Like the go-to information cultivation of the full-fledged Wikipedia.org, Ten Word Wiki’s mission is the same: to provide its visitors with answers for all those random questions you may have or for the last-minute help you always need on your papers and essays. The only difference is that Ten Word Wiki’s entries are only (you guessed it…) ten words long.

Ten Word Wiki is obviously less in-depth than the uncapped word-count of Wikipedia and understandably so. Ten Word Wiki’s classic example on their homepage is their entry for Lance Armstrong: “Inspirational unitesticled cycling legend. Singlehandedly invented the rubber wristband industry.” Compare that to the hundreds, thousands of words on Lance at Wikipedia and you probably won’t get all the same information, but it’s nice to get what you need in just a ten-word dose. One of my personal favorites is the entry for R Kelly: “Acquitted R&B singer who got stuck in a wardrobe once.”

Here at SMITH we understand the challenge of putting things concisely. And at Ten Word Wiki, where a lot of their entries are about people and their lives, we feel how difficult it is to bring something as impressive as a lifetime into a handful of words. But alas, we must say, SMITH wins the battle; most people will agree, saying something in six words is harder than ten. If you feel the need to try both mediums out and compare, Ten Word Wiki allows people to register and submit their own ten word entries.

A romp through the site and you might be surprised by how deep these 9th graders are. Sure, you’ll encounter stories you might expect from a teen like, “My math workbook is completely empty” or “I couldn’t survive without my iPod” (Amen!). But you’ll also come across stories that—if you’re anything like me—will blow you away; “I slowly watched her slip away” and “I miss the way things were.” These stories are the stuff of SMITH Teens power-users.

Even cooler: Ms. Sifer’s students put all their stories to music and videos, editing photos and learning to use Windows Movie Maker. We have to give it up for a teacher who can both encourage self-expression and arm her students with skills for the real world. I know I definitely didn’t know how to edit movies, let alone express myself so eloquently, especially in just six words, when I was in the 9th grade. I do know that what this student said is what I probably would’ve said then, now, and likely until the day I die: “I love cake. Yum. Yum. Yum.” Word, Rob G. Cake is delicious. And we only need six words to know it.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?”