Six Word Memoirs

History

Smith was founded January 6, 2006, by Larry Smith and Tim Barko. Taking a cue from novelist Ernest Hemingway, who, according to literary legend, was once challenged to write a short story in only six words, Smith Magazine set out to do the same. Hemingway's six-word story read: “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.”

In November 2006, Smith's editors Larry Smith and Rachel Fershleiser gave the six-word story a personal twist, asking Smith readers to tell their life story in just six-words. Smith readers submitted their six-words via www.smithmag.net, and Smith's Twitter account. In early 2007, Smith signed with Harper Perennial to create the Six-Word Memoir book series.

In May 2008, Smith announced three new Six-Word Memoir book projects: Six Word Memoirs on Love & Heartbreak (2009), then a book of Six-Word Memoirs by and for teens (Six-Word Memoirs by Teens Famous & Obscure), and a second general Six-Word Memoir sequel to the original.

Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs from Writers Famous & Obscure

The first in Smith's Six-Word Memoir book series, Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs from Writers Famous & Obscure was released in early 2008.

It collected almost 1,000 Six-Word Memoirs, including additions from many celebrities like Richard Ford, Deepak Chopra, and Moby.

It was a New York Times bestseller, featured in many stories in "The New Yorker" , and highlighted on National Public Radio's Talk of the Nation.

Six-Word Memoirs on Love and Heartbreak: by Writers Famous and Obscure

As a romantic follow-up to Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs from Writers Famous & Obscure, Smith released Six-Word Memoirs on Love & Heartbreak in early 2009.

Six-Word Memoirs on Love & Heartbreak contains hundreds of personal stories about the pinnacles and pitfalls of romance.

The editors of Smith asked dozens of writers "famous and obscure" to compose six-word memoirs; they wanted wordsmiths, old and new, to capture the essence of romance in half a dozen words.

Press for this second book included a second appearance on Talk of the Nation. The book also spent some time on Entertainment Weekly's Must List.

I Can't Keep My Own Secrets—Six-Word Memoirs by Teens Famous & Obscure

Released September 1, 2009, I Can't Keep My Own Secrets—Six-Word Memoirs by Teens: Famous & Obscure, was the first Six-Word Memoir book devoted entirely to teenagers. Smith launched Smith Teens in June 2008. Soon after, it became a destination for teenagers to reveal their biggest secrets, or the most mundane moments in their daily lives. The book features famous and everyday teens from The United States and abroad.

The Leonard Lopate Show

Larry Smith and Rachel Fershleiser made their WNYC debut on The Leonard Lopate Show on Friday, February 27, 2009. The show was listener interactive, asking Lopate fans to submit their memoirs to the show for a contest. The winners and runner-up's memoirs were read on-air.

Winners:

Best Wordplay:
“Living in existential vacuum; it sucks.”
—Deb, Brooklyn

Best on Tech:
“Facebook has ruined my entire life.”
—Jeanie Engleke, Bradley Beach, NJ

Best on Politics:
“Nixon childhood, Reagan teenager, hope finally.”
—Tonia Mohammed-Madejczyk, Northport, New York

An unexpected personal story was shared by a listener during the Lopate segment:

And in an intense few minutes of radio, Anne from Hell’s Kitchen shared her six-word memoir, “I found my mother’s suicide note.” She talked about how important it was for her to come to terms with her mother’s death, and the role of the note in that process. The note, she explained, was just six words: “No flowers, no funeral, no nothing.”

Love & Heartbreak Book Tour

Larry Smith and Rachel Fershleiser went on Love & Heartbreak book tour in January and February 2009. Major stops included Books Inc. in San Francisco, Tattered Cover Books in Denver, and the Book Cellar in Chicago. The tour culminated at a joint-sponsored event in New York City at The Housing Works Bookstore. In addition to featured SMITH activities, there were performances and activities by PostSecret, Found Magazine, Mortified, Cassette from My Ex, and music by Michael Hearst of One Ring Zero.

Smith on Twitter

Continuing Larry Smith's effort to utilize cutting-edge internet technology, Smith posted daily Love & Heartbreak Six-Word Memoir Tweets in February 2009 leading up to Valentine's Day.

Recognition

Community impact

The Six-Word Memoir format has been used as a writing exercise for teachers, ranging from second-grade classrooms to graduate schools. HarperCollins created a teacher's guide to encourage the Six-Word Memoir form as a tool for teaching. Six-Word Memoirs have been employed as tools in hospital wards, appeared in a eulogy, and suggested as a form of prayer by a preacher in North Carolina. Six-Word Memoir videos from individuals ranging from teenager Micahsamaniac (a YouTube user) and bestselling author Daniel Handler have been posted to YouTube. 6 Words Minneapolis, a public art project, employed the form to build community and empathy among citizens living in the same large city.