Jennifer Labbienti tells a short backstory about her Six-Word Memoir, “I Still Practice My Oscar Speech,” at a reading in Seattle’s University Books on January 13, 2010.

Nothing inspires us more around here than when Six-Word Memoirs find their way into a classroom. In Warminster, Pennsylvania, Ms. Sifer’s 9th grade English class recently joined the challenge. All 133 students wrote six-word stories that were later hung up in her classroom and published with visual pieces on the class’s own blog site. Sifer said that she was hoping to not only spark an interest in literature in her students, but to teach them that you don’t need to be a bestselling author to be published. That is exactly what we’re talkin’ about.

A romp through the site and you might be surprised by how deep these 9th graders are. Read more »

Our friend Kimberly Wetherell returns with her second annual Six-Word Oscar Review roundup on The Nervous Breakdown blog. Wetherell, a fillmmaker herself, doesn’t just flip off six for the Best Picture nominees, she’s penned six-word review for all the films in all the major categories. For its nomination for Original Screenplay, she sums up The Hurt Locker as, “This script actually stirred my patriotism.” For Up in the Air-nominated Supporting Actress Anna Kendrick, she offers, “Called Clooney ‘old.’ That was funny.” For Best Picture, Inglourious Basterds is boiled down to its six-word essence: “Tarantino + Pitt + Nazi-killing Jews = Comic perfection.” And the dueling Best Director frontrunners?

James Cameron: “Billions at box office buys ANYTHING.”
Kathryn Bigelow: “Proof that women belong behind cameras.”

Give her full list a spin over at the The Nervous Breakdown.

Ah, Google Alerts. They arrive each day in my inbox, informing me who’s saying what about SMITH Magazine, and the latest Six-Word Memoir revelation, manifestation, and occasional abomination. These alerts, much like the Six-Word Memoirs that pour into SMITH each day, offer a funny window into what’s up with the world. So I’ve decided to start doing a round-up, oh, let’s call it once a week, of some of the more fascinating things I learn from Google Alerts. This week: Winter Olympics and wintry pillows.

The NBC’s “Olympic Pulse” blog announced, “Wanted: Six-word Winter Olympic stories,” inviting readers to leave their best winter sports six in the comments area. A few of my favorites so far: “Bode Miller: Ski brat! Grown up and golden.” “Torah! Torah! Torah! Half pipe attacked!” “USA Hockey Miracle, To Be Continued.” “Plushenko—fine wine or sour grapes?” “Miller time. Ono’s nine. Lindsey’s fine.” “He’s an ‘Animal’. White reigns supreme.” And who can argue with these six words: “The Olympics have the strangest events.”

If I told you that a blog post in which the writer showcased some quilted pillow with Six-Word Memoirs engraved on them would you be surprised? Me neither. Julie, who according to her blogger.com profile hails from California’s Redwood Forest, has been adorning her handcrafted pillows with her short, short life stories. Her latest, “Forward motion isn’t always a requirement,” is, in four words: a work of art.

As you know by now, we like to fill our Six-Word Memoir books with a variety of people: teens, adults, teachers, mothers, accountants, real estate agents, and famous writers, athletes, and comedians. As we were finishing up Six-Word Memoirs on Love and Heartbreak, I noticed we were low on political figures. I asked my good friend Alex Koppelman, political writer extraordinaire, to help me out. Now, not to make any grand accusations about the political leanings of Alex or Salon.com, but suffice it to say, I was expecting a democrat.

He replied promptly with a direct email address for a huge political celebrity—Ann Coulter. Okay. So I email her, explain the project, ask for a submission for the Valentine’s book or any other, and expect no response. Ms. Coulter responds instantly with a powerful Six-Word Memoir: “Some are left alive, quick reload.” I am still gaping at my Macbook when she replies again. “By the way,” she says, “this is not a story about love.”

The not-about-love story holds a place of honor in It All Changed in an Instant—right alongside Michael “I’m from Flint. You are, too.” Moore.

Tiffany Shlaln, a wonderful media maker, shares a powerful six-word memoir, and the backstory, at a reading at San Francisco’s Book Passage on January 12, 2010 during our tour for It All Changed in an Instant: More Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous & Obscure.

As we count down to Valentine’s Day, it’s hard not to be nostalgic for last year. Instead of one date, I had almost 300, all readers and writers and storytellers packed into my favorite place. Frank showed postcards; Davey read found love letters; Jason showed off mixtapes; David and Neil mortified us all. But nothing came close to hearing musical superstar Michael Hearst sing my favorite six-word memoirs, each to its own original tune. You’re welcome:

And if you still need something for your sweetie, I have a humble suggestion. It’s not fattening, expensive, or morally questionable, and it won’t die in three days.

As we invoke the format of a classic rock radio station, this week we’re doing our own “Countdown to Valentine’s Day,” featuring some of the best memoir moments about love in the world of SMITH. A year ago, in one of the most memorable evenings in three years of touring, 100+ people gathered at San Francisco’s Books, Inc for a night of “Six-Word Memoirs on Love & Heartbreak,” timed with the release of that book (which either alone for someone you’re “in-like” with or perhaps bundled with some chocolates or silk pajamas for a longer engagement, makes quite a fine Valentine’s Day present). Here’s a short video of Handler ruling the crowd with one six-word memoir for each of his past 10 relationships. Nobody does it better.

When it comes to New York literary venues, the 92nd Street Y is pretty much as good as it gets. Larry and I took the stage last night, and generations of relatives living and dead plotzed up and down the east coast. We were joined by the hilarious novelist Amy Sohn, fearless self-experimenter A.J. Jacobs, brilliant memoir expert Ben Yagoda, musically unparalleled Michael Hearst, and dozens of book contributors and contest winners with their own New York stories to tell.

It was an eclectic evening that included the world’s largest screening of our new video, a five-minute history of the memoir told exclusively in book titles, a group discussion on dating dating columnists and paying unpaid writers, and six never-before-heard six-word songs, featuring hits like “I’ve never been to Staten Island” and “Both my dads drive taxi cabs.”

As usual, the best parts came from you. Katie Baker reminded the men in the audience, “Not on my subway line? Dealbreaker.” Paul Beckman lamented, “No place else knows a schmear.” And book contributor Beth Carter flew in from Missouri just to ask us, “Does the naked cowboy get cold?”

Ramona Pringle put together this fun, fast,video reel of some of the best Six-Word Memoirs that emerged from the Six-Words on the Digital Life project between SMITH and FRONTLINE/Digital Nation. Take a spin through the Six-Words on the Digital Life project for hundreds more.