As community manager of SMITHTeens, I am constantly amazed by the stream of fearlessly frank memoirs that come my way. Some spring from days of triumph (”I am teenager; hear me roar.” - LacrosseMind), others from more trying times  (”Wishing sadness and geometry made sense.” - Grounded Clouds), but each speaks to the unique, yet universal, [...]

“Following his blog instead of him.”
“Arranged marriage now sounding pretty good.”
“Hired me. Fired me. Married me.”
“Butterflies still kicking after 30 years.”
“She saw my scars and stayed.”
“I’m six words away from divorce.”
Whether you’re spending the evening with that special someone, taking a stand against a Hallmark holiday or looking to meet a like-minded story lover, come [...]

Daydreams, nightmares, dreams of a better future… Although there are many different categories, we all have dreams. Whether we like it or not, our subconscious is constantly contemplating new possibilities and reimagining reality. Despite how elusive dreams may seem, they’re usually worth chasing. As the cold icily cracks down, winter sometimes feels nightmarish and dark. [...]

Whatever happened to awkwardness being a prepubescent phenomenon we were supposed to “grow out of”? Whether 12, 22 or 52, awkwardness still seems to cling to us like a separation anxious child. Consider this a shout out to the anti-suave, the accident prone, the gangly, gawky and socially stunted for making life a humorously colorful [...]

Six-Word Memoir Video 7C from Lacey Boland on Vimeo.
Language arts teacher Lacey Boland keeps her classroom fresh and modern at Independence Charter School in Center City, Philadelphia by combining the benefits of literature and technology. She has taken language arts to the blogosphere.
For the past two years, Boland has had her 7th graders write Six-Word [...]

2011 is to 2012 what a ratty old coat is to a brightly colored, new one.
New Year festivities celebrate getting rid of the layer of excess, bad habits and questionable decisions that build up over the course of a year. Love them, hate them, make them or break them, that’s what New Year’s resolutions are [...]

Christmas is six days away and I have yet to start wrapping gifts in colorful paper,  ornamenting trees, framing my house in decorative lights or fine tuning travel plans. Fortunately, the SMITH community is not as holiday-flaky as I am. These ‘tis-the-season inspired Six-Word Memoirs range from shopping and shipping presents, St. Nick and the [...]

I get such a rush when I walk into a new environment, often full of people who’ve never heard of Six-Word Memoirs—and then mere minutes later they’re spilling forth funny, profound, sweet, and surprising sixes.
In the last month, I’ve given talks and led workshops to a wild range of people in a wide range of [...]

“My classroom is my Carnegie Hall.”
“Surprise your spouse, not your boss.”
“Who doesn’t love the payroll lady?”
What makes a good topic for a Six-Word Memoir? In short, a subject that evokes a passionate response. So when the consulting group Mercer asked me if I thought a six-word project around work would yield an enthusiastic response [...]

A message from a site called Twitter Birthday tweeted to me, naturally, reminded me that SMITH Mag has been on Twitter since November 16, 2006. What was going on back then? I had joined this oddball little site in anticipation of running a one-month contest called “What’s your Six-Word Memoir?” in collaboration with some guys [...]