Hi Everyone!

On August 17, I spoke with Kamy Wicoff on Sisterhood, the Blog Radio. During our juicy conversation about SheWrites.com and BlogHer 2009, Kamy and I talked about our love of six-word memoirs. Kamy suggested that SheWrites.com create a six-word memoir group. So here it is. If you would like to listen to my interview with Kamy, click on the button below.

So what are six-word memoirs?
To help answer the question, I have included an excerpt from my new book, That Which Awakens Me: A Creative Woman's Poetic Memoir of Self-Discovery (December 2009 - available on Amazon.com). You can also visit Smith Magazine, the founders of the six-word memoir movement and book series: http://www.smithmag.net/sixwords.

Excerpt - Copyright 2009 by Madelyn C. Leeke - www.anandaleeke.com

A six-word memoir is a statement that tells a story about who you are and how you live your life. It expresses your identity, personality, emotions, family connections, personal interests, favorite things, wisdom, life philosophy/motto, beliefs, professions, and/or experiences. The rules that govern the six-word memoir writing process are very relaxed. You only need to use six words! They can come from any language you choose.

Six-word memoirs are revolutionary because they don’t require you to follow English grammar rules. What a relief! You are free to write fragmented sentences, one word descriptions followed by a period or dash, six words that mirror a grocery list, or six words no one can understand or relate to but yourself. Your six-word memoir is your gift to yourself. It can address one or more of the following areas (and other areas not mentioned below):

1) State of Being and Personal Reflection

Example: Woman seeking to understand inner self.

2) Ancestral Origins
Example: Descendant of Africans, Native Americans, Europeans

3) Family Connections

Examples:

Granddaughter of women with breast cancer.

Daughter of two educators and entrepreneurs.

Sister to three creatively expressive brothers.

4) Ethnicity, Sexual Orientation, Age, and Gender

Example: African American. Heterosexual. Fortysomething Female. Womanist.

5) Professions

Example: Artist. Writer. Yoga Teacher. Creativity Coach.

6) Spirituality and Healing

Examples:

A spiritual being having human experiences

Reiki Master Practitioner. Unitarian. Buddhist Meditator.

Refuge3/People of Color Sangha Member.

7) Popular Culture Labels

Example: Go Green BoHo BAP. Urban Debutante.

8) School Affiliations

Example: Setonite. Morganite. Howardite. Georgetown Law Grad.

9) Organizational Memberships

Example: Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. Member.

10) Socioeconomic Status and Residence

Example: Middle Class. U Street DC Homeowner.

11) Political Affiliation

Example: Independent Registered Voter. Barack Obama Supporter.



PS: My Six-Word Memoir News (added on 2.12.10)

Thanks everyone for joining this group and sharing such wonderful six-word memoirs! I love reading them! They inspire me!

Smith Magazine published It All Changed in an Instant: More Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous & Obscure in January 2010. My six-word memoir was included: Go Green Boho BAP. Urban Debutante. The book is available on Amazon.com.

On February 11, I hosted a creativity coaching session on Ananda Leeke Live! UStream.tv which discussed how to use six-word memoirs to discover who you are in the present moment and creative process. I also gave tips on how to use six-word memoirs to overcome writer's block. Click on the video below to watch the 15 minute program. Enjoy!

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