Kate, Will, and George

In honor of the birth of England’s newest heir, this Six-Word Search is dedicated to the land of tea, the BBC, Burberry and all that classic Brit Lit you had to read in high school. England has produced epic proportions of popular culture from Sherlock Holmes to 007 to Harry Potter and so much more. It’s all quite a legacy that His Royal Highness, Prince George of Cambridge will be inheriting, as well as some political family business and historical traditions, of course. Congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, William and Catherine, on your bundle of royal joy—and we hope you enjoy these sixes about that

Give me Victorian England and tea. -soheregoesnothing

British might be glad we seceded. –Litsa_Dremousis

The British are coming! Oh boy. -Jade

The London Bridge never fell down. -yelloweyes

Gotta love those British English spellings. -Bevvie

American, by birth. British, by music. –Steve_Anthony

She was my princess, that Diana.-apprp.writes

British nuptials are a royal pain. -Loon

Yesterday, I decided to be British. –Christieeex4

Impatiently awaiting baby news from London. -lovelylizard

To every mom, newborns are royalty. -accidentaltourist

Already he has a royal wave. –L2L3

Read more »

This week’s Six-Word Memoirs deal with internal struggles, namely the emotional turmoil they create and, more importantly, the strength it takes to overcome them. To see all of this week’s illustrated memoirs, visit SMITH Magazine’s Facebook, Tumblr, and Pinterest.

“I always thought I’d write a novel, and when I was younger I’d draft chapters with the big end goal in mind. But when I discovered short story form, and then poetry, and then six words, I came to the realization that often, less is more.”

Name: Kathryn Campbell
Place: Minneapolis, Minnesota
SMITH Member Since: April 2011

Kathryn Campbell with her children, Cameron (14), Olivia (4) and Victoria (17) celebrating Cam’s middle school Moving On this spring. (Photo by Diane Anderson)

Kathryn Campbell has shared so many milestones with SMITH (from “Yes! Yes! 5 years cancer free.” to “She turns 0-4; I turn 4-0.”), it’s hard to believe it’s been a mere two years since she joined us. As SMITH member Lillybrook, Kathryn’s memoirs are insightful and touching (“Failed moments are awarded with wisdom.”), clever and introspective (“So perfectionist even my blood’s A+.”) and show she’s wise beyond her years (“Important life lesson: do no harm.”). We were fortunate to catch the super-busy Kathryn during her summer break and are thrilled to feature her as SMITH’s Memoirist of the Month for August. Thanks to our friends at Spreadshirt. Kathryn can mark this milestone with a Six-Word Memoir T-shirt of her choice.

When did you start writing, and what have been turning points in your creative life?
I started my first diary when I was six years old. I still have that Hallmark book with its keyed lock and green gingham cover. Most of my notes were pretty bland, but I wrote every day. Writing in a diary taught me that recording time illuminates those moments in life, both extraordinary and mundane, that you don’t see if you don’t document them. Read more »

image courtesy of www.buzzfarmers.com

Lurking behind the often simple questions of who, what, and where, comes the more complex why. “Why?” is the one word underlying everything we do. Sometimes we ask ourselves why, at other times we figure, why not? At times all we want to know is why, but soon even this question becomes irrelevant. Then it’s time to move on from the questioning, because the “why?” is often unanswerable. Ultimately, we’ll never really know why people do what they do, why we’re here, or why the world is the way it is.

Some why’s from the Six-Word community pose difficult, introspective questions, some are rhetorical, some questions are asked with the hope that their readers might have an answer. So explore the memoirs below: ponder on some, click on others to comment and provide an answer, or a question, in return. Whether the why is a question or the beginning of an answer, the word asks us to interact with each other.

Often lament WHY? Rarely care who.
— favepeep

Knowing what, learning how, remembering why.
— ba_miracle

Perplexed. Corner of how and why.
— canadafreeze

Sometimes, you need a reason why.
— ashashahn

Sometimes it actually doesn’t matter why.
— unknown116

Don’t tell me why, show me.
— CreativeMagus

And then I thought why not?
— HopeConquersAll
Read more »

This week’s Six-Word Memoirs span a variety of topics, including celebrating the birth of the Royal baby, internet addiction, and the desire to run away from one’s current life. The most popular illustrated memoir, pictured below, discusses the confining nature of time, and how the writer feels trapped by his or her schedule. To see all of this week’s illustrated memoirs, visit SMITH Magazine’s Facebook, Tumblr, or Pinterest.

Last month, The New York Times released this article exploring the ramifications on the mind and body caused by a lack of sleep. Lately, there just seems to be too much to accomplish when the sun is up that our designated sleeping hours are getting cut drastically short. Some six-word scribes believe that believe that letting out six expressive words on sleep can help counter the insomnia, the nightmares and whatever else we find getting in the way of a good night’s rest .

Counting sheep? Writing myself to sleep.
- lillybrook

My love sleeps alone. I type.
- RichardFrancis

Sleep eludes me, let’s get breakfast.
- MikeCherrone

Making husband sleep on metaphorical couch.
- ErikaStellar

Sleeping trumps partying at my age.
- ChewyD2

Trying to sleep; sandman skipped me.
- TheAngstyPoet

Sleep deprivation-once again my muse.
- BalancingAct

Too much life goes by asleep.
- Wench

- memo

Talks in sleep. Secrets of subconscious.
- izzyhindle

Getting old, fell asleep while dreaming.
- RaisedByWolves
Read more »

This week’s most popular illustrated memoir talks about the weight of your emotional baggage and how it affects you in the present. To see all of this week’s illustrated memoirs, spanning topics from Weight Watchers to birthdays, visit SMITH Magazine’s Tumblr, Facebook, or Pinterest.

moving boxes by movingcompanies on Flickr

Chances are you or someone you know is moving this summer. Most moves involve a change in geography, although some moves occur without any change of address. Sometimes it’s a change in work, school, or relationship status; sometimes it’s all of the above. Whether you are packing up by choice or circumstance, and moving on literally or figuratively, transition and reflection go hand-in-hand. The team at Six Words wishes you well if you are knee-deep in boxes this summer or starting a new chapter. Our advice on moving: “Hydrate, take breaks, write a six.” Six-Word Memoirs offer a great way to recharge your batteries when you are long on thoughts, but short on time.

Last minute sixing before moving out.
— sag-for-Prime-Minister

Gathering my courage. Packing my bags.
— SingerSomewhere

Moving date set. It’s really happening…
— PrincessLief

Hope next relocation is publishing house.
— Contemplative

Will love having moved; hate moving.
— BGourley

Planning relocation to state of Nirvana.
— notyouraveragegirl

California awaits! Let the packing begin.
— MLEwritergirl

Read more »

from LenEdgerly on flickr

For many of us, summer evokes kicking back and reading on the beach with a Kindle in one hand and a cold drink in the other. But are we really “reading?” Reading has always been connected to books.

Yet haven’t we always read road signs and menus, labels and ads? Words are everywhere. And we’ve always read between the lines, read other people’s minds, and read signals until we read too much into things. Reading has always been beyond the page. It’s not about pronouncing words, but about understanding the world. It turns out, reading hasn’t changed much, but maybe where and when we do it has. And today, we still read to write, or in some cases type. So read the following Six-Word Memoirs about reading in all forms and functions. Then, write your own for someone else to read.

Reading binge gave me reading hangover.
— tiggerpuss

Felt old, reading paperback on train.
— MotorCityMich

Reading pre-email letters. Incredibly nostalgic. Surreal.
— Amapola

Two kids gone. Three hours reading.
— MO_Thoughts2

They’re reading fanfiction. Together. How intimate.
— Brilliant

Read more »

Many of this week’s Six-Word Memoirs discussed your feelings of distortion or brokenness, and especially the sensation of being trapped by a fast-moving society. To see all of this week’s illustrated memoirs, visit SMITH Magazine’s Tumblr, Pinterest, or Facebook.

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