I Apologize for My Memoir
I'm published on The Belladonna Comedy this week!
Good morning, dear friends and readers! It’s been the most gorgeous week in Colorado—October is my very favorite month and this one hasn’t disappointed. It was so warm last week that we wore swimsuits while we (finally) put up our outdoor Halloween decorations. I walked with the dogs almost every day, and was so delighted that the red vines I’ve been in love with are still going strong. October feels like magic. My column today is a little different, as I have a published piece to share with you, hooray!
But first, I feel compelled to tell you that I saw the Eras movie this weekend with my friend and our daughters, and oh, it evoked all the beautiful memories of seeing Taylor Swift in concert in July. The movie is fantastic; if you saw her in concert it will bring it all back (yes, I cried multiple times, obviously) and if you didn’t, you’ll feel like you were there. My movie favorites were similar to my live favorites, but I have to add that “My Tears Ricochet” and “Tolerate It,” two songs that make my heart ache and sting me every time I listen, were even more powerful in the movie. OK. Now we can get to the good stuff.
I’m so honored to share that I have a piece of satire up with The Belladonna Comedy this week! I’ve had my eye on them forever as one of my bucket list publications, and I was so excited when they accepted this piece. If you read my Substack column, Gaze at My Navel, you’ll likely recognize some themes here of apology, permission, disclaimers. . . you know, some of my biggest saboteurs as a memoirist. One of my writing friends (Thank you, PM!!) gave me the brilliant idea to turn my “introduction” into satire, and I did! Here’s a little excerpt, and remember, it’s satire, people: SATIRE.
Dear Reader,
I’m so pleased you’ve chosen to read my memoir, Gaze At My Navel. Before you begin, I have a few things I’d like to clarify. Being a female author writing about her own life, I realize it’s easy to jump to the conclusion that I am overly self-absorbed (some would even bandy about the term narcissist — yikes!), and thus, I feel it’s very important to reassure you that my top priority remains, as in all avenues of my life, making my readers feel as comfortable as possible. It may appear that, with this book, I am sharing my own perspective, but rest assured, I also see your side of things, and would never dream of offending you with my ideas, and in fact, when you think about it, my point of view is also sort of your point of view!. . .
You can read the whole piece here.
Other news this week: I read an excerpt from my book—my two-part Road Trip saga that inspired me to write the memoir I finally began nearly a decade later—on the podcast. You can listen to the episode here.
(Sometimes listening is much easier than reading, isn’t it? Especially if you’re me and can’t find even one pair of your four fucking pairs of reading glasses because they are all currently in your car for some reason.)
We were honored to feature a powerful guest post on Midstory Magazine this week from Julie Zuckerman, a writer living in Israel with her family. Read “It’s Too Much: An Israeli Dispatch from a Midlife Mom” here.
And lastly, if you’re a Colorado local, I would be SO thrilled to see you in person at the first Listen To Your Mother Denver alumni show at the Oriental Theater on Sunday, November 5th at 5:00 pm. It’s a two-hour evening of storytelling, laughter, tears, connection, community, and yep, there’s a bar, too! Grab your tickets here!
XOXO,
Steph