Family Stories · October 2026
What to Ask Your Parents This Thanksgiving
You have heard the family stories a hundred times. The ones you haven’t heard are usually one better question away.
Read the essay →Essays and notes on memoir, family storytelling, and the work of preserving a life.
You have heard the family stories a hundred times. The ones you haven’t heard are usually one better question away.
Read the essay →One service will write your life story for a few thousand dollars. An elite ghostwriter will charge two hundred thousand. Both prices are right because they are not selling the same book.
Read the essay →Odysseus survives monsters, gods, and ten years at sea. What he actually wants is to walk back into his own house — which is exactly what a memoir is for.
Read the essay →A professionally written private memoir is an undeniably extravagant gift. It may also be the rare luxury purchase that becomes more valuable with every passing generation.
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