Anyone interested in writing should be delighted to hear about a talk coming up in Philadelphia January 27. Rachel Simon, author of the bestselling memoir "Riding the Bus with My Sister" will be delivering the talk 2 PM, Sunday January 27 at Drexel University’s Anthony J. Drexel Picture Gallery on the third floor of the main building at 3141 Chestnut Street. The talk will be about "Constructing a Writing Life." If you can make it to the talk, you're in for a treat. Not only is she a great writer, and a professional speaker. She's also a passionate teacher of writing. If you want to see what I mean, check out Rachel Simon's website , which is loaded with tips for writers, including a free downloadable copy of her book "The Writer's Survival Guide."

The talk at Drexel is the first in a series of free talks organized by the Philadelphia Writers Conference board member, Sean Toner. Check out the Philadelphia Writers Conference website for more information about the free Drexel talks. Also check out the website for information about the annual writer's conference on June 6, 7 and 8.

Jerry Waxler
Memory Writers Network

I went to Philadelphia's Constitution Center last night to hear Dave Isay, founder of StoryCorps and regular radio producer for NPR talk about his work as a gatherer of stories. He said this is his life's work. How refreshing to hear of a man who has found his work, and that work is helping other people find their own stories and share them with the people they love. This is the human experience at its best.

Radio personalities are "different" from the bigger than life celebrities on television. Even though they have influenced me for much of my life, since I don't see them they don't project an overpowering sense of celebrity. So for example, Terri Gross introduced the evening. Wow. Terri Gross. I listen to her as many days as I can. She is like intellectual and cultural oxygen in an underwater world. And there she was a few feet away (I was sitting on the front row.) And Jane Eisner, Vice President for National Programs at the Constitution Center did the interview. I just stared at her, trying to understand how she could speak so intelligently, in complete sentences no less. Unlike politicians who speak in routine phrases or actors who read scripts, these public figures actually come up with intelligent observations. I love it. It turned out the "founder of Public Radio" was in the audience, an unassuming man, in an overcoat who started All Things Considered in 1971. (I didn't catch his name. Anyone know it? Bill Semring?) And he was just there, sitting in the audience.

Going into Philadelphia and sitting in a live audience a few feet away from live performers seems so retro, and yet so real. It's an treat, amidst my busy life, to occasionally experience these rather esoteric benefits of living within the orbit of this major metropolitan community.

If you're interested in storytelling or memoir writing, check out my blog entry on the topic at Memory Writers Network

I drove down to Philadelphia to participate in a Boomervision conference at WHYY, sponsored by the good people of Coming of Age, to help me figure out what I'm supposed to do with the rest of my life. While I was there I ran into a guy who grew up near me, so in addition to the panel, I got some memory sparks out of the evening. If you want to read my blog entry about the panel discussion, or the interview I did with the StoryCorps van parked outside, check out my blog:

Memory Writers Network

Jerry Waxler

Your dreams drive your life, but it's not always easy to remember those dreams. To figure out how you got here, check out my blog about Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Michael Vitez's book Rocky Stories. In my blog entry, I show how you can use the famous stairs of the Philadelphia Museum of Art as a writing prompt to get in touch with your dreams, the way so many visitors to the museum do every day.

Memoir Writing Prompt: Your Rocky Story