Your Memoir, the Way You Want It

Your “Paper Toasts”: One Chapter in Our Forthcoming Company History

We are still on quite a high after our dinner last month celebrating Modern Memoirs’ 30th anniversary. The festive occasion was made all the more special by the dozens of “paper toasts” we received in the mail from past and present clients. Thank you, thank you to all who took the time to send us your heartfelt words. Some were short and sweet, others much longer, and one was even written in rhyming verse! All were much appreciated as we took turns reading them aloud while seated around the table together.

One of the first tasks I assigned to Publishing Intern Lily Fitzgerald (introduced below) was to transcribe the mostly handwritten notes so that we could easily preserve and share them. They are all compiled here in a blog post that Lily and I put together, and I am pleased to announce that they will also be included in a forthcoming company history that we hope to publish in 2025, entitled Cheers to 30 Years: The First Three Decades at Modern Memoirs, Inc.

We presented a first draft of this planned book to founder Kitty Axelson-Berry and Director of Publishing Ali de Groot at our dinner. The rest of my staff and I had begun working on that project in secret over the summer, and it was such fun to surprise Kitty and Ali with a tape-bound galley just like the ones we ship to clients. I think they were amused by the mock editorial letter I wrote to go along with the galley, complete with instructions for submitting their Author Alterations (AAs), and a suggested deadline.

Kitty Axelson-Berry (left) and Ali de Groot leafing through the first draft of Modern Memoirs’ forthcoming company history at the staff’s 30th anniversary celebration. Both Kitty and Ali were deeply moved, amused, and even tearful over all your tributes and paper toasts. (September 2024)

Your paper toasts, along with many beautiful tributes to Ali on her 20-year employment anniversary, other content from our Celebrating 30 Years! webpage, and more will make up this company history. The rightness of investing my staff’s time in this endeavor was affirmed for me at the dinner as we listened to Kitty reminisce about the early years of the business with bookkeeper Julia Shively, who has managed Modern Memoirs’ books since 1999. “We should be recording this!” I said as they swapped stories. Although I didn’t whip out my phone or a digital recorder in the moment, I made a mental note to figure out how to capture them in conversation (or interviews) at a future time.

Working on this project is an excellent exercise for all of us because it puts us in the roles our clients occupy. I don’t think there’s a better way for us to hone our skills and reinforce our commitment to our work than by stepping into our clients’ shoes. Your paper toasts provided us with insight into your experiences, and we look forward to sharing more about our company-history project with you in the coming months.

Cheers,

Megan St. Marie

President

Family History in a Frame

by Megan St. Marie

A shadowbox designed by Hope and Feathers Framing, Northampton, MA

Although I haven’t written a blog post about it yet, I couldn’t resist sharing a photo of this gorgeous shadowbox frame I commissioned at a local frame shop. This keepsake holds photos of my great-grandmother and her family, as well as her pearl earrings and a doily she made a century ago. The brilliant framers I worked with even used vintage wallpaper adorned with yellow roses (my Memé’s favorite flower) to complete the design. What a treasure!

Writer's Digest Magazine

Featured Blog Posts by Our Staff

Reflections from Modern Memoirs Client Boswell Carnegie, Esq.

Interview by Genealogist Liz Sonnenberg

Rabbit-Hole Journey opens with a note from the author that describes the book as “a work of fiction inspired by the colorful cast of characters” involved in a real-life drama played out in the U.S. sports world in 1998–1999. In addition to writing under a pen name, the author acknowledges changing names, embellishing events, and inventing dialog “in order to create a full narrative…”

Read the Full Post

A Window into

Modern Memoirs History

Introduction and Time-lapse Video

by Publishing Intern Lily Fitzgerald

In celebration of Modern Memoirs, Inc.’s 30th anniversary, we are proud to share a window display hosted for the month of October 2024 by the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce (AACC) at 35 South Pleasant Street in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Read the Full Post and See the Time-lapse Video

The Story of Us: A Redman–Nathanson Family History (2024)

Designer Magic: A Photograph Becomes a Book Cover

By Director of Publishing Ali de Groot

It always seems like magic to me. An author sends a photograph, illustration, or image and says to please use it on the front cover. A week or two later, our exceptional designer creates a draft, and 99% of the time, the author loves it.

Any outside designer might make a beautiful cover, but the disadvantage is that another designer most likely hasn’t read the book and doesn’t have a clear idea of the tone, voice, and theme. Most of the staff on our team do read the book, have very close contact with the author, and can convey the nuances to our designer. She works her magic in a most personal and professional way.

The above book cover speaks for itself, incorporating many different elements and nuances, including an old photo of a town in Lithuania where some of the family originated. Notice how the Lithuanian flag colors are woven into the design? Below is the vintage postcard photo of Tauragė that the author originally submitted for the cover. The designer looked up the flag colors. Presto!

Flag of Lithuania

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October Question: What is one of your most treasured family photos?

Write Your Response Here

Staff responses:

Megan St. Marie: A photo from my aunt and uncle’s wedding day in 1972 shows my grandmother standing on a staircase with her 13 children and her new daughter-in-law all crowded around her. The joy is palpable, and I remember wishing as a little girl that I’d been alive to be a part of that special day.

Sean St. Marie: Any of the brand-new photos taken earlier this month when Megan and I renewed our vows in Paris, France to mark our 10th wedding anniversary.

Ali de Groot: A photo of my great-grandmother Henrietta Loewus was hidden in my grandfather’s safe until after he died. We knew almost nothing about her.

Liz Sonnenberg: Not one but several family history photos I had never seen before that were posted on genealogy websites by distant cousins I never knew I had.

Nicole Miller: My mother’s childhood photos with her father riding their beloved horses dressed in western-style clothes. Warm, lovely, special bonds.

Lily Fitzgerald: My most treasured family photograph is one taken at Christmastime of my grandfather holding me in front of our family church, both of us rosy-cheeked and smiling at whoever was holding the camera.

Memory Lane Stroll

We’d love to hear your brief personal reflections on the question of the month (at left). Write your response for a chance to be featured in the next edition of our e-newsletter!

Responses to our September question: What is a memorable lesson you’ve learned from a colleague, friend, or family member?

“Always be reliable, dependable, and a great teammate in the workplace. If you maintain those three things, you will always be employed.”

—Monica Lebron