For me, springtime tends to feel like fast-forwarding. I blink and it is Memorial Day weekend. There is so much to do, so much to get set for the summer months. Maybe it’s because I live in a northern climate and summer is so fleeting. Last month, I touched on the anxiety the summer calendar can trigger for me. This month I shall provide the antidote to that anxiety – reading memoirs. I have found solace in diving into great memoirs. There’s something about the sacred way an author bears their soul for mass consumption that feels fearless and daring. Every time I pick up a memoir, I am in awe. This deep personal connection is a welcomed distraction. 

One read that will certainly bring hope and allow a reader to truly appreciate the honesty of living with cancer is Suleika Jaouad’s Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted. This memoir takes the reader on a journey through cancer treatment, the grief that accompanies cancer and the “now what” of remission. Jaouad takes readers through a 100-day, 1,500-mile cross-country trek to make sense of the “now what”. She connects with those who wrote to her while she was confined in a hospital receiving cancer treatment. The author skillfully avoids toxic positivity and instead focuses on how she will re-enter life. What I appreciated most was the fine line she straddles between grief and gratitude. This memoir is a must-read and even gives a shout-out to A Fresh Chapter. Check it out at https://www.suleikajaouad.com

No memoir list would be complete without mentioning Cheryl Strayed’s Wild. Strayed takes readers with her as she hikes the Pacific Crest Trail alone. On the harrowing expedition, the author works through the demons of divorce, addiction, and the deep grief following the death of her mother. Wild reminds us that perhaps all the tools needed to heal ourselves lie within us. Nature, quiet, self-reflection, and a journal can be the best way to process. https://www.cherylstrayed.com

One memoir that has stayed with me long after reading it is Memorial Drive by Natasha Tretheway. Tretheway is a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet so the language is stunning. However, it is the story that is both compelling and heartbreaking. Memorial Drive is the story of Tretheway’s mother’s 1985 murder at the hands of her former stepfather. The author takes time to distinguish between her memory of the events now versus what happened in 1985. It’s almost as though the reader is invited alongside the author to unearth the events leading up to the murder. “I need now to make sense of our history, to understand the tragic course upon which my mother’s life was set and the way my own life has been shaped by that legacy,” writes Trethewey. And after investigating the trauma of her mother’s murder, racism and domestic abuse, Tretheway writes, “To survive trauma, one must be able to tell a story about it.” Amen to that. https://natashatrethewey.com

Speaking of processing trauma through writing, I would be remiss not to mention the newly published Body Work: The Radical Power of Personal Narrative by Melissa Febos. Everyone I know is talking about this book, with good reason. Part memoir, part instruction manual. Febos takes readers on a journey of the importance of writing to heal while sprinkling in elements of her own life in a memoir-esque manner. A reader can easily crush this 150-page read in an afternoon and they will be a better writer for it. https://www.melissafebos.com/body-work

Normally I like to feature podcasts and other resources to delve into the featured topic. This month I thought it might be nice to allow readers to engage in the subject matter. Yeah – that’s right – to give you something to do! This month I am inspired to share Suleika Joauad’s 100-day creativity project. The project provides the framework to do something creative every day for 100 days in a row. No guardrails – drawing, writing, making jewelry, cooking, walking in the woods. Whatever you’d like for 100 days. I started on April 1st, and it has been a great way to hold myself accountable and make space for creativity. Check out more here: https://theisolationjournals.substack.com/p/100-days-of-creativity

If 100 days seems too overwhelming or it’s not your jam – check out the First Sunday of the Month writing workshop by WOW (Wide Open Writing). Each month the organization holds a Sunday workshop highlighting different writing prompts. Attendees gather via zoom and have an opportunity to share what they write or just listen to others. Either way, attendees are sure to be inspired by the different prompts and writing shared. The next one will be Sunday, May 1st. https://wideopenwriting.com/wow-first-sunday

Stay tuned for next month’s post, which will feature brand-new resources to explore.

Kate is a member of several AFC circles. She is an avid reader who enjoys sharing exciting, new resources focusing on personal, professional, and spiritual growth. Kate is a freelance writer residing in Northeast Wisconsin with her husband and three teenage children.