This is the story of the power of connection. Perhaps coincidences are are incidents that coincide. Shelly Raber wrote to ask if I could connect her to Maryanne Rafael. She had a book titled “Linotte: The Early Diary Diary of Anais Nin 1914-1920”. There was an inscription written in red marker that read: “For Maryanne,…
As the last post in Women’s MemoirWomen of Inspiration s Women’s History Month question of what women inspire us, I wrote about the Women of Inspiration in my life. It honors eight women who give me hope in becoming the kind of old woman I want to be. All six are in their 80’s and…
Denien Robbins or Author Exposure reviewed The Spirit of a Woman: Stories to Empower and Inspire edited by Terry Laszlo-Gopadze and published by Santa Monica Press. Robbins’ review begins: “Most of us have known at least one incredible woman in our lives. She is the one with an unlimited supply of inner strength and determination…
Womens Memoirs published my story “Passage into Elderhood: Happy 60th birthday” on my 2011 birthday December 29th exactly two years after I celebrated my 60th birthday by returning to Ghana. Long ago a Ghanaian friend asked me, “Janet, what kind of old woman do you want to be?” This story is the answer to his…
Well, gosh! Heather Summerhayes Cariou and I tied as Grand Prize Winners for Matilda Butler and Kendra Bonnett’s Womens Memoirs Memoir Writing Contest Featuring Favorite Holidays. Heather Summerhayes Cariou’s story “The Sweet Ghost of Christmas Past” is published today on Womens Memoirs My story “Passage into Elderhood: Happy 60th Birthday” will be published soon. This…
Anthology Call for Submissions Wisdom Has a Voice: Every Daughter’s Memories of Mother Editors: Kate Farrell & Lynn Henriksen This groundbreaking anthology, to be released October 2011, will include 25 true and compelling stories about mother (or mother figures) that express the wisdom shared or learned from a particular experience. We are looking for personal…
Womens Memoirs keeps coming up with new, fun contests. This one uses the Google-Search tool to make your own You Tube video that quickly shows the arc of your story. Besides being fun, it helps you sharpen the classic story stages. Does this sound complicated? Not at all. The technology is transparent with easy instructions….
Women’s Memoirs runs part 2 of “Who Owns the Story?” as a writing prompt. Who Owns the Story? You’ve decided that yes, you’re going to do the scary thing. There in the mirror of the written page you’re going to expose yourself—warts be damned. Read on to find out what our really fun writing prompts…
Check out the Womens Memoirs May contest: YouTube-Google Search Story Memoir Perfect for Practicing Story Building Here’s my story “Yet Lost for Other Causes” in search strings only.
On Matilda Butler’s and Kendra Bonnett’s Women’s Memoirs “Book Raves” I’ve reviewed Linda Joy Myers’ The Power of Memoir: How to Write Your Healing Story Linda’s book combines a manual of writing craft with a companion to guide the writer’s psyche towards health and wholeness. As a family therapist Myers understandably focuses on family-based memoir,…