What comes around goes around, or, an award from a friend

My friend and fellow writer Annette Gendler sent me this today - the Liebster Award.

Take a look at why, and be inspired by the generosity she shares with writers.

And yes, apparently I do need to learn German !

Awww, thanks, AJC!

What a nice surprise to find this in today's Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and in the good company of friends and jaw-dropping writers Joshilyn Jackson and Karin Slaughter

You're coming to the Decatur Book Festival, right?

PS the image is NOT devil horns. It's "I love you" in ASL.

Positionality

Pick one statement that illustrates the concept of "positionality" in creative nonfiction.

A. Yes, there really is a praying mantis the size of a size nine shoe on my screen porch.

B. From where I sit, that praying mantis freaked me out so much it looked big as a shoe.

C. We could stage a mini-monster movie out here.

(Note that there are two correct answers.)

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

M. and I finally got on the bandwagon (not for lack of enthusiasm) and walked some of Atlanta's Beltline yesterday. The photo is of some arty wall art along the Southeast portion that I loved.

Are you in Atlanta? Do you know about the Beltline? You will after you read this .

Adaptive reuse of old train routes! Greenspace! Economical and green transit!

vacation, booked

Vacation, booked. Me and M. That's all. No work, no networking. (I swear it. Fingers crossed.)

Where to? Not tellin. When? Soon.

But not before the Bookzilla-stravaganza Decatur Book Festival , right? C'mon on over.

All I'm saying is that Write Club will not be my usual kind of gig. In a good way! And that I'm honored beyond belief to get to interview Katharine Weber on Sunday, and am gearing up my smarter self to do her justice.

PS If you recognize the image, you'll know where we're going. Shhh....

Add this one to your memoir list: The Memory of All That, by Katharine Weber

Actually, move "The Memory of All That" by Katharine Weber to the top of your memoir-list, particularly if you are reading memoir because you want to know how the good ones are done. Or if you're reading memoir because you love memoir. I read memoir for both reasons.

(There are a lot of good ones. We know some that aren't. If you know me, you've probably heard me gnashing my teeth over a few of those.)

"The Memory of All That" does everything right. Weber takes a loving and fierce (not easy to do at the same time) look at two generations of her family and their friends who are interesting in their own right (witty lyricist and musician Kay Swift,famous and witty George Gershwin, who collaborated with Swift, Weber's mother's place in an historic American family, and Weber's father, who some might call 'unusual.')

But how does a writer make memoir out of a family saga?

Sorcery. Hard work. A willingness to understand, in lyrical and often fall-out-of-bed laughing * language, how the good and the less-good parts of a family make a writer who she is.

More on the book and Weber at her blog, which you can get to via her website .

In other words? Honest and real and interesting. (Note to beginners? There will be a pop quiz on 'interesting.')

*Falling out of bed only possible for those who are reading in bed.

PS. And the book has some wonderful photographs, especially if you like high style and dogs. Not always at the same time.

Fashion faux-pas

Okay, the haircut is really bad. But like the essay, it's true. I Faked My Name" at TrueStory!

Every Memoir Starts With 100 points... or, Truthiness

Thanks, Nieman Storyboard, for posting this not-entirely-tongue-in-cheek (notice my excessive creation of adjectival phrases?) guide to truth in memoir!

Oooh, I can not wait to read this!

I'm clearing my weekend decks to read this. It's "Remain in Light," the 2nd of a trilogy about Paris, suspense, people who aren't who they seem to be... make the popcorn and fix me a cocktail.