Shelly Raber wrote to ask if I could connect her to Maryanne Rafael. She had a book titled "Linotte: The Early Diary Diary of Anais Nin 1914-1920". There was an inscription written in red marker that read: "For Maryanne, The First Diary." Anais said "I can't believe I didn't write it in English. With Love, Rupert. Sept, 1980".

Shelly picked this book up years ago at the Goodwill and later noticed the inscription. Was it indeed a signed copy by Rupert Pole? It did turn out to be Maryanne's book and Shelly returned it to her.

Shelly wrote to me saying, "Thank you so much for your help in getting into contact with her. Without your help, I'm not sure I would have found her. Best of life to you!"

Scoot on over to Womens Memoirs and find out more about these and how you might honor people who've made a difference in your life.

Robbins' review begins: "Most of us have known at least one incredible woman in our lives. She is the one with an unlimited supply of inner strength and determination that gets her through the most impossible of times. In The Spirit of a Woman you will read about twenty-three of such remarkable women."

Read more of the Author Exposure review of "The Spirit of a Woman."

Long ago a Ghanaian friend asked me, "Janet, what kind of old woman do you want to be?" This story is the answer to his question: the kind of old woman I am becoming.

Here's my prize-wining essay on Womens Memoirs. "Passage into Elderhood" Just in time for my birthday.

Here's a note of thanks to Kendra Bonnett and Matilda Butler of Womens Memoirs:

Dear Kendra & Matilda,

As usual you’ve found an inventive way to honor our circle of sister memoir writers through your contest. I’m honored to tie with Heather Cariou for the First Place, Grand Prize Award. Oooooh. Love the designation.

To publish the piece on my birthday is a special treat, and a gorgeous way to start my day. As one of the legion of holiday babies it’s always wonderful to be acknowledged on the actual date of our birthdays.

Janet Riehl

Heather Summerhayes Cariou's story "The Sweet Ghost of Christmas Past" is published today on Womens Memoirs

My story "Passage into Elderhood: Happy 60th Birthday" will be published soon. This is the story of the most wonderful day in my life in Busua Beach on the coast of Ghana. As a yummy addition you'll find out how to make kelewele (fried plantains).

Read a related story of Happiness Diet: Go to Ghana and Lose Weight

Wisdom Has a Voice: Every Daughter’s Memories of Mother
Editors: Kate Farrell & Lynn Henriksen
This groundbreaking anthology, to be released October 2011, will include 25 true and compelling stories about mother (or mother figures) that express the wisdom shared or learned from a particular experience.

We are looking for personal narratives that demonstrate the art of storytelling and possess a story arc with dramatic appeal. We will select stories that weave the significance of the unique experience into the storyline. Each selection should adapt easily to the spoken word as an audio version. The wisdom or lesson learned from mother ought to be expressed in an authentic voice with originality and resonance.

Deadline: February 1, 2011 Length: 2,000 – 2,500 words

For more information or to contact the editors, please visit: www.wisdomhasavoice.com

Does this sound complicated? Not at all. The technology is transparent with easy instructions. Matilda Butler of Womens Memoirs says, "Most of my time was spent thinking about the 7 searches I could do to tell a story and then checking out the results and tinkering with my search phrase. Then the rest of it only took about five minutes."

Here's my Google-Search video story "Yet Lost for Other Causes."

So, go to it and have a great time creating your mini-memoir in video! Here's the Womens Memoir post that tells all you need to know to get started with the mini-memoir contest.

Who Owns the Story?

You’ve decided that yes, you’re going to do the scary thing. There in the mirror of the written page you’re going to expose yourself—warts be damned.

Read on to find out what our really fun writing prompts are at the end of this intriguing post written by my collaborator Stephanie Farrow and myself.

Here's my story "Yet Lost for Other Causes" in search strings only.

Linda's book combines a manual of writing craft with a companion to guide the writer’s psyche towards health and wholeness. As a family therapist Myers understandably focuses on family-based memoir, often ones that tell stories of traumatic childhoods. She knows what she’s talking about both as a therapist and memoirist herself (Don’t Call Me Mother: Breaking the Chain of Mother-Daughter Abandonment).