And we’re off! I’ll be holding two 2-hour online Guided Autobiography introductory workshops on Wednesday, May 29, from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. eastern and Monday, June 3, from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. eastern (for the morning  people!)

THEY’RE FREE! My introductory workshops are always complimentary.

Register here for Wednesday, May 29

Register here for Monday, June 3

What is Guided Autobiography? Let’s begin with its description from the Guided Autobiography website:

“Guided Autobiography (GAB) has been researched and developed by Dr. James Birren over the past 40 years as a method for helping people document their life stories. Guided by a trained instructor, participants are led through themes and priming questions that evoke memories of events once known but filed away and seemingly forgotten. Each participant writes a two-page story on a particular theme each week, brings the story to class and reads it to a small group of receptive classmates. Writing and sharing life stories with others is an ideal way to find new meaning in life and to put life events into perspective. While connecting with one another on their journeys of self-discovery, participants feel enlivened by the group experience and gain a greater appreciation of their own lives and of the lives of others. GAB can be a powerful catalyst for improved self-esteem, self-confidence and communication within communities and within families.”

Read more about Guided Autobiography here.

These workshops are limited to 6 people*, so RSVP and grab your spot now.

*I’ll add additional online workshops as each one fills up. First come/first reserved. – Mark

VIEW THE WORKSHOP SLIDESHOW/HANDOUT HERE.

It’s back! The One Thing or Another Podcast, reimagined, reemerged, and reinvigorated with a focus on “life, aging, and the absurdities of it all.” Listen in to this recent chat with Robert Kesten, Executive Director of the Stonewall National Museum, Archives, and Library in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. We talk about the need to preserve our history, the mission of the Stonewall Museum, and how we can sustain an awareness of our past and present in a way that informs our future.

About Robert Kesten

Robert Kesten (he/him/his) has worked globally promoting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and furthering democracy. This work has taken many forms including writing and producing an award winning documentary on learning about the Holocaust at the Concentration Camps in Poland, Working on the Ghanaian Constitution, coordinating and producing events leading to Ukrainian independence, producing events for the first AIDS day treatment center in the nation, pushing for the decriminalization of homosexuality in Ukraine (the first Soviet Republic to do so).

Kesten comes to Stonewall National Museum and Archives with national and international experience, taking ideas and bringing them to life. This position brings full circle his active engagement in the LGBTQ+ community and his commitment to using history as a tool to make sense and fashion a response to today and tomorrow.

I can honestly say he’s coming back by popular demand. Marshall finally leaves Los Angeles and the ghosts that had come to populate his life. He takes a flight to New York City, only to discover that “death beat me to town on the redeye.”

Coming winter, 2024. Appropriately.

I’d wanted to finish this novella by the spring, and here we are! Now for some edits and a polish or two. It’s available now for pre-order, and releases June 1.

“The year is closer than you think. The world has collapsed under the weight of its own insatiable needs, leaving shattered cities where those who still have anything fight to keep it that way, and those don’t are a constant threat. It’s a danger that must be contained through a tightly controlled society where everyone is observed and everything is kept in its place.

Harry Hellerman and his twin brother, Elliot, enter this world three minutes apart. By the time they’re teenagers, they’ve been surrendered to Control to be molded into the perfect assassins. A boy named Harry Hellerman enters, and a man named Harry Hell emerges: a killing machine of the highest order.

I’ve recently become a certified Guided Autobiography instructor* through the Birren Center. They’ve just released their new collection of personal essays on the aging experience.

About ‘The Gift of a Long Life’

“Life and aging are the greatest gifts that we could possibly ever have.” – Cicely Tyson

In this collection of heartfelt essays, 53 individuals share their unique perspectives on aging. From the poignant to the humorous, their stories celebrate the gifts that unfold with each passing year.

The Gift of a Long Life is more than a collection of stories; it’s a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the richness that comes with a life well-lived.

For readers seeking inspiration and connection, this anthology offers an intimate, honest exploration of the rewards that time bestows. From small, everyday moments to profound life lessons, each essay reflects a positive attitude towards aging and the invaluable experiences that come with it.

As told by the vibrant voices of the Guided Autobiography (GAB) community, these candid stories explore the unique gifts found in the later chapters of life.

*If you’re interested in learning more about Guided Autobiography, check out the Birren Center’s website, as well as my own YourWritePath.com for news on upcoming classes and workshop.

Dreams keep coming true as long as you keep dreaming! This is my profile in the spring issue of River Towns magazine. Huge thanks to my husband, Frank Murray, for making this happen. There are benefits to marrying your publicist!

The profile is on page 47.

Featured Guided Autobiography instructor Steve Dolainski, who introduced me to GAB. My own workshops and courses start this spring.

https://birrencenter.substack.com/p/featured-gabber-stephen-dolainski?utm_medium=email

“Stephen Dolainski was drawn to GAB after learning about it through friends in Oregon in 2022.

“I did some research on GAB and, as a long-time adult educator and writer/editor, I was intrigued with the concept and the methodology. I immediately knew that GAB was something for me to explore,” he said.

After taking the the training in November 2022, he wanted to work with LGBTQ seniors.

“When I received certification, I contacted the Los Angeles LGBT Center and proposed forming a GAB class,” he said. “In 2023, we offered three GAB 1 classes and one GAB 2 class. More classes will be offered in 2024.”

Stephen loves teaching GAB and talks about how it how much it benefits writers by sharing their truth.”

CONTINUE READING

If you just keep at it, something new and exciting is always just around the corner. I never imagined I’d be on the board of anything, but here I am, in exceptionally good company. You can see all of the Mystery Writers of America-New York chapter board members at our website.

https://www.mwany.org/board-members-2024/

Jean Ryan has been a friend of mine for quite a few years now. Her writing and her painting always leaving me astonished that so much talent can reside in one person. She painted a commissioned portrait of our beloved cat Peanut when we first welcomed her to our home. Peanut left this world three weeks ago, and Jean’s painting of her hangs by our front door, where she always came running to when we got home.

Check out Jean’s artwork at her website.

Check out her short story collection Lovers and Losers on Amazon here, and her novel Lost Sister here.

And what better accompaniment to her paintings than her marvelous book of nature essays, Strange Company, here and on Audible!

And we’re off! My 2-hour Fiction Writing Essentials online workshop is filling up, and I’m putting together a 2-hour Guided Autobiography Introductory workshop I’ll be offering online and at several in-person locations.

Anyone attending who wants to dive deeper can sign up for the 6-week classes once I have them scheduled (YourWritePath.com). 2024 is turning out to be everything I’d hoped it would. And we have a new cat! James, our first male, and our youngest: 10 months old, a bed cat, an attention seeker, and he gets along great with Wilma (still my baby at 9).

You can now register for classes and workshops with Event Create, including payment! Here’s the link for the upcoming Fiction Essentials workshop.

I’m finally doing it: I’ll be offering workshops and classes later this year, in Guided Autobiography, fiction writing, and more. First up is an online 2-hour ‘fiction essentials’ in May. As the little wooden sign says over my desk, “Actually, I can.” Here’s the course at my Payhip storefront. I’m keeping these to 10 participants, online and in-person when I find a space.

You can also Venmo me here ($30):