"Don’t Worry; It’s For the Story"
From a senior living center to a college creative writing class, stories through the ages
“I love hanging out with younger people, so I can bask in all their potential, and I love hanging out with older people so I can bask in all their wisdom.”
—Karen Walrond, author, Radiant Rebellion: Reclaim Aging,
Practice Joy & Raise a Little Hell
Everyone has a story. That we know. Still, I find it fascinating that two of the most passionate groups of Six-Word Memoir storytellers tend to be pretty young and pretty old. The 8-18 year old set are trying to make sense of their lives and emotional realities that seem to change every hour, and six words provide a manageable way to do it. Older, more seasoned storytellers have more experiences in their vault and have a better sense of who they are and love sharing what they’ve learned along the way. I spent time with both groups in the past few weeks.
First, I headed to the San Francisco Campus for Jewish Living, sharing my approach to storytelling and then passing the mic to the seniors. Ahead of my talk, Rebecca Holzman, MEd, Director of Life Enrichment (is there a better job?) explained that the theme for February was "chokhmah," the Hebrew word for wisdom, and wondered if I could incorporate the concept into my presentation. So for the “Six Word Slam” that ends all my talks, I asked this worldly group to share six words of wisdom. They reflected on their lives and dropped a lot of timeless advice including: “With people is better than alone,” “My modeling days are over. So?” “I’m well adjusted … thanks to wine,” and “Some things are NOT my problem.” Others reflected on lessons learned while serving their country, the joy of watching grandchildren grow, and the agony bad knees.
After the seniors brought their A-game, a few days later I joined UC Berkeley’s Melanie Abrams and a dozen undergraduates who had been accepted into her advanced writing workshop, “Writing Short Fiction.”
Most of the students were new to the six word form — one student recalled doing a Six-Word Memoir project in middle school — and all were quick to pick it up. Before I dove into how the craft of brevity could apply to their fiction, I warmed them up with one of my favorite games, “How well do you know your classmates?”
This is how it works:
1. Share lots of examples of Six-Word Memoirs.
2. Give the group a few minutes to think and then write one or more memoirs.
3. Collect the papers, read them aloud, and have the assembled guess whose Six Words are whose.
People learn something new about their peers and then have a good excuse to ask them to “tell me more” later. Here are a few memoirs the students at Berkeley shared (extra credit if you guess which one is the professor’s).
Jumped the border — then kept running.
Second piercing was the gateway drug.
Don’t worry, it’s for the story.
Indignant second son, enthusiastic about everything.
Fourth book. No sweat. Yeah right.
Next class assignment: write a Six-Word Memoir for the protagonist of the story you’ve been working on this semester. Why? Well, just as a Six-Word Memoir can be a sort of headline or teaser about one’s life, these fictional Six-Word Memoirs often encourage the listener to say these three magical words: tell me more. Here’s a preview of the characters coming from the next generation of writers:
He swore he’d make it count.
But stitches can’t tie us together.
Her pretty smile was permission enough.
The meek share inherit absolutely nothing.
Now, there’s ink on my fingers.
I love being with these groups and witnessing the Six-Word Memoir Project come to life among writers of all ages. Whether reflecting on one’s autobiography or encouraging creative minds, the challenge of six words prompts us to reflect, listen, and write more intently than ever.
Gloria Steinem Turns 90!
When I asked Gloria Steinem if she would share a Six-Word Memoir for an upcoming book, she offered six words she explained were inspired by one of her mentors, legendary magazine editor Clay Felker: “Life is one big editorial meeting.” Words to live by from the trailblazing and unstoppable Gloria Steinem.
Parting Shot: The Greatest Night In Storytelling
Just when I was digging into the terrific doc, The Greatest Night in Pop, about the 1985 gathering of legends to record We Are the World, my buddy Jason Bitner texted me this photo of what I have come to think of as The Greatest Night in Storytelling: 2009’s “Personal Media Mixer and Confessional Culture Variety Show” at Housing Works Bookstore.
Okay, we didn’t have Stevie Wonder, Tina Turner, Cyndi Lauper, Paul Simon, or The Boss; but we did have a line-up of legends of storytelling, and together raised thousands of dollars to fight AIDS and homelessness. Pictured above: Frank Warren from PostSecret, Found Magazine’s Davy Rothbart, Mortified’s David Nadelberg and Neil Katche, with Starlee Kine, Cassette from my Ex’s host Jason Bitner, Rachel Fershleiser and myself from Six-Word Memoirs, with music by Michael Hearst’s One Ring Zero. After the show I shared this on the Six Word blog: “These five projects, among the best in a field some call ‘the intimacy revolution,’ have never come together in one place, on one night. So on February 14th, we decided to abandon traditional notions of intimacy and we came together for a sold-out group show at Housing Works Bookstore Cafe, to benefit Housing Works.”
At the time I was over the moon about the people and their projects we gathered for a special night of storytelling; fifteen years later I truly appreciate just how hard it is to get to the moon in the first place.