I spoke with Mag Dimond on Facebook Live, on her show, “Writers Coming Together.” We talked about writing memoir — what’s needed in a book people will want to read — and much more. I talk about what I learned creating my[...]
I had the pleasure of doing an interview with Lisa Haselton on February 20, 2017 about the creation of “100 Years in the Life” for her book reviews blog. You can read it here along with an excerpt from the book (Chapter 8, The 1980s). P[...]
The holiday always falls on a Sunday, and for many it involves a Sunday brunch for Mom. As time marches on, Mom’s story changes, though the day on the calendar stays the same. Mom may be older, she may not be well, she may have passed on. For [...]
Almost spitting with bitterness forty years after the fact, an aunt told me recently about a man she saw at a high school reunion. “He used to call me pimple on a stick!” she cried. I had to laugh. At thirteen I would have traded her my good comp[...]
Young girls are vulnerable and aware, influenced by everything around them. They can show a time period more truly than those with more knowledge can. As a memoir teacher, consultant and writing coach, I’ve seen a fascinating palette of realiti[...]
I interviewed Mary Ann Natly for Girlhood in America in the summer of 2010, when she was 103 years old. A small spritely woman, she was in the gym more often than she was in my memoir class. When I entered her apartment for the interview, she apolog[...]
I’m a 1960s kid, and I don’t mean a flower child, I mean I was playing Slip n’ Slide and drinking Fizzies all summer in LA. Being so young in the 1960s meant being the unintended guinea pig for products I loved to eat, like chocolate Space Food[...]
The personal story shines a light like nothing else can. And what better way to see what can happen in a girl’s life across a century than to hear some from the first and last stories of Girlhood in America? I’ve selected a portion of a [...]
For the past fifteen years, I’ve celebrated Thanksgiving at my friends’ rustic cabin in Jenner, on the stunning North Coast. There’s no cell service in Jenner and no electricity at the cabin, but the big room where we saute mushrooms fo[...]
Every decade has its flavor, and in Girlhood in America the flavor of each decade between 1910 and 2010 is deliciously clear. The 1910s open the book, with a short history of the country that includes what life was like for girls under thirteen year[...]
What’s Important in Memoir?
/0 Comments/in About the Book /by Suzanne ShermanI spoke with Mag Dimond on Facebook Live, on her show, “Writers Coming Together.” We talked about writing memoir — what’s needed in a book people will want to read — and much more. I talk about what I learned creating my[...]
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Interview: Creating “100 Years in the Life”
/0 Comments/in Book Excerpts, About the Book /by Suzanne ShermanI had the pleasure of doing an interview with Lisa Haselton on February 20, 2017 about the creation of “100 Years in the Life” for her book reviews blog. You can read it here along with an excerpt from the book (Chapter 8, The 1980s). P[...]
Read more →
Mother’s Stories
/0 Comments/in Book Excerpts, About the Book /by Suzanne ShermanThe holiday always falls on a Sunday, and for many it involves a Sunday brunch for Mom. As time marches on, Mom’s story changes, though the day on the calendar stays the same. Mom may be older, she may not be well, she may have passed on. For [...]
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Being a Teenager
/0 Comments/in Reader Submissions /by Suzanne ShermanAlmost spitting with bitterness forty years after the fact, an aunt told me recently about a man she saw at a high school reunion. “He used to call me pimple on a stick!” she cried. I had to laugh. At thirteen I would have traded her my good comp[...]
Read more →
What’s New About Being a Girl?
/0 Comments/in About the Book /by Suzanne ShermanYoung girls are vulnerable and aware, influenced by everything around them. They can show a time period more truly than those with more knowledge can. As a memoir teacher, consultant and writing coach, I’ve seen a fascinating palette of realiti[...]
Read more →
Chasing Horse-Drawn Fire Engines: Excerpt
/0 Comments/in Book Excerpts /by Suzanne ShermanI interviewed Mary Ann Natly for Girlhood in America in the summer of 2010, when she was 103 years old. A small spritely woman, she was in the gym more often than she was in my memoir class. When I entered her apartment for the interview, she apolog[...]
Read more →
Raggedy Ann—A Legendary Doll
/0 Comments/in About the Book /by Suzanne ShermanI’m a 1960s kid, and I don’t mean a flower child, I mean I was playing Slip n’ Slide and drinking Fizzies all summer in LA. Being so young in the 1960s meant being the unintended guinea pig for products I loved to eat, like chocolate Space Food[...]
Read more →
The View Across 100 Years
/0 Comments/in About the Book, Events /by Suzanne ShermanThe personal story shines a light like nothing else can. And what better way to see what can happen in a girl’s life across a century than to hear some from the first and last stories of Girlhood in America? I’ve selected a portion of a [...]
Read more →
Thanksgiving Without Electricity
/0 Comments/in Book Excerpts /by Suzanne ShermanFor the past fifteen years, I’ve celebrated Thanksgiving at my friends’ rustic cabin in Jenner, on the stunning North Coast. There’s no cell service in Jenner and no electricity at the cabin, but the big room where we saute mushrooms fo[...]
Read more →
Every Decade Has Its Flavor
/0 Comments/in Book Excerpts, About the Book /by Suzanne ShermanEvery decade has its flavor, and in Girlhood in America the flavor of each decade between 1910 and 2010 is deliciously clear. The 1910s open the book, with a short history of the country that includes what life was like for girls under thirteen year[...]
Read more →