This week, the ALA celebrates banned book week as an annual event to celebrate the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment. The NAMW team would like to hear your stories regarding banned books.  What has been your experience?  Is there a time when you were personally affected? ... » more

Join the forum discussion on this post - (2) PostsGreat-grandmother and grandmother 1895 During the preview seminar on Thursday, I and the rest of the audience were stimulated by Kim Pearson’s presentation about how history interweaves with our personal narrative. Kim shared a lot of information with... » more

Mary E. Knippel - November 2009 Tap Into Your Creativity Date: November 13, 2009 Guest Speaker: Mary E. Knippel Times: 11 am Pacific | 12 noon Mountain | 1 pm Central | 2 pm Eastern Cost: Free for NAMW Members Become A Member of NAMW Today to take part in this teleseminar! Would you like to learn how... » more

Harvesting Our Wisdom: Napa Valley Writing Retreat Autumn: the earth releases its fruits into harvest turning toward the silence and reflection of winter darkness. In this silence, we dig deep into our inner selves, and the poetry within. Calistoga: steam arises from ancient pools of mineral water inviting... » more

New Teleseminar Audio Download available! Guest Speaker: Becky Levine Teleseminar title: Critiquing Memoir: Being Professional with the Personal Date: September 11, 2009 To access the file, simply select AUDIO DOWNLOADS from the menu in the sidebar on the right of your screen. When the new pages appears... » more

Playing Your Part on the World Stage: How Your Memoir Intersects with History Take a gallop back in time, to the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s with author, ghostwriter and historian Kim Pearson, and discover how you participated in and contributed to the events and trends of those times. Yes, if you were 7... » more

It would seem that Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow and I have little in common, but we share the belief that our breast cancer experience was a wake up call to take better care of ourselves and the reason we approach life with renewed zeal.  While few of us may harbor ambitions to become... » more

While at Target recently I was picking up notebooks at the back-to-school sale, and the scene made me think of a black and white photo of my brothers and me heading back to school in 1960. Standing among harried mothers clutching their school supply lists and children choosing between the playful dolphin... » more

Carol WesslingMy name is Carol Wessling, and I live and write in Bellevue, NE. I am a retired psych nurse with 7 children and 11 grandchildren…two more on the way!! For over two years now, I have belonged to a memoir writing group that meets monthly. When the group started, I didn’t think I wanted... » more

I stand at the bathroom counter and watch blood fall into the white porcelain sink. I look up at the mirror. My eyes are red and puffy; the top of my lip is swollen and slightly bruised. From the tip of my nose falls drop after drop of blood. I stare into the eyes of the woman looking back from the mirror,... » more