giveaway: 'the memoir project,' a guide to life

0 Shares

HAVING DECIDED TO WRITE MEMOIR FOR A LIVING has its perils. For me, it has some extra-prickly ones, since my only sibling has been teaching memoir-writing for 13 years, and has a disarming thing or 20 to say on the topic—plus she shares a lifetime of my memories. Now Marion Roach Smith has tucked her tactics (along with a number of our childhood anecdotes) into “The Memoir Project: A Thoroughly Non-Standardized Text for Writing & Life,” which we’re celebrating along with the medium of memoir as a guide to life in my latest big giveaway. Dare to join us?

3 comments

Shannon Jackson says:

June 15, 2011 at 11:58 am

Among many others, Learning to Fall: The Blessings of An Imperfect Life, by Philip Simmons and There Is A Season by Patrick Lane.

Reply
Connie VanDeKoppel says:

September 19, 2011 at 11:10 am

The Good Earth, by Pearl S.Buck Instilled dignity and the need to preserve my piece of the earth and all of it where ever I am.
Please include me in your drawing.Thankyou!

Reply
Susan Hidalgo says:

September 25, 2011 at 4:13 am

The Secret Life of Bees – great story with a lot of “honey” in it :)

Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

beyond organic gardening: ecological horticulture

I WATCHED A ZOOM lecture the other day that really put into words a lot of the ways my own deepening understanding of ecology is shaking up the way I practice horticulture—from spring cleanup, right on to the last chore of the active year. The lecturer was Rebecca McMackin, director of horticulture for Brooklyn Bridge Park in New York City, where she leads the team that manages 85 acres of diverse parkland with a central focus on habitat creation of woodlands, wetlands, and meadows to build soils and support birds, butterflies, and other organisms.

We talked about the dynamic tactics they use and when and why–a whole different approach to spring cleanup, where the life cycles of animals (from insects on up) dictate what happens when, garden maintenance-wise. Like why some things don’t get cut back, and others that are still seed-laden when they do have their seeds collected and set aside, then returned to the spot after whatever cleanup is needed there.