whose writing I know and trust. I have vowed to keep the chapter drafts of my own memoir my first priority for my precious writing time. Reading and reviewing a new book can take one
- [Mennonite/s Writing: A Tweet-based Conference Review](https://shirleyshowalter.com/mennonites-writing-a-tweet-based-conference-review/) - Most of you know that my memoir-in-progress is about growing up Mennonite in Lancaster County, PA, in the '50's and '60's. So what a treat it was to attend a conference at Eastern Mennonite University called Mennonite/s Writing VI: Solos and Harmonies. The organizers Kirsten Beachy of Eastern Mennonite University and poet Julia Kasdorf of
- [Daisy Hickman: Interviewer and Reviewer (of Jonathan Franzen's The Discomfort Zone)](https://shirleyshowalter.com/daisy-hickman-interviewer-and-reviewer-of-jonathan-franzens-the-discomfort-zone/) - There's an art to interviews. First of all, it helps to be a great observer and listener and to know something about the person and subject under inspection. Most of all, it helps to care. Daisy Hickman fits that bill perfectly. Last week she placed her questions and my answers on her great blog Sunny
- [Toni Morrison Turns Back Memoir Contract](https://shirleyshowalter.com/toni-morrison-turns-back-memoir-contract/) - By almost any standard, Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison has led an extraordinary life. I'd love to read the story only she could tell about any segment of this story: born 1931 into a working class family in Lorain, Ohio; educated at Howard and Cornell Universities; taught at various universities (the last being Princeton); an editor
- [From Fired to Fired Up: Three Waves of Transformation](https://shirleyshowalter.com/from-fired-to-fired-upthree-waves-of-transformation/) - Did you know that, according to a Gallup Poll, only 32 percent of all employees can say "yes" to this statement: "At work I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day." Are you one of the 32 percent or one of the 68 percent? Perhaps you have been excited about
- [A Graduate-Level Spiritual Memoir Course Syllabus](https://shirleyshowalter.com/a-graduate-level-spiritual-memoir-course-syllabus/) - Last week I met a dynamic professor from Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary who told me she visited this blog several times while she was teaching a course on spiritual memoir. I was delighted to meet her and to know that she used the blog as a resource. You know what I did, of course. I
- [Charles R. Hale: New York Storyteller Who Knows How to Polish and Publish Memorable Stories](https://shirleyshowalter.com/charles-k-hale-new-york-story-teller/) - Meet the most famous Charlie online. If you have never met him before, you're in for a treat. If you know him well, go ahead and click one more time. He's the archetypal kid brother, using what he's got to surprise his older brother. I have watched this video at least five times. I'm in
- [Three Simple Steps to Begin the Memoir Journey](https://shirleyshowalter.com/three-simple-steps-to-begin-the-memoir-journey/) - In case you think you're not up to the challenge of writing, here's an excellent way to begin. You won't believe where Laurie Gray started. Three Simple Steps by Laurie Gray Write You’re working on your memoir, but most of your writing so far has been through journaling. Find opportunities to write and publish short
- [Will You Still Be Sending Me a Valentine When I'm 64? You Bet!](https://shirleyshowalter.com/will-you-still-be-sending-me-a-valentine-when-im-64-you-bet/) - Do love, beauty, and Valentine's Day belong only to the young? I don't think so! Like Paul McCartney, I got happy seeing older people in love even when I was very young. Our culture doesn't celebrate old-age love and beauty. So we have to teach it to ourselves and each other. Here's a valentine to all
- [Jane Fonda's Popular TED Talk: An Unintended Case for Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/jane-fondas-popular-ted-talk-an-unintended-case-for-memoir/) - Are you 30 or older? If so, you need to watch this talk. If you don't have 19 minutes now, bookmark this post for later and just read some of the quotes under the embedded video below. It could change your life. http://youtu.be/IHyR7p6_hn0 The first act in life occurs roughly from conception to age 30.
- [Richard Gilbert's Blog: A Memoir Treasure Trove](https://shirleyshowalter.com/richard-gilberts-blog-a-memoir-treasure-trove/) - Please say hello to Richard Stuart Gilbert, someone I've never met in person but feel I've known a long time. His words have often left me pondering days or weeks later. He's a blogger, journalist, memoir writer, professor and more. Some years ago he owned a sheep farm. Sound interesting? He is! Richard seems to
- [The Truthiness of Fiction: A Review of Lunch Bucket Paradise: A True-Life Novel](https://shirleyshowalter.com/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
- [Ubuntu: A Philosophy of Memoir Writing](https://shirleyshowalter.com/ubuntu-a-philosophy-of-memoir-writing/) - Welcome to the new look for 100memoirs.com! The old site still exists and has migrated to the new location, shirleyshowalter.com. I have now met the original goal of reading 100 memoirs! I discovered over the last three years and 315 posts that readers love lists of top memoirs for their own reading selection. So you
- [An Exclusive Love: Author Interview](https://shirleyshowalter.com/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
- [An Inside Look into Finding an Agent and Publisher: Terry Helwig's Story](https://shirleyshowalter.com/an-inside-look-into-finding-an-agent-and-publisher-terry-helwigs-story/) - Remember the wonderful interview with Terry Helwig in which she shared her book marketing strategies? Well, thanks to the gentle nudging of one of that post's most engaged readers, Linda Gartz, Terry is back. Here's how she found her agent and publisher, in her own words. I suggest you go to her site to learn
- [Contests for Memoir Writers -- And Resources to Help You Prepare](https://shirleyshowalter.com/contests-for-memoir-writers-and-resources-to-help-you-prepare/) - It's the season to be jolly and give shout outs to other bloggers and teachers. First, let me tell you about a contest from one of my "oldest" online writing buddies, Sonia Marsh. She and I met at the Santa Barbara Writer's Conference in 2008 -- or was it 2009? At any rate, we've both
- [A Walker in the City: Inspiring and Daunting](https://shirleyshowalter.com/a-walker-in-the-city-inspiring-and-daunting/) - November 20, 2011. Brooklyn, New York It's nearly midnight. I've just closed the book A Walker in the City by Alfred Kazin. Outside Flatbush Ave. pulses with movement and light in the rain. The wet streets glisten and double the images of white headlights approaching, red taillights receding, and green traffic light swaying above. The
- [Going Grey Caused Me a Problem: Did I Do the Right Thing?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/going-grey-caused-me-a-problem-did-i-do-the-right-thing/) - I like to think that I'm not vain about my looks. My make-up case is a sandwich bag, and I use its contents rarely. For my lips my favorite brand is Chapstick. But fifteen years ago, I did dye my hair and kept on doing it. Over time, I began to be curious about what
- [Chinaberry Sidewalks: Another Excellent Crazy Childhood Memoir by Rodney Crowell](https://shirleyshowalter.com/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
- [Marla Likes It! A Query Critique Lesson](https://shirleyshowalter.com/marla-likes-it-a-query-critique-lesson/) - Remember the old Life cereal commercial? "Mikey likes it!"? Here it is again. http://youtu.be/vYEXzx-TINc If Mikey likes it, it's got to be good. Well, in memoir query critique, if Marla Miller likes it, the same is true. She's a tough critic, but kind. And she's seen a lot of query letters in her role as
- [Terry Helwig: One Author's Adventures in Social Media Book Marketing](https://shirleyshowalter.com/author-terry-helwig-one-authors-adventures-in-social-media-book-marketing/) - True or False: Marketing a book is a grueling chore. You already know this is a trick question, don't you? The answer? True for some. False for others. Some people love to meet other people and share stories with them. They draw energy from their readers and look for innovative ways to meet more of
- [Shirley Kurtz on the Difference Between Writing Memoir and Fiction](https://shirleyshowalter.com/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
- [Left Brain/Right Brain TED Talk--Resolving Opposites](https://shirleyshowalter.com/left-brainright-brain-ted-talk-resolving-opposites/) - My friend Susan posted a TED talk on facebook recently (see below) that has helped me think about one of the more perplexing themes of my memoir: how opposites attract, fight,resolve, and need each other. Here's a set of my opposites: Mother/Daddy Pride/Humility Church/World Staying/Leaving http://youtu.be/dFs9WO2B8uI Does this video help explain or resolve any opposites
- [Janet Oberholtzer: Because I Can](https://shirleyshowalter.com/janet-oberholtzer-because-i-can/) - Janet Oberholtzer and I have a lot in common. We both grew up Mennonite in Pennsylvania. We are both living lives we never imagined as children. Janet's story, as you can see from her memoir book jacket, describes her miraculous recovery from a terrible accident. I have been gently turning down offers to read and
- [The Accidental Memoirist: How a Writer's Rare Disease Became the Catalyst to "Overnight" Literary Success](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-accidental-memoirist-how-a-writers-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
- [A Book Contract -- A Dilemma and An Idea](https://shirleyshowalter.com/a-book-contract-a-dilemma-and-an-idea/) - Big news for 100memoirs.com. After three years and 302 posts blogging about other people's memoirs, I have a book contract of my own. The contract was completed August 5. It's taken me three months to tell my readers about it. I was tempted to go incognito and then spring the surprise when the book was
- [Composing a Life: Counterpoint in Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/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
- [Dialogue and Memoir: A Challenge, A Method, and Two Mentors](https://shirleyshowalter.com/dialogue-and-memoir-a-challenge-a-method-and-two-mentors/) - Like 497, 651 other people, I have "liked" David Sedaris on Facebook. You can too, if you click on his name. You can help his PR people to say he has half a million FB fans. Wow! Recently an interview with Sedaris appeared on his page that reminded me of something I am struggling with
- [Sisterhood of the Wild Rose: A Review of Moonlight on Linoleum](https://shirleyshowalter.com/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
- [Literary Brooklyn: A Living Inspiration](https://shirleyshowalter.com/literary-brooklyn-a-living-inspiration/) - While browsing in the Greenlight Bookstore on Fulton Street, I encountered this recent book about Brooklyn writers. The author, Evan Hughes, landed not one but two book reviews in The New York Times, one by Dwight Garner and another by Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts. Both are worth reading. And the book, if you live in Brooklyn or plan
- [John Lithgow's New Memoir -- Drama: An Actor's Education](https://shirleyshowalter.com/john-lithgows-new-memoir-drama-an-actors-education/) - Sometimes a memoir knocks you over even before you read all of it. Such is the case with John Lithgow's Drama: An Actor's Education. I've read about it, listened to the author, and read a chapter of it at the Diane Rehm Show website. Lithgow, who lives in New York, has made the rounds of the
- [Take a Roadtrip in Your Armchair: The Road to Somewhere by James A. Reeves](https://shirleyshowalter.com/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
- [After You Die: Do You Want to Live on Digitally? Want to Become an Influential Hologram??](https://shirleyshowalter.com/a-whole-new-world-digital-memoir-options-a-way-to-cheat-death/) - Sometimes all one can say to an idea is "wow." That's the way I felt after watching Mashable editor-in-chief Adam Ostrow's five-minute TED talk below. Writers may not admit it, but one of their desires is to leave evidence that they were here on earth long after they are gone. Memoirists perhaps have this drive
- [A Query Critique Focusing on the Hook: Taking Care of Mother When Mother Didn't Take Care of You](https://shirleyshowalter.com/a-query-critique-focusing-on-the-hook-taking-care-of-mother-when-mother-didnt-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
- [A Query Critique Focusing on the Hook: Taking Care of Mother When Mother Didn't Take Care of You](https://shirleyshowalter.com/a-query-critique-focusing-on-the-hook-taking-care-of-mother-when-mother-didnt-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
- [February 27, 1943, Anne Frank's Diary and Barbara Ann Hess's Diary](https://shirleyshowalter.com/february-27-1943-anne-franks-diary-and-barbara-ann-hesss-diary/) - Thank you, readers, for letting me know you'd like to see side-by-side journal entries of the two girls pictured on the left. Today I want to be three people: (1) an American Studies scholar who functions as a detective, reading the diaries of these girls with perspicacity, illuminating both character and culture, (2) a memoirist
- [Two Diaries of Two Young Girls: Anne Frank and Barbara Ann Hess, 1942-1943](https://shirleyshowalter.com/two-diaries-of-two-young-girls-anne-frank-and-barbara-ann-hess-1942-1943/) - Everyone knows the story of Anne Frank, (1929-1945) the young Jewish girl who kept a diary while hiding from the Nazis in Amsterdam from her thirteenth birthday (June 12, 1942) until August 4, 1944, shortly after her 15th birthday, when she and her family were betrayed, discovered, and sent to concentration camps. Anne Frank died of
- [Another Way To Hope--A 9-11 Survivor Tells Her Story](https://shirleyshowalter.com/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
- [The Architecture of Grief: A Review of Project Rebirth](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-architecture-of-grief-a-review-of-project-rebirth/) - When guest blogger Lanie Tankard, who has reviewed a dozen other books on this site, read my last post about Courtney E. Martin, she was ecstatic because, unbeknownst to me, she had just finished a review of Project Rebirth and had planned to send it to me. Synchronicity at work! Project Rebirth Survival and the
- [Thomas Merton, Sainthood, and Writing About One's Own Life](https://shirleyshowalter.com/thomas-merton-sainthood-and-writing-about-ones-own-life/) - I find Thomas Merton's journals both inspiring and intimidating. They inspire me by opening all my senses to the world in front of me, and especially to the natural world. They intimidate me because they make me feel like a shallow, half-hearted Christian. I do not have the focus nor the courage of Thomas Merton.
- [24 Hour-Only Memoir Bargain: William Styron's Darkness Visible on Kindle](https://shirleyshowalter.com/24-hour-only-memoir-bargain-william-styrons-darkness-visible-on-kindle/) - We all get spam and the next thing to spam--email from companies we have done business with in the past. Amazon just sent me an email, something that happens without my response several times a week. But this one caught my attention. Here is the link to an offer I couldn't refuse: an electronic copy
- [Is Memoir the New Novel--And Does it Matter?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/is-memoir-the-new-novel-and-does-it-matter/) - One of the joys of writing a memoir blog for more than three years is that people send in relevant articles. Today I got this one about memoir replacing the novel from Simone; last week I got a message from Clif. Thanks, friends! The article below, which appeared in Grub Street Daily, was written by
- [Memoir: Is it Inevitably About Our Parents?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/memoir-is-it-inevitably-about-our-parents/) - Noble laureate Doris Lessing wrote her last book, Alfred and Emily, reviewed in The New York Times here, at age 88. She's now 91 years old. Apparently she's been working out the meaning of her parents' tragic lives all her life. Her father lost a leg in the trenches during World War I. Her mother
- [White Elephants: A Memoir about Surviving a Mother's Bipolar Illness and Alcoholism](https://shirleyshowalter.com/white-elephant-a-memoir-about-surviving-a-mothers-bipolar-illness-and-alcoholism/) - Madeline Sharples, author of Leaving the Hall Light On, reviewed here, has volunteered to review another memoir about mental illness. White Elephants: A Memoir. Chynna T. Laird, Eagle Wings Press, 2011. Reviewed By Madeline Sharples Everyone knew something was terribly wrong with her mother, but nobody did anything about it …that is until Chynna T.
- [A Memoir Writer's Self-Publishing Success Story: An Interview with Mary-Ann Kirkby](https://shirleyshowalter.com/a-memoir-writers-self-publishing-success-story-an-interview-with-mary-ann-kirkby/) - Mary-Ann Kirkby, who grew up in a Canadian Hutterite colony until the age of ten, and whose memoir has been a publishing sensation in Canada, has kindly agreed to answer some questions. I chose her publishing story as the focus of my questions, and Mary-Ann gave generous answers that may surprise you. How did she
- [Scott Russell Sanders and Spiritual Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/scott-russell-sanders-and-spiritual-memoir-2/) - The September, 2008, issue of The Writer's Chronicle carried an interview with Scott Russell Sanders by Tom Montgomery Fate which makes a rewarding read. It's full of nuggets worth pondering. As I begin to tackle the long-form memoir, Sanders is one of my teachers through his work. Here are some of the questions he answers: Is it
- [Memoir as Window to the Unfathomable Self: Stanley Fish on Charles Van Doren](https://shirleyshowalter.com/memoir-as-window-to-the-unfathomable-self-stanley-fish-on-charles-van-doren/) - Stanley Fish several years ago wrote his column in the New York Times about an essay by Charles Van Doren in the July 28, 2008, issue of The New Yorker. If you saw Quiz Show, directed by Robert Redford, you know that Charles Van Doren disgraced himself, his family, and perhaps even academic life, by participating in a rigged quiz show
- [I Am Hutterite: A Lovely Memoir from the Canadian Prairie](https://shirleyshowalter.com/i-am-hutterite-a-lovely-memoir-from-the-canadian-prairie/) - I probably wouldn't have found this book if it hadn't been on sale at the Green Valley Book Fair, a huge book warehouse located close to Harrisonburg, VA. The hardcover price is 19.99, but at the Book Fair it was $5.00. Ach yommer, a bargain! I'm sure the author, who grew up Hutterite, would approve
- [The Memoir Project: Marion Roach Smith's Video Book Marketing](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-memoir-project-marion-roach-smiths-video-book-marketing/) - One of my friends, Susan Neufeldt, whom I met at the Santa Barbara Writer's Conference years ago and who is writing her own book about wisdom, sent me a link to the NPR program that featured Marion Roach Smith, an author and teacher in the memoir field I had not heard of a week ago.
- [Beautiful Unbroken: Poetry on the Front Lines of Nursing](https://shirleyshowalter.com/beautiful-unbroken-poetry-on-the-front-lines-of-nursing/) - Guest blogger Lanie Tankard has returned, this time with a book on a subject new to this blog, nursing, but nursing as seen through the eyes of a poet. Don't you love the variety of human experience available to all of us in memoir? And take a look at this lovely cover: Beautiful Unbroken: One
- [Reader's Digest--A Fond Memory--And Now, a Memoir Source](https://shirleyshowalter.com/readers-digest-a-fond-memory-and-now-a-memoir-source/) - Since television was not allowed in my Mennonite home when I was growing up, magazines, newspapers, and radio were an important link to the outside world. The magazines I read from cover to cover included The Saturday Evening Post, Boy's Life, and Life. But these were special treats not always available. Usually, they followed some
- [An Interview on Learning To Write by Learning to Read](https://shirleyshowalter.com/an-interview-on-learning-to-write-by-learning-to-read/) - This week one of my own favorite bloggers, prize-winning Canadian novelist Dora Dueck, interviewed me on her blog about an issue central to my reason for starting this blog: to learn to write by reading better writers than myself. You will want to click the link above and explore her thoughtful blogs, but in the meantime,
- [Britt Kaufmann's Mini-Memoir: On Raising Chickens](https://shirleyshowalter.com/britt-kauffmans-mini-memoir-on-raising-chickens/) - Look out Barbara Kingsolver, here comes Britt Kaufmann! I am pleased to present yet another guest blogger. This time, a former student, who is publishing up a storm and making her teacher proud. Not only is Britt a poet and a playwright, but she has published her first chapbook and has had her first play
- [Mentors, Mourning, and Memories: Introducing A New Guest Blogger](https://shirleyshowalter.com/mentors-mourning-and-memories-introducing-a-new-guest-blogger/) - I'm a regular listener to The New York Times Book Review Podcast. Every week I look forward to Julie Bosman's "Notes from the Field." In her case the field is "publishing." In our case the field is "memoir." And our reporter is Kathleen Friesen. If you've been reading this blog regularly, you started seeing Kathleen's comments
- [In Praise of Sonia Sanchez: Living a Haiku Life](https://shirleyshowalter.com/in-praise-of-sonia-sanchez-living-a-haiku-life/) - Poet Sonia Sanchez has never written a book called a memoir. But her work flows directly from her life. It's not about her, however. She calls her "I" the "collective I" which is also a "collective eye" searching for justice and love in a world too often unjust and hate-and fear-full. Thanks to an invitation from
- [Leaving the Hall Light On: A Mother's Memoir of Living with Her Son's Bipolar Disorder and Surviving His Suicide: A Review](https://shirleyshowalter.com/leaving-the-hall-light-on-a-mothers-memoir-of-living-with-her-sons-bipolar-disorder-and-surviving-his-suicide-a-review/) - A Review of Madeline Sharples’ Leaving the Hall Light On. Lucky Press, LLC, 2011. by Guest Reviewer Dr. Jason M.Dew. Madeline Sharples accomplishes in Leaving the Hall Light On what no mother or parent, for that matter, would ever want to accomplish: an eloquent, honest recounting of events before and after the suicide of her oldest
- [Memoir First Lines--A Contest for Readers of this Blog](https://shirleyshowalter.com/memoir-first-lines-a-contest-for-readers-of-this-blog/) - Recently I had an inquiry from a writer who asked if I had a list of excellent first lines from memoirs. That sounded like something I should have. First words contain the vital "hook" that overcomes the reader's resistance and skepticism. Think about how you challenge a book to speak to you when you gaze
- [Leon Fleisher's Memoir My Nine Lives: Reviewed by Beverly K. Lapp](https://shirleyshowalter.com/leon-fleishers-memoir-my-nine-lives-reviewed-by-beverly-k-lapp/) - Introducing Beverly K. Lapp, Associate Professor of Music at Goshen College. Bev came into my life first as a student at Goshen College, then as a faculty colleague. She writes as well as she plays piano and teaches--which is saying a lot. Enjoy her review below. Fleisher, L. & Midgette, A. (2010). My nine lives: A
- [The Sound of Rain on a Corrugated Iron Roof: Another Lanie Tankard Review](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-sound-of-rain-on-a-corrugated-iron-roof-another-lanie-tankard-review/) - Our popular guest blogger Lanie Tankard has reviewed a pre-publication copy of One Day I Will Write About This Place: A Memoir by Binyavanga Wainaina Minneapolis, MN: Graywolf Press (July 19, 2011) Reviewed by Lanie Tankard Binyavanga Wainaina busts clichés about Africa in his memoir, One Day I Will Write About This Place, due
- [Jack Kerouac--Gives a Great Rationale for 100Memoirs!](https://shirleyshowalter.com/jack-kerouac-gives-a-great-rationale-for-100memoirs/) - Today my friend Ruth Davis, an expert on all things related to Mac computers, shared a link to a Donna Baier Stein's website called "Words, Spirit & You." I loved it and actually "liked" the page after just one experience with it. Here's today's picture and the quote that goes with it. "I have been writing my
- [Another Short Memoir Query Letter Critique Video--And a Lovely Shout Out from Marla Miller](https://shirleyshowalter.com/another-short-memoir-query-letter-critique-video-and-a-lovely-shout-out-from-marla-miller/) - Marla Miller has been helping writers "market the muse" for a long time. Now she is sharing her knowledge of the publishing industry via YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook. Here's a recent video featuring a memoir called Nadia. Imagine my surprise when I heard her mention 100memoirs.com in the introduction! Marla manages to offer some pointed
- [Judith Barrington's Writing the Memoir: A Sophisticated Guide](https://shirleyshowalter.com/judith-barringtons-writing-the-memoir-a-sophisticated-guide/) - Judith Barrington, memoirist and poet, has established a reputation as an excellent teacher and workshop leader. Her book Writing the Memoir: From Truth to Art has become a well-known text in academic courses. When more than two professors recommended the book, I decided to buy it. I'm glad I did. Barrington selects some of the
- [Memory and Truth--Three Different Memoirs from One Family](https://shirleyshowalter.com/memory-and-truth-three-different-memoirs-from-one-family/) - You may have read about how Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs created dissension in his own family and in the family of Dr. Finch, the psychiatrist with whom Burroughs went to live at the age of 13. There have been law suits charging defamation of character and invasion of privacy. This book, which was
- [More Memoir Lists! Take Some of These to the Beach this Summer!](https://shirleyshowalter.com/more-memoir-lists-take-some-of-these-to-the-beach-this-summer/) - If you've been following this blog for a while, you know that we collect lists of top memoirs from people who write or study memoir. Now that summer is breathing down our necks, we are beginning to see summer reading lists popping up like dandelions. The LA Times list was circulating on Twitter, and another
- [My Mother's Magic Rainbow Story: A Lifelong Influence](https://shirleyshowalter.com/my-mothers-magic-rainbow-story-a-lifelong-influence/) - I spent last weekend with my 84-year-old mother, who made her first trip from Pennsylvania to Virginia in many years, thanks to her escorts--my sister Doris, her husband Dave, and their standard poodle Rodney. We celebrated Mother's Day live and in person, albeit a week late. Yesterday I posted two wonderful Mother's Day tributes found on other
- [Two Mother's Day Memoir Treats--In Case You Missed Them](https://shirleyshowalter.com/two-mothers-day-memoir-treats-in-case-you-missed-them/) - "What We Nurture" with Sylvia Boorstein from On Being on Vimeo. I love Krista Tippett's American Public Media show called On Being. The broadcast she did on Mother's Day, seen in video above and in this online link--an interview with Sylvia Boorstein--allows the listener to experience the power derived from claiming motherhood (and grandmotherhood) as
- [Another Top Memoir List! Dinty Moore Picks Top Six to Illustrate Variety](https://shirleyshowalter.com/another-top-memoir-list-dinty-moore-picks-top-six-to-illustrate-variety/) - I love when friends send me memoir lists, because they are helping to build a community of readers and writers. This time, my friend Susan Blackwell Ramsey, award-winning poet and literary cheerleader, sent me the link. Others are welcome to do the same! Dinty Moore, the author of many nonfiction books, editor of Brevity, and
- [A Free National Tele-Conversation on Place in Memoir--Sign Up!](https://shirleyshowalter.com/a-free-national-tele-conversation-on-place-in-memoir-sign-up/) - Friends. Here's a chance for us to hear each other's voices, literally. I will be speaking on a roundtable along with the fabulous authors Tracy Seeley and Linda Joy Myers, whom you may have met in previous posts and comments on this blog. Linda Joy will interview Tracy and me on the tantalizing subject of
- [Memoir Query Advice from Marla Miller: Subject Matter--Incest and Moms](https://shirleyshowalter.com/memoir-query-advice-from-marla-miller-subject-matter-incest-and-moms/) - A number of readers asked to see Marla Miller critique more query letters. So here she is again from her Youtube channel. You can also read her critique of another memoir at The Writer magazine online. If you have never browsed The Writer mag, you may want to do that also. It offers great advice
- [Shirley's Top Ten Memoirs](https://shirleyshowalter.com/shirleys-top-five-memoirs/) - "Which memoirs do you like best?" That's the most frequently asked question when someone hears about this blog. Having now read at least 100 memoirs, I am ready to offer my own top ten list for your inspection. The ten books fall into three categories: Memoirs written before the current trend--books that first drew me
- [Want to Write a Great Memoir Query Letter? Marla Miller Can Help!](https://shirleyshowalter.com/want-to-write-a-great-memoir-query-letter-marla-miller-can-help/) - Meet Marla Miller, marketing expert, blogger, writer, columnist in The Writer, workshop giver, and query letter critique-er I first met Marla in 2007 when I attended the Santa Barbara Writer's Conference. I was totally new to both creative writing and marketing, so I soaked up every word of advice and made several new friends. Marla
- [A Million Little Pieces of Memoir Genre Trust](https://shirleyshowalter.com/a-million-little-pieces-of-memoir-genre-trust/) - Like most of my readers, I am an admirer of Greg Mortenson and think what he has done in Afghanistan and Pakistan--building schools (helping girls, especially) and building relationships of trust--is the best way for Americans to interact with the people of Central Asia. A vast improvement over drone strikes and endless war! Yet the
- [Audio Books v. Kindle v. Old Fashioned Book--Which is Better?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/audio-books-v-kindle-v-old-fashioned-book-which-is-better/) - One of the best rewards of blogging is discovering a new or old friend in the comments section. Fun! Since I spent 28 years interacting with undergraduates at Goshen College, I love encountering them and hearing about their lives. Several of them commented on the review of Mennonite in a Little Black Dress I wrote back
- [Doris Kearns Goodwin on Work, Love, Play, and a Bit of Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/doris-kearns-goodwin-on-work-love-play-and-a-bit-of-memoir/) - Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin combines her knowledge of American presidents with Eric Erickson's observation that we need to balance three needs--love, work, and play--in order to be fulfilled people. She describes Lincoln's love of the theater and storytelling and contrasts his ability to play with Lyndon Johnson's fixation on work. She herself has mastered the
- [Say It Ain't So, Greg! Three Cups of Tea Comes Under Memoir Scrutiny](https://shirleyshowalter.com/say-it-aint-so-greg-three-cups-of-tea-comes-under-memoir-scrutiny/) - I loved the book Three Cups of Tea. You likely did also if you read it. This morning The New York Times carried an investigative story that questions the veracity of the central narrative about stumbling upon Korphe, a village in Afghanistan, after failing to reach the peak of the mountain K2. Here's the story:
- [The Remembering Self v. The Experiencing Self--A Crucial Distinction for the Memoir Writer?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-remembering-self-v-the-experiencing-self-a-crucial-distinction-for-the-memoir-writer/) - The video below of a TED talk given by Nobel Laureate Daniel Kahneman is a must-watch for all memoir writers. In this talk Kahneman, psychologist and inventor of the field of behavioral economics, describes how hard it is to study happiness. A moment in time lasts about three seconds. The average person has over 600
- [Emma: A Widow Among the Amish--A Son's Perspective](https://shirleyshowalter.com/emma-a-widow-among-the-amish-a-sons-perspective/) - Since my own memoir focuses on growing up Mennonite, I have read a number of Mennonite and Amish memoirs and reviewed them here, here, and here. Ervin Stutzman, the current executive director of the Mennonite Church USA, gave himself an interesting memoir challenge: "How can I write the story that includes my own life (described
- [Joshua Foer's Moonwalking with Einstein: A Year-of-Memorizing Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/joshua-foers-moonwalking-with-einstein-a-year-of-memorizing-memoir/) - Meet Joshua Foer, a 28-year-old whose first book, Moonwalking with Einstein, reminds me of Malcolm Gladwell's books--quirky, researched subjects with personal and other anecdotes sprinkled generously through out. Moonwalking actually fits another memoir subcategory: the year-of-memoir. In these memoirs the author sets aside a year to do something and then details the results. Examples abound--The
- [The Cycle of Life: All Shall Be Well](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-cycle-of-life-all-shall-be-well/) - Some pictures are worth a million words. Introducing our first grandchild--Owen William Showalter. Born March 31, 2011, at 11:15. As he was being born, my dear Aunt Lois was dying. I'm feeling the full impact of the life cycle today. Owen William, your memoir has begun. I hope to help you remember your early days
- [The Magic 100 Number--Could You Memorize 100 Poems?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-magic-100-number-could-you-memorize-100-poems/) - 100 seems to be a magic number for lots of educational enterprises. We on this blog are collecting lists of good memoirs, are trying to read and review 100 memoirs, and are learning about the genre through reading, writing and online conversation. Rosanne Cash had a list of 100 songs from her father Johnny as
- [Voice and Place: A Resonant Connection](https://shirleyshowalter.com/voice-and-place-a-resonant-connection/) - These mountains in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia are teaching me about voice. The picture on the left represents a small slice of the panoramic view we first saw from the window of our new house when we were seeking a place to call home. The mountains and farmland called us and we came. Just
- [Bird Cloud: A Memoir Reviewed by Lanie Tankard](https://shirleyshowalter.com/bird-cloud-a-memoir-reviewed-by-lanie-tankard/) - Constructing a House, Deconstructing a Life By now you know that when Lanie Tankard pens a guest post review of a memoir, you want to read the review whether or not you read the book! Bird Cloud: A Memoir by Annie Proulx (New York: Scribner, January 2011) Reviewed by Lanie Tankard Pulitzer Prize-winning author Annie
- [Finding Voice: Part One](https://shirleyshowalter.com/finding-voice-part-one/) - Once, when I was a young professor asked to speak in the Goshen College Afternoon Sabbatical lecture series, I was helped by an unexpected source--my five-year-old son Anthony. We had just returned from nine months in Haiti, where our family had led two groups of college students in a wonderful deep learning experience--an international service-learning
- [A Great Memory Generator: More Touchstones for Baby Boomers](https://shirleyshowalter.com/a-great-memory-generator-more-touchstones-for-baby-boomers/) - Today on Facebook, my friend Linda posted this video of games and activities recollected from growing up in the 1950's and '60's. I recommend you take a trip down memory lane, and you will almost certainly come back with some interesting memories. Or, if you are a young person, you might want to watch just
- [The Night the Battery Died](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-night-the-battery-died/) - “Where are those Showalters?” God must have asked. “They’ve had such smooth sailing lately, let’s shake things up for them.” After a whole week of sunshine and sightseeing in Los Cabos, the Baja, Mexico, and four long flights without any delays, we were ready for the last leg of our journey home—a car ride
- [Selling Serenity: More Dancing with Change](https://shirleyshowalter.com/selling-serenity-more-dancing-with-change/) - I promised my Facebook friends that I would tell the story of how we sold our Kalamazoo, MI, house (named Serenity) after the closing last Thursday, Feb. 10, 2011. So why not share the saga with the readers of 100Memoirs.com also? The buying and selling of real estate in the current market is not for the
- [Are There Too Many Memoirs? Should Most Life Stories Not Be Told?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/are-there-too-many-memoirs-should-most-life-stories-not-be-told/) - If you follow memoir in the news (one of the categories in this blog which could easily be ten times larger if I followed all the relevant stories here), you probably have read Neil Genzlinger's savage review of three recently published memoirs (along with praise for a fourth one) in the The New York Times
- [What Does Work Mean to You? Reporting a Facebook Response](https://shirleyshowalter.com/what-does-work-mean-to-you-reporting-a-facebook-response/) - Since I quoted from Carl Jung last time, it's only fair to quote one of Sigmund Freud's most famous sayings: “Love and work are the cornerstones of our humanness.” Lately, I've been musing about these two subjects of love and work in a series of posts on family, home, and change. You can find them listed
- [Dancing with Change: A Mini-Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/dancing-with-change-a-mini-memoir/) - As you may have guessed by now, the December and January posts on this blog are more about issues related to my current life than about the subject of memoir per se. That's because Stuart and I are in the midst of major post-mid-life changes. Of course, these changes are relevant to the subject of
- [What is Your Work: Is It Love Made Visible?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/what-is-your-work-is-it-love-made-visible/) - I am a child of the sixties, having graduated from high school in 1966 and college in 1970. Everyone in those days seemed to be reading The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran. We read the selection on marriage at a wedding sometime in the early '70's: I had not reread The Prophet for years until I
- [An Amish Memoir: Saloma Miller Furlong's Story of Why She Left](https://shirleyshowalter.com/an-amish-memoir-saloma-miller-furlongs-story-of-why-she-left/) - Saloma Miller Furlong has an amazing story. The little Amish girl on the cover of her memoir and the Smith College graduate on the back cover represent two worlds. These two photos illustrate a life journey that has covered, so far, a relatively short distance in time and space, but a huge one in world
- [2010 in Review:  100memoirs.com Gets a CheckUp from WordPress](https://shirleyshowalter.com/2010-in-review-100memoirs-com-gets-a-checkup-from-wordpress/) - The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here's a high level summary of its overall blog health: The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Wow. Crunchy numbers A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 12,000 times in 2010. That's about 29 full 747s.
- [Home for the Holidays Part III: What Does Home Mean to YOU?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/home-for-the-holidays-part-iii-what-does-home-mean-to-you/) - I have been thinking a lot about houses and the idea of home for the last month. Moving from Michigan to Virginia at age 62 has stimulated introspection. I am no longer at home in Goshen, IN, the place where I spent most of my adult life, or Kalamazoo, MI, the place that nurtured us
- [Home for the Holidays Part II: The Soundtrack of the Journey](https://shirleyshowalter.com/home-for-the-holidays-part-ii-the-soundtrack-of-the-journey/) - Our moving day was Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2010. We left Kalamazoo, MI, around 4 p.m. after the two moving vans had already headed east. Our first stop was with Stuart’s brother Hollis and his wife Marty in Ann Arbor. They toasted our transition with a champagne dinner. In the morning after a quick breakfast, they
- [Home for the Holidays Part II: The Soundtrack of the Journey](https://shirleyshowalter.com/home-for-the-holidays-part-ii-the-soundtrack-of-the-journey/) - Our moving day was Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2010. We left Kalamazoo, MI, around 4 p.m. after the two moving vans had already headed east. Our first stop was with Stuart’s brother Hollis and his wife Marty in Ann Arbor. They toasted our transition with a champagne dinner. In the morning after a quick breakfast, they
- [Things Seen: A Review of Annie Ernaux's Book from Lanie Tankard](https://shirleyshowalter.com/things-seen-a-review-of-annie-ernauxs-book-from-lanie-tankard/) - My thoughtful friend Lanie Tankard, knowing that I was in the midst of that wrenching process known as moving, sent me another delicious review. I loved the idea of books as food that she borrows from Annie Ernaux. Her description of this book as an amuse- bouche was perfect, don't you think? Hope it makes
- [The Nature of Creative Transformation: Three Views on Video](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-nature-of-creative-transformation-three-views-on-video/) - Michael Jones, Lauren Artress, and Jen Louden discuss the nature of transformation--and its relationship to art and the artist. Do you think everyone is creative? What do you do allow your creative side to flourish?
- [What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up? Kind!](https://shirleyshowalter.com/what-do-you-want-to-be-when-you-grow-up-kind/) - Poet and master teacher Jack Ridl tells a story about an encounter with a boss that shaped his whole life. Again, from the 2010 Writer's Retreat at the Fetzer Institute. The Dalai Lama has said, "My religion is kindness." A few years ago, I wrote an essay about the desire of a young Amish boy
- [Creative Beginnings Video with Michael Jones and Conrad Hilberry: From A Head Nodder](https://shirleyshowalter.com/creative-beginnings-video-with-michael-jones-and-conrad-hilberry-from-a-head-nodder/) - For Canadian pianist and writer Michael Jones, one of the participants in the April 2010 writer's retreat at the Fetzer Institute, music and words brought him joy from an early age. Kalamazoo College professor emeritus Conrad Hilberry developed his artistic talents a little later in life. This video reminds me that one can listen deeply
- [Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project: A Review](https://shirleyshowalter.com/gretchen-rubins-the-happiness-project-a-review/) - On a scale of 1-10, how happy are you? Honestly. Right now. Most people rate themselves as happy--as 7's. In a 2006 survey 84 percent of Americans ranked themselves as 'very happy' or 'pretty happy.'" If your number is anything lower than 10, you can benefit from reading The Happiness Project. And even if it
- [Paulus Berensohn: Why We Create](https://shirleyshowalter.com/paulus-berensohn-why-we-create/) - Paulus Behrenson was another remarkable participant in last April's Writer's Retreat at the Fetzer Institute. He has created within so many art forms, he may have lost track of some of them. He's not counting, anyway. But he's an ecologist, potter, poet, dancer, and philosopher. He was interviewed on ABC in 2003. I highly recommend
- [A Memoir Poem for Late November](https://shirleyshowalter.com/a-memoir-poem-for-late-november/) - Poetry is the genre I feel least comfortable attempting. Most of the poems I've written deserve their ignominious fate in manilla folders. I write them most often to sustain a contemplative mood or moment. Here's one inspired by thinking of my daughter Kate and some of her favorite things this time of year. Apologies to
- [Patti Smith Memoir Wins National Book Award: Read Lanie Tankard's Beautiful Review](https://shirleyshowalter.com/patti-smith-memoir-wins-national-book-award-read-lanie-tankards-beautiful-review/) - Yea, Patti Smith, winner of the National Book Award in nonfiction for her memoir, Just Kids! Yea Women's Memoirs! Yea, Lanie Tankard! Women's Memoirs is a great place for readers and writers of memoir. I have featured the work of Matilda Butler and Kendra Bonnett, who maintain this great site, in past posts. We share a fabulous guest reviewer--Lanie Tankard (see
- [Kurtis Lamkin Will Take Your Breath Away on the Healing Power of Art](https://shirleyshowalter.com/kurtis-lamkin-will-take-your-breath-away-on-the-healing-power-of-art/) - Here we are for our video one-a-day vitamin! This time, however, there's a bonus. You will want to watch two videos, because these are amazing! I had the privilege of being the interviewer (off camera) when Kurtis told the story of how art healed him and his wife as they struggled to have a baby--and
- [The Joy of Creation: Our Writer Video of the Day](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-joy-of-creation-our-writer-video-of-the-day/) - Here's your creativity vitamin for today from the Fetzer Institute Writer's Retreat collection: Alison Leuterman, Jenifer Louden, Michael Jones, and Dianne Suess discuss making art. I agree with Alison that making things and joy are intimately connected. Take a few minutes to visit the links above if you enjoy hearing these great voices. http://www.youtube.com/v/E2AGFrUz6AY?fs=1&hl=en_US%22%3E%3C%2Fparam%3E%3Cparam www.youtube.com
- [Mary Karr's Secret--Humility and Confidence--Interview in the Paris Review](https://shirleyshowalter.com/mary-karrs-secret-humility-and-confidence-interview-in-the-paris-review/) - Mary Karr has done it again. Maybe I should say that Amanda Fortini has done it--meaning that the interview Fortini published in The Paris Review with Karr as a subject is wonderful. If you haven't read any of Karr's poetry or her three memoirs, you will want to do so after reading the interview. If
- [Smell: The Memoir Writer's Stimulus Package](https://shirleyshowalter.com/smell-the-memoir-writers-stimulus-package/) - "What smells trigger memory for you?" My niece Joyous Derner asked the above question on her Facebook page a few days ago. She got lots of responses, which led me to remember a wonderful book: Diane Ackerman's A Natural History of the Senses. I read this book soon after it was published in 1990, and
- [Just in Time for Halloween: A Review of Out of the Transylvania Night](https://shirleyshowalter.com/just-in-time-for-halloween-a-review-of-out-of-the-transylvania-night/) - Lanie Tankard, guest reviewer, is back! This time she has chosen a book that connects to an experience of her own life. I think her "bookend" intro and conclusion is as interesting as the review herself. I also think Lanie could write a great memoir some day. Perhaps this guest gig is getting her ready.
- [Bo Caldwell's City of Tranquil Light: A Review](https://shirleyshowalter.com/bo-caldwells-city-of-tranquil-light-a-review/) - If you subscribe to Christian Century magazine, you may have read my review of City of Tranquil Light in the fall books edition. If you aren't a subscriber, you can read it below. Dora Dueck also wrote an excellent review on her blog, Borrowing Bones. I encourage you to check it out. Caldwell, Bo. City
- [A Perfect September Day](https://shirleyshowalter.com/a-perfect-september-day/) - Corn fields ready for harvest along the Kal-Haven Trail What is more beautiful than a day in September? Today the answer was, "nothing!" I am looking out the window in my office right now as the sun is setting in the west, lighting up the weeping willow tree that has doubled in size since we
- [Jonathan Franzen’s Genre-Bending FREEDOM: Part II](https://shirleyshowalter.com/jonathan-franzens-genre-bending-freedom-part-ii/) - On September 24, 2010, Part I of Lanie Tankard’s comprehensive review of Freedom was published here. Today the review concludes with a fascinating report on Jonathan Franzen’s visit to Austin, TX, Lanie’s home. Channeling Walter Cronkite, Lanie makes you believe that “You Were There!” If you can, I suggest that you get a cup of
- [Jonathan Franzen's Genre-Bending FREEDOM: Part I](https://shirleyshowalter.com/jonathan-franzens-genre-bending-freedom-part-i/) - Freedom by Jonathan Franzen New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, August 2010. Available in hardcover, CD, digital audio, and ebook formats. Reviewed by Lanie Tankard Author Jonathan Franzen, an avid birder, has trained his binoculars here on a different species: Homo sapiens. While he does deal extensively with our fine feathered friends in his new
- [Shall I Follow Jane's Friedman's Great Example? Or Just Let Jane Do It?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/shall-i-follow-janes-friedmans-great-example-or-just-let-jane-do-it/) - Jane Friedman has 22,679 Twitter followers, some of whom could more appropriately be called devotees. It's worth getting a Twitter account just to follow her. You'll soon see why she has built a rabid tribe. She's smart, ahead of the rapidly evolving book industry curve, witty--and generous. One of the things I like most about
- [Judging a Book By its Cover: Rosanne Cash's Composed](https://shirleyshowalter.com/judging-a-book-by-its-cover-rosanne-cashs-composed/) - Your mother told you never to judge a book by its cover. Right? Well, your publisher isn't likely to tell you that. And, admit it, when you go into a bookstore, you don't follow Mom's advice either. The cover of Rosanne Cash's memoir Composed: A Memoir arrested me. The author is sitting on a bench
- [City of Tranquil Light: A Fabulous Pre-Publication Book Giveaway](https://shirleyshowalter.com/city-of-tranquil-light-a-fabulous-pre-publication-book-giveaway/) - I'm so excited! Today I got three shiny new hard copies of Bo Caldwell's brand new novel City of Tranquil Light. Caldwell wrote the bestseller The Distant Land of My Father, her first novel set in WWII Shanghai, in 2001. This excellent new novel (I've read it) takes place in the north China plain and
- [Presidential Memoirs, College Essays, Tony Blair Memoir: Memoir in the News](https://shirleyshowalter.com/presidential-memoirs-college-essays-tony-blair-memoir-memoir-in-the-news/) - Memoir is in the news! Do you know how many copies of Barack Obama's memoirs have sold? Which was more popular, Jimmy Carter's memoir or Bill Clinton's? Check out the answers to these and other presidential memoir questions here. An occasional writer for The New York Times, Caren Osten Gerszberg, describes the college essay, something
- [Let Us Now Praise Independent Bookstores, Public Libraries, and Local Newspapers](https://shirleyshowalter.com/let-us-now-praise-independent-bookstores-public-libraries-and-local-newspapers/) - If it weren't for independent bookstores and my local newspaper I would not be writing this blog. So this post is all about thanks and praise. There's a role for you to play too, so keep reading! I got the idea to praise these outstanding local institutions by reading this delightful Ann Patchett essay in
- [Seven Creative Skills You Need to Master in Order to Reinvent Your Life](https://shirleyshowalter.com/seven-creative-skills-you-need-to-master-in-order-to-reinvent-your-life/) - What do Pablo Picasso, Mary Cassatt, Rembrandt, and your favorite memoir writer have in common? A lot more than you might think. The book below will teach you not only to recognize patterns in the lives of great artists but to become a great artist yourself--a "life change artist." Becoming a Life-Change Artist: 7 Creative
- [Never Underestimate The Power of the Pen to Change Lives](https://shirleyshowalter.com/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-pen-to-change-lives/) - Sometimes we get surprised by joy--by the growth of seeds we planted but did not cultivate. On August 18, 2010, I was asked to attend a tea commemorating the beginning of the Anabaptist Center for Religion and Society at Eastern Mennonite University, my alma mater. Apparently, in 1994, when I gave a speech at EMU
- [In Praise of Book Reviews and An Invitation to Review](https://shirleyshowalter.com/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
- [Memory of Trees: Another Farmer's Daughter Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/memory-of-trees-another-farmers-daughter-memoir/) - I love reviewing books for Christian Century magazine. If editor Richard Kauffman had not asked me to review this book, I may never have found it, and that would have been a great loss. You can find the review below in the August 24, 2010 issue. When it is posted online, I will link to
- [Rosanne Cash: Composed](https://shirleyshowalter.com/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](https://shirleyshowalter.com/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](https://shirleyshowalter.com/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
- [How NOT to Write a Memoir: Susan Shapiro's Satirical Advice](https://shirleyshowalter.com/how-not-to-write-a-memoir-susan-shapiros-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.
- [Unfinished Business by Lee Kravitz: A Book Review](https://shirleyshowalter.com/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
- [Help Marla Contact Oprah: She Wants a New Show About Conscious Aging](https://shirleyshowalter.com/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,
- [Book Giveaway: Unfinished Business by Lee Kravitz](https://shirleyshowalter.com/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
- [Review of Ander Monson's Vanishing Point: Not a Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/review-of-ander-monsons-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
- [3 Things That Could Make a Difference, for Michigan, and for You](https://shirleyshowalter.com/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,
- [Tom Callanan's Biking Memoir: A Story of Transformation](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tom-callanans-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
- [Keith Taylor's Memoir Essay: At Springhill Farm](https://shirleyshowalter.com/keith-taylors-memoir-essay-at-springhill-farm/) - Keith Taylor directs the Bear River Writers' Conference and a whole lot of other things, chiefly, the undergraduate creative writing program at the University of Michigan. He's a giant among the writers of this state and beyond, offering his writerly wisdom and love of nature freely and fully. Keith and I discovered one connection deep enough to
- [100 Top Memoirs: Sue Silverman's List Will Give You Even More!](https://shirleyshowalter.com/100-top-memoirs-sue-silvermans-list-will-give-you-even-more/) - I had the great good fortune this weekend to attend the Bear River Writers' Conference, about which I will say more later. Sue Silverman, author of two bestselling memoirs, led an excellent workshop on memoir. I purchased and will review her craft book Fearless Confessions: A Writer's Guide to Memoir at a later time. In that
- [Memoirs for High School Students: Do You Have a Suggestion or List?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/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
- [Kay Redfield Jamison's Nothing Was the Same: A Review from WomensMemoirs.com](https://shirleyshowalter.com/kay-redfield-jamisons-nothing-was-the-same-a-review-from-womensmemoirs-com/) - Lanie Tankard has honored me with several guest blogs, and womensmemoirs.com has hosted guest reviews from both Lanie and me. So it is only fitting that when Lanie reviews a new memoir--Kay Redfield Jamison’s Nothing Was the Same-- for Matilda Butler on womensmemoirs.com, I want to share it with my readers also. Here is a
- [Memoir as History of Awe: Richard Kauffman on Theolog](https://shirleyshowalter.com/memoir-as-history-of-awe-richard-kauffman-on-theolog/) - Richard Kauffman is book editor for The Christian Century magazine and a personal friend. He created a blog post recently about memoir and has granted me permission to copy and past it here. If you like, you can also visit the site Theolog itself and check out the other blogging done there on subjects of
- [Five Best Memoirs: A New List by Norris Church Mailer](https://shirleyshowalter.com/five-best-memoirs-a-new-list-by-norris-church-mailer/) - Every so often I "Google" key words related to this blog--like "best memoirs," " memoir blogs," and "top ten memoirs." If you do the same--Google "best memoirs"--right now, you will come across this article in the Wall Street Journal by new memoirist Norris Church Mailer. I have not read her memoir about life with her husband
- [Another Blessing, Two Toasts, and a Slideshow: More Wedding Memories](https://shirleyshowalter.com/another-blessingtwo-toasts-and-a-slideshow-more-wedding-memories/) - This has been quite a year for our family! Just nine months ago, we were celebrating our son Anthony's wedding to Chelsea in Manhattan. I wrote about the toast we gave at that wedding then. Yesterday, I posted the blessings Stuart and I offered to Kate and Nik in their Pittsburgh wedding. Today, the wedding
- [Defining Memoir--With Tongue Firmly in Cheek](https://shirleyshowalter.com/defining-memoir-with-tongue-firmly-in-cheek/) - Thanks to Richard Gilbert, whose wonderful blog Narrative I highly recommend, I can include a link guaranteed to induce a chuckle. One of the goals of this blog focuses on the quest to understand memoir as a genre. What differentiates it from other forms? Why is it both popular and maligned in the contemporary literary
- [The Original American Memoirist? Walt Whitman!](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-original-american-memoirist-walt-whitman/) - What could be a better, and more honest, title for a memoir than Song of Myself? I had not thought of Whitman as the originator of American memoir (usually slave narratives and captivity narratives are given credit for this honor), but I think I could make a case for Leaves of Grass, and especially "Song
- [If You Loved The Glass Castle--Will You Love Half Broke Horses?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/if-you-loved-the-glass-castle-will-you-love-half-broke-horses/) - My friend and occasional guest blogger Lanie Tankard has written a stellar review of Jeannette Walls' new book. One of the interesting things she ponders in the review is Walls' choice of the label true-life novel. Those of you who have weighed in on the issue of memoir versus novel when the author is using
- [A Letter to Mary Karr](https://shirleyshowalter.com/a-letter-to-mary-karr/) - When Abraham Lincoln and Harriet Beecher Stowe met for the first time, the President allegedly said, "So you're the little lady who started this great war!" When it comes to 21'st century memoir, one can make the case that Mary Karr started the publishing phenom we now refer to as "the age of memoir." Her The
- [The Festival of Faith and Writing: A Feast of Flowers and Words](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-festival-of-faith-and-writing-a-feast-of-flowers-and-words/) - The Dutch know how to grow tulips--and writers! Every two years the good folks at Calvin College put on a Festival of Faith and Writing that attracts thousands of readers and hundreds of writers. And what a good time we have! This year's headliners included Wally Lamb, Richard Rodriguez, Parker Palmer, Eugene Peterson, and Mary
- [First Lines:  What are Your Favorites?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/first-lines-what-are-your-favorites/) - Beginnings matter. Writers and English professors love to exchange their favorite first lines: "Call me Ishmael," or "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." A well-crafted first line in an essay or book not only intrigues or "hooks" the reader, it also points to the theme. I had a colleague who
- [Top Ten Fake Memoirs: What Can We Learn?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/top-ten-fake-memoirs-what-can-we-learn/) - When I began this blog a little less than two years ago, I started a category called "memoir in the news" after several of the books on the "Top Ten Fake Memoirs List" located here made news for the wrong reasons. I invite you to read the descriptions of these ten books. What do they have
- [Lee Snyder's Memoir: Spiritual Reflections with Oregon, and Peace, at Center](https://shirleyshowalter.com/lee-snyders-memoir-spiritual-memoir-with-oregon-and-peace-at-center/) - Do you remember the scene in the movie As Good as It Gets when Jack Nicholson tells Helen Hunt, "You make me want to be a better person?" This book made me feel like that. Lee Snyder, whose life of academic and church leadership, culminating in the presidency of Bluffton University, 1996-2006, far exceeded what she ever
- [All in the Family: Memoir Q & A](https://shirleyshowalter.com/all-in-the-family-memoir-q-a/) - As promised, here is an interview with today's memoir expert, Linda Joy Myers. Dr. Myers was kind enough to answer six questions about specific cases concerning what, if anything, an author owes to family and friends in a memoir. This post is also Day Two of the giveaway. If you leave a comment below, you
- [How To Write Your Memoir and Still Go Home for the Holidays: A Guest Blog](https://shirleyshowalter.com/how-to-write-your-memoir-and-still-go-home-for-the-holidays-a-guest-blog/) - The day has come for both the guest blog by Linda Joy Myers and the first day of our giveaway contest. Below is the guest post that addresses the question of how to deal with our fears of offending family members from Dr. Myers, a therapist, writer, and teacher. I invite you to offer your
- [Two Memoir Course Syllabi from Poet and Professor Jeff Gundy](https://shirleyshowalter.com/two-memoir-course-syllabi-from-poet-and-professor-jeff-gundy/) - Melanie Springer Mock contributed our first course syllabus, and now, I am happy to say, we have two more from Professor Jeff Gundy of Bluffton University. Jeff has published numerous books and poems. His latest collecton on Amazon is Spoken among the Trees, which you can check out by clicking on the book cover. Jeff's
- [The Power of Memoir Giveaway: Just Around the Corner](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-power-of-memoir-giveaway-just-around-the-corner/) - I am looking forward to a week of reading, writing, exercising, meditating, and blogging--another wonderful "staycation" like the one I described last summer. On Wednesday of this week, writer, teacher, and therapist, Linda Joy Myers will be doing a guest blog about the memoir writer's relationship to family and friends--"How to Write Your Memoir and Still Go
- [Laughing Out Loud:  Mennonite in a Little Black Dress](https://shirleyshowalter.com/laughing-out-loud-mennonite-in-a-little-black-dress/) - If you too made the bedposts shake while you read Rhoda Janzen's Mennonite in a Little Black Dress, you might enjoy this guest post over at womensmemoirs.com. The book uses seven classical elements of comedy to great effect. Thanks, Matilda Butler and Kendra Bonnett, for the invitation. While you are on their site, check out
- [Uncle Joe from Brooklyn: A Mini-Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/uncle-joe-a-mini-memoir/) - Below find a delightful story with a great twist ending. Guest blogger Lanie Tankard, freelance writer and editor from Austin, TX, is back again! Lanie took a Writing with Heart class from Matilda Butler and Kendra Bonnett, who presented an excellent workshop in Austin, Texas, on February 5, 2010, preceding the Story Circle Network national lifewriting conference.
- [The Help: A Bestselling Novel with a Memoir Message](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-help-a-bestselling-novel-with-a-memoir-message/) - The Help spent 379 days in the Amazon Top 100 list. It has 1,751 reviews on Amazon.com and rates 4.5 stars. It is a novel, but, as Lanie Tankard argues, it deserves consideration from a memoir perspective. The Help by Kathryn Stockett New York: Amy Einhorn Books (Putnam), 2009. Available in hardcover, paperback, audiobook, CD,
- [Laughter and Family in Memoir Writing: Guest Blogs and an Upcoming Giveaway](https://shirleyshowalter.com/laughter-and-family-in-memoir-writing-guest-blogs-and-an-upcoming-giveaway/) - "What makes us laugh out loud?" is the question I am asking as I re-read Mennonite in a Little Black Dress. Next week I will try to answer that question for a guest post I plan to send to Matilda Butler at the great website Womensmemoirs.com. If you have not discovered this website, I recommend that you
- [Why Are We Here? Roger Ebert's 100 Answers to that Question in Films](https://shirleyshowalter.com/why-are-we-here-roger-eberts-100-answers-to-that-question-in-films/) - Scroll slowly over this picture. Do you recognize the famous film critic Roger Ebert? I knew that Ebert had battled cancer, lost weight, and kept on going. What I did not know, until I saw that picture and read the article in Esquire about him, was that he has also lost his physical voice and most of
- [Who's Being Bagged--Alexandra Penney or the Buyers of Her Memoir?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/whos-being-bagged-alexandra-penney-or-the-buyers-of-her-memoir/) - Remember when we looked at one of the casualties of the Bernie Madoff scandal--artist and blogger Alexandra Penney who got a book deal to tell her story? Here's the blog post from February 12, 2009 catalogued under the catagory "memoir in the news." Just one year later, the book is not only written but published,
- [Black is Universal: E. Ethelbert Miller Radio Interview on Speaking of Faith](https://shirleyshowalter.com/black-is-universal-e-ethelbert-miller-radio-interview-on-speaking-of-faith/) - E. Ethelbert Miller spoke to Krista Tippett recently on her American Public Media program "Speaking of Faith." Tippett described the conversation as a "jazz riff," and I think you will agree that Miller, who is poet, spiritual seeker, memoirist, and director of the Afro-American Resource Center at Howard University, weaves together a beautiful cloth melody
- [Five Google SB Memoir Ad Parodies--Which One is Best and Why?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/five-google-sb-memoir-ad-parodies-which-one-is-best-and-why/) - It had to happen. Since the Google Super Bowl Ad was creative, popular, and infinitely repeatable, we had to start seeing parodies of it. But so soon? Three days after the Super Bowl, five parodies, from light to dark in tone, have reached Mashable! You can watch them here! Google must be bursting with pride, since
- [24 Memoirs in 28 Days:  Check These Out as We Build the Top 100!](https://shirleyshowalter.com/24-memoirs-in-28-days-check-these-out-as-we-build-the-top-100/) - For those of you searching the web for "top memoir" reading lists, here is a new resource. Angela Kelsey, a Twitter friend, is challenging herself to review 24 memoirs in the next 28 days. She has reached Day 4 already, and the quality of both the books and reviews will reward your reading effort. Check out
- [Google Ad as Memoir:  Fabulous!!](https://shirleyshowalter.com/google-ad-as-memoir-fabulous/) - For me, this ad was the best part of the Super Bowl! What did you think?
- [Listen to Six-Word Memoirs on NPR](https://shirleyshowalter.com/listen-to-six-word-memoirs-on-npr/) - Want to hear people from all over the country call in their life stories in six words? It's a pretty good way to spend 17 minutes! Just click here.
- [Mary Karr and Augustine: Spiritual Autobiography in the 21st Century](https://shirleyshowalter.com/mary-karr-and-augustine-spiritual-autobiography-in-the-21st-century/) - Edward Short's review of Mary Karr's Lit (which I also reviewed here), contains a few paragraphs very relevant to all memoir writers. I invite you to read the complete review here. Short's insights are brilliant. Here are the four most relevant paragraphs to our concerns as we seek to understand the power of memoir to go
- [Tell Your Travel Story--Win a $3,000 Vacation](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tell-your-travel-story-win-a-3000-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](https://shirleyshowalter.com/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!](https://shirleyshowalter.com/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](https://shirleyshowalter.com/huston-smiths-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](https://shirleyshowalter.com/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](https://shirleyshowalter.com/listmania-jerry-waxlers-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](https://shirleyshowalter.com/announcing-the-winner-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](https://shirleyshowalter.com/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](https://shirleyshowalter.com/want-to-create-your-own-memoir-course-heres-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](https://shirleyshowalter.com/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
- [Mary Karr's Lit: A Monumental Achievement](https://shirleyshowalter.com/mary-karrs-lit-a-monumental-achievement-2/) - The key to writing a great memoir is seducing the reader to fall in love with you. After reading first The Liars' Club and now Lit, I am totally smitten. I have Karr's second memoir Cherry on my shelf and will need to read it also. Lit is the story of a girl from Texas
- [Ben Yagoda's Memoir: A History on the Kindle--A Double Review](https://shirleyshowalter.com/ben-yagodas-memoir-a-history-on-the-kindle-a-double-review/) - Ben Yagoda's history of the memoir genre should make any other survey redundant. He's performed a great service, not only to readers and writers but also to the new field of nonfiction/memoir studies. As promised previously, I will describe not only what I learned from reading the book but also from reading it on the Kindle. First,
- [Ben Yagoda on NPR: Great Overview of Memoir History](https://shirleyshowalter.com/ben-yagoda-on-npr-great-overview-of-memoir-history/) - Two days ago I posted an NPR story summary with my own slant on it. It got picked up on www.expectingrain.com and reached hundreds of viewers, instantly becoming my most viewed post. That was exciting. Thanks, Expectingrain.com! Come to think of it, NPR stories on the arts almost always fascinate me, and I can tell
- [Why I am Loving My Kindle: And a Request for Readers to Report on Their Own E-book Experiences](https://shirleyshowalter.com/why-i-am-loving-my-kindle-and-a-request-for-readers-to-report-on-their-own-e-book-experiences/) - A few weeks ago I posted a list of 18 books I had blogged about in the last six months. At the end of the list I included two books I have not yet read, pictured here. Today I got out my six-month-old Kindle and spent 20 seconds ordering the two books--Mary Karr's Lit and Ben Yagoda's Memoir:
- [Rosanne Cash's "The List"--A Confirmation of the Value of the "Top 100"](https://shirleyshowalter.com/roseanne-cashs-the-list-a-confirmation-of-the-value-of-the-top-100/) - Terry Gross, host of NPR's "Fresh Air," recently interviewed Rosanne Cash, daughter of Johnny Cash, and singer/songwriter in her own right. Here is the link to a great interview. On the radio program Cash samples 4 or 5 songs from her latest album, "The List." Below is the story she tells of how "The List" was created as
- [The Blind Side and Invictus: Two Movies Worth Watching](https://shirleyshowalter.com/blindside-and-invictus-two-movies-worth-watching/) - I have always been a sucker for a good sports story--even though as a Mennonite farm girl I was not allowed to play competitive sports myself. One Saturday afternoon in the mid 1960's, while I was performing one of my weekly chores--vacuuming my parents' bedroom--I tuned the radio dial to the local station hoping to
- [Memoir Holiday Presents: Just in Time for the Last Two Weeks Before Christmas](https://shirleyshowalter.com/memoir-holiday-presents-just-in-time-for-the-last-two-weeks-before-christmas/) - Of course you want to know which memoirs make great gifts. So here is a quick and dirty guide to what's good from my perspective. Hope it helps you delight someone who loves to read life stories. You can make shopping really easy by clicking on the picture of the book. It takes you right to
- [The Reviewer's Role: Is A Touch of Memoir Appropriate, Honest, Intrusive, Something Else?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-reviewers-role-is-a-touch-of-memoir-appropriate-honest-intrusive-something-else/) - Reading and reviewing books side-by-side offers a way of increasing the number of perspectives and experiences one can weave together. The reading process itself is an interactive one. At a minimum it includes the author's voice and values, reader's values and experiences, and other texts both reader and writer have woven into their lives. Two books
- [Karen Armstrong's Charter for Compassion: Memoir in Action](https://shirleyshowalter.com/karen-armstrongs-charter-for-compassion-memoir-in-action/) - A few months ago I read and reviewed Karen Armstrong's memoir The Spiral Staircase here. At the time I never imagined that I would have the opportunity of meeting her. Imagine my delight, then, when she announced that she would use her TED (Technology, Education, and Design Prize Money) to create a Charter for Compassion--and
- [Around the World in 80 Days:  Reflections on Recent Travels](https://shirleyshowalter.com/around-the-world-in-80-days-reflections-on-recent-travels/) - Pittsburgh: Saturday morning. Post-Starbucks and pre-wedding planning day with Kate and Nik, Anthony and Chelsea, Ila and Neal.In a mellow, grateful, Thanksgiving Weekend mood. It occurred to me, as I was returning from my third trip to NYC last week, that perhaps I have been around the world (24, 901 miles) in the last 80
- [Mennonite in a Little Black Dress: An "Old Mennonite" Review](https://shirleyshowalter.com/mennonite-in-a-little-black-dress-an-old-mennonite-review/) - When I read Rhoda Janzen's Mennonite in a Little Black Dress late at night, the bed posts shook. I had to choke back gargantuan guffaws in order not to wake my Mennonite husband. The last time that happened, I was reading Bill Bryson's The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid. Before that, David Sedaris, Michael
- [Save Yourself the Cost of the Sarah Palin Memoir:  Read Great Kakutani Review in New York Times](https://shirleyshowalter.com/save-yourself-the-cost-of-the-sarah-palin-memoir-read-great-kakutani-review-in-new-york-times/) - Thanks to my Facebook friend Marla Miller for pointing me to a great review--and a great strategy for dealing with this particular memoir. Read the review; don't buy the book. Use the comment section to agree or disagree with the strategy or with the book! Here's the link to the Kakutani review in the Times.
- [Laura Bush Memoir Book Deal Illustrates Recession?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/laura-bush-memoir-book-deal-illustrates-recession/) - Today's Daily Beast asserts that Laura Bush received less than Nancy Reagan and Betty Ford--and only one third the amount that the same publisher (Simon & Shuster) paid for Hillary Clinton's memoir. They speculate that the recession may be to blame. Poor Laura. She got a mere $1.6 million advance. Or could it be that in
- [The Amazon Kindle v. Barnes & Noble's Nook and iPhone App: Five Things the Kindle Gets Right and Five It Gets Wrong](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-amazon-kindle-v-barnes-nobles-nook-and-iphone-app-five-things-the-kindle-gets-right-and-five-it-gets-wrong/) - Last August, The New Yorker published Nicholson Baker's extensive, very mixed, review of my brand-new birthday present--an Amazon Kindle 2. The article mentions a YouTube of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos laughing freakishly hard. I thought it appropriate to find and share the freakish laughter video with you on Halloween, just after Barnes & Noble has announced their competing
- [The New Publishing Rules:  Seth Godin's Fascinating Talk to Publishers](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-new-publishing-rules-seth-godins-fascinating-talk-to-publishers/) - If you are an author or hoping to become one, you are entering a field in great flux. Maybe chaotic is not too strong a word to describe the world of publishing right now. In such a time, a good guide makes all the difference. Seth Godin, who has written ten bestsellers, using totally new
- [Michael Moore's Own Life--Does it Undermine His Message?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/michael-moores-own-life-does-it-undermine-his-message/) - Capitalism: A Love Story opened nationwide yesterday, and Stuart and I made the movie our Friday night date. If you have not seen this film yet, I encourage you to do so. Of course, I was watching and listening with a memoir lens. In this film we see pictures and home movies of little Michael
- [Five Days in Vancouver: A Mini-Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/five-days-in-vancouver-a-mini-memoir/) - Vancouver, BC, must be one of the ten most beautiful places on earth. Mountains, water, temperate climate year round, a meeting place for East and West. Such a meeting took place at the Vancouver Peace Summit September 25-29, 2009. For us at the Fetzer Institute, it was a time of celebration for our Fetzer Prize
- [Roger Ebert: His Drinking/Recovery Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/roger-ebert-his-drinkingrecovery-memoir/) - You know Roger Ebert as a film critic, one of the best in the business. But on August 25, Roger Ebert came out to the world as a recovering alcoholic in his blog in the Chicago Sun-Times called "Roger Ebert's Journal." After 30 years of sobriety and an operation that left him physically unable to
- [Memoir Poems: A New Family Tradition](https://shirleyshowalter.com/memoir-poems-a-new-family-tradition/) - The wedding countdown is on! Anthony and Chelsea not only have their own website, like many couples these days, but both of them are bloggers. Anthony uses his blog mostly as a "digital home" for networking in social media, although he announced his engagement there, including the playlist of music and the menu.He also loves
- [Julie and Julia Aren't Enough: They Both Needed Judith!](https://shirleyshowalter.com/julie-and-julia-arent-enough-they-both-needed-judith/) - Did you see the summer's best memoir movie, Julie & Julia? If not, hurry to a theater near you and catch it before it leaves. If you missed the trailer, you can find it here: I read and relished My Life in France a few months ago and then gave the book to one of
- [The Harvest Time of Life: A Mini-Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-harvest-time-of-life-a-mini-memoirs/) - Last Sunday, Stuart and I celebrated the last day of August with one of our many bike rides in the hill/woods/lake country here in southwestern Michigan. We have enjoyed watching the grape vines become green, then produce fruit, and soon we will get to observe the harvest. Next Tuesday another sign of the season arrives--all
- [Nostalgia: How Important to the Memoir Writer? Reader?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/nostalgia-how-important-to-the-memoir-writer-reader/) - One of my colleagues, Deb Higgins, sent around an email that has evidently gone viral. It depicts lots of items remembered only by Baby Boomers and their elders. I used the skate key picture from that email as an illustration for Lanie Tankard's guest blog on Touchstones. But I thought you might like to see
- [Britt Bravo's Links: Contests, Reading Challenges, Carnivals](https://shirleyshowalter.com/britt-bravos-links-contests-reading-challenges-carnivals/) - Britt Bravo is a little more than half as old as I am and twice as smart. So she's perfect as a consultant. You can find her online in many places, but here is her website. When we spent an hour together on the phone recently, she sent me a list of links, many of
- [Touchstones: Keys to a Great Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/touchstones-keys-to-a-great-memoir/) - Guest blogger Lanie Tankard returns today to talk about memories of her childhood using "luminous particulars"-a phrase borrowed from Jane Kenyon and Ezra Pound via my former colleague at Goshen College Ann Hostetler. Lanie's word for those wonderfully evocative objects is "touchstones." If you enjoy this beautiful essay, you may want to read her first
- [100Memoirs Celebrates One Year: So Much Change, So Much to Learn!](https://shirleyshowalter.com/100memoirs-celebrates-one-year-so-much-change-so-much-to-learn/) - My first post to this blog took place August 9, 2008. It was a birthday present from my son Anthony, who has his own blog. Since then, there have been 118 other posts and 398 comments. Thank you, dear readers! I especially want to thank several other bloggers, GutsyWriter, Babsland, OKChelsea, for commenting frequently, both
- [100Memoirs Celebrates One Year: So Much Change, So Much to Learn!](https://shirleyshowalter.com/100memoirs-celebrates-one-year-so-much-change-so-much-to-learn/) - My first post to this blog took place August 9, 2008. It was a birthday present from my son Anthony, who has his own blog. Since then, there have been 118 other posts and 398 comments. Thank you, dear readers! I especially want to thank several other bloggers, GutsyWriter, Babsland, OKChelsea, for commenting frequently, both
- [Twenty Tips after Forty Years of Marriage: A Mini-Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/twenty-tips-after-forty-years-of-marriage-a-mini-memoir/) - Marriage does not come with an instruction manual. Wise couples get some kind of counseling, often from the minister who marries them. They hear about marriage being complex and sometimes challenging – and listen without believing-- in the same way that people in good health receive stories about dying. If ever a two people qualified
- [The Year of Magical Thinking: A Memoir to Read and Reread](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-year-of-magical-thinking-a-memoir-to-read-and-reread/) - When Joan Didion's husband John Gregory Dunne dropped dead on December 30, 2003, he was in the middle of a speaking a sentence in their living room. She was mixing a salad for their dinner. As I write these words, Stuart and I are about to sit down to eat the dinner the two of
- [Don't Call Me Mother: A Memoir That Teaches When to Hold 'em and When to Fold 'em](https://shirleyshowalter.com/dont-call-me-mother-a-memoir-that-teaches-when-to-hold-em-and-when-to-fold-em/) - Willa Cather once said that nothing is more exciting in life than to get inside the skin of another person. Sometimes I get that feeling when I make a new friend or have a deep conversation with an old one. Other times books transform me in a similar way. I love reading just for the
- [Why Blog? Seth Godin and Tom Peters Explain the Benefits](https://shirleyshowalter.com/why-blog-seth-godin-and-tom-peters-explain-the-benefits/) - Remember how to get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice? Blogging gives those of us who are spending the majority of our time doing something else the chance to write, get feedback, write, get feedback, and get better! But Godin and Peters say it so powerfully in this video link that you will want to
- [Papa Hemingway's Memoir: A Moveable Feast Redux](https://shirleyshowalter.com/papa-hemingways-memoir-a-moveable-feast-redux/) - If you write a memoir, don't die before you publish it! That's one lesson to conclude from the ways in which the Hemingway family and scholars have debated in print over the posthumous memoir A Moveable Feast. Below you can listen to son Patrick Hemingway and grandson Sean Hemingway describe the newly "restored" edition of
- [Tips for Writers from National Association of Memoir Writers](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tips-for-writers-from-national-association-of-memoir-writers/) - Sharing writing tips is one of the goals of this blog. So today I pass along a few tips from the National Association of Memoir Writers. I recently joined this organization out of interest in finding other memoir writers and locating expertise in the genre. I look forward to exploring the blog, CD's, teleseminars, newsletters
- [Boy, Did I Love Lucy:  A Mini-Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/boy-did-i-love-lucy-a-mini-memoir/) - If a genie had appeared to me when I was ten and offered me anything my heart desired, the answer would have poured out of me. Some girls want ponies. Some want Barbies. Some are generous enough to think of others first, asking for world peace or food for the hungry. Others go straight for
- [Memoir Contest News: Win $500](https://shirleyshowalter.com/contest-news-win-500/) - The good people at the journal Memoir (And) sent me a request some time ago about their contest. I should have notified you in May, but you still have until August 15 to get an entry together. Here is the description. You can click on the website link above for more. Good luck! The Memoir
- ["But Enough About Me: What Do You Think of My Memoir?"](https://shirleyshowalter.com/but-enough-about-me-what-do-you-think-of-my-memoir/) - Books about memoir tend to be serious. Writers theorize about the role of memory, wonder about its reliability, and offer suggestions about how to write artfully. This one is different. Nancy K. Miller has written a witty and thoughtful book about memoir. She writes about her own life while splicing in bits of contrast and
- [The Girls from Ames: A Group Biography/Collective Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-girls-from-ames-a-group-biographycollective-memoir/) - "Sociologists now have data showing that women who can maintain friendships through the decades are healthier and happier, with stronger marriages, " says Jeffrey Zaslow in the introduction to The Girls from Ames: A Story of Women & a Forty-Year Friendship. If you are a woman, and if you have a group of life-long close
- [Malcolm Gladwell's Memoir--Did You Know He Wrote One?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/malcolm-gladwells-memoir-did-you-know-he-wrote-one/) - If you have read The Tipping Point or Blink, or if you watch talk shows or read The New Yorker, you don't need an introduction to Malcolm Gladwell. Every book he writes becomes a bestseller. Gladwell claims he's no genius. He's not just lucky, either. He would tell you that he is the product of
- [Sarah Palin's Independence Day](https://shirleyshowalter.com/sarah-palins-independence-day/) - You don't have to be a seer to recognize material for political celebrity memoir these days. Everyone knew that Sarah Palin would ink a book deal (even though she would not ink the memoir herself). Sure enough, HarperCollins signed her. The August issue of Vanity Fair includes an in-depth portrait of Palin by Todd S.
- [An Old-Age Memoir: Somewhere Towards the End](https://shirleyshowalter.com/an-old-age-memoir-somewhere-towards-the-end/) - Oddly enough, as a child I was enchanted by Grandma Moses. I loved the fact that she made art out of many of the same experiences I was having growing up on a farm--gardening, sledding, planting, and harvesting. When she died in 1960, I was 12. But when she was born, Abraham Lincoln had not
- [Beach books? Memoirs Recommended by Readers](https://shirleyshowalter.com/beach-books-memoirs-recommended-by-readers/) - The CBC Canada Reads Book Club picked these ten memoirs as their top ten: 1. The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls 2. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah 3. Iran Awakening: A Memoir of Revolution and Hope by Shirin Ebadi 4. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
- [Top 10 Memoirs: If You Show Me Yours, I'll Show You Mine!](https://shirleyshowalter.com/top-10-memoirs-if-you-show-me-yours-ill-show-you-mine/) - Let me begin with an apology for slacking off on blogging this past week. I probably will continue a low profile until June 30th, after an important board meeting, and after I have finished a book review to send to Christian Century. But how lovely it would be if we together could make some progress
- [Summertime: A Single Metaphor Mini-Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/summertime-a-single-metaphor-mini-memoir/) - Summertime and the leaves are green and the sky is blue! It's the season of childhood and freedom. I remember summers long ago--bare feet, walks in the creek, kick the can and hide-and-go-seek. And all the fresh fruit and vegetables straight from the garden or the market. In the summer life is one big bowl
- [100Memoirs.com Reaches 100 Posts: A Mini-Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/100memoirscom-reaches-100-posts-a-mini-memoir/) - Time for a little history report. My first blog post ever was written for the Fetzer Institute Campaign for Love and Forgiveness website. The subject was the week-long volunteer opportunity I was given to help with Katrina recovery in New Orleans. March 24-April, 3 blog posts appeared, and USA Today published my op-ed article about
- [Top 100 Memoirs: Which Ones are Essential?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/top-100-memoirs-which-ones-are-essential/) - Embarrassing story: When I was a newbie grad student at the University of Texas at Austin, I turned in a review of a book that my professor did not recognize. He asked me why I chose this book to review. I responded, "Because it was on my shelf." He looked horrified. As Paul Newman might
- [Beautiful Sentences Contest Winners: Toujours Bon Appetit!](https://shirleyshowalter.com/beautiful-sentences-contest-winners-toujours-bon-appetit/) - The poet Keats, at the age of twenty-four, penned these immortal words, 'Beauty is truth, truth beauty,—that is all Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.' I thought of them often as readers and I struggled with how to evaluate the many different kinds of sentences entered into the contest to find
- [Iran?  Why Iran?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/iran-why-iran/) - During the last month Iran has consistently shown up on the top of the list of readers of this blog outside the U.S. I am curious about the 13-20 readers who evidently come here regularly. To my knowledge I have no close friends living in Iran. I would love to hear from some readers in
- [Beautiful Sentences Contest Entries:  Please Vote for Your Favorite One](https://shirleyshowalter.com/beautiful-sentences-contest-entries-please-vote-for-your-favorite-one/) - Well, what fun it has been to see the contest entries emerge in the last week. Eleven readers responded, some with one sentence, and some with several. I had great plans to find a polling widget and install it on this site to make tracking easier, but I think the numbers are small enough that
- [Memoir as Potential Social Movement](https://shirleyshowalter.com/memoir-as-potential-social-movement/) - Last Friday, The Kalamazoo Gazette published an op-ed I wrote. Its conclusion contains the revolutionary idea that if all of us finished the tasks (see below or click link above) we need to accomplish before a "good" death is possible, we would have years to live free of the fear of death and thus could
- [Love and Death: Forrest Church's Testimony and a Mini-Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/love-and-death-forrest-churchs-testimony-and-a-mini-memoir/) - Forrest Church's voice rings in my head today. I finished his memoir last night, and many of his themes are ones deeply embedded in my own life. His 2008 book, Love & Death: My Journey Through the Valley of the Shadow, published by Beacon Press, focuses on the two big ideas of the title, especially
- [Telling the Truth About One's Life: Memoir Controversies](https://shirleyshowalter.com/telling-the-truth-about-ones-life-memoir-controversies/) - What would a memoir blog be without a category for memoir controversy? Can you trust the label of memoir when it appears on a book? Today's writers, editors, and their lawyer's are continuing to ask Pontius Pilate's question, "What is truth?" Most readers, myself included, expect that the basic facts reported in memoir correlate to
- [The Middle Place and How to Sleep Alone in a Twin-Sized Bed: Humor and Pathos Together](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-middle-place-and-how-to-sleep-alone-in-a-twin-sized-bed-humor-and-pathos-together/) - Remember when I met the woman from Wells Fargo bank on a plane going from Minneapolis to San Francisco? Remember that she told me about Kelly Corrigan and a must-read memoir called The Middle Place? Well, I finally read the book. I have to agree with my seatmate-- Kelly Corrigan can write and she knows
- [The One-Hundredth Name for God: A Foreword to A Hundred Camels](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-one-hundredth-name-for-god-a-foreward-to-a-hundred-camels/) - Now that Dr. Gerald L. Miller's memoir, A Hundred Camels: A Mission Doctor's Sojourn & Murder Trial in Somalia, has been published, and you can buy it at Amazon.com, I will share with you the foreword I contributed to the book which I hope can do double duty as a book review. This book contains
- [Beautiful Sentences:  A Different Kind of American Idol Contest](https://shirleyshowalter.com/beautiful-sentences-a-different-kind-of-american-idol-contest/) - About 200 people visit this website each week--not a great crowd, but one that is slowly growing. Each time I log in to the dashboard to begin writing another post, I get another set of statistics that informs me which post is most popular and what search terms people are using that brings my blog
- [The Center for Mennonite Writing: Issue on Personal Writing](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-center-for-mennonite-writing-issue-on-personal-writing/) - The English department of Goshen College has created a Center for Mennonite Writing online, including a new journal. The latest issue deserves special mention because it is about personal writing, life writing, or as we know it here, memoir. One of my stories, "Daddy's Girl," which tells the story of how and why I bit
- [Our Neighborhood: A Twenty-First Century Community](https://shirleyshowalter.com/our-neighborhood-a-twenty-first-century-community/) - The poet Gary Snyder once said, "Find your place on the planet. Dig in, and take responsibility from there." Stuart and I found a place called Stratford Woods four years ago, dug in (literally) with the first new house in a 22-lot development, and looked for an opportunity to help build community. The picture above
- [Priya's White Elephant:  A Fairy Tale](https://shirleyshowalter.com/priyas-white-elephant-a-fairy-tale/) - Once upon a time there lived a lovely princess by the beautiful name of Priya who was born in a faraway land called India . As is the custom in her country, Priya's family arranged a marriage for her. She and her handsome prince Lokram chose America as their new land and were soon blessed
- [Let Us Now Praise Famous Women:  Cheri and Cherri](https://shirleyshowalter.com/let-us-now-praise-famous-women-cheri-and-cherri/) - Last week was national Administrative Assistants week, and I would like to pay tribute, today, to two of the finest ones I know. This also happens to be the last week I will be working with Cheri Dundon, (pictured on the right) my "partner in crime" for the last 4.5 years. Cheri will retire on
- [Memoir and Management: A Path to the Corner Office?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/memoir-and-management-a-path-to-the-corner-office/) - The New York Times runs interviews with CEO's of various companies in a series called "The Corner Office." On Sunday April 26, 2009, the subject was Richard Anderson, of Delta Air Lines as interviewed by Adam Bryant. Since I taught both English and history to undergraduates, I was delighted to see Anderson's emphasis on the
- [Contests, Gilchrist, and a Poem:  Mini-Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/contests-gilchrist-and-a-poem-mini-memoir/) - Without the Kalamazoo Gazette Literary Award Competition of 2007, I would not be writing this blog. Each year the announcement of the award kicks me into gear again, and I review what I have written that might fit. The writing itself happens throughout the year, often in 2-3 day retreats at Gilchrist, the Fetzer Institute
- [Holding Class Outdoors: A Springtime Mini-Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/holding-class-outdoors-a-springtime-mini-memoir/) - People often ask me, "What do you miss most about not being a college president anymore?" My answer always is "the students." Right now students and faculty at Goshen College are frantically preparing for the end of the semester and commencement. But I know what many of them will be doing tomorrow in 70-degree weather.
- [Ava's Man:  A Review And A Question for You](https://shirleyshowalter.com/avas-man-a-review-and-a-question-for-you/) - The top 100 memoirs list we are constructing here is not a scientific one. At the rate we are going, 81 posts in 9 months, and only 18 reviews so far, it will take five years to get to 100 memoirs! I've read many more than I have reviewed and have an entire bookcase of
- [All Over but the Shoutin':  A Review](https://shirleyshowalter.com/all-over-but-the-shoutin-a-review/) - This book reminds me of the wilted dandelions my son used to gather and bring to me in springtime--not the dandelions themselves but the look on his face, beaming with pride and ardor. Rick Bragg has never lost that feeling about his momma. He brought her all his winnings--first the Pulitzer Prize in journalism, then
- [You Can Go Home Again--A Mini-Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/you-can-go-home-again-a-mini-memoir/) - Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, likes to call itself the Garden Spot of the World. If you travel to Lancaster in the springtime, you understand. The greens penetrate deeper than the human eye can see, and the earth, well, it's as soft and receptive as any coquette and more fertile than a hutch full of rabbits. I
- [My Mother's Pulpit:  Published Memoir, Contest Winner, Ethical Dilemma](https://shirleyshowalter.com/my-mothers-pulpit-published-memoir-contest-winner-ethical-dilemma/) - Ask memoir writers what their greatest challenge is and many will say, "how and when do I share my writing with the relatives and friends who are part of my story?" Up to now, when I finished a personal essay, I sent it off to my family to make sure there were no gross inaccuracies
- [The Happiness Project Model: Exploring My Goals for Blogging](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-happiness-project-model-exploring-my-goals-for-blogging/) - This blog post will test-drive a new category: writing tips and marketing tips. My goals in setting up this blog were four-fold: 1. To learn more about social media by practicing it. 2. To educate myself about the genre of memoir by reading 100 memoirs and reviewing them for a group of people also interested
- [Intellectual Awakening--A Mini-Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/intellectual-awakening-a-mini-memoir/) - I was in second grade. The teacher put a word up on the chalk board and asked us to figure out what it was. M-A-N-U-R-E Looking back, one wonders why Mrs. Rothenberger picked that word for a competition to motivate second graders, but at the time all I knew was that we were given a
- [Mini-Memoir:  What I Learned from Students in Haiti and the Ivory Coast (on SST)](https://shirleyshowalter.com/mini-memoir-what-i-learned-from-students-in-haiti-and-the-ivory-coast-on-sst/) - The question comes to me from a blogger in Orange County, CA, who has a following in her own blog from ex-patriots all over the world. What did you learn from your students in Haiti and in the Ivory Coast? First of all, you need to know about the Goshen College Study-Service Term (SST). This
- [Memoir Clusters:  A Guest Blog Post](https://shirleyshowalter.com/memoir-clusters-a-guest-blog-post/) - Today's guest blogger is writer and editor Lanie Tankard who is a long-time friend. My husband Stuart enjoys taking credit for Lanie's romance and marriage to Jim Tankard, a professor of journalism at the University of Texas at Austin, because Stuart suggested that Lanie contact Jim about a summer program--back in 1972. This picture of
- [If It's Worth Doing, It's Worth. . . a Guest Mini-memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/if-its-worth-doing-its-worth-a-guest-mini-memoir/) - DK Matai, a blogger and business executive I met in Geneva several years ago, sent out a message to his incredible world-wide network of friends that seemed like a pure gem of experience to me. My father's favorite saying was, "If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right." DK's story is a more elegant, eloquent
- [Google Trends and Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/google-trends-and-memoir/) - Have you ever used Google Trends? You can find the website here. The home page tells you what subjects are "hot" because they have appeared frequently and recently in both blogs and news sources online. Right now, for example "Kemba Walker," star of the University of Connecticut basketball team, enroute again to the Final Four
- [Memoir as a Healing Art](https://shirleyshowalter.com/memoir-as-a-healing-art/) - Becoming Whole: Writing Your Healing Story by Linda Joy Myers belongs in your library of books about memoir. Like Tristine Rainer's Your Life as Story, Maureen Murdock's Unreliable Truth: Memory and Memoir, Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down the Bones, and Patty Miller's The Memoir Book, all of which have been mentioned or reviewed here, this book
- [What Have You Learned From Your Students?:  A Mini-Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/what-have-you-learned-from-your-students-a-mini-memoir/) - If I had to boil down the answer to the question above to one word, what would that word be? Curiosity, honesty, courage, persistence, gratitude, hope, forgiveness, love? And how did I learn it? Was it from the student evaluations which came in a big, heart-thump-inducing envelope with CONFIDENTIAL stamped all over it? Was it
- [George Bush's Memoir Book Deal:  Decisions](https://shirleyshowalter.com/george-bushs-memoir-book-deal-decisions/) - Well folks, the deal is struck. Our former president will in fact write a memoir to be published by Crown. Apparently he wrote 30,000 words already! That's more than 500 words/day. Pretty good productivity, wouldn't you say? Read all about it in this blog from the Huffington Post.
- [What Are Your Memoir Questions?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/what-are-your-memoir-questions/) - One of my blogging friends, Sonia Marsh, (http:gutsywriter.blogspot.com) introduced me to a Mennonite blogger from Paraguay, Betty Wiens (http:bettywiens.com). I am grateful for the connection and recommend both blogs to you, dear reader. Betty Wiens did something on her latest series of posts that I would like to try. She polled her readers: what would
- [Memoir and the Beautiful Sentence:  Lenten Season Thoughts](https://shirleyshowalter.com/memoir-and-the-beautiful-sentence-lenten-season-thoughts/) - My Lenten season reading this year includes Marilyn Chandler McEntyre's extended meditation on the prayer of St. Patrick. I have written about Marilyn in previous blogs and have read several books of her poetry. My appreciation continues to grow for her spiritual and literary wisdom as I read more of her work. Christ, My Companion
- [Does Facebook Cause Vanity? A Memoir Dilemma](https://shirleyshowalter.com/does-facebook-cause-vanity-a-memoir-dilemma/) - One of my Facebook friends, Karin Larson Krisetya, a former Goshen College student now a graduate student and young mother living in Indonesia, recently noted wryly that she had search through 63 photos before finding one good enough for her profile. She wonders if Facebook causes vanity. Here's her explanation to her friends about trying
- [Parker Palmer on Bill Moyers Journal:  Ground On Which It's Safe to Stand](https://shirleyshowalter.com/parker-palmer-on-bill-moyers-journal-ground-on-which-its-safe-to-stand/) - If you missed Parker Palmer's appearance on Bill Moyers Journal last Friday, cheer up. Here it is. Apparently, the broadcast about illusion and reality in our current economic crisis, which included Parker talking about depression in his own life, cheered many people. Funny how truth does that--in just the paradoxical way that Parker himself explains
- [Here If You Need Me: A Profoundly Beautiful Love](https://shirleyshowalter.com/here-if-you-need-me-a-profoundly-beautiful-love/) - This weekend I read two memoirs: one from a Mennonite doctor who spent a year in Somalia as a medical missionary and one from a Unitarian Universalist minister who is a chaplain in Maine. Neither of these topics may sound like scintillating reads, but both of them were. The book about the Mennonite doctor will
- [This American Life:  What Has Kept You Together?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/this-american-life-what-has-kept-you-together/) - If the 21st century is the memoir century, then the job of this blog is to catalogue, comment, and critique. In the next weeks, you can expect to see more posts about the uses of memoir in the media world, whether that world is "mainstream," "social media," book publishing, online publishing, radio, television, film or
- [A Memoir that Awakens the Spiritual Version of the American Dream](https://shirleyshowalter.com/a-memoir-that-awakens-the-spiritual-version-of-the-american-dream/) - This morning, as is our habit, my husband and I attended Skyridge Church of the Brethren. Our pastor Debbie preached about healing, using as a lectionary text Psalm 30, the one that promises, in the majestic language of the King James Bible, that "weeping endureth for the night but joy cometh in the morning." This
- [Six-Word Memoir Valentine's Day Special](https://shirleyshowalter.com/six-word-memoir-valentines-day-special/) - If you have not yet discovered the joy of the six-word memoir, here's a past post that will fill you in--a lecture at Google by the authors of this book: And if you missed this week's long NPR segment on six-word memoirs on love and heartbreak, here's the link that will take you there. Below
- [Memoir:  "Bag Lady's" Antidote to Losing Her Madoff-Managed Fortune](https://shirleyshowalter.com/memoir-bag-ladys-antidote-to-losing-her-madoff-managed-fortune/) - It had to happen. Someone who lost a fortune in the scandalous Madoff swindle would write about it and get a book contract. What's amazing to me is the speed at which this double transformation transpired. Madoff was charged with massive fraud on Dec. 11, 2008. Six days later, one of his victims, Alexandra Penney,
- [Facebook and Memoir:  25 Things About Me](https://shirleyshowalter.com/facebook-and-memoir-25-things-about-me/) - Every day some new memoir breeze seems to sweep through our culture--or so it seems when the memoir windsock is in place. I have already commented on the six-word memoir, on memoir in the political campaign, and memoir controversies (see categories on the right-hand side of this entry). Now there is the 25 Things About
- [Flying First Class:  All the Way from Minneapolis to San Francisco](https://shirleyshowalter.com/flying-first-class-all-the-way-from-minneapolis-to-san-francisco/) - One of the great pleasures of work involving travel is that sometimes a kindred spirit happens to sit in the seat next to you. I was blessed by such an encounter yesterday. It started when another business traveler, Rose, and I were seated in 8-D and 8-F. She had the aisle. I had the window.
- [Writing Down the Bones:  Slow and Dumb](https://shirleyshowalter.com/writing-down-the-bones-slow-and-dumb/) - I remember reading this breakthrough book soon after it was published in the late 1980's. I don't remember how I bought the book, and I don't have the old copy on my shelf, so I may have loaned or given it away, Mostly, I remember how I felt after reading it. High! I had never
- [Memoir Controversy:  Does Gender Matter?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/memoir-controversy-does-gender-matter/) - My friend Sonia, who is doing a fantastic job of blogging about her experience as an expatriate in many different countries (check out http://gutsywriter.blogspot.com) and who has written a memoir about taking her family, including three teenage sons, to Belize for a year, sent me the following link. Apparently, the life stories of women and
- [Natalie Goldberg:  Memoir Workshop at the Sophia Institute](https://shirleyshowalter.com/natalie-goldberg-memoir-workshop-at-the-sophia-institute/) - Last weekend I enjoyed sunshine, warm air, a beautiful room in the carriage house of the Phoebe Pember House affiliated with the Sophia Institute, a long walk in historic Charleston, a wonderful memoir workshop, and delightful conversation with Natalie Goldberg, the workshop leader, at the Slightly North of Broad Restaurant. Here she is, on the
- [Slumdog Millionaire:  A Metaphor for the Power of Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/slumdog-millionaire-a-metaphor-for-the-power-of-memoir/) - Well, folks, it may be time to create a new category. I saw a lot of good movies this holiday season. Did you? Here's the list of ones I saw: Slumdog Millionaire, Frost/Nixon, Doubt, Milk,and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. I recommend each of these films, and all of them have connections to memoir,
- [The Latest Memoir Controversy:  Angel at the Fence](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-latest-memoir-controversy-angel-at-the-fence/) - "Read all about it!," the newsboys could be saying, if there were newsboys today. "Another memoir bites the dust!" "Oprah decides to vet all future memoirists with truth serum!" Of course, there is brand new president, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and an economic meltdown to report on, too, but, hey, memoir dishes up conflict
- [Fetzer Workshop on Reflective Writing:  The Conclusion](https://shirleyshowalter.com/fetzer-workshop-on-reflective-writing-the-conclusion/) - Today I finished leading the last 1.5-hour workshop in a series of four which took place at the Fetzer Institute. I think the title of this workshop--Timed Writing--may have scared away potential participants. Sounds as jolly as retaking the SAT. Despite the title, and despite the fact that four people on the list could not
- [Memoir and Love:  The Vital Connection](https://shirleyshowalter.com/memoir-and-love-the-vital-connection/) - All during the long holiday season/vacation I took this year, I have been mulling over the connection between memoir and love. Intuition tells me things that I can only later articulate. This has happened to me all my life. I love the story, whether it be true or apocryphal, that Einstein saw himself riding on
- [My Stroke of Insight:  A Spiritual Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/my-stroke-of-insight-a-spiritual-memoir/) - I will cut to the chase on the last night of the year 2008. I loved this book. I read it nearly in one sitting, fascinated by the straightforward telling of an incredible story. Jill Bolte Taylor, a brain scientist working at the Brain Bank at Harvard University, woke up one morning with a headache
- [Small Things with Love:  A Mini-Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/small-things-with-love-a-mini-memoir/) - What makes us happy? Is it winning the lottery or getting a surprise million-dollar legacy? In our current economy, such windfalls might sound even better than usual. I haven't seen Slumdog Millionaire (see trailer here) yet, but I gather that such a fantasy becomes reality in that film. Once I see the film, I will
- [A Good Day--Even When Not All of It Is Good](https://shirleyshowalter.com/a-good-day-even-when-not-all-of-it-is-good/) - Dr. Joel Elkes, whose 95th birthday was celebrated in a previous post, believes that a good life is built one good day at a time. As a pioneer in the field of psychopharmacology, he might be expected to focus on drugs that help us cope with life's challenges. However, he is much more interested in
- [Vacation:  A Mini-Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/vacation-a-mini-memoir/) - I grew up on a farm where the term "vacation" had absolutely no meaning. We did not load up the five kids into the car and take off for the Pacific. In fact, though we were only 75 miles from the Atlantic, we never went to see that, either. The highlight of my summers as
- [Spiritual Autobiography Workshop II](https://shirleyshowalter.com/spiritual-autobiography-workshop-ii/) - Yesterday I led a second workshop on spiritual autobiography at my church. Most of the people who attended the first one came back, and about ten new folks showed up also. The big table was full! We shared a meal together, recalling rituals from our childhoods--mealtime prayers both serious and comical, night-time prayers. We talked
- [Conversations with Four Wise Women Authors](https://shirleyshowalter.com/conversations-with-four-wise-women-authors/) - I traveled to California for the Fetzer Institute to visit with board members, meet with a colleague at the Skoll Foundation, and attend a fundraiser for Youth for Environmental Sanity (YES!), the Purpose Prize Award ceremonies/ Encore Careers Summit. As snow was flying in Kalamazoo, I was watching the sun rise over the bay in
- [Unreliable Truth:  On Memoir and Memory by Maureen Murdock](https://shirleyshowalter.com/unreliable-truth-on-memoir-and-memory-by-maureen-murdock/) - One of the wise women I am honored to have in my life, Angeles Arrien, recommended this book to me. I found the book thoughtful and provocative, a wonderful distillation of many years of reflection both on the author's personal story but also on the process of living, reflecting, writing, and transforming. Reading this book,
- [A Second Workshop on Spiritual Autobiography](https://shirleyshowalter.com/a-second-workshop-on-spiritual-autobiography/) - Tomorrow I lead a small group of colleagues in a workshop much like the one I taught at my church several months ago. I will again use the Marilyn Chandler McEntyre's essay published in Weavings. But this time I will also talk a little about Tristine Rainer's book,Your Life as Story, which I am enjoying
- [Eat, Pray, Love--A Spiritual Memoir for Thanksgiving?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/eat-pray-love-a-spiritual-memoir-for-thanksgiving/) - My husband Stuart and I have just worked together to make two pumpkin pies, two apple pies, and broccoli, curry cheese soup. We are waiting for our daughter Kate and her boyfriend Nik to arrive from Pittsburgh for Thanksgiving weekend. It seems fitting--maybe it was all that cooking--that this would be the night to write
- [Memoir(and):  Should You Subscribe?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/memoirand-should-you-subscribe/) - I seldom read every article in a magazine that comes to my house. Without time for hours of reading every day, I do a lot of skimming instead of deep reading. I wish it were not so. However, with a long trip ahead and a little determination due to having chosen to make the new
- [Memoir Joke--From Bill Maher](https://shirleyshowalter.com/memoir-joke-from-bill-maher/) - "Couple of problems [for Bush] . He hasn't been offered as much money as he thinks he deserves for his memoirs, and when they asked him to write an autobiography, he said, 'I don't really know that much about cars.'" -Bill Maher
- [Joe the Plumber Fulfills Prediction](https://shirleyshowalter.com/joe-the-plumber-fulfills-prediction/) - As soon as Joe the Plumber erupted onto the political stage, it was inevitable the he, too, would become a memoirist. At least, he has signed a book deal, something I predicted on October 18 here. Of course, he is not really writing his own memoir. You can see what the BBC said here. And
- [Coming Home to Roost](https://shirleyshowalter.com/coming-home-to-roost/) - In a previous post called Blogging and the Memoir Community I promised to review DeWitt Henry's memoir called Safe Suicide because he was the first published author who found me through this blog. Here goes, DeWitt. Hope you come back to read this little review. Safe Suicide has an internal subtitle which describes its structure
- [Do You Know Your Own Geology?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/do-you-know-your-own-geology/) - Today one of my colleagues at the Fetzer Institute, Dr. Joel Elkes, celebrates his 95th birthday. No, that is not a typo. He was born in 1913, lived through two World Wars and a century of struggle. He was a student in England in the 30's and 40's and thus escaped the Holocaust, though many
- [Laura Bush Will Bring Home the Memoir Bacon](https://shirleyshowalter.com/laura-bush-will-bring-home-the-memoir-bacon/) - Last week I felt sorry for George W. Bush, who, unlike his predecessor Bill Clinton, was not offered a $12 million advance for his memoirs. In fact, he was encouraged not to write them at all--yet. Today The Huffington Post carries the high contrast story that Laura Bush is receiving potential publishers for her own
- [Little Heathens--Perfect Memoir for a New Depression?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/little-heathens-perfect-memoir-for-a-new-depression/) - "Ralph Waldo Emerson could have learned a thing or two about self reliance from my great-great-grandparents," asserts Mildred Armstrong Kalish near the beginning of her book Little Heathens: Hard Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm in the Great Depression. I knew I would love this book when I read those lines, and I
- [Resistible Memoirs](https://shirleyshowalter.com/resistible-memoirs/) - Poor George Bush. First his dog Barney bit a reporter. Then he choked up when he said goodbye to has staff. Things are so bad, in fact, that publishers are telling him to wait to write his memoirs. You can read all about it in the International Herald Tribune here.
- [A New Earth and the Quest for the Essential Self](https://shirleyshowalter.com/a-new-earth-and-the-quest-for-the-essential-self/) - Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose was a runaway bestseller earlier this year, due in large part to the enthusiastic embrace Oprah Winfrey gave it on her show and in the ten-week internet classes she conducted with Tolle beginning in March, 2008. The book sold 3.5 million copies in the first
- [An Op Ed--Memoir Style--About Socialism](https://shirleyshowalter.com/an-op-ed-memoir-style-about-socialism/) - I was hoping that Newsweek would want to take this article for "My Turn," but since the election is tomorrow and the time will have passed for the relevance of this essay, I offer it here to you. What good is a blog if you can't self-publish? I love when old categories are rearranged as
- [The Spiral Staircase:  Spiritual Memoir the Second and Third Time Around](https://shirleyshowalter.com/the-spiral-staircase-spiritual-memoir-the-second-and-third-time-around/) - Karen Armstrong's life story illustrates the hero's journey described in my previous post. Her memoir's title follows the traditional pattern of separation and hints at the initiation and return that happens within the pages of the book: The Spiral Staircase: My Climb Out of Darkness. Armstong builds her book on the scaffolding provided by T.
- [Blogging and the Memoir Community Online](https://shirleyshowalter.com/blogging-and-the-memoir-community-online/) - By Shirley H. Showalter There are more than 150,000,000 bloggers. I joined the enormous online ocean less than six months ago, and I learn a new swim stroke every day. Authors are beginning to find this site, and I am beginning to locate memoir authors, teachers, and speakers. I thought I would point out three
- [Memoir, Formula, and the Hero's Journey](https://shirleyshowalter.com/memoir-formula-and-the-heros-journey/) - I subscribe to Garrison Keillor's The Writer's Almanac, which comes into my inbox first thing every morning. I enjoy starting the day with a poem and some interesting facts about writers and writing. The October 12 entry introduced me to Lester Dent, a writer I had never heard of before. Here's the text that caught
- [Is Memoir Becoming Mandatory for Politics?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/is-memoir-becoming-mandatory-for-politics/) - Candidates rise or fall depending upon how voters feel about the stories they tell and the stories others tell about them. That's why in recent years political conventions often feature films with the candidate as the hero, and hastily-written biographies usually crop up on Amazon and in the bookstores. John Kerry was savaged by a
- [Contests and Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/contests-and-memoir/) - I have always enjoyed biography, autobiography, and the personal essay, but my study of memoir as a subject is only two years old. It started when I saw a 2007 literary contest announcement in the local newspaper, The Kalamazoo Gazette. The three categories were poetry, short story and memoir. That choice was easy, since my
- [Max DePree, Leader, Mentor, Memoirist](https://shirleyshowalter.com/max-depree-leader-mentor-memoirist/) - A few weeks ago, my husband Stuart and I traveled to the "west coast" of Michigan, first to Saugatuck, where we had a lovely visit on a rainy day to the Wickwood Inn, and then to Holland, where Stuart explored the downtown and I visited Max DePree, the man who has been my mentor for
- [Living the Questions](https://shirleyshowalter.com/living-the-questions/) - "Live your questions now, and perhaps even without knowing it, you will live along some distant day into your answers." --Rainer Maria Rilke I am trying to go deeper with my understanding of this famous quote, which I loved from the time I first read it in Letters to a Young Poet. Like most mothers,
- [Creating a Space:  Preparing for a Writer's Workshop, Part Two](https://shirleyshowalter.com/creating-a-space-preparing-for-a-writers-workshop-part-two/) - Wallace Stegner once said that you can't teach writing but you can awaken it. That's what I hope for in the class I will teach next Monday. We begin with creating space and thinking about the environment, both of the physical space and the social, emotional, and spiritual safety within that place. To teach is
- [A Workshop on Reflective Writing](https://shirleyshowalter.com/a-workshop-on-reflective-writing/) - Next Monday I will conduct the first of a series of four 1.5-hour-long workshops at the Fetzer Institute, the organization for which I work. Our founder, John E. Fetzer, believed that we need to be the work in order to do the work. He was a visionary leader who intuited the needs of the future
- [Six-Word Memoir Google Video](https://shirleyshowalter.com/six-word-memoir-google-video/) - Since my previous post about six-word memoirs elicited some response, here is a great video with examples at the beginning and a speech from Larry Smith and Rachel Fershleiser, who tell the story of how Smith Magazine created this special form.
- [Barack Obama at Google](https://shirleyshowalter.com/barack-obama-at-google/)
- [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://shirleyshowalter.com/elizabeth-gilbert/) - Today was Blogging-in-WordPress Lesson #2 with my son Anthony. I wanted to know how to embed a video, so he showed me how. Yippee! Here is Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love.
- [Burn After Reading:  Memoirs in the Movies](https://shirleyshowalter.com/burn-after-reading-memoirs-in-the-movies/) - My husband Stuart and I went to our local theater Friday night and saw the Coen brothers' latest film, Burn After Reading. One reviewer called it a smart movie about stupid people. I would call it not-quite-smart movie but definitely agree about the stupid people part. Only a viewer obsessed with memoir would have thought
- [Left To Tell:  Spiritual Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/left-to-tell-spiritual-memoir/) - Next Wednesday night the neighborhood book club (described in a previous post) will be discussing Left To Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust, a dramatic tale of courage, deliverance, and forgiveness from the killing fields of Rwanda in 1994. This book was "written with" Steve Erwin. By now you know that I am not
- [Thank You, Mary Karr!](https://shirleyshowalter.com/thank-you-mary-karr/) - Yesterday's New York Times carried an op-ed from Mary Karr about the way opponents of Barack Obama like to diminish him by calling him a memoirist, just as they make fun of his career as a community organizer. Karr, who has written several excellent memoirs herself, including and describes why memoir writing is a good
- [Definitions:  Memoir, Memoirs, Autobiography,and More!](https://shirleyshowalter.com/definitions-memoir-memoirs-autobiographyand-more/) - Patti Miller’s The Memoir Book is an excellent guide to the genre under discussion in this blog and is also the image I chose to illustrate the 100 Memoir Challenge over at www.Shelfari.com. Using more than 20 years of experience working as a teacher and coach, Patti Miller gives us a condensed version of her
- [On Retreat:  A Mini-Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/on-retreat/) - I spent the last five days and four nights on retreat at Gilchist, the Three Rivers, MI, retreat center owned by the Fetzer Institute. I take time away there at least once and sometimes two or three times a year. I love the deep quiet places that surround me as a guest there. I will
- [Book Club Night:  90 Minutes in Heaven](https://shirleyshowalter.com/book-club-night-90-minutes-in-heaven/) - I live in a new neighborhood carved out of the Michigan woods. My husband and I fell in love with the winding road that led through pines into hardwoods, a road that now connects about twenty new houses to the highway. As the first residents of this new community, we had the opportunity to reach
- [A Workshop on Spiritual Autobiography](https://shirleyshowalter.com/a-workshop-on-spiritual-autobiography/) - Tomorrow I will lead a workshop on spiritual autobiography at my church. The time will be limited to four hours, so we won't be able to do a lot of writing. Here is the plan: 1. Begin with meditation. 2. Using examples from this book, Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs, we will
- [Dreams from My Father](https://shirleyshowalter.com/dreams-from-my-father/) - Today Barack Obama will announce his choice of a running mate for the race to the White House. I did not sign up for his text message. Instead, I am reading one of his memoirs, Dreams from My Father. I can already tell you that the book is beautifully structured and written. Unlike John McCain,
- [Discovering Shelfari](https://shirleyshowalter.com/discovering-shelfari/) - My son Anthony keeps showing me wonderful places to go online, especially places that help me learn more about social media and might brighten the face of this blog. The latest is Shelfari, a place to rate books, talk about books, and meet new book lovers. I have started a group there called--you guessed it--100
- [Scott Russell Sanders and Spiritual Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/scott-russell-sanders-and-spiritual-memoir/) - The September issue of The Writer's Chronicle carries an interview with Scott Russell Sanders by Tom Montgomery Fate which excited me because it asks one of my own questions: is it possible to tell an artful story out of an ordinary life? Scott Russell Sanders is one of the few who do this difficult task
- [Meditation and Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/meditation-and-memoir/) - My daughter Kate and I had a wonderful conversation on Monday about the difference between fantasies, feelings, and actions. I resolved to get back into the practice of meditation as a result of that conversation. I am fortunate to work in a place that provides opportunity for meditation at work, so I have begun using
- [Stanley Fish On Three Popular Narratives and Their Limits](https://shirleyshowalter.com/stanley-fish-on-three-popular-narratives-and-their-limits/) - Stanley Fish in yesterday's New York Times writes about a recent essay by Charles Van Doren in the July 28 issue of The New Yorker. If you saw Quiz Show, directed by Robert Redford, you know that Charles Van Doren disgraced himself, his family, and perhaps even academic life, by participating in a rigged quiz
- [Doris Lessing](https://shirleyshowalter.com/doris-lessing/) - I just finished reading a New York Times review of Doris Lessing's new novel/memoir (strange combo). The review focused on the author's struggle for emotional control of memory. Lessing apparently hated her mother and saw both parents as tragic figures. In this book she tries, without total success, apparently, to understand and forgive both parents.
- [Starting Out](https://shirleyshowalter.com/starting-out/) - This blog structure is not yet published, finished, but my dear son has set up all the first steps for me. I picked the name 100memoirs because I took Heather Seller's advice to heart in her book Chapter After Chapter. Sellers advises new writers to read 100 excellent examples of their genre before attempting to

## Pages

- [Home](https://shirleyshowalter.com/) - Shirley Hershey Showalter | Growing With Our Grandchildren; co-author,The Mindful Grandparent and author of Blush: A Mennonite Girl Meets the Glittering World
- [Grandmas for Love](https://shirleyshowalter.com/grandmas-for-love/) - Who We Are We are elders and taxpayers living in the Warwick School District who are deeply committed to the youth, teachers, and administration of our beloved community. Our purpose is to help elect Warwick School District Board Members who focus on learning and caring for ALL students. We know that the vitality and prosperity
- [Speaking Engagements](https://shirleyshowalter.com/events/) - You may contact Shirley at shirley.showalter(at)gmail.com to request a keynote, book club interview, workshop, retreat, or other speaking assignment. The following engagements provide a sample of Shirley's topics and interests. Recent favorites: aging and vocation, grandparenting, spiritual legacy, Mennonite memoir, and school board activism. 2024 January 11, 2024, "Living Joyfully," Sarasota, FL, Sarasota Community Church
- [For the Media](https://shirleyshowalter.com/for-the-media/) - Jump to author photos Jump to book video trailer The Mindful Grandparent in the News and On the Air Feature Articles: May 1, 2022 "Book cowritten by Lititz author celebrates joy of being a grandparent" - LancasterOnline.com August 29, 2022, "Let Your Love Shine on Grandparents Day with These Thoughtful Gifts," St. Louis Post-Dispatch September 26,
- [Published Memoir Essays and Opinion Pieces](https://shirleyshowalter.com/published-memoir-essays/) - National publications: A Better Way to Say I'm Retired, Forbes, Jan. 10, 2017 Next Avenue: "A Better Way to Say I'm Retired" Jan. 10, 2017 Fifteen book reviews for The Christian Century are located here Op-eds: "A Birthday Letter to Hillary Clinton," October 24, 2016, The Minneapolis Star “Exhibit doesn’t tell people how to think;
- [The Mindful Grandparent: The Art of Loving Our Children's Children](https://shirleyshowalter.com/books/the-mindful-grandparent-the-art-of-loving-our-childrens-children/) - Available for purchase: Amazon Aaron's Books (Shirley can sign & dedicate books purchased at Aaron's Books) Barnes & Noble Broadleaf Books Loving our children's children well is an art-one we keep learning as they grow. Making memories and fostering relationships with our grandchildren in the midst of a fast-moving culture isn't easy, and a legacy
- [Contact](https://shirleyshowalter.com/contact/) - Get In Touch If you'd like me to speak, or lead a workshop or retreat, or if you'd just like to get in touch, please do so here. Your message will not be visible to other users. Please leave your real name and e-mail address. Thanks!
- [About Shirley Hershey Showalter](https://shirleyshowalter.com/about-shirley-hershey-showalter/) - ‘When I was little, I wanted to be big. And not just big as in tall, but big as in important, successful, influential. I wanted to be seen and listened to. I wanted to make a splash in the world.” – from Blush: A Mennonite Girl Meets the Glittering World. I was born on a
- [Books](https://shirleyshowalter.com/books/) - Forthcoming...
- [Praise](https://shirleyshowalter.com/books/blush-a-mennonite-girl-meets-a-glittering-world/praise/) - Blush was selected to be a Top Spiritual Book of 2013 by Frederick and Mary Ann Brussat at the Spirituality & Practice website. --The Best Spiritual Books of 2013 List “Not since Kathleen Norris's Dakota: A Spiritual Geography have I read a more beautifully written or movingly told story, one whose "minute particulars" become a portal
- [Using the Book](https://shirleyshowalter.com/books/blush-a-mennonite-girl-meets-a-glittering-world/how-to-use-the-book/) - How to Use This Book to Create Your Own Legacy What is a legacy? Now that you’ve read my story, you know that the word “inheritance” sometimes caused problems for Mennonite farm families such as mine. Being fair to all the children and at the same time passing along their most precious asset, the farm,
- [Blush: A Mennonite Girl Meets a Glittering World](https://shirleyshowalter.com/books/blush-a-mennonite-girl-meets-a-glittering-world/) - “I promise: you will be transported,” says Bill Moyers of this memoir. Part Mennonite in a Little Black Dress, part Growing Up Amish, and part Little House on the Prairie, this book evokes a lost time, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, when a sheltered little girl with big dreams entered a family and church caught up
- [Download Free Writing Guide](https://shirleyshowalter.com/sign-up/) - Hooray! You made it. You can now download your free guide: How to Write a Memoir, by clicking the image link below. How to Write a Memoir [Download PDF] Thank you very much, and I invite you over to the blog to check out more writing tips, book reviews, and a list of my top
- [To Create Your Own Legacy](https://shirleyshowalter.com/books/blush-a-mennonite-girl-meets-a-glittering-world/how-to-use-the-book/to-create-your-own-legacy/) - What is a legacy? Now that you’ve read my story, you know that the word “inheritance” sometimes caused problems for Mennonite farm families such as mine. Being fair to all the children and at the same time passing along their most precious asset, the farm, often proved difficult for parents to structure and for siblings
- [Cover Reveal Live Stream](https://shirleyshowalter.com/cover-reval-live-stream/) - The live streaming of my cover reveal will begin at 2:15 P.M. Friday, December 28, 2012. Just press play in the video above and you will be connected. Thank you for joining the party!
- [Sign Up](https://shirleyshowalter.com/sign-up-2/) - To complete the subscription process and receive weekly Magical Memoir Moments, please click the link in the email we just sent you.
- [Mennonite Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/about-2/anabaptist-memoir/) - Mennonite memoir links, collected as most recent first. Not comprehensive but related mostly to posts in this blog: Melanie Springer Mock reviews Mennonite Memoirs for the Mennonite press. in 2011 she wrote Review of Jean Janzen's Into the Wild Review of Rhoda Janzen's Does this Church Make Me Look Fat? Review of Ted Swartz's Laughter
- [Top Memoir Lists](https://shirleyshowalter.com/top-memoir-lists/) - If you found this blog by searching for a list of excellent memoirs, you have come to the right place! There are three ways to find a good list on this blog: Use the search box to the right and search on a particular memoir. If I have reviewed it here, you will find it

## Categories

- [Uncategorized](https://shirleyshowalter.com/category/uncategorized/)
- [100 Day Challenge](https://shirleyshowalter.com/category/100-day-challenge/)
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- [Lists](https://shirleyshowalter.com/category/lists/) - These are posts that contribute lists of memoirs that will eventually add up to 100 Memoirs
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- [Memoir Workshops](https://shirleyshowalter.com/category/memoir-workshops/) - I will both take and teach workshops and report on both
- [Memoir-in-Progress](https://shirleyshowalter.com/category/memoir-in-progress/)
- [My Reviews](https://shirleyshowalter.com/category/my-reviews/) - I will review 100 memoirs over the course of the next several years.
- [Not Quite Amish](https://shirleyshowalter.com/category/not-quite-amish/)
- [Personal Reflections](https://shirleyshowalter.com/category/personal-reflections/) - Reflections on the way to becoming a memoir writer myself.
- [podcasts](https://shirleyshowalter.com/category/memoir-and-film/podcasts/)
- [radio](https://shirleyshowalter.com/category/memoir-and-film/radio/)
- [Reviews of Blush](https://shirleyshowalter.com/category/reviews-of-blush/)
- [Show and Tell videos](https://shirleyshowalter.com/category/show-and-tell-videos/)
- [Spiritual Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/category/my-reviews/spiritual-memoir-my-reviews/) - A favorite sub-genre of mine
- [Spiritual Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/category/spiritual-memoir/)
- [Taking Courses, Workshops, Conferences](https://shirleyshowalter.com/category/memoir-workshops/taking-courses-workshops-conferences/)
- [Teaching Memoir Writing](https://shirleyshowalter.com/category/memoir-workshops/teaching-memoir-writing/)
- [television](https://shirleyshowalter.com/category/memoir-and-film/television/)
- [Tips](https://shirleyshowalter.com/category/tips/) - Here is a place to share ideas for other memoir writers and readers
- [Top Ten Lists](https://shirleyshowalter.com/category/lists/top-ten-lists/)
- [Writing Tips](https://shirleyshowalter.com/category/tips/writing-tips/) - For writers who want to improve their craft
- [Books About Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/category/my-reviews/books-about-memoir/)
- [Celebrity Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/category/my-reviews/celebrity-memoir/) - Famous people tell their stories
- [Classic Memoir/Autobiography](https://shirleyshowalter.com/category/my-reviews/classic-memoirautobiography/) - These have stood the test of time
- [Marketing Tips](https://shirleyshowalter.com/category/tips/marketing-tips/) - For writers who are trying to find an audience
- [Jubilación](https://shirleyshowalter.com/category/magical-memoir-moments/jubilacion/)
- [Granny nanny diaries](https://shirleyshowalter.com/category/granny-nanny-diaries/)
- [The Mindful Grandparent](https://shirleyshowalter.com/category/the-mindful-grandparent/)

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- [Albert Einstein](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/albert-einstein/)
- [alcoholism](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/alcoholism/)
- [Alex Heard](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/alex-heard/)
- [Alexandra Penney](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/alexandra-penney/)
- [Alfred and Emily](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/alfred-and-emily/)
- [Alfred Kazin](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/alfred-kazin/)
- [Alice and Erika](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/alice-and-erika/)
- [Alison Flood](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/alison-flood/)
- [Alison Luterman](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/alison-luterman/)
- [All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/all-souls-unitarian-universalist-church/)
- [Allen Hess](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/allen-hess/)
- [alto voice](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/alto-voice/)
- [altruist](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/altruist/)
- [Alzheimer's](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/alzheimers/)
- [Amanda Fortini](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/amanda-fortini/)
- [Amazing](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/amazing/)
- [Amazon](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/amazon/)
- [Amazon bestseller (Mennonite category)](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/amazon-bestseller-mennonite-category/)
- [Amazon rankings](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/amazon-rankings/)
- [ambiguous](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/ambiguous/)
- [American Dream](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/american-dream/)
- [American idol](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/american-idol/)
- [American Journey](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/american-journey/)
- [American Studies](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/american-studies/)
- [Ames](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/ames/)
- [Amish](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/amish/)
- [Amish Country](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/amish-country/)
- [Amish fiction](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/amish-fiction/)
- [Amish laundry](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/amish-laundry/)
- [Amtak Writers Residency](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/amtak-writers-residency/)
- [Amtrak](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/amtrak/)
- [Amtrak Writer's Residency](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/amtrak-writers-residency/)
- [Amtrak Writers Residency Program](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/amtrak-writers-residency-program/)
- [amuse-bouche](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/amuse-bouche/)
- [Amy](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/amy/)
- [Amy Tan](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/amy-tan/)
- [Amy Waldman](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/amy-waldman/)
- [An American Childhood](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/an-american-childhood/)
- [an ideal day](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/an-ideal-day/)
- [Anabaptist](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/anabaptist/)
- [Anabaptist Center for Religion and Society](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/anabaptist-center-for-religion-and-society/)
- [analyst](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/analyst/)
- [and charming personality.](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/and-charming-personality/)
- [and Glory: My Leap of Faith](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/and-glory-my-leap-of-faith/)
- [and Tina](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/and-tina/)
- [Ander Monson](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/ander-monson/)
- [Andrea Schrock Wenger](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/andrea-schrock-wenger/)
- [Andy](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/andy/)
- [Angel at the Fence](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/angel-at-the-fence/)
- [Angel Gardner](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/angel-gardner/)
- [Angela Kelsey](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/angela-kelsey/)
- [Angela M. Carter](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/angela-m-carter/)
- [Angeles Arrien](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/angeles-arrien/)
- [Anglo-Saxon Swiss-Mennonite](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/anglo-saxon-swiss-mennonite/)
- [Angouleme](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/angouleme/)
- [Ankito Rao](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/ankito-rao/)
- [Ann Hostetler](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/ann-hostetler/)
- [Anna Mary Herr Hess](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/anna-mary-herr-hess/)
- [Anna Mary Herr. Barbara Ann Hess](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/anna-mary-herr-barbara-ann-hess/)
- [Anne](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/anne/)
- [Anne Frank](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/anne-frank/)
- [Anne Frank Museum](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/anne-frank-museum/)
- [Anne Lamott](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/anne-lamott/)
- [Annette Gendler](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/annette-gendler/)
- [Annie Dillard](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/annie-dillard/)
- [Annie Ernaux](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/annie-ernaux/)
- [Annie Proulx](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/annie-proulx/)
- [anniversary](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/anniversary/)
- [anniversary time](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/anniversary-time/)
- [annotated](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/annotated/)
- [Anny Mary Hess](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/anny-mary-hess/)
- [Anthony](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/anthony/)
- [anthropologist](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/anthropologist/)
- [Anton Franc](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/anton-franc/)
- [anxiety](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/anxiety/)
- [anxiety of authorship](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/anxiety-of-authorship/)
- [anxiety of influence](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/anxiety-of-influence/)
- [aphorisms](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/aphorisms/)
- [Apostle Paul](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/apostle-paul/)
- [Appalachian Ohio](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/appalachian-ohio/)
- [Apple](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/apple/)
- [April Yamasaki](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/april-yamasaki/)
- [arc of entropy](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/arc-of-entropy/)
- [Archbishop Desmund Tutu](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/archbishop-desmund-tutu/)
- [architecture](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/architecture/)
- [Arlene](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/arlene/)
- [Arlin Meyer](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/arlin-meyer/)
- [artist](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/artist/)
- [artist as a young woman](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/artist-as-a-young-woman/)
- [Aryanization](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/aryanization/)
- [At Springhill Farm](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/at-springhill-farm/)
- [Athena](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/athena/)
- [attention](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/attention/)
- [Attitudes](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/attitudes/)
- [auburn](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/auburn/)
- [audio book](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/audio-book/)
- [Augusten Burroughs](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/augusten-burroughs/)
- [Augustine](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/augustine/)
- [Aunt Jane](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/aunt-jane/)
- [Aunt Lois](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/aunt-lois/)
- [authenticity](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/authenticity/)
- [author tips](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/author-tips/)
- [Authors Guild](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/authors-guild/)
- [autobiography](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/autobiography/)
- [avocation](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/avocation/)
- [awake](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/awake/)
- [Azusa Pacific University](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/azusa-pacific-university/)
- [babies](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/babies/)
- [Babsland](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/babsland/)
- [baby boomers](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/baby-boomers/)
- [Bag Lady](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/bag-lady/)
- [Balm in Gilead](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/balm-in-gilead/)
- [Barack Obama](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/barack-obama/)
- [Barbara Ann Hess](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/barbara-ann-hess/)
- [Barbara Ann Hess Hershey Becker](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/barbara-ann-hess-hershey-becker/)
- [Barbara Brown](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/barbara-brown/)
- [Barbara DeMarco-Barrett](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/barbara-demarco-barrett/)
- [Barbara Hershey Becker](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/barbara-hershey-becker/)
- [Barbara Kingsolver](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/barbara-kingsolver/)
- [Barbara O'Neal](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/barbara-oneal/)
- [Barbara Samuel](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/barbara-samuel/)
- [Barber's Adagio for Strings](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/barbers-adagio-for-strings/)
- [barefoot](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/barefoot/)
- [Barnes & Noble](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/barnes-noble/)
- [Bay Area Independent publishers association](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/bay-area-independent-publishers-association/)
- [BEA](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/bea/)
- [beach books](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/beach-books/)
- [Bear River Writers' Conference](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/bear-river-writers-conference/)
- [Beatles](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/beatles/)
- [beautiful sentences](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/beautiful-sentences/)
- [beauty](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/beauty/)
- [Because I Can](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/because-i-can/)
- [Becky Gochnauer](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/becky-gochnauer/)
- [bed & breakfast](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/bed-breakfast/)
- [beginner's mind](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/beginners-mind/)
- [belief](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/belief/)
- [Belize](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/belize/)
- [Beloved](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/beloved/)
- [Ben Yagoda](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/ben-yagoda/)
- [Beth Graybill](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/beth-graybill/)
- [Bethel College](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/bethel-college/)
- [Betty Ford](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/betty-ford/)
- [Betty Smith](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/betty-smith/)
- [Betty Wiens](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/betty-wiens/)
- [Bev Lapp](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/bev-lapp/)
- [Beverly Cleary](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/beverly-cleary/)
- [bi-polar](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/bi-polar/)
- [big](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/big/)
- [bike](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/bike/)
- [biking](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/biking/)
- [Bill Bryson](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/bill-bryson/)
- [Bill Maher](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/bill-maher/)
- [Bill Moyers](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/bill-moyers/)
- [Bill Moyers journal](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/bill-moyers-journal/)
- [billmoyers.com](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/billmoyers-com/)
- [Billy Collins](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/billy-collins/)
- [Binyavanga Wainaina](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/binyavanga-wainaina/)
- [Bird Cloud](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/bird-cloud/)
- [Bird-in-Hand Corporation](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/bird-in-hand-corporation/)
- [Bird-in-Hand Restaurant](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/bird-in-hand-restaurant/)
- [Birthday](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/birthday/)
- [bishop](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/bishop/)
- [Bittersweet](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/bittersweet/)
- [black convertible](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/black-convertible/)
- [black history](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/black-history/)
- [Black Like Me](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/black-like-me/)
- [blessing](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/blessing/)
- [bling](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/bling/)
- [blizzards](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/blizzards/)
- [blog](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/blog/)
- [Blog stats](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/blog-stats/)
- [blog to book](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/blog-to-book/)
- [blogging](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/blogging/)
- [Blogroll](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/womensmemoirs-com/)
- [Bluffton University](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/bluffton-university/)
- [Blush](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/blush/)
- [Blush book launch](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/blush-book-launch/)
- [Blush excerpt](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/blush-excerpt/)
- [Blush: A Mennonite Girl Meets a Glittering World](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/blush-a-mennonite-girl-meets-a-glittering-world/)
- [Bo Caldwell](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/bo-caldwell/)
- [Bob Dylan](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/bob-dylan/)
- [Bonnet Strings](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/bonnet-strings/)
- [bonnets](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/bonnets/)
- [Bonnie Jo Campbell](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/bonnie-jo-campbell/)
- [book club](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/book-club/)
- [book clubs](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/book-clubs/)
- [book contract](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/book-contract/)
- [book cover](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/book-cover/)
- [book deal](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/book-deal/)
- [Book Expo America](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/book-expo-america/)
- [book giveaway](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/book-giveaway/)
- [book launch](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/book-launch/)
- [book launch tour](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/book-launch-tour/)
- [Book Marketing](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/book-marketing/)
- [book orders](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/book-orders/)
- [book reviews](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/book-reviews/)
- [book tour](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/book-tour/)
- [book trailer](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/book-trailer/)
- [BookBub](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/bookbub/)
- [Bookbug](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/bookbug/)
- [BookPeople](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/bookpeople/)
- [BookTourAnniversaryPalooza](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/booktouranniversarypalooza/)
- [Borrowing Bones](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/borrowing-bones/)
- [boss](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/boss/)
- [bowl of cherries](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/bowl-of-cherries/)
- [box seat](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/box-seat/)
- [braided essay](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/braided-essay/)
- [braided rug](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/braided-rug/)
- [brand](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/brand/)
- [break](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/break/)
- [breakfast](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/breakfast/)
- [breakfast at Tiffany's](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/breakfast-at-tiffanys/)
- [Breaking Amish](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/breaking-amish/)
- [Brenda Miller](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/brenda-miller/)
- [Brene Brown](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/brene-brown/)
- [Brevity](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/brevity/)
- [Brian Paff](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/brian-paff/)
- [Bringing Along OCD blog](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/bringing-along-ocd-blog/)
- [Britain's Got Talent](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/britains-got-talent/)
- [British Columbia](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/british-columbia/)
- [Britt Kauffman](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/britt-kauffman/)
- [BrittBravo.com](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/brittbravo-com/)
- [broadband](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/broadband/)
- [Broken Land](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/broken-land/)
- [Brook Kreder](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/brook-kreder/)
- [Brooklyn](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/brooklyn/)
- [Brooklyn: A Novel](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/brooklyn-a-novel/)
- [BrooksNextMarathon](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/brooksnextmarathon/)
- [Brother David Steindl-Rast](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/brother-david-steindl-rast/)
- [brownies](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/brownies/)
- [Bruce Feiler](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/bruce-feiler/)
- [Bruce Springsteen](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/bruce-springsteen/)
- [Buddhist](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/buddhist/)
- [Build Your Author Platform](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/build-your-author-platform/)
- [burnt umber](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/burnt-umber/)
- [butter](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/butter/)
- [By Saam](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/by-saam/)
- [CA](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/ca/)
- [calling](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/calling/)
- [calories](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/calories/)
- [Calvin College](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/calvin-college/)
- [Camino de Santiago](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/camino-de-santiago/)
- [Camino Portuguese de Santiago](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/camino-portuguese-de-santiago/)
- [Canada](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/canada/)
- [cancer](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/cancer/)
- [Candida Lawrence](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/candida-lawrence/)
- [candle](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/candle/)
- [cane](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/cane/)
- [Cannes](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/cannes/)
- [Canterbury](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/canterbury/)
- [capitalism](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/capitalism/)
- [capons](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/capons/)
- [caregiver](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/caregiver/)
- [Carl Jung](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/carl-jung/)
- [Carl Nielsen](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/carl-nielsen/)
- [Carlisle](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/carlisle/)
- [Carlos Eire](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/carlos-eire/)
- [Carol Bodensteiner](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/carol-bodensteiner/)
- [Carol Brown](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/carol-brown/)
- [Carolyn See](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/carolyn-see/)
- [Carpe Diem](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/carpe-diem/)
- [carve initials](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/carve-initials/)
- [cashing in](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/cashing-in/)
- [Cassatt](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/cassatt/)
- [Cassie](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/cassie/)
- [cathedral](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/cathedral/)
- [Catherine Marshall](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/catherine-marshall/)
- [Catherine Mumaw](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/catherine-mumaw/)
- [Catherine R. Mumaw](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/catherine-r-mumaw/)
- [Catholic](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/catholic/)
- [CBC top ten](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/cbc-top-ten/)
- [CBC video](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/cbc-video/)
- [Cedar Springs Christian Retreat Center](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/cedar-springs-christian-retreat-center/)
- [celebrate](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/celebrate/)
- [Celebrity Memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/celebrity-memoir/)
- [Center for Mennonite Writing](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/center-for-mennonite-writing/)
- [Central Market](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/central-market/)
- [chalk cliffs of Dover](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/chalk-cliffs-of-dover/)
- [change](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/change/)
- [Charlene Fahnestock](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/charlene-fahnestock/)
- [Charles Churchill Gilbert](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/charles-churchill-gilbert/)
- [Charles K. Hale](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/charles-k-hale/)
- [Charles Van Doren](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/charles-van-doren/)
- [Charlie Chaplin](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/charlie-chaplin/)
- [Charlottesville](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/charlottesville/)
- [charming letter](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/charming-letter/)
- [charter for compassion](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/charter-for-compassion/)
- [Chase Bird](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/chase-bird/)
- [Chatham College](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/chatham-college/)
- [Chelsea](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/chelsea/)
- [chemophobia](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/chemophobia/)
- [Cheri Dundon](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/cheri-dundon/)
- [Cherri Glowe](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/cherri-glowe/)
- [Cheryl Strayed](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/cheryl-strayed/)
- [Chicago](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/chicago/)
- [Chicago Sun Times](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/chicago-sun-times/)
- [Chicken Soup for the Soul](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/chicken-soup-for-the-soul/)
- [chickens](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/chickens/)
- [child's birthday party](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/childs-birthday-party/)
- [childhood](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/childhood/)
- [childhood friend](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/childhood-friend/)
- [childhood memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/childhood-memoir/)
- [childhood memoirs](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/childhood-memoirs/)
- [children's books](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/childrens-books/)
- [Chin](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/chin/)
- [Chin Oh](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/chin-oh/)
- [Chin Pheng Oh](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/chin-pheng-oh/)
- [China](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/china/)
- [Chinaberry Sidewalks](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/chinaberry-sidewalks/)
- [Chincoteague](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/chincoteague/)
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- [Count Zinzendorf](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/count-zinzendorf/)
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- [course syllabus](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/course-syllabus/)
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- [definitions](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/definitions/)
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- [DK Matai](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/dk-matai/)
- [Does This Church Make Me Look Fat?](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/does-this-church-make-me-look-fat/)
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- [Donald Kraybill](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/donald-kraybill/)
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- [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/doris-kearns-goodwin/)
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- [Dorothy Bass](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/dorothy-bass/)
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- [Dr. Jakob Schlichter](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/dr-jakob-schlichter/)
- [Dr. John Gottmann](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/dr-john-gottmann/)
- [Dr. Stephen Cowan](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/dr-stephen-cowan/)
- [Draft No.4](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/draft-no-4/)
- [Drama](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/drama/)
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- [E.M. Broner](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/e-m-broner/)
- [Earlham School of Religion](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/earlham-school-of-religion/)
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- [EAstern Mennonite School](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/eastern-mennonite-school/)
- [Eastern Mennonite University](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/eastern-mennonite-university/)
- [Eckhart Tolle](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/eckhart-tolle/)
- [ecologist](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/ecologist/)
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- [Edith Showalter](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/edith-showalter/)
- [Edith Virginia Showalter](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/edith-virginia-showalter/)
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- [Edna](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/edna/)
- [Edna O'Brien](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/edna-obrien/)
- [Edward Short](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/edward-short/)
- [egg curry](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/egg-curry/)
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- [El Tovar](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/el-tovar/)
- [Elaine Mansfield](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/elaine-mansfield/)
- [Elaine Sommers Rich](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/elaine-sommers-rich/)
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- [Elma Smucker](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/elma-smucker/)
- [Elon Musk](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/elon-musk/)
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- [embarrassment](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/embarrassment/)
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- [Emma](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/emma/)
- [Emma Brubaker Snyder](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/emma-brubaker-snyder/)
- [Emmy Lou Harris](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/emmy-lou-harris/)
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- [Englewood Review of Books](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/englewood-review-of-books/)
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- [Ephrata Intermediate School](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/ephrata-intermediate-school/)
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- [Ernest Hemingway](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/ernest-hemingway/)
- [Ervin Stutzman](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/ervin-stutzman/)
- [Esquire](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/esquire/)
- [essential self](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/essential-self/)
- [Eudora Welty](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/eudora-welty/)
- [Eugene Peterson](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/eugene-peterson/)
- [Evan Hughes](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/evan-hughes/)
- [Evangelical witness](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/evangelical-witness/)
- [Every day is all there is](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/every-day-is-all-there-is/)
- [eves-dropping](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/eves-dropping/)
- [Excellent](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/excellent/)
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- [exercise](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/exercise/)
- [Exiles from Eden](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/exiles-from-eden/)
- [expectingrain.com](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/expectingrain-com/)
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- [experiencing self](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/experiencing-self/)
- [expert voice](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/expert-voice/)
- [extravagance](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/extravagance/)
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- [Faith and Life Bookstore](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/faith-and-life-bookstore/)
- [Faith Mennonite Church](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/faith-mennonite-church/)
- [fake memoirs](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/fake-memoirs/)
- [fall color tour](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/fall-color-tour/)
- [falling in love](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/falling-in-love/)
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- [fantasy](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/fantasy/)
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- [Festival of Faith & Writing](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/festival-of-faith-writing/)
- [Festival of Faith and Writing](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/festival-of-faith-and-writing/)
- [Fetzer](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/fetzer/)
- [Fetzer Institue](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/fetzer-institue/)
- [Fetzer Institute](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/fetzer-institute/)
- [fiction](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/fiction/)
- [fiction writers](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/fiction-writers/)
- [fired](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/fired/)
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- [First Bird](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/first-bird/)
- [First Draught video](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/first-draught-video/)
- [first lady](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/first-lady/)
- [First Mennonite Church](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/first-mennonite-church/)
- [Fitzgerald](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/fitzgerald/)
- [five best memoirs](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/five-best-memoirs/)
- [Florence Cooprider Fiesen](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/florence-cooprider-fiesen/)
- [Florida](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/florida/)
- [FLOW](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/flow/)
- [fly fishing](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/fly-fishing/)
- [fog](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/fog/)
- [food](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/food/)
- [food memoir](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/food-memoir/)
- [forgiveness](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/forgiveness/)
- [Forgotten Season B & B](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/forgotten-season-b-b/)
- [Forgotten Seasons](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/forgotten-seasons/)
- [Forgotten Seasons Bed & Breakfast](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/forgotten-seasons-bed-breakfast/)
- [former plain girl](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/former-plain-girl/)
- [former students](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/former-students/)
- [formula](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/formula/)
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- [fountain pen](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/fountain-pen/)
- [fragments](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/fragments/)
- [Fran Digel](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/fran-digel/)
- [France](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/france/)
- [Frances Vaughan](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/frances-vaughan/)
- [Frank](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/frank/)
- [Frank Gehry](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/frank-gehry/)
- [Freckles](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/freckles/)
- [Fred Mandell](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/fred-mandell/)
- [Fred Setterberg](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/fred-setterberg/)
- [Frederick Buechner](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/frederick-buechner/)
- [Frederick Exley](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/frederick-exley/)
- [free-range](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/free-range/)
- [Freedom](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/freedom/)
- [Freeways to Flipflops](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/freeways-to-flipflops/)
- [Fresh Air Fund](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/fresh-air-fund/)
- [Fresh Air Program](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/fresh-air-program/)
- [Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/fresno-pacific-biblical-seminary/)
- [Fresno Pacific University](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/fresno-pacific-university/)
- [friends](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/friends/)
- [friendship](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/friendship/)
- [FriendStories](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/friendstories/)
- [FriendStory.com](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/friendstory-com/)
- [From Freeways to Flipflops](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/from-freeways-to-flipflops/)
- [frugal](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/frugal/)
- [Ft. Greene Park](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/ft-greene-park/)
- [Full Cup](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/full-cup/)
- [funeral](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/funeral/)
- [Furious Flower](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/furious-flower/)
- [Gabriella Douglas](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/gabriella-douglas/)
- [Gallup](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/gallup/)
- [games](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/games/)
- [garden](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/garden/)
- [gasterea](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/gasterea/)
- [Gathering the Silence](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/gathering-the-silence/)
- [Gayla Marty](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/gayla-marty/)
- [Gelassenheit](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/gelassenheit/)
- [gender](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/gender/)
- [genre-bending](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/genre-bending/)
- [gentleness](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/gentleness/)
- [geology](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/geology/)
- [George Bush](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/george-bush/)
- [George Carlin](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/george-carlin/)
- [Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/geraldine-r-dodge-poetry-festival/)
- [German Shepherd](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/german-shepherd/)
- [gesture](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/gesture/)
- [getaway](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/getaway/)
- [ghost writers](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/ghost-writers/)
- [gifts of stories and songs](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/gifts-of-stories-and-songs/)
- [gifts of time](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/gifts-of-time/)
- [Gilchrist](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/gilchrist/)
- [giveaway](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/giveaway/)
- [Glacier National Park](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/glacier-national-park/)
- [Gloria](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/gloria/)
- [goals for this blog](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/goals-for-this-blog/)
- [Gold](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/gold/)
- [golden rule](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/golden-rule/)
- [Goldilocks](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/goldilocks/)
- [Gong Show](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/gong-show/)
- [Good Books](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/good-books/)
- [Goodreads](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/goodreads/)
- [Google](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/google/)
- [Google ad](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/google-ad/)
- [Google Doc](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/google-doc/)
- [Google trends](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/google-trends/)
- [Goshen](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/goshen/)
- [Goshen College](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/goshen-college/)
- [grace](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/grace/)
- [Grace Friesen Slatter](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/grace-friesen-slatter/)
- [graduation](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/graduation/)
- [Grand Canyon](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/grand-canyon/)
- [grandchildren](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/grandchildren/)
- [grandfather](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/grandfather/)
- [Grandma Hershey](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/grandma-hershey/)
- [Grandma Hess's black shawl](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/grandma-hesss-black-shawl/)
- [Grandma Moses](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/grandma-moses/)
- [Grandpa Hershey](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/grandpa-hershey/)
- [Grandpa1](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/grandpa1/)
- [grandparenting](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/grandparenting/)
- [grandparents](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/grandparents/)
- [grandson](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/grandson/)
- [Granny Nanny Diaries](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/granny-nanny-diaries/)
- [Grant Heilman](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/grant-heilman/)
- [gratitude](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/gratitude/)
- [great grandchildren](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/great-grandchildren/)
- [great poets](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/great-poets/)
- [Greece](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/greece/)
- [Greencroft Retirement Center](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/greencroft-retirement-center/)
- [Greg Mortenson](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/greg-mortenson/)
- [Gregory Orr](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/gregory-orr/)
- [Gretchen Rubin](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/gretchen-rubin/)
- [grey](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/grey/)
- [grey hair](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/grey-hair/)
- [grief](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/grief/)
- [Growing Up Country](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/growing-up-country/)
- [Growing Up Plain](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/growing-up-plain/)
- [growth](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/growth/)
- [guest blogs](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/guest-blogs/)
- [guest post](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/guest-post/)
- [Guide Me](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/guide-me/)
- [guilt](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/guilt/)
- [gulet](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/gulet/)
- [Gustav Holst](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/gustav-holst/)
- [gutsy](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/gutsy/)
- [gutsy living](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/gutsy-living/)
- [Gutsy Publications](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/gutsy-publications/)
- [Gutsy Writer](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/gutsy-writer/)
- [GutsyWriter](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/gutsywriter/)
- [Gwendolyn Brooks](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/gwendolyn-brooks/)
- [H. Richard Hershey](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/h-richard-hershey/)
- [Hager's store](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/hagers-store/)
- [Haiti](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/haiti/)
- [Hal Roth](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/hal-roth/)
- [Half Broke Horses](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/half-broke-horses/)
- [Hank Green](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/hank-green/)
- [Hans Herr Museum](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/hans-herr-museum/)
- [Hanson's disease](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/hansons-disease/)
- [happiness](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/happiness/)
- [happiness project](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/happiness-project/)
- [happy songs](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/happy-songs/)
- [hard times](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/hard-times/)
- [Harley](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/harley/)
- [harmony](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/harmony/)
- [Harold Bloom](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/harold-bloom/)
- [HarperCollins](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/harpercollins/)
- [Harriet Beecher Stowe](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/harriet-beecher-stowe/)
- [Harriet Jacobs](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/harriet-jacobs/)
- [Harrisonburg](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/harrisonburg/)
- [Harvard Divinity School](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/harvard-divinity-school/)
- [harvest](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/harvest/)
- [Have a Nice Day](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/have-a-nice-day/)
- [Haven Kimmel](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/haven-kimmel/)
- [head nodding](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/head-nodding/)
- [healing](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/healing/)
- [hearing aids](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/hearing-aids/)
- [heart](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/heart/)
- [heartbreak](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/heartbreak/)
- [Heather Sellers](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/heather-sellers/)
- [heaven](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/heaven/)
- [heirlooms](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/heirlooms/)
- [Helen](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/helen/)
- [Helen Alderfer](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/helen-alderfer/)
- [Helen Keller](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/helen-keller/)
- [hell](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/hell/)
- [Hello in There](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/hello-in-there/)
- [Hemingway](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/hemingway/)
- [Henry](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/henry/)
- [Henry Adams](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/henry-adams/)
- [Henry Hershey](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/henry-hershey/)
- [Henry James](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/henry-james/)
- [Henry Louis Gates](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/henry-louis-gates/)
- [Herald Press](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/herald-press/)
- [Here and Now](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/here-and-now/)
- [hero's journey](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/heros-journey/)
- [heroin](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/heroin/)
- [Herrbrook](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/herrbrook/)
- [Hershey Chocolate](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/hershey-chocolate/)
- [Hershey family](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/hershey-family/)
- [Hershey Park](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/hershey-park/)
- [Hesston Mennonite Church](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/hesston-mennonite-church/)
- [high school list](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/high-school-list/)
- [high spirits](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/high-spirits/)
- [higher education](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/higher-education/)
- [Hilary Mantel](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/hilary-mantel/)
- [Hillary Clinton](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/hillary-clinton/)
- [history](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/history/)
- [holidays](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/holidays/)
- [Hollis](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/hollis/)
- [holocaust](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/holocaust/)
- [holy kiss](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/holy-kiss/)
- [home](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/home/)
- [Honda](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/honda/)
- [honest](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/honest/)
- [honeymoon](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/honeymoon/)
- [honors program](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/honors-program/)
- [hook](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/hook/)
- [hope](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/hope/)
- [Hopi Hoop Dance](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/hopi-hoop-dance/)
- [hospitality](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/hospitality/)
- [hot](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/hot/)
- [hottest chick](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/hottest-chick/)
- [Houston](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/houston/)
- [How to Make a Baby](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/how-to-make-a-baby/)
- [Howard Ikemoto](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/howard-ikemoto/)
- [Howard University](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/howard-university/)
- [hula hoop](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/hula-hoop/)
- [human longevity](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/human-longevity/)
- [humble](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/humble/)
- [humility](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/humility/)
- [humor](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/humor/)
- [humorous memoirs](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/humorous-memoirs/)
- [hunger](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/hunger/)
- [Huston Smith](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/huston-smith/)
- [Hyderabad](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/hyderabad/)
- [I Am Hutterite](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/i-am-hutterite/)
- [I and Thou](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/i-and-thou/)
- [I Corinthians 11](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/i-corinthians-11/)
- [I Dreamed a Dream](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/i-dreamed-a-dream/)
- [I Dwell in Possibility](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/i-dwell-in-possibility/)
- [I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/i-know-why-the-caged-bird-sings/)
- [I Love Lucy](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/i-love-lucy/)
- [Iain McGilchrist](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/iain-mcgilchrist/)
- [Ideal Cocoa](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/ideal-cocoa/)
- [ideal day](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/ideal-day/)
- [ideal reader](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/ideal-reader/)
- [identity](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/identity/)
- [Ila](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/ila/)
- [Imaculee Ilibagiza](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/imaculee-ilibagiza/)
- [images](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/images/)
- [Imtimations of Immortality](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/imtimations-of-immortality/)
- [In the Bleak Midwinter](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/in-the-bleak-midwinter/)
- [incest](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/incest/)
- [India](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/india/)
- [India Arie](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/india-arie/)
- [Indiana-Michigan Women's Retreat](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/indiana-michigan-womens-retreat/)
- [indie publishing](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/indie-publishing/)
- [Infinite Jest](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/infinite-jest/)
- [innovation](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/innovation/)
- [insight](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/insight/)
- [intellectual awakening](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/intellectual-awakening/)
- [intent](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/intent/)
- [interview](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/interview/)
- [interviewing tips](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/interviewing-tips/)
- [interviews](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/interviews/)
- [Invictus](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/invictus/)
- [Iowa](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/iowa/)
- [Iowa City](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/iowa-city/)
- [iPhone](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/iphone/)
- [Ira Glass](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/ira-glass/)
- [Ira Wagler](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/ira-wagler/)
- [Iran](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/iran/)
- [Irish blessing](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/irish-blessing/)
- [Irma](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/irma/)
- [Isaiah 43:19](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/isaiah-4319/)
- [Islam](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/islam/)
- [It All Changed in an Instant](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/it-all-changed-in-an-instant/)
- [It Sucks to be Vain and Poor](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/it-sucks-to-be-vain-and-poor/)
- [iTunes](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/itunes/)
- [J. Lorell Price](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/j-lorell-price/)
- [Jack Kerouac](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/jack-kerouac/)
- [Jack Kerouc](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/jack-kerouc/)
- [Jack Ridl](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/jack-ridl/)
- [Jacki Lyden](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/jacki-lyden/)
- [Jacob Bronowski](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/jacob-bronowski/)
- [Jacob Hoover's tavern](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/jacob-hoovers-tavern/)
- [Jaffrey](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/jaffrey/)
- [James Baldwin](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/james-baldwin/)
- [James Beard Foundation award](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/james-beard-foundation-award/)
- [James Frey](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/james-frey/)
- [James Madison University](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/james-madison-university/)
- [James Pennebaker](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/james-pennebaker/)
- [James Reeves](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/james-reeves/)
- [Jamie Kuzich](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/jamie-kuzich/)
- [Jan's Trailside Cafe](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/jans-trailside-cafe/)
- [Jane Fonda](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/jane-fonda/)
- [Jane Friedman](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/jane-friedman/)
- [Jane Kenyon](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/jane-kenyon/)
- [Janet](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/janet/)
- [Janet Givens](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/janet-givens/)
- [Janet Guthrie](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/janet-guthrie/)
- [Janet Oberholtzer](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/janet-oberholtzer/)
- [Janet Rasmussen](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/janet-rasmussen/)
- [Janet Stutzman](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/janet-stutzman/)
- [Jason M. Dew](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/jason-m-dew/)
- [Jax](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/jax/)
- [Jay Landis](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/jay-landis/)
- [Jay Wenger](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/jay-wenger/)
- [jazz](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/jazz/)
- [Jean Janzen](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/jean-janzen/)
- [Jean Price](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/jean-price/)
- [Jean Raffa](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/jean-raffa/)
- [Jeanne Houston](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/jeanne-houston/)
- [Jeannette Walls](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/jeannette-walls/)
- [Jeff Bezos](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/jeff-bezos/)
- [Jeff Buckley](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/jeff-buckley/)
- [Jeff Gundy](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/jeff-gundy/)
- [Jeffrey Zaslow](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/jeffrey-zaslow/)
- [Jennifer Louden](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/jennifer-louden/)
- [Jerry Waxler](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/jerry-waxler/)
- [Jessica Hostetler](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/jessica-hostetler/)
- [Jessilyn Norcross](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/jessilyn-norcross/)
- [Jesus](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/jesus/)
- [Jesus Loves Me](https://shirleyshowalter.com/tag/jesus-loves-me/)