SMITH Magazine, home of the Six-Word Memoir project, is delighted to announce a new book of Six-Word Memoirs with a great new twist: all the memoirs will be illustrated by students. By students we mean grade school to grad school, art classes of all ages or the work of MFA candidates. We’ll be taking submissions from June 1 though October 15 and choosing a selection of the illustrated memoirs for inclusion in our forthcoming eBook, “Things Don’t Have to be Complicated” The Art of Six-Word Memoirs by Students of the World.”

Published by TED Books, a division of the TED Conference, this book will be the eighth in the Six-Word Memoir series—and our very first entirely by students. Read more »

Alongside this week’s wave of graduation ceremonies and spring flora, the nation also witnessed tragic news of the suicide of Mary Kennedy. As summer grows near, this batch of memoirs ushers in change and moments of transition: inciting laughter, alliteration, and sincerity.

Most Modern Rival: “My husband’s mistress’s is named Siri.” - Level1 (profile image above).
Sharpest Wit: “At a spork in the road.” - annie17
Almost Famous: “I also have a Dragon Tattoo.” - Wench
Best Silver Lining: “Aunt’s will. I get her hats.” - Bevvie
Most Filling: “I’ve eaten the donut of despair.”- Viv
Most Angst-Filled Teen: “Still looking for where I belong.” - Carpe_Diem from SMITH Teens.

Plus: Check out Six-Word Stump Speeches, a collaboration of the National Constitution Center and SMITH.

This was a week of bonds gained and lost. President Obama voiced his support for gay marriage earlier this week, sparking inspiration and controversy across the nation, the passing of Beastie Boy Adam Yauch saddened music fans across the globe, and the election of Vladimir Putin rekindled an old flame that many wished had stay extinguished. Meanwhile, many Sixers took the approaching Mother’s Day to pen memoirs about the oldest, often best and most complex bond we have: mom.

Best Obituary: “Wish life plan had rollover minutes.” - L2L3
Most Bittersweet: “Still a daughter this mother’s day.- notjustagirlintheworld
Most Relatable: “Older than everyone else my age.” - KtlinDee
Proudest Parent: “My children are my ‘real job.’ “-Believe
Most Oedipal: “My Mom was the original MILF.” - Loon
Most Literary: “Your rhetorical questions are my novels.” - ammotc, from SMITH Teens.

Whether it’s research, Google searching, job searching, God searching, or soul-searching, we’re constantly on the lookout. We search for the right word, for the finest people, for the best possibilities, for the clearest answers. We scour databases and search engines for the information we seek. We search SMITH for Six-Word Memoirs to connect to. While often fruitful, sometimes, our searches are futile. And in today’s technologically saturated world, we often over-search until we realize that what we were looking for wasn’t too far from home after all. Below we’ve searched for your searches. Click on the linked SMITH user name for memoirs by each author.

Narrative in search of a plot. - notjustagirlintheworld

Meditation: Personal search engine via inner-net. - trust2020

Learned little googling myself, searching instead. - calondon

Day 1,275. The job search continues. - marymc

Searched for magic. Found books instead. - lyricall

Heard whispers. Searched frantically. Found Kindle. - ctgoods2

Searched for God. Came up empty. - RMC

Raiding Wardrobes. Forever searching for Narnia. - ActorAuthorHuman

Searched for other half. Found me. - Daniel_Phelps

Searches for safety are frequently misguided. - norwegiangrumblybird

You need to go search yourself. - kira324

Searching for answers in others’ questions.- sandsunsea

What’s your most wicked Google search? - Amapola

Over-shared. Over-searched. Overloaded. Overdone. Life? Overlooked. - reens82

Photo from Flickr user shanegorski.

U.S. unemployment is down, Yankees closer Mariano Rivera is out, and and the world lost a music legend with the passing of brilliant Beastie Boy, Adam Yauch, aka MCA. On SMITH, your Six-Word Memoirs this week reflected a community with quite singular lives yet much commonality as you reacted to and cheered on your fellow memoirists. As befitting a passionate crowd that never fails to surprise (and occasionally disgust), one of the most commented Six-Word Memoirs of the week was a response to these six words: “I’m sixting from toilet at CrackerBarrel.” ‘Nuff said.

Best Wordplay: “New house. New closets. Same skeletons.” - JohnBigJohn
Best Derivation: “Hell’s other people, yet I’m lonely.” - PKELLY, with one of the most commented and favorites memoirs of the week.
Best Imagery: “Aerobics instructor brain atop astrophysicist body.” - wayword_angel
Most Self-Aware: “No concealer today. Strife completely exposed.” - gothamcitygirl (profile image, above).
Most Meta-Modern: “I like to Powerpoint my worries.” - BanjoDan.
Best Attitude: “Every move I make is dancing.” - fortunegoddess, from SMITH Teens.

Plus: Check out our winner’s of our Six-Word Drama challenge on SMITH Teens.

Whether we’re late night partiers or just like to curl up with a movie and our pet cat, we all have strong feelings about Friday. If you’re lucky, the end of the workweek means relaxation and time spent doing your favorite activities (like sixing for SMITH Magazine!) that you haven’t had a chance for since Monday. Every week, we drink wine on Fridays. We quote Rebecca Black and Cure songs about Fridays. And on Monday mornings, we start the countdown to Friday night all over again.

Tomorrows Friday. We we so excited.
- Hannahmo

Good Friday. What a huge understatement.
- CuriousAngel

Another Friday night with my cat.
- Amiee

It is Friday. I’m in love.
- Laurcore

Glazed eyes. Pasted smile. Happy Friday.
- ctgoods2

Practicing safe Six on Friday night.
- Renegade

Needed: Girl Friday Monday through Thursday.
- wayword_angel

We only invoke Dionysius on Fridays.
- Alyosha

5am Friday: baby crying, cat puking.
- Larry Smith

Friday. That’s good enough for me.
- Susan Breeden

In the ‘dramatic’ conclusion to our first-ever SMITHTeens giveaway, we’re thrilled to announce the winners of the Six Words on Middle School challenge!

Below are the brief, bold, backward-glancing submissions of those memoirists who will be receiving a free copy of The Drama Years: Real Girls Talk About Surviving Middle School: Bullies, Brands, Body Image by Haley Kilpatrick with Whitney Joiner. Enjoy their explorations of friends, fears and coping strategies, and thanks to all who entered!

Wasted precious time perfecting my looks. — songwriter
Overzealous caterpillar, then a meager butterfly. — norwegiangrumblybird
Cropped out of the friendship photo. – always
Skip lunch: how it all began. – FaeNotMyName
Ignored them, stuck nose in book. — lacrossemiddie
Preppy. Emo. Scene. I was everything. — smallsaddenedsearching.

Cybersecurity legislation was passed by the House, George Zimmerman was let out on bail, and a mad cow was found in California. It’s been an intense few days. Take a few minutes to read these featured Six-Word-Memoirs for a reminder that the biggest moments often aren’t found in the headlines, but the life lines of people, revealed exactly six words at a time.

Most Universal: “Even as “adults,” encountering mean girls.” - DynamicDbytheC
Best Imagery: “He’s a Flintstone. I’m a Jetson.” - TwoScoops
Most Honest: “Lifetime unpaid internship: being a daughter.” - ton
Best Wordplay: “Menopause: complex sentence with no periods.” -canadafreeze (profile image, above), with one of the most commented and favorites memoirs of the week
Most Self-Aware: “Revelation: I am the Fourth Stooge.” - wackjob
Funniest: “Asshole in mirror is too self-critical.” - JohnBigJohn, with one of the most favorited memoirs of the week.

This week’s student Six-Word savants attend Ridgeview High School in Orange Park, FL. English/Language Arts teacher Susan Mullen begins her lesson plan by trying to convey the power and art that can be encompassed in something as small as a single sentence. “I’ve been using lessons and activities from a wonderful book by Stanley Fish, How to Write a Sentence and How to Read One. Understanding this concept and being able to put it into practice will make students more adventurous, confident writers. No amount of speech drills or memorization of grammar words will help them find this sort of writing mastery,” says Mullen. She then asks her students to find beautiful sentences in every day life while reading, listening to music or just experiencing the world. These sentences were shared with the class in a Beautiful Sentence Gallery day. (Among some of the sentences showcased: “Dude looks like a lady!” and “Don the Brobe, Take the Broath.”)

Mullen segues the class into a lesson on writing in the Six-Word Memoir form. “Student comments like, ‘How long does it have to be?’, ‘What do we have to write about?’, and ‘I don’t like writing!’, precede all sorts of writing assignments,” explains Mullen. “So it’s a joy to be able to respond to these queries when introducing the Six-Word Memoir. Everyone can write six words.” It turned out to be a fruitful assignment for all, even the more reluctant students. “Some students hinted at the pain of their lives, others the hope, still others their passion for sports, friends, faith. Some students were proud of their work, and shared it with friends, others remained anonymous. The bulletin board of collected memoirs is still a favorite hang-out spot as students consider one another’s words,” Mullen says.

Student Kelly M. says “a Six-Word Memoir to me wasn’t just throwing any old words together and turning in an assignment, it was finding just the right words to explain my life. After tons of narrowing down and crossing out, I finally settled on, ‘Head in clouds, feet tied down.’ You really have to know yourself and your history to write such a heart-spilling memoir.”

Read more »

The retired space shuttle took its last flight this week, while a saddening plane crash in Pakistan on Friday resulted in 121 reported deaths. On an unrelated note of eulogy, famed New Year’s host Dick Clark died this Wednesday, at the ripe age of 82. Abroad, in Syria, riots have erupted, while many college campuses across the nation lit up with “4-20” celebrations. Whether you’re celebrating the hazy weekend or opting for more lucid fare, take a moment to read this week’s Six-Word-Memoirs from the SMITH community.

Least Expected Role Model: “Bob Barker was my third parent.” - JohnBigJohn
Best/Worst Patient: “Faux crush on psychiatrist perpetuates illness.” - Faexandrova
Most Meta: “I make too many excuses, but… - littleglassfingers, with one of the most commented and most favorited memoirs of the week.
Most Sensible Narrative Arc: “Wine. Filed taxes. Need cheaper wine.” - L2L3
Earthiest: “Will these six words be recycled?” - novice, with Six Words for the Planet.
Most Poignant: “Lost in the world I created.” - she_strikes_again

Plus: Thanks to everyone who entered our Six-Word Money Rules contest. We are pleased to announce the six winners, chosen by Jean Chatzky for their six-word fiscal advice and reflections. Each memoirist will receive a copy of Chatzky’s new book, Money Rules. One of these writers, Undermom was also chosen at random to win a copy of SMITH’s Six-Word Memoir Game. Congrats all! Check out the winning entries below.

“Little house, little bills. Big life.” - Undermom
“Invest wisely, divest slowly, inhale deeply. “- Trust2020
“Am I going to use it?” - Patrick
“Avoid late fees and parking tickets.” -- Mzejay
“Romance without finance has no chance.” - Roberta
“Wants vs. needs. Know the difference.” - Marymc