Magical Memoir Moments
Interview with Carol Bodensteiner, Memoirist Turned Novelist
Meet Carol Bodensteiner. Pershaps you already have. Fellow writer Janet Givens refers to her as my twin! That’s because both of us wrote memoirs about being country girls and growing up on dairy farms. But only one of us is a blonde. 1. Your first book was about growing up on an Iowa dairy farm…
Are You a Pantser or a Plotter? Approaches to Memoir Writing and Life
Among writers, the question is this one: Are you a pantser or a plotter? When I first heard this question, I immediately linked it to my graduate adviser at the University of Texas at Austin. After I passed my Ph.D. exams, he said, Just think of finishing your dissertation this way: put your seat in…
Are You a Sprinter or a Marathoner? Is There a Third Way?
My daughter just ran ten miles for the first time with her friend Kristi. Having my propensity toward rosy cheeks, she got beet red: She did not, however, inherit the capacity for long-distance running from me or from her father. She earned every mile from her own effort. Having worked hard to run in two…
Three Things Every Grandparent Learns Again and Every Wise Parent Knows
Today’s post was going to be about children and memoir storytelling. I had it all set up like this: The post would be the third in a series of how my grandchildren are my spiritual teachers. The first post (2011) was about learning attention and proprioception (awareness of the body) from a baby. The second…
100 Magical Memoir Moments: A Possible New Book?
Have you ever walked out the door, sniffed the air, and felt an arrow fly into your heart? I think there must be another kind of Cupid in addition to the one at Hallmark — a Memoir Cupid who sends us pangs of joy or sorrow from our past. Scientists who study memory know that…
Coverings and Bonnets, Amish, Quaker, and Mennonite Stories: Part Two
When BLUSH launched at Lititz Mennonite Church September 19, 2013, I, like any new author, was excited. But I was also a little worried, as any memoir writer with extended family in the room will be! My family’s response filled my heart with joy that night. I will always be grateful for their amazing support….
What kind of Mennonite Mother Would Name Her Daughter for Shirley Temple?
You would think I would have prepared for February 10, 2014, the day Shirley Temple Black died. A few years ago I had wanted to interview her but learned that she was in ill health and not responding to requests. The news of her death broke while I was traveling back from Los Cabos, Mexico….
Miranda, Mary Ann, and FriendStory: Bittersweet Childhood Memoir
We met in Brooklyn. She had written two novels. I was writing my first memoir. She lived with her family close to Fort Greene, where we were living in a high rise apartment, taking care of our grandson in another high rise close by. Our meeting was mostly online. But we did have one lovely…
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…