Six-Word Memoirs

Thursday night while I sat in my classroom…alone…for seven hours…waiting for parents and grandparents to show up for parent-teacher conferences, I listened to Talk of the Nation on the radio.  I happened to catch a story about a new book called Not Quite What I Was Planning.  An online magazine called Smith (www.smithmag.net) asked readers to submit six-word memoirs and collected the short life stories in the book.  I had fun listening to the six-word stories that are included in the book and listening to callers come up with their own on the radio show. 

My favorites:

Fifteen years since last professional haircut. – Dave Eggers

Couldn’t cope so I wrote songs. – Aimee Mann

Well, I thought it was funny. – Stephen Colbert

Probably worried for nothing, I know.

Just let me finish this row. – a knitter

We were our own Springer episode.

Love me or leave me alone. – grafitti in a public restroom

I still make coffee for two. - 27 year old who had just been dumped

After Harvard, had baby with crackhead.

Watching quietly from every door frame.

Catholic school backfired.  Sin is in. 

I asked.  They answered.  I wrote.  – Sebastian Junger.

Painful nerd kid, happy nerd adult.

For sale: baby shoes, never worn. – Ernest Hemingway

I think I will ask my students to write their own six-word memoirs.  Care to share your own?