Magical Memoir Moments
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…
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…
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
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?…
Memoir Contest: Seven Hours Left!
Sorry that I just learned about this contest today. But if you have a memoir manuscript ready to go, it won’t matter. All you have to do is follow the guidelines at this Guide to Literary Agents website. Good luck!
Huston Smith's Tales of Wonder: Adventures Chasing the Divine–A Review
If you want to spring out of bed tomorrow morning, saying, “Good!” I suggest you read this book the night before. And if you want a role model for how to age with zest and enthusiasm, even to the extent of looking forward to death as the last great adventure, Huston Smith is your man….
Man on Wire: Enough Inspiration for Film, Memoir, Novel
Philippe Petit has blown me away. And so has this film about his life, focused on the day in August,1974, when he walked on a cable stretched between the South Tower and North Tower of the World Trade Center. I loved the music, graphics, and juxtapositions in this film. Petit is such a clown-like, dancer-like,…
Want to Create Your Own Memoir Course? Here's a Syllabus to Get You Started
Melanie Springer Mock wrote a very insightful comment on my review of Mennonite in a Little Black Dress. I learned that she teaches memoir writing at George Fox University, which led me to request a copy of her syllabus. She was kind enough to share it. So I include it in its entirety below. A…
Ben Yagoda's 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,…