The Memoirist

My experience at a Women Writers’ retreat turned out much more exciting than I planned — My finger grips the air horn but it makes no sound. From dry land, I keep my eyes on the water, where she clings to the dock at the rural mountain resort hosting a weekend of writers and musicians. “Help! Help!” she cries, fear punctuating the urgency of her words. I am frozen in my actions, despite listening to the water…

Triggered into remembering — Who watches the groomsmen? Open your watch and be ready to press “Stop” when this sounds familiar, about our culture of familiar men. I have a friend who recently self-published a collection of essays, Each Fallen Robin. In one of these, he begins: “In March of 2012, I was sexually…

A Journey of Grief and Healing — “Name one specific memory you have of your father,” the trauma-informed counselor said. I thought for a moment. “Well, there was this china cat I found at a garage sale…” I began. Growing up before Facebook Marketplace, garage sales were a big deal. We went to them and had them…

The first kill is never the hardest. They all are. — My husband is not a man who enjoys killing things — he was never a deer hunter, and he despises the notion of quail shoots. In fact, he’s an animal lover who gently cups a wayward wasp into his hand and escorts it out of the house instead of swatting…

Cash prizes and a chance to be crowned Medium’s first Memoirist Idol — Memoirists, I have exciting news to share. The Memoirist is holding its second contest — starting July 1st! But. This is not just any ordinary contest. I give you: Memoirist Idol. Contest Rules & Guidelines Writers have one month to submit stories. …

I would never have said that my aunty Mary was a happy woman, not if I was being honest. That’s not to say that she was unkind or anything terrible. Maybe it was because she never had the life she wanted. …

Have you ever eaten something and were immediately reminded of another time and place? — It happened to me while I was preparing a salad for dinner and I popped a freshly washed raspberry in my mouth. I’ve eaten raspberries hundreds of times in my life but this is the first time I had this strong reaction. The flavor immediately reminded me of picking fresh…