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Hope as a Practice in the New Year
Three-thousand miles away from the California wildfires, my staff and I have followed news of the devastation with great concern. Some of us have friends and family in the area, and we also hold in our hearts clients past and present who live in and around Los Angeles. The destruction is terrible to behold, and the suffering awful.
It’s all too easy to feel the pull of despair. Journaling is one way I’ve resisted that impulse. This month, a conversation with a wise minister friend has inspired me to reflect on the difference between hope and optimism. I’ve realized that the latter can feel like naiveté to me, or a denial of grim realities. But hope is more than a glass-half-full perspective; hope is a practice. I find this distinction quite empowering.
So what does hope as a practice mean to me as the wildfires rage? It means learning from my son, who worked on wildfire mitigation projects in Southern California last year, when he shares how the region’s vulnerability to wildfires has increased, and recommitting myself to environmental advocacy. It means donating funds to help those directly impacted (due to my connections with the public library field, I chose the LAPL Staff Emergency Support Fund). It means staying in touch with people I know in California, to let them know I care. It means using writing—in my journal, in this newsletter, in letters, and in my own creative projects—to resist despair and give voice to my hopes for myself and for others in 2025.
What does hope as a practice mean to you in the new year? How does hope relate to your goals and wishes, or to resolutions you may have made on January 1? Does writing factor into how you nurture hope in your own life—or might it? If so, I speak for the rest of my staff when I say that I hope to hear from you if Modern Memoirs can help you on your writing path this year.
With hope,
Megan St. Marie
President
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New Writing from a Former Client
by Megan St. Marie
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We are always glad to hear from past clients, especially when they have new writing to share. We worked with Lahnice Hollister in 2021 on editorial and design tasks for her late granduncle’s book, Resisting Jim Crow: The Autobiography of Dr. John A. McFall. After she handled printing independently, we’ve kept in touch and have been pleased to carry this remarkable book in our online shop.
We were happy to receive New Year’s greetings from Hollister that included a link to her blog, where she is sharing historical context and highlights from Dr. McFall’s autobiography. Take a peek for yourself at the link below, and consider purchasing this compelling and powerful book for anyone interested in American history.
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NEW WORKSHOP OFFERING
Share the Facts and Find the Good: Writing (Advance) Obituaries
In this program, Modern Memoirs President Megan St. Marie guides participants through the process of drafting, revising, and sharing obituaries and advance obituaries, which she describes as “memoirs or biographies in miniature.”
This offering can be led as a single 90-minute introductory session in person or online, or it can be expanded into a series with time for participants to write and share their work, and for addressing related types of writing such as eulogies and ethical wills/legacy letters.
Stay tuned for an announcement of upcoming online and in-person sessions of this program based at our Amherst offices. You may also contact Megan today to inquire about hosting this program at your site.
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Featured Blog Posts by Our Staff | |
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Reflections from
Modern Memoirs Client Marvin Kalb
By Genealogist Liz Sonnenberg
A Different Russia is the 17th book that journalist Marvin Kalb has authored or co-authored. It is also the third in a series of his memoirs, preceded in 2017 by The Year I Was Peter the Great: 1956―Khrushchev, Stalin’s Ghost, and a Young American in Russia, and in 2021 by Assignment Russia: Becoming a Foreign Correspondent in the Crucible of the Cold War. In A Different Russia, Kalb based his reporting on his daily CBS broadcasts, covering the growing confrontation between Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev and American President John F. Kennedy.
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Building William’s Farm: Moving Beyond the Internet in Genealogy Research
By Genealogist Liz Sonnenberg
Even though significant in-person or person-to-person effort is no longer necessary to gather a sizable collection of facts, moving beyond internet-based research is required if we want to uncover a deeper story rich in details about the lives of those who came before us. The volume of information available on the web is large, but it only scratches the surface of the world to be explored.
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Blue Collar Rage: A Collection of My Notes, Essays, Poems by Eugene E. Stephens (2024) |
From OK to Far Better
By Director of Publishing Ali de Groot
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Sometimes I’ll get a phone call or email with this simple, inviting question: “I’ve had my manuscript printed at the local copy shop, and it’s OK, but can you make it look any better?” YES, far better, is the answer. But there might be numerous ways to tackle this task, and the obvious way isn’t always the best way.
A recent client sent us several formats of his late father’s writing, an impressive compilation of journal entries, essays, poems, and more, that he had retyped himself. We received this in several forms: a copy-shop 8-1/2x11" softcover printout, a bunch of loose PDFs of the text, and even an iBook (unfinished). After analyzing all of the possibilities, it seemed best and most economical to convert the iBook into a print version. However, the result didn’t look very good: original dimensions too small, too many pages, text couldn’t be manipulated or revised, and it needed unexpected editorial/proofreading work.
After more thinking, our talented designer, Nicole Miller, who can troubleshoot just about anything, settled on the tried-and-true process of converting the original document into our professional book design program. Instead of the desktop-publishy 8-1/2 x 11" trim size, it was a handy 6x9". The result is beautiful, augmented by the client’s family photographs to spice up each chapter. With stellar color printing on cream-colored paper, a hard leathery cover, and a sturdy sewn binding, these books should last more than a few generations.
Before and after photos below might speak for themselves!
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BEFORE: Original softcover printout 8.5x11", gloss-laminated cover | | |
AFTER: Final hardcover book 6x9", silver foil stamp | | |
BEFORE: Original interior pages | | |
AFTER: Final hardcover book, same interior pages | | |
Final hardcover book, showing spine and front cover | |
Memory Lane Stroll
We’d love to hear your brief personal reflections on the question of the month. Write your response for a chance to be featured in the next edition of our e-newsletter!
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January Question: What is one goal, hope, or wish you have for 2025? | |
Staff responses:
Megan St. Marie: I hope to help my adult children on their paths away from home, while nurturing close ties with them.
Sean St. Marie: My goal is to make a sincere effort to ensure that my words and actions reflect my core beliefs and come from a place of love, compassion, kindness, and understanding.
Ali de Groot: Write more often.
Liz Sonnenberg: Spend more time outside!
Nicole Miller: Just want to make it through the year!
Lily Fitzgerald: One goal I have for 2025 is to have more positivity in my life when dealing with tough situations and people.
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Stop by to see us in person or online:
417 West Street, Suite 104
Amherst, MA 01002
www.modernmemoirs.com
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