Dale Van Every's Blog

Posted by Dale Van Every

With just under three weeks left until the 2008 U.S. Presidential election, the latest Gallup poll shows that fewer than 10 % of voters remain undecided. The poll was conducted from October 13-15, before the final debate between Senators McCain and Obama, so that number has likely shrunk.

If, by chance, you are among the undecided, perhaps spending a little quality time with each of the candidates --including Sarah and Joe-- will help you make your choice. Both Obama and McCain have multiple autobiographies out, Biden has one (so far), and a shorter biographical sketch of Governor Palin has necessarily hit the stands as well. All of them are outlined by Suite 101's Lisa Rufle in her article Politics in Literature: 2008 Presidential Memoirs.

Additionally, numerous articles on each of the candidates can be found in Suite 101's Politics & Society / American Affairs section. If you're one of the great majority of decided voters, maybe reading your candidate's books will send you to the polling place on November 4th with a further sense of confidence in your choice. it seems the historical significance of this election --however it turns out-- cannot be underestimated. Whether or not you read another word about it, please don't make the mistake of thinking your vote doesn't make a difference. The right to vote is a privilege not available to a great many on the planet.

Posted by Dale Van Every

In my excitement to get that first blog post about six word memoirs up (have you tried writing yours yet?), I forgot to introduce myself and this blog.

Hello! Jambo! (Greetings in Swahili), I'm Dale, the new feature writer for Biographies/Memoirs here at Suite 101. I'm excited about this subject matter, particularly because it covers so much ground. Reading about great lives encompasses every aspect of life, every type of person imaginable.

Last week I read about a classy lady who also happened to be an aviation pioneer and wonderful writer. That was followed by the harrowing story of an equally talented musician whose abuse of alcohol nearly ruined him many times over. Anne Lindbergh and Warren Zevon, it would be hard to find two more different characters. But both stories were engaging, thought-provoking and best of all, true. For me at least, it's the factual aspect of biographical stories that make them so compelling.

As a writer of fiction, reading a novel is a slow instructive process. Don't get me wrong, I am somehow still able to enjoy them and appreciate them for works of art. But a good autobiography (biography or memoir included) is something I devour, whether it's the story of a political leader who changed the course of history or a "nobody" waitress railing against the system. There is always something to learn from how others have lived their lives.

So as we focus here at Biographies/Memoirs on lives big and small, renowned and unknown, I hope you will check back often to find out what we've learned, get some recommendations, and read about all aspects of what biography, autobiography and memoir have to offer.

"Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory."  ---Benjamin Disraeli

Posted by Dale Van Every

Memoirs, like those who write them, come in all different sizes. Former President Ulysses S. Grant's memoirs came in two lengthy volumes and they were unfinished. The famous general died before he got to the part regarding his two terms as president. Bill Clinton's 2004 tome, My Life weighed in at nearly 1000 pages, while Virginia Woolf, a writer by trade, took only 95 pages for A Sketch of the Past.

But six words?

The phenomenon is called "Six Word Memoirs" and its genesis can be traced to the "populist storytelling" online site Smith Magazine. Apparently Smith's founding editor Larry Smith was inspired by an "unconfirmed" story about Ernest Hemingway. It seems "Papa", who was known for his minimalism, was once asked to write a complete story in as few words as possible. He came up: "For Sale: baby shoes, never worn."

Smith and memoir editor Rachel Fershleiser took the idea and ran with it, asking readers to tell their own life stories in a single sentence. That was late 2006; by mid 2007 a book, Not Quite What I Was Planning (the title coming from Summer Grimes' SWM) included about 1000 of the best Six Word Memoirs from the Smith contest, from "writers famous and obscure". SWM's are an exercise in creativity and brevity, ranging from straightforward to poignant, cryptic to humorous:

• " I asked. They answered. I wrote." ----Sebastian Junger, writer
• " No future, no past. Not lost." ----Matt Brensilver
• " Born in the desert. Still Thirsty" ----Georgene Nunn
• " I didn't come here to lose!" ----anonymous
• " Must I live this life alone? " ----anonymous
• " 70 years, few tears, hairy ears." ----Bill Querengesser
• " Well, I thought it was funny." ----Steven Colbert,comedian
• " Secret to life: marry an Italian." ----Nora Ephron, writer
• " On the seventh word, he rested." ----Steven J. Dubner

Now a year and a half later, the proliferation of SWM's includes six word "mom"oirs, numerous websites, and three more books in the planning, including Six Word Memoirs on Love & Heartbreak. If you haven't tried it yourself, perhaps now's a good time. Here's mine: "Several wrong turns. Got here anyway."