Category Archives: The Memory Project

In IIRC we trust: The Memory Project is the extension of a writing exercise I’ve used for years, in which students are asked to take an experience and write about it as concretely as possible and see what happens. Does memory beget memory? Can tangible details convey emotion? Let’s find out. Also some general nattering about the writing life and touring.

One-Word Resolution Challenge: A Tradition

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The problem is -- it has to be one word and "Change" is kind of a duh resolution. I also feel strongly that the one-word resolution has to be a verb in imperative form. (To date, mine have been: Stretch, Maintain, Venture, Be. Are all these imperative? I'd argue that they could be.) Anyway, what I want to do is hard to capture in one word. I yearn to honor my good intentions -- to follow-up, follow-through. To be conscientious, to remember the little niceties. Thank-you notes, condolence cards, atta-boys. I want to be the kind of person who sends flowers and bakes casseroles and is never late with a birthday card. Read more [...]
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What Bookstores Provide

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Now, I pay pretty close attention to the world of books. I'm a writer and I'm a reader. I know what's going on in "my" world. But in the Booksmith, there were several books and writers that were new to me. I assigned myself a task: Buy a book that you might not buy, were it not for being in this store. Read more [...]
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The Case of the Missing Blogger, or — Wha Happened?

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This summer, Beth and Jeff Tindall put an enormous amount of work into redesigning my website and integrating The Memory Project blog, which was housed at the wonderfully low-tech Journalscape site. The new site is gorgeous, the blog is easier to use and update -- and I have been MIA pretty much since early September. Read more [...]
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“Loyal, Shabby and Unknown”

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One of my favorite pieces of nonfiction, ever, is Roger Angell's "Three for the Tigers," to which I link here with some reluctance: I don't like to give away anyone's content, but it's on Google Books and I like to think that anyone who reads it will go out and buy Angell's books, which range from compendiums to a lovely memoir. The title for this entry is taken from Angell's piece. Read more [...]
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Found Poetry

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One question: How frigging old will I have to be before I live my way into the answer? But then, perhaps I haven't been very successful at living the questions. A completion junkie, I like to finish things -- tasks, books (reading and writing), trips. Perhaps that's why I hate gardening. It's never truly done. Read more [...]
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Goodnight, Irene

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These two "I" storms provide a nice moment for reflection -- on the week, on the last seven years, on the ten years since this website launched. I've had a decent publication week, two events, six interviews. (It would have been seven, but the earthquake forced Bill Thompson to cancel.) As noted yesterday, I've received lots of review coverage, which is increasingly rare for writers. Read more [...]
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