Memoirous

  I’ve been following the career of Jean Vanier for nearly 35 years now. And, by career I mean mission. And by mission I mean sacrifice. Jean Vanier is an example of self-lessness. Yet so many people have never heard of him. I guess this just proves my point. As a couchsurfing host (I host about 10 – 15 internationals per month!) I always tell my French visitors—one of your countrymen is an inspiration to me—and they give me a funny French look. Who? Qui? In the early 60s he did this incredible thing. He took people out of mental institutions—or asylums as they were referred to back then. Or more aptly prisons, because once in you didn’t get out. So Jean Vanier took one or two men out and asked how would they feel to come live with him? To live as brothers, not as able and disabled, but as peers? Before they said yes, he probably had to explain the house they would start out in needed some work. From a story I remember reading they didn’t have hot running water and ...

I really enjoyed reading this piece on-line at Vulture: The Strange Experience of Having My Memoir Turned Into a Movie I’m sure we’ve all fantasized about who would play us in the movie of our life. In a world of reality TV sometimes it is hard to tell the difference between reality and what is scripted. There are days when it all feels fake. Now we all take poetic license even if we’re not poets. Same with memoir. As this blog states: what’s important is how we think it happened. I’ll be the first to admit that to make a good flash memoir I have to conflate events, narrow down the cast of characters. Often I nudge reality by giving it an arc. I end up with quasi fiction/quasi non-fiction. A blended remembering. This same notion can be applied to film adaptation. That’s why most movies with novel titles usually have a disclaimer of sorts: based upon . . . A Jane Austen movie is not a Jane Austen novel. Movies and books are not apples and oranges, more like apples ...

Ever notice that the image you hold in your head doesn’t always align with reality. This is especially true of when traveling. You can do the research, buy the ticket—and then real life intervenes to bend the edges of your mental postcard. Last fall I decided to take a friend up on her offer and booked a flight to Sweden. I planned a three-week vacation in the land of the midnight sun. In September. After the season, whatever that meant. I was soon to find out. Before taking off I googled the top 10 tourist destinations of Sweden. I had a few days after visiting another friend in Gothenburg before meeting up with Lotta. I thought it might be fun to ride a bicycle along the Göta Canal, a World Heritage site. All I had to do was get to a little town named Sjötorp. Actually all I had to do was be able to say the name of that town. Which proved to be impossible. It took something like 3 buses and each time I tried to tell the driver where I wanted to go the more embarrasse...

 When I was five years old and we lived on Princewood Avenue I woke up one morning, looked out my window, and there was a parade. I saw cars decorated with streamers and shaving cream. The neighbor lady down the street sat on the hood of her husband’s car wearing a funny costume with feathers and scarves and bright lipstick. She waved as they drove slowly by. I recognized her daughter and another son from the upper grades at my school. The girl twirled a baton and the boy carried an instrument, possibly a shiny brass horn, in which he made terrible marching music. The family hound wore a bucket hat tied under his doggie chin; he high stepped to the beat. Bringing up the rear was their youngest son sitting on top of the back seat, waving from an open convertible. His face swollen from what my mother told me was the medication. A few months later I learned he had passed away. Just yesterday I programmed parade music on Pandora. I wanted to remember that impromptu par...

I've been blogging since 2010 and just saw that I've written my 500th post. I began this blog to celebrate memories and to encourage others to use the flash method to get their own memories down on paper. Thanks for the memories! Stay tuned for more content (hopefully) and more prompts to get you writing. ALSO, in the meanwhile check out two publications featuring recent work by ME! A magazine called Writing for Peace took a fable-ish tale I wrote called Un Espiritu Libre about a bird and a monkey, inhabitants at a zoo, having an existential conversation. One believes he is incarcerated, the other one feels cared for--but what happens when the zookeeper fails to come one cold night?? Locution Magazine , where literature speaks many languages, liked my piece on The Italian Meet Up, where me and my husband in a fit of delusion try to speak Italian to humiliating results.

Sign up TODAY. Writers or near-writers or those hoping to write, here is a workshop sure to conjure up inspiration. Through conversation, reflection, and writing exercises, access the creativity that is uniquely yours. Explore the creative process and practice the craft of writing! Vinita Hampton Wright is a book editor, author of fiction and nonfiction, and workshop presenter on topics of writing, editing, creative process, and spiritual practices. This workshop is sponsored by The Mudroom , a collaborative blog based in Chicago. Saturday, June 20th. 9am to 3:30pm. $40. Register here: http://bit.ly/1KVst0c HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE. And, please share if you live in Chicago or nearby!

I remember when this album came out. Like a powerhouse, it upended my life. I can’t even begin to translate the impact it had upon me. From that first strum of Edge’s guitar, from that very first note of the opening song “Where the Streets Have No Name” I am taken back to May 1987. I can’t remember any other album that was as anticipated as the new one from U2. But lately, it has become another marker: I think of Ed & Hilde. Of the crowd I hung out with, of any of my friends, they were counting down the days until the release of Joshua Tree . There used to be a Rose Records around the LBA (Lincoln, Belmont, Ashland) area about 2 miles from where we lived in Uptown. I say used to because I think it’s a mega-block Whole Foods now. Anyway, they stood in line to buy it. Maybe it was like one second after midnight. Remember those days? There must have been other things as well on their mind. They were only a week or two at the most away from getting married. Her family was ...

“I Don’t Have To Run Anymore” – Misty’s Story My mother was a former nun. She left the convent to take care of my grandmother. All my life she has been a Christian woman, a great listener. She’s a very non-judgmental person. Every time I got in trouble she was there for me. To this day, she’s my best friend. My father worked two jobs. He provided for us and worked hard but he was an alcoholic. We didn’t see him much. My parents divorced when I was 5. As I got older, I wanted love and I went looking for it. When I reached my teens I started to drink and smoke marijuana. I was looking for affection and attention. At fifteen I became pregnant and I dropped out of high school. After I had my baby, Carlos, I got work at a local grocery store and by 16 I had my own apartment. Rent was $300 a month back then. My aunt helped with babysitting. I was 19 when I found out I was HIV positive. . . TO READ MORE CLICK HERE Cornerstone Community Outreach, the shelter where I volunteer,...

THIS SATURDAY: May 2, is Independent Bookstore Day. There are book giveaways and raffles held throughout the day PLUS each store will be able to start 10 people collecting an exclusive story written by Stuart Dybek and illustrated by Dmitry Samarov. This story is limited to 120 copies total. Open Books River North: 1 pm- Book signing and cheesecake samples with Jo A. Kaucher (author of THE NEW CHICAGO DINER COOKBOOK) and Micky Hornick of The Chicago Diner Powell's Bookstore University Village: 12 pm- In-store reading with Blue Balliett in celebration of her new book, PIECES AND PLAYERS 7 pm- In-store reading with Audrey Niffenegger Women and Children First: 10:30 am- Storytime with Miss Linda Specially baked samples from Mindy Segal's new book COOKIE LOVE Signed copies of Aleksandar Hemon's new novel ZOMBIE WARS   Women & Children First in Andersonville! Unabridged Bookstore: 12 pm- Book ...