Category Archives: memoir writing

Memoir Writing Takeaways from J.D. Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy

Now that J.D. Vance and his Hillbilly Elegy memoir are big in the news again, I’ve been reading reactions (pre-VP GOP nomination) to his story of escaping Appalachia by people who have actually lived in or studied Appalachia. Vance’s story … Continue reading

Posted in book talk, capturing memories, heritage, lifewriting, memoir writing, overcoming, writing skills | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Lessons from Kristy Noem’s Memoir – On Lifewriting

Do you HAVE to put everything in your memoir? NO! In a nutshell, that’s the lesson from Kristy Noem’s memoir where she tells about shooting her young dog, plus a goat. Yes, farmers and other ruralites have dispatched unwanted, elder, … Continue reading

Posted in lifewriting, memoir writing, writing skills | Tagged | Leave a comment

Remembering 1940s Chicago and 1950s Japan

My dad had an unconventional childhood as member of a farming family scraping by in 1930s to 1950s Chicagoland—in the midst of growing suburbs they had milk cows and grew crops. Dad’s father drove tractors down the streets to get … Continue reading

Posted in capturing memories, ghostwriting, history, lifewriting, memoir writing | Tagged , , | 3 Comments