Magical Memoir Moments

Happy Birthday, Bill Moyers! Eighty Years Young

I first met Bill Moyers while working at The Fetzer Institute, which helped to sponsor Bill Moyers Journal. What a pleasure! We’ve stayed friends even after the Journal went off the air. I’ve been watching Moyers & Company online. But last week, Stuart and I stopped in to see Bill and Judith at their offices…

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Three Reasons to Read Your Memoir in New York City

Some writers leave the provinces and yield to the siren call of the city in their youth. My favorite author Willa Cather did that. She was published by Alfred A. Knopf, a powerful imprint designating quality, so powerful it has survived many mergers and is part of Penguin Random House, one of the Big Five…

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Why I Love to Travel and Why the Big Apple is a City Like No Other

Do you like travel stories? Some people hate to see the pictures their friends take on vacation. I’m personally  the opposite . . . as long as I get to hear good stories. I especially love small world/chance encounter tales. Yesterday Serendipity bopped us on the head –over and over. Meet Jamie. He’s a doctor…

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On the Road Again: Coming to a City Near You?

Forty-five years ago, these two merry wanderers decided to set off on the journey of life together: We used the image of the Conestoga Wagon to dream together, having been influenced by the story that a Mennonite invented the wagon, and having read lots of Little House on the Prairie books, we somehow associated freedom,…

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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….

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Charles R. Hale: New York Storyteller Who Knows How to Polish and Publish Memorable Stories

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…

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