National We Love Memoirs Day is August 31st. Thinking about how memoir awareness has grown over the past few years makes me giddy. Legacy-related services are on the rise, yet there isn’t anyone who does quite what I do, which is to give the personal hands-on experience: my clients and I bond during the interviews, and I personally oversee the memoir creation to ensure we are all proud of the end product. My mission is that the people who mean the most to us are never forgotten.
Summer 2023 has been great for LifeStory: in the past couple months, I’ve kicked off a number of interesting projects, including three about non-Jews who grew up in Nazi Europe during World War II:
One client lived in Rotterdam, Netherlands, when bombs destroyed her city.
Another grew up in a village right in the middle of Germany; in fact, the border separating East and West Germany ran through her family’s farm.
And James and Ellie grew up in Croatia, formerly Yugoslavia, one of the front lines between the Nazis and Tito’s Communists.
As always, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed getting to bond with my clients and learn about their fascinating lives.
My Annual Writer's Retreat
It is hard to believe that I’m coming up on my fiftieth LifeStory Memoir! Part of my tirelessness comes from replenishing my creative juices, which is what I did at my annual writer’s retreat this July in Harpswell, Maine, about an hour from Portland.
The eleven writers in my MFA cohort inspire each other through writing workshops, generative exercises, readings, nerdy literary conversations, music appreciation, cooking, and outdoor activity. After I returned home, it struck me what a benefit it is to me and my clients to rejuvenate in Maine each summer.
In writing workshop, taking a walk to Merriconeag Sound a few minutes from the cottage,
exploring magnificent Maine on my bike, and on a sunset schooner cruise
My Latest Blog: Unleashing the Power of Your Family's History—10 Benefits of Telling Your Story
In our rapidly-changing world, it is easy to lose touch with our roots. In this LifeStory Memoir blog post, we will explore ten compelling reasons why knowing and preserving your LifeStory and family history is not only a personal journey, but also a powerful resource that can positively impact our mental health, break generational cycles, and ultimately help future generations.
LifeStory Testimonial
Subject line: ta-da Richard, That is something our granddaughter says when she is showing off something wonderful, and wonderful it is! Bob and I held off reading the book until today as we wanted to fully enjoy the experience.
We sat on the couch, Bob with the hardcover, me with the paperback. We read the book together, enjoying the stories, making comments along the way. You did an excellent job of putting this all together. We can't wait to share it with our family.
Thank you so much for creating this everlasting gift of love from our children. Hopefully, we will have many more chapters to be written.
Erin & Bob
The stories of your life or a loved one’s are legacies that belong in a cherished memoir. For more information visit LifeStoryMemoir.com. If you would like to see these results for yourself or a loved one, fill out this contact form, or reach out to me directly at Richard@LifeStoryMemoir.com or 973-903-1487.
Yours truly,
Richard Squires, MFA, MA
Author & Publisher
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