''Six-Word Memoirs'' is a project and book series created by the U.S. based online storytelling magazine '' Smith Magazine.''

History

In November 2006, ''Smith's'' editors Larry Smith and Rachel Fershleiser asked ''Smith'' readers to tell their life story in just six words, taking inspiration from novelist

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century fic ...

(who, according to literary legend, was once challenged to write a short story in only six words, resulting in “ For sale: baby shoes, never worn”). ''Smith'' readers submitted their memoirs via www.smithmag.net and ''Smith'''s

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account. In early 2007, ''Smith'' signed with

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to create the ''Six-Word Memoir'' book series.

''Six-Word Memoir'' books

The first in ''Smith'''s ''Six-Word Memoir'' book series, ''Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs from Writers Famous & Obscure'' was released in early 2008. It collected almost 1,000 memoirs, including contributions from celebrities such as

Richard Ford Richard Ford (born February 16, 1944) is an American novelist and short story writer. His best-known works are the novel ''The Sportswriter'' and its sequels, ''Independence Day'', ''The Lay of the Land'' and ''Let Me Be Frank With You'', and the ...

, Deepak Chopra, and

Moby Richard Melville Hall (born September 11, 1965), known professionally as Moby, is an American musician, songwriter, singer, producer, and animal rights activist. He has sold 20 million records worldwide. AllMusic considers him to be "among the ...

. It was a ''

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'' bestseller, featured in many stories in ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'', and was highlighted on

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's ''

Talk of the Nation ''Talk of the Nation'' (''TOTN'') is an American talk radio program based in Washington D.C., produced by National Public Radio ( NPR) that was broadcast nationally from 2 to 4 p.m. Eastern Time. It focused on current events and controversial i ...

''. In early 2009, ''Smith'' released a follow-up, ''Six-Word Memoirs on Love and Heartbreak,'' containing hundreds of personal stories about romance. Another follow-up was released in late 2009; ''I Can't Keep My Own Secrets: Six-Word Memoirs by Teens Famous & Obscure'' dealt with the experiences of teenage life and as such was written by and for teens. The most recent in the series, ''It All Changed in an Instant: More Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous & Obscure'', was released in early 2010 and was marketed as the general sequel to ''Not Quite What I Was Planning''.

Recognition

* ''Not Quite What I Was Planning'' was listed as a ''

'' bestseller in 2008 in the "advice, how to and miscellaneous" category. * In April 2009, ''

The Denver Post ''The Denver Post'' is a daily newspaper and website published in Denver, Colorado. As of June 2022, it has an average print circulation of 57,265. In 2016, its website received roughly six million monthly unique visitors generating more than 13 ...

'' listed ''Six-Word Memoirs on Love and Heartbreak'' as the 5th bestselling non-fiction paperback in the Denver area according to sales at the Tattered Cover Book Store,

Barnes & Noble Barnes & Noble Booksellers is an American bookseller. It is a Fortune 1000 company and the bookseller with the largest number of retail outlets in the United States. As of July 7, 2020, the company operates 614 retail stores across all 50 U. ...

in Greenwood Village, the Boulder Book Store, and

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in Lone Tree.

Community impact

The Six-Word Memoir format has been used as a writing exercise by teachers, with examples ranging from second-grade classrooms to graduate schools; furthermore,

HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News Cor ...

created a guide to encourage the format as an instructional tool. Six-Word Memoirs have seen use in hospital wards, appeared in a eulogy, and suggested as a form of prayer by a preacher in North Carolina. Six-Word Memoir videos from individuals ranging from teenager Micah Gray to bestselling author

Daniel Handler Daniel Handler (born February 28, 1970) is an American author, musician, screenwriter, television writer, and television producer. He is best known for his children's book series ''A Series of Unfortunate Events'' and ''All the Wrong Questions ...

have been posted to

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. 6 Words Minneapolis, a public art project, employed the format to build community and empathy among citizens of

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

References

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External links

Official website
Online literary magazines published in the United States Magazines established in 2006