Magical Memoir Moments
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…
Smell: The Memoir Writer's 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…
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…