“At Its Core, Grief Is Love”—The Power of Six Words to Heal
Guest post by By Elizabeth Shara
The Six-Word Memoir process came into my life at the perfect time. I had spent months trying to express the grief and pain that was tearing my heart apart. Writing had always been my go-to for personal growth and clarity but at this point in my life, filling pages with words did nothing for me. The tear-soaked paper only reminded me how fragile my world had become.
“There’s No Cell Service In Heaven”: Six Words (And More) on Loss
By Rebecca Soffer
In July 2013, when I was four months pregnant with my first child, I peered over the heaping pile of fries I was sharing with my friend Larry Smith and asked if he’d collaborate on a Six-Word Memoirs storytelling event for the Modern Loss community.
It seemed highly premature at the time. After all, the website I was building was months away from launching, and I was also planning on giving birth around the same time it did (my planning skills never were perfect). But Larry understood the need for the type of community I’d been dreaming of building and assured me that when the time was right, he was in.
Welcome to the New Six-Word Memoirs
Welcome to the new Six-Word Memoirs site!
As with many launches — starting first grade and transitions into the White House come to mind — we've had some hiccups, and we truly appreciate your patience. Most of all, we're excited to introduce the latest incarnation of SixWordMemoirs.com. While a lot of what you’re seeing here looks different, the heart and soul of how the site works should feel similar once you’ve given it a spin. Here are a few notes:
THE SLIDER (AT THE TOP)
- The new slides on our homepage, in order of appearance:
- Memoir of the Day is first up. The Six-Word Memoir of the day appears on the left, and if the post includes an image, that image will appear in a box to the right of the words. All images have been resized to fit the box, but clicking the arrow in the right corner will render the image’s original dimensions.
- Daily Illustration includes many illustrations by students from our book, “Things Don’t Have to Be Complicated: Illustrated Memoirs by Students of the World.” Click the arrow to see the work in full view. Anyone can submit an original illustration or photographic work for consideration, just click “How to submit”
- SixContest offers a competitive fix in just six words. Each monthly contest is a chance to claim “Top Six” props—sometimes our winner takes home a prize!
- Shop Six. Need a quick gift or special keepsake? Want to support our site? Now is the perfect time to share the gift of Six Words.
- “One Life. Six Words. What’s Yours?” is reminder that everyone has a story and we want to know yours. Start by posting a Six-Word Memoir and you’ll discover this site offers a creative outlet and so much more.
Six Words Fresh Off the Boat: Stories of Immigration, Identity & Coming to America
descendants of the Mayflower and those brought by force on slave ships, and by every generation in between. As always, we’ve invited a handful of celebrities to share their stories, creating a book with a mix of Emmy, Oscar, and Pulitzer Prize winners alongside hundreds of people who have never before been published—many members of this community of storytellers.
Six Words Fresh Off the Boat was conceived before the election of the forty-fifth president of the United States. The unsettling political climate for immigrants that he has ushered in has made the discussions that follow from these stories more vital than ever.