Memoir

Most of us who listen to Wisconsin Public Radio has, at some point of time, heard the voice of Jean Feraca. As host of WPR's "Here on Earth: Radio Without Borders," she is advocate and educator, an expert at mixing international issues with culture and aesthetics. An example of the program's diversity can be seen in any random week's schedule.Now, Feraca has turned her craft on herself with "I Hear Voices: A Memoir of Love, Death and the Radio." She traces her own life and craft through a collection of personal vignettes, retrospectives that consider the people who have shaped her and her journey to become a writer. The end result is a vivid, often haunting autobiography that unites a fascinating life with a voice gifted enough to provide all the details. Feraca's life is as diverse as the

  According to Us Magazine, Star Jones is speaking out against Barbara Walters for including her in her new memoir, Audition. In the book, Walters claims Jones forced her to lie about her gastric bypass surgery on The View. “It is a sad day when an icon like Barbara Walters, in the sunset of her life, is reduced [...]

Diana from Sunshine on my shoulders tagged me. And because I still have some pictures to show you, I thought I'd roll it all together like a yummy avocado and bacon wrap. In the tag, you write your memoir in six words or a title or something like that. My mind rebels at such a thought; as if you can put anyone in a box made up of only six words! But if I had to, here's what it would be: Always

More than a week ago, I was tagged me for a meme by Jennifer at Grow Where You are Planted. Usually I only put meme’s on my personal blog, but since the tag was for the recently popular “Six Word Memoir” I thought I could come up with something profound to turn into a story for Becoming Me. Throughout the week I thought of myriad ideas to complete this meme, but not one yielded anything resembling profundity. Each idea I came up with was at best cliché and at worst nonsensical. The more blog posts I read featuring this pithy meme, the more I was convinced that this was not the game for me. Some memoirs were witty, some were awe-inspiring, and some were draped with such simplistic beauty and eloquence that I had to close my eyes and quiet my heart as the message resonated within.

For all of you who have spent the past few years worrying about melting icebergs, illegal wars, or the rise of China, Miley Cyrus is the spawn of Billy Ray Cyrus, don’t worry if you have to Wikipedia him, but more importantly, Miley Cyrus is Hannah Montana. Or, Hannah Montana is Miley Cyrus. I’m still not sure which way it goes

I don’t know who Mylie Cyrus is. Why would I? I’m not a ten-year-old girl nor do I have one living in my house.  What I know about her, was thrust upon me by my home page browser which recently announced (cue trumpets) – she is writing her memoirs.     I leaned into the computer screen [...]

I've been tagged by the The stuff I live for, for a Six Word Memoir. Compared to some other memes, this one was easy enough. I am really bad about doing these. Sorry. Here it is:I want to touch the world

The "Hannah Montana" star has signed a seven-figure book deal with Disney Book Group. The book will focus on the 15-year-old's road to fame, from growing up in Tennessee to navigating the spotlight as an international star, and how her family – especially mother Leticia – helps keep her grounded. Popular: 1 days 3 hours 37 minutes ago source: (www.gossipcheck.com)

Chew on this:Pop Princess Miley Cyrus signed a seven-figure book deal today with the Disney Book group. That's right, a 15-year-old entertainer who probably couldn't pass the English AP test will earn at least a million dollars to composing her memoir. I'm sure the book will be a best-seller when it's released in 2009 and the investment is well worth it for Disney. Plus it may be interesting to hear about this rising star's hectic life, especially if she actually delves in to some of the challenges and misconceptions about fame. But still. Seven figures? Is anyone else a little sad their parents never enrolled them in voice lessons?

Disney kicked in a book deal for Hannah Montana’s Miley Cyrus. She is going to write her memoir of all her 15 years of life. Considering she spent the first three years of her life sitting in her own poop, that only leaves 12 years to cover. It promises to be a riveting tale. Miley says it [...]

This item was actually at the bottom of a post I wrote a few months ago, so for the one or two people who read this blog, my apologies.One of my coworkers, whose blog is titled: Circle30, has "tagged" me.She has asked me to play the, "Six-word memoir" game.It is from a recently released book titled, "Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous & Obscure."The book has only been out since February 5, but if you type "Six-word memoir" into Google, you get more than 50,000 search results.Needless to say, The. Memoirs. Are. Sweeping. The. Nation.Here are the rules:1) Write your own six word memoir2) Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you want3) Link to the person that tagged you in your post, and to the original post if possible so we can track i

Bouncing Back From Bankruptcy tagged me with the six word memoir meme...The rules of the meme are:1. Write your own six word memoir2. Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you want3. Link to the person who tagged you in your post4. Tag at least 3 more blogs (I cut the number down not everyone likes to "play")5. Leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play...Here is my six word memoir... Children and gardens, she grew well.I'm not going to specifically tag anybody...So if you haven't all ready been tagged and want to do it - take this as your cue to go for it!!!(That is one of my gardens from a couple of years ago - where the bird house gourds just went crazy)!!!

There's a game of tag going around the blogosphere. Bloggers who are tagged are asked to to write a six-word memoir, Frugalista Flies tagged me.Here is my six-word memoir:Fine Dining, Margaritas, Investments and MoneySo I guess you can say I like good food, drinks and a conversation about personal finance!!!I will tag:Single MaPeerpoleTired of being brokeHustler of Sister AntGeckoGirl

Two Weeks of Life: A Memoir of Love, Death & Politics (Hardcover)By Eleanor Clift Buy new: $26.00$17.1630 used and new from $14.96 Customer Rating: First tagged “death” by Susan Fall Customer tags: [...]

I was tagged by BeachGirl for this meme. It's kind of exciting... my first tag! (I will admit it, I enjoy these things)So here we go. These are the rules:Write your own six word memoir. Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you want. Link to the person who tagged you in your post. Tag at least 5 more blogs. Leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play.Our memoir would be:Adventures together bring happiness and successThis was a lot harder than I thought it would be, six words isn't enough to sum up an entire philosophy or life. I chose this because R and I are a team, trying to figure out life and finances together. Each day is an adventure with unexpected twists, as cliché as that sounds.Ok, now I tag:PowderPuff from The Adventures of Dizzy DooSense

The English Courtesan was thrilled to be tagged by Tres Chère Juliette a few weeks ago to write a six word memoir. Those of the English Courtesan's readers who don't know Chère Juliette might like to know that she's the proud owner of the world's most enticing collection of saucy black and white photos... Juliette is also a lyrical writer and a practitioner of the midnight vices and she recently won the English Courtesan's prize for nice clean knickers. What better recommendation could there possibly be for a girl than to pass the English Courtesan's gym knicker inspection with such flying colours?Revenons à nos moutons...as well as liking Chère Juliette, the English Courtesan likes tags too as she's a bit of an overgrown child at heart. If the truth be told, the English Courtesan can

The Village People cowboy Randy Jones has been forced to scrap an anecdote about Tom Cruise from his new memoir Macho Man, after editors feared action from the superstar’s lawyers. Jones’... Continue to www.MadHollywood.com

Thomas Oliphant’s Praying for Gil Hodges is his very personal account of the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers and, in particular, of Game 7 of that year’s World Series in which the Dodgers finally beat the hated New York Yankees to become baseball world champions. But this book is about much more than baseball; it is about how a child can form a bond with a sports team that will last him a lifetime and how

Someone with a mohawk, paint-stained jeans, sunglasses and an earring tagged me with the easiest meme I ever had to do! LOL. Now, I'm tagging 5 readers who I hope have not yet been tagged ;)JafabritLorenzoPabloJayFazHere are the rules:1) Write your own six word memoir.2) Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you’d like.3) Link to the person that tagged you in your post, and to the original post if possible so we can track it as it travels across the blogosphere.4) Tag at least five more blogs with links.5) Don’t forget to leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play.6) Have fun!!Now, I've got some beading to do... :D(P.S. Don't forget to check out My Official Facebook Group. Lata!)

Bobby Brown discusses his marriage to Whitney Houston in new memoir! “In his upcoming autobiography, Brown blows the lid on his wildly dysfunctional marriage to the troubled, Grammy-winning diva, suggesting that [Whitney Houston] drove him into a nightmare of drug addiction. ‘I never used cocaine until after I met Whitney. Before then, I had experimented with other drugs, but marijuana was my drug of choice,’ Brown writes in ...

The Blogger Exposed (of The Skin I Am In fame, as well as My Virtually Dysfunctional Life fame and Miss-Adventures Abroad fame — yikes, what an overachiever!) just tagged me for the “Six Word Memoir” meme. Here are the rules: Write your own six word memoir. Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you’d [...]

Laurel at Studio Lolo tagged me to come up with a six word memoir. If you asked me to write a memoir every day for the rest of my life, it would probably be totally different each time. My six-word memoir for today is:The best laid plans. Ever-evolving.Here are the rules for participation...1) Write a six word memoir and post it on your blog. (Feel free to add an image)2) Link your post to the person who tagged you.3) Tag 5 more blogs and link to them.4) Comment on the tagged blogs and invite them to participate.I don't know all their blog addresses, but I'm tagging my some of my workmates to play along anyway.Eric, Sarah, Amber, Kate, KurtisYou can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS feed.

Laurel at Studio Lolo tagged me to come up with a six word memoir. If you asked me to write a memoir every day for the rest of my life, it would probably be totally different each time. My six-word memoir for today is:The best laid plans. Ever-evolving. Here are the rules for participation…1) Write a [...]

Praised as “humane and deeply affecting” by The New York Times’ Michiko Kakutani, the memoir had a first printing of 24,000, and about 19,000 had been shipped. Sales figures were unavailable; as of Monday night, the book ranked No. 450 on Amazon.com. Drugs, foster care, gangs and being biracial were the compelling topics of the latest [...]

Every baseball fan has heard of Babe Ruth. Every physics student knows about Albert Einstein. So everyone who ever has been interested in the paranormal or ghost hunting has heard of Hans Holzer. Right? Except for me. Hans Holzer practically invented the notion of ghost hunting and paranormal research. Hans has written about [...]

I love Isabel Allende and the happiness with which I realized she had a new book, The Sum of Our Days: A Memoir, coming out next month dimmed when I learned that it's a very personal memoir that follows the days after her dear daughter, Paula, died.The book is already a bestseller in Spanish. I will be adding this as well as the heart wrenching tale she tells her 28-year old child as she lay in a coma published as a Postscript. I can't imagine anything as painfully devastating as losing a child.Latina.com has an interview with author but as usual with this publication, it's not as in-depth as one would hope.Visit her official website to view personal family photos and learn more: IsabelAllende.comI would advise keeping the tissue box nearby, just in case.* Photo: The author in happier time

This is another post that started as an update but took on a life of its own.I got the link to Gordon Sayre's article: Fine line separates, memoir. Again, thanks to Kate over at FishbowlLA.Sayre was Seltzer's Native American literature professor at the University of Oregon. He says that Love and Consequences is:...a powerful story of a young girl coming of age, and features much better dialogue than most first novels can achieve. The members of her foster family, as well as others in the South Central ’hood, all emerge as complex characters. That's great. In fact, that's exactly what I said about Love and Consequences when I heard about this story. I said she had to, at least, be a good writer.She had to be a good enough writer to convince her publisher that her story was real. Sure,

If you are a regular BlogCritics reader then you have read about weight loss and personal stories of weight loss, such as <a href="'s_fortress_of_weight_loss.php" target="blank">Dan Nied's Fortress of Weight Loss</a> and several of <a href="" target="blank">my own diet related articles and reviews</a>.  So on the face of it I was not too thrilled about this Confessions of a Carb Queen memoir, figuring "What else could I possibly learn?"It turns out that I could learn a lot, both about Susan Blech's astonishingly surgery-free and high carb/low fat 250 pound weight loss and about how she gained over 300 pounds in the first place.  I learned about emotional eating, about lying and hiding your eatin

Could you summarize your life in six words? Have you lived enough that six words would do? From Boing Boing: Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure , edited by Larry Smith and Rachel...

Christian publisher Thomas Nelson has delayed the launch of 'Pop Culture Mom: A Real Story of Fame and Family in a Tabloid World', a book by Britney Spears' mother Lynne following news that her 16-year-old daughter Jamie Lynn is pregnant. NBC's John

Gloria Borger, John King and Jack Cafferty discuss the book by Scotty McClellan in which he said, "I had unknowingly passed along false information. And five of the highest ranking officials in the administration were involved in my doing so: Rove, Libby, the vice President, the President’s chief of staff, and the president himself."Gloria Borger said that nobody wants to see the President accused of lying over a leak that was really just a technicality anyway that we ought to just wait until Bush writes his memoir to find out the truth (I'm so not kidding. I wish I were) about whatever happened because really nobody cares anymore.Jack Cafferty brought her back to earth and told her just what was needed by this President: He should tell the American people the truth!Cafferty said the buck stops at the top with the President and we should not have to wait for his memoir to hear the truth.What say you?

Holy shit… House Press Secretary Scott McClellan will publish a memoir in April titled “What Happened.” In an excerpt posted by his publisher, McClellan implicates “the President himself” in the Valerie Plame scandal: “The most powerful leader in the world had called upon me to speak on his behalf and help restore credibility [...]

Knopf to Publish Blair’s Memoir, reports Publishers Weekly. The life and times of former British PM Tony Blair are headed to print, with Knopf set to publish in the U.S. and Canada. The book, which will be published in the U.K. by Random House’s Hutchinson imprint, will recount Blair’s life through his time in office. Robert Barnett of Williams & Connolly brokered the book deal on behalf of Blair. The New York Times reported that Blair received a $9 million advance. Knopf chairman and editor in chief Sonny Mehta in tandem with RH Group chairman Gail Rebuck acquired world rights, including English language, translation, audio and electronic rights. The untitled memoir will be published simultaneously in the U.K. and U.S., although no publication date has been set. Speaking to the acquisition in a statement from Random House, Mehta called Blair “one of the the most significant world leaders of the modern era” with “a remarkable story to tell.” Blair added that he

Ooops. I forgot yesterday was October 1st--and you know what that means. Another great first chapter brought to you by Fiction in Rather Short Takes. (This looks really good!)It is October 1st, time for the FIRST Day Blog Tour! (Join our alliance! Click the button!) The FIRST day of every month we will feature an author and his/her latest book's FIRST chapter!This month's feature author is: TOSCA LEEand her book: Demon: A Memoir (NavPress, 2007)ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Tosca Lee received her BA in English and International Relations from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. She has also studied at Oxford University.As a Leadership Consultant, Tosca works with managers and leaders of organizations throughout the Pan-Pacific region, Europe, and the U.S.Tosca is a former Mrs. Nebraska-America 1996, Mrs. Nebraska-United States 1998 and first runner-up to Mrs. United States and has been lauded nationally for her efforts to fight breast cancer.In her spare time, Tosca enjoys cooking, st

The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir The age of innocence is gone. Imagine yourself between as a kid in the 50’s with a ray gun in your holster, you see yourself as space shoot ‘em up police officer of sorts in the 21st century in your space cruiser ready to battle the universe. Now you are older in the 21st century, no space police, ray guns, or even flying cars. What crazy fantasies raced through your mind in those far flung days of fantasy. Today fantasies are handed down to kids through video games, no need to create them, they are already created for you. To all the kids who created new worlds from the 50’s and beyond, Bill Bryson crafted his own imaginary world with this great book for all who have a passion to dream. Bill Bryson was born in the middle of the American century—1951—in the middle of the United States—Des Moines, Iowa—in the middle of the largest generation in American history—the baby boomers. As one of the

In Sign of New Threat, Militant Offers Tips on Credit Card Fraud.So when Imam Samudra published a jailhouse autobiography this fall, it was not surprising that it contained virulent justifications for the Bali attacks, which killed 202 people, most of them foreign tourists.But tucked into the back of the 280-page book is a chapter of an entirely different cast titled "Hacking, Why Not?" There, Samudra urges fellow Muslim radicals to take the holy war into cyberspace by attacking U.S. computers, with the particular aim of committing credit card fraud, called "carding." The chapter then provides an outline on how to get started.Internet crime experts said Samudra's book seems unprecedented as a tool for recruiting radical Muslims into a campaign of online fraud and building networks of fundraisers.Indonesia News Blog: http://indosnesos.blogspot.com

Elizabeth Edwards pens inspiring memoir - Democratic presidential hopeful’s wife survived cancer, death of a childExcerpt:"America warmed to Elizabeth Edward and her affable, down-to-earth personality as she campaigned for her husband, John Edwards, for vice president. She inspired millions as she valiantly fought advanced breast cancer, which was diagnosed just days before the 2004 election. She shares the experiences, and the death of a 16-year-old son in 1996, in a new memoir. Here's an excerpt:"http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20243531/

NEW YORK - Rolling Stone Keith Richards, cigarette no doubt in hand, is working on a memoir, the object of a multimillion dollar bidding war that will be published by Little, Brown and Company in 2010. "It will be his life's story," Little, Brown publisher Michael Pietsch said Tuesday. "For nearly 50 years, he has been at the very center of the vortex of stardom and of entertainment as a cultural force. He's a thread running through the whole thing." Richards, the master riffer, legendary partier and songwriting/sparring partner with Mick Jagger, received $7.3 million for the book, according to a publisher insider with knowledge of the negotiations. Currently untitled, the memoir will be written with James Fox, an old friend of Richards' and author of "White Mischief." "Keith is working with someone who has been a friend and is an extremely skilled writer. I know that James has also been talking with people close to Keith," says Pietsch, who declined to offer specific names or sa

DENVER (AP) — Brandon Stokley felt like a rookie again. The ninth-year pro returned to the field for the Denver Broncos’ minicamp on Monday and did individual work to test his right Achilles’ tendon, which he ruptured last November, leading to his offseason release from the Indianapolis Colts. “This is kind of the first little baby step toward getting ready for training camp,” said Stokley, who hopes to be practicing in pads by the time the team starts up July 29. “I feel like I could more…

Yoko Ono may yet write her autobiography despite a reluctance to deal with hostile critics -- Beatles fans who still blame her for breaking up the band But she also is worried about hurting the people she would write about."I want to one day do that probably but still don't have the time," Ono, the widow of slain former Beatle John Lennon, said at a forum in New York."There are things that I can't write because it may hurt someone," Ono said. "I think about how it might hurt (their) children, and I don't want to do that."Discussing her own art and music, Ono said she always thought of her work as Asian and rejected being categorized as part of the Fluxus, or minimalist movement prevalent in New York in the early 1960s."I knew John Cage and all that," Ono said of the composer associated with the movement. "But I don't think that was how I should be explained."She said that after Lennon's 1980 murder in front of their home at the Dakota building in Manhattan she considered moving be

Cait’s assignment at school was to “write a memoir;” an essay on something that happened to her that fit the structure of memoir writing. At this stage, her teacher is not as concerned about punctuation as she is with getting the kids excited about writing. This is what Cait wrote: A Memoir by Caitlin Shanley It was a warm day and I was 5, I was out in the garden picking peas with my mom and two dogs. My mother had asked me to pick the peas, probably because she didn’t want me picking anything else. My dogs decided they were going to help me. They went up to the vines and just started eating. Sometimes I would get the ones off the top of the vines and give it to them. In my mind I knew I wasn’t supposed to, but I did it every year. My mom was a great gardener, and my dogs and I thought her peas were the best. Every day she went out and cared for that garden as if it were her own child. She even talked to the plants, maybe that’s why they were so goo

Book Description ISBN-0743283449 According to Time magazine, Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf holds "the world's most dangerous job." He has twice come within inches of assassination. His forces have caught more than 670 members of al Qaeda in the mountains and cities, yet many others remain at large and active, including Osama bin Laden and Ayman Al Zawahiri. Long locked in a deadly embrace

Memoirs (or memoir-ish non-fiction) command six of the nine spots in my store's "front window." As I've said before, I have only fairly recently developed a readerly soft-spot for the genre. Who can resist a personal narrative well delivered, though, right?Well, I'm knee-deep in a new one: If I Am Missing or Dead: A Sister's Story of Love, Murder, and Liberation (Janine Latus).The subject -- domestic violence -- is hardly unexplored territory, but Latus writes with voice so likeable, familiar, and right there that in these early chapters, I feel as if I could sidle up to her younger self and whisper, "You're making a series of bad choices -- mostly because your father is such a despicable human being. Let me help you. Please."But a train is bearing down on this girl of tender age (my bookmark rests on the page in which the young Latus has just received a note from her mother in her locker), and nothing this involved reader says will change its course. More when I finish. Until the

Co-Editor’s Note: James Gordon Meek, respected reporter specializing in terrorism issues for the New York Daily News, joins us today as a Guest Author. James has been to Afghanistan and maintains contact with soldiers and officials in the area. We look forward to his contributions. Today’s New York Daily News carries a piece I [...]

Danielle Trussoni, author of Falling through the Earth, is as much a casualty of the Viet Nam war as was her father, Dan, who returned from that war as damaged goods, a man unable to show his wife and children that he loved them. Trussoni's benign neglect of his children forced them to grow up tough and able to solve their own problems because he was a firm follower of the old adage that "whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger." Sadly, their situation shows clearly how the crippling aftereffects of combat can be so easily passed on from one generation to the next, making one wonder where the cycle finally ends.Dan Trussoni was a volunteer tunnel rat in Viet Nam, one of those incredibly brave men who went alone into the underground tunnel system that allowed Viet Cong soldiers to disappear at will and that provided them with a safe haven to recover from wounds and to hide food and weapons until they were needed. These young American soldiers, armed with little more than a pis

  Lagos is located in the South West of Nigeria and its one of the populous Cities in the world.  My first visit to Lagos was in the early 80's, still young boy then. Since then I have been a visitor during my secondary school holidays but finally I have to be a part of the city after my secondary school education. I had my Bsc. Degree from Lagos State University, which gave me the opportunity of knowing Lagos more.   However, recently I have been having a lot of "headache" because of the traffic conditions in the metropolis. There are traffic enforcement agencies around the city but the condition has never improved. The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) officials mandated to check on the excesses of the Lagos drivers have not been helping matters as they contributes a lot of bottle necks on the roads.   From Mile 2 to Badagry, there is only one route that links this international road to Benin Republic and the neighboring countr

UK readers are buzzing about it, gossiping on lunch dates and whispering at the office. Men are tantalized, viewing that sexy, mature woman in a whole new way. The newest erotic memoir to hit the bookstores is a bestseller that most US readers may not even have been lucky

Of all the Elizabethan poets, William Shakespeare is the most famous. He was born in 1564 in the village of Stratford-on-Avon to an old and prominent family. His father, John Shakespeare, was a glover and wool dealer with a shop in Stratford.Shakespeare entered grammar school in 1571 at the age of seven. Elizabethan education was based on learning by rote, and he had an excellent aural memory. His education in Latin left an unmistakable impression on his vocabulary. In the upper school, he studied logic and rhetoric, and excelled in dialectic argument, a skill he later put to use in his plays. Shakespeare learned Greek mythology and Roman history. When he began to write, he showed a marvelous ability to make a little knowledge go a longway.Shakespeare married while he was still a minor and needed his parents' permission. His bride, Anne Hathaway, was twenty-six years old. A daughter, Susanna, was born to the young couple in 1583, followed by twins, Hamnet and Judith, twenty months lat

London ambulance memoir under CC license By noemail@noemail.org (Cory Doctorow) Cory Doctorow:  Tom sez, "I've just released my new book under a CC license, this is the first book by a UK author and a major European publisher to be released in this fashion (as far as we know). It is simultaneous with the book being sold in major bookstores." The book is Blood, Sweat and Tea: real-life stories from the London Ambulance Service, based on Tom's blog about his experiences as a London ambulance tech. Link (Thanks, Tom!) Update: Charlie Stross points out: Actually, the first that I know of in the UK was Net.wars by Wendy Grossman -- admittedly published by NYU Press, but she's based in London and it went out online in, um, 98 or 99 or thereabouts. And ACCELERANDO was released under CC with the kind permission of Orbit back in 2005.