Hi, Renee, yes, I think one of the "real" bookstores should be able to order my books for you. Or, they're all available on the on-line bookstores, like amazon. Thanks for asking!

Yes, keep writing your memoir, by all means! I don't think anyone was upset because Frey changed people's names; they were upset, is my understanding, because he totally made stuff up. But I think that most people understand that this is the real exception. And, as I say, I think folks will get over this! Sue

Sue, do you mind telling us a little about the writing class you teach? There are tons of writers who frequent these forums.

Hi, Dotsie, My main teaching job is at the low-residency MFA in Writing Program at Vermont College. What's nice about a low-residency program is that it's geared toward non-traditional students. What this means is that most of our students (and faculty) both live and work elsewhere. Twice a year, we go to the main campus in Montpelier, VT, for a 10-day residency, where there are intensive writing workshops, lectures on craft, readings...and where we all get to spend some great time with each other talking about writing and reading. (Of course we have "down" time, too, and just have "fun.") In this program I teach both fiction and creative nonfiction. Of course, poetry is also taught. Then, at the end of this residency, I am given five students with whom I work one-on-one during the rest of the semester. Every month my students send me a packet of their writing, which I critique, and return. Since writing is such a process, it's a great way to learn and study the craft.

In addition to this MFA program, I also teach in what is called a "Post-Graduate Writers' Conference," which is also at Vermont College. Mainly, it's for writers who already have some writing experience, and it's in all genres: short story, novel, poetry, memoir. This year it's from August 10-16, and during this time we have writing workshops, lectures, and readings. Plus, the classes are small--only 5-7 students-- so there's plenty of one-on-one time. Here is the website URL for the writers conference http://www.tui.edu/pgwc/, in case you want more information. Sue

Oh, and here is the URL for the regular MFA program at Vermont College. (Vermont College is "owned" by the Union Institute and University, so don't be thrown off.) http://www.tui.edu/programs/masters_mfaw.asp. Thanks! Sue

Sue,
As you can see everybody wants to pick your brain. You are so admired, not only for the courage of writing your memoir, but for your ability to write which is, in my opinion, outstanding. I wish the college were closer as I would LOVE to be in the MFA program.

My question is "what are you doing now as far as writing?" Is there a novel in the works? Or two?
Oh I just had a horrible thought...PLEASE STAY OUT OF THE HUMOR BIZ...k? hahaha...

JJ

Oh, thank you, JJ. That's so sweet. And I wish you could be in the MFA program, too. We have a lot of fun.

Right now I'm writing essays (no, not humor!), with the hope that they will all coalesce into a collection! I'm probably a little more than half way through. Generally, the theme is about those quietly "potent" moments in which we have revelations, or learn something about ourselves or the world. In other words, after writing about rather "big" events in the two memoirs, I now want to explore the more quiet moments in my life. By the way, one of the essays that is very short, is published on brevity.com. If you want to read it, here's a direct link: http://www.creativenonfiction.org/brevity/brev17/silverman_arch.htm. Thanks! Sue

JJ, I was at the workshop last summer with Sue at Vermont College. Participants come from all over the country, and even from abroad. My goal is to get the MFA in Creative Nonfiction with Sue as my main faculty. I would have embarked on this already but two good things came my way this year which took financial priority 1) our new house with a mighty mortgage 2) my trip to Europe in May. EVERYONE who had obtained their MFA from Vermont College who was at the writer's conference last August said it was one of the best things they could have ever done for themselves. If you don't want to embark on the entire MFA journey, I would recommend the writer's conference. I would go this year too, but I have to go to my grandmother's 100th birthday that week in August. There are not enough good words in the dictionary to describe the experience at the post grad writer's conference at VC. But bring your own food and a fan for your room.

I frequented the message boards in the aftermath of Frey's appearance on Oprah. The upset was in regards to the fact that Frey promoted his book as a memoir-in-fact when it was deliberately embellished and fabricated for marketing purposes. (that's a paraphrase of some of his own words.) Renee, I had no problem special ordering " Because I Remember..." from Barnes & Noble standing bricks & morter book store. Sue, I completely understand about the invasion of privacy. As you know, I write about my father and my brother molesting me. Although my father is dead, my brother is not. Yet I want to protect my brother's privacy, mostly for the sake of his children and my grandmother. Besides, since he was never convicted, I could be sued if I named him in fact. It's not so much about WHO he is but WHAT he did, right? And it's about the results of incest, such as addictions. I wrote about my mother and father in depth because incest families are typically so enmeshed...it's hard to know where parents end and children begin. Wow, It's really something that in each of our cases our therapists encouraged us to write our memoirs. In my case, I had to mull it over for 2 decades before beginning. Good thing I kept journals. What was the impetus for your first sentence? By the way, Sue is too modest to mention that she has earned an honorary doctorate for her work. Love you Sue! Love and Light, Lynn

Thanks for all the good comments about Vermont College, Lynn! I'm VERY appreciative. We really had a wonderful group last summer, and I'll miss you this summer. Oh, just so you know: the college now has a new group of chefs, so the food has improved dramatically!

I'm sorry to be a forum hog. Sue, I read this at the brevity site: "At Horn & Hardart, dinner was conjured behind little glass windows--an apparition right here at 182 Broadway. Roast chicken, seaweedy spinach, banana cream pie. Rich island-bean coffee poured from dolphin-head spouts. Here, a fistful of silver coins bought paradise, warm and perfect. Green and crimson apples glowed as delicious as sunsets." Who remembers Horn & Hardart? I do! Is it still there? Or is it a McDonald's now? Sue, what a way to bring paradise to NYC. Thanks for sharing that link. I'm going back for more!