MOTHERS are fertile ground for memoir writers — we have innumerable stories arising from their temperaments, parenting styles, and influence. Most of us have observations and judgments about our mothers that, let’s face it, they’d rather not read in an essay or book written by one of their children. Yet, […]
HOW OFTEN DO YOU THINK ABOUT your extended family beyond your grandparents — your aunts, uncles, and cousins? The importance of these relationships are mostly unrecognized in our culture today. Yet, involved aunts and uncles can have tremendous positive impact on children. Not only emotionally, but economically as well. For […]
“My grandfather always said that living is like licking honey off a thorn.” ― Louis Adamic GRANDFATHERS — We don’t write much about them, or at least I don’t see much about them in the stories I read. Why is that? Do they not take up much space in our lives? […]
I AM PLEASED AND HONORED to introduce Sara Etgen-Baker. I met Sara virtually when she submitted her work for inclusion in the anthology, Times They Were A-Changing: Women Remember the 60s and 70s. Since then, Sara has been a regular reader of and commenter on Writing Through Life, and we […]
“Everything comes out in the wash.” — Grandma Kreiss GRANDPARENTS are an important part of the extended family, often having a direct role in caring for and nurturing children. Grandmothers, in particular, can have an influential place in the family, helping out with childcare when Mom is sick or taking […]
“They say that no matter how old you become, when you are with your siblings, you revert back to childhood.” ― Karen White, The Memory of Water EVERY FAMILY IS UNIQUE. I grew up in a fairly large one, with five active, rowdy brothers. I was the only girl, born smack dab […]
WHEN YOU SET OFF TO WRITE ABOUT YOUR LIFE, you will end up, at some point, wonder how much to include about your family members. Especially if you’re revealing family secrets, which memoirs tend to do. Even when journaling about family, you may worry that family members will some day […]
