May 24, 2016 Gig Harbor Library, Gig Harbor, WA. 6:30 – 8:00 P.M.
May 28, 2016, Bellevue Barnes and Noble, Crossroads, Bellevue, WA. 1:00 – 3:00 P.M.
June 7, 2016, Holyoke Public Library, Holyoke, MA., 1:30 – 2:30 P.M.
June 21, 2016, 6:30 P.M. Kiwanas, 7445 S. Homer St., Tacoma, WA.
June 28, 2016, 1:00 P.M., Bonney Lake Library, Bonney Lake, WA.
April 9, Sat. 9:00 AM Book Signing; Barnes and Noble; Alderwood Mall
April 14, Thurs., 7:00 P.M. Morso’s –with other writers, Gig Harbor
April 21, Tuesday, 6:30 PM Island Books, Mercer Island “April in Paris” event with other authors
April 29, Friday, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM, KSER radio, 90.7 Everett, Snohomish
May 7, Saturday, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM, Barnes and Noble, Bellevue
May 24, Tuesday, 6:30 – 8:00 PM, Gig Harbor Library, Gig Harbor, Wa.
June 7, Tuesday, 1:30 – 2:30, Holyoke Public Library, Holyoke, Ma.
Thanks to you who’ve written thoughtful notes about A Long Way from Paris. I’ve loved the goat photos, the stories of travels in France, some stretching back to World War II, and the honesty of those who relate to feeling “less than,” not up to par, not good enough. That’s what memoirs are about: resonating with others’ hearts and souls, revealing the parts of ourselves we often prefer to stay buried.
A student of mine recently committed suicide. She didn’t know many others in our small class, but writing memoir is an intimate process in which strangers feel strangely connected. A knot grew in my stomach, puffed like yeasty bread, and I realized I’d denied dealing with her death—truly wrestled with and accepted it—until I had to face my other students. That’s what memoir is about. Saying aloud that which we’d rather hide away; confronting our emotions that aren’t actually demons, but difficult, often painful tugs on our heart that we’d prefer not see the light of day. And yet, by speaking out loud–and here’s where the cliché comes in –by speaking our truths—we become deeper, clearer, more empathetic beings and so, too, our stories. We become models for the people we touch.
My next book is actually not a memoir. It is a mystery; a fairly light one indeed. Do you remember hearing about when Dylan was booed off the stage in Newport for switching from folk music to electric? Well, grandiose as it may sound, I feel a bit of kinship. Memoir is excruciatingly difficult to write. Next, I wanted something lighter. After all, Harriet the Spy was my favorite book growing up, I read every Nancy Drew book in fourth grade, and in college, if I felt depressed, I turned to Rex Stout. So forgive me as I switch to lighter fare. Soon you will meet Lori Orondo who’s at her wits end with her wayward son, Austin, and Amanda Perkins, a former rival from college, and Nicole Whryrll, the volatile friend and neighbor, all of whom are wrapped in the shooting of Scott, the charming pharmacy tech with a questionable past.
We all need relief now and then. You never know from whom you’ll find wisdom, but Mel Gibson (I know. Really??) said, movies should 1.) Entertain 2.) Educate 3.) Elevate. I hope the same for my books. And yes, they can even be a little fun.
Much gratitude to all. EC Murray
EVENTS
June 13, 2:00 P.M., King’s Books, Tacoma, Wa.
June 18, 6:00 P.M., Darvil’s Bookstore, Orcas Island, Wa.
June 20, 2015, 2:00 – 4:00 PM, Griffin’s Books, Friday Harbor, Wa.
June 21, 2015, 3:00 PM, Eagle Harbor Books, Bainbridge Island, Wa
June 25, 2015, 7:00 P.M., University of Washington Bookstore, Seattle, Wa.
July 17, 2015, 7:00 PM, Inklings Bookstore, Yakima, Washington
July 18, 2015, Gig Harbor Artfest, Gig Harbor, Wa.
July 25, 2015, Portland Bookfest, Portland, Oregon
September 8, 2015, Soputhampton Library, Southampton, Ma.
September 25, 2015, AAUW Book Club, Gig Harbor, Wa.
ON READING ONE HUNDRED MEMOIRS IN ORDER TO WRITE ONE
“Writers think they’ll start off writing with a piece like ‘Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony.’ That’s not how it works. You need to begin with Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.’” I’ve misquoted author Jamie Ford, but you get the gist. Learning how to write well, whether it’s fiction, non-fiction, or poetry, is a long, arduous path. Writing is an act of passion, and to succeed you need to persevere, read critically, and write, write, write. There’s no one way of establishing the habit, no one rule which applies to all writers, which is why I’ve loved interviewing authors about their paths in The Writers Connection www.writersconnection.org
My path began with classes at the community college (long after I earned a Masters in Social Work), and continues to this day with as many classes I can afford. My method was introduced by Carlene Cross in Theo Nestors’s “Generating Memoir” class: read one hundred books of your genre. That, I did. Here postings with lists of memoirs I wrote in order to write A Long Way from Paris.
I sometimes wonder why on earth I wanted to write a memoir. Why would anyone want to delve into personal tragedies, pain, struggles. Or, be honest. Be vulnerable. Who wants that?
When I first pitched my story about living off the grid in the mountains of southern France, an agent said, “Oh no. It must be more – how you grew; what you learned from your experience; what it meant to you. So I dug and I dug and today, six years later I am so sick of this f***memoir.
So, again, why write a memoir? Purging is no reason. Information dump is not a memoir. At the very least, hopefully, one can grow from another’s experiences, learn from other’s mistakes, and feel a sense of empathy from another’s words. And aren’t we all figuring out that empathizing, the “walking a mile in another’s shoes,” is about as important as anything we can do?
“Was it worth it?” my friend Pam asked. “Reading one hundred memoirs in one big surge?”
Absolutely. Mostly, because the project led me to stories I’d never have read otherwise. Take, Tobias Wolff’s Pharoahs of the Army, a collection about war. But, actually, it’s not about war; it’s about people. People who react humanely in an otherwise inhumane setting. It’s about people with war all around them.
Like every school child who grew up during Vietnam, I watched the nightly television news and saw gruesome images of severed arms, bloodied legs, napalmed children. I did not wish to read about war. Any yet, I can’t recommend Pharoahs more strongly.
