Author Archives: first person productions

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About first person productions

My blog "True Stories Well Told" is a place for people who read and write about real life. I’ve been leading life writing groups since 2004. I teach, coach memoir writers 1:1, and help people publish and share their life stories.

Mystery Science Theater of Life

By Sue Oakes There was an old TV show called Mystery Science Theater.  The opening scene was a view from the back of a movie theater.  The movie theater is dark against the bright movie screen, revealing silhouettes of a … Continue reading

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Skating through Life!

By Gina Chirichella  My favorite winter activity has always been ice skating. Actually, at this stage of my life, it’s one of the few outdoor winter activities that I still partake in. Now that the kids are grown, I no … Continue reading

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Pigs Can Swim (And I Almost Drowned Trying to Save Them)

By Iryna Mroz When I was about nine years old, I made a shocking discovery: pigs can swim. Not that anyone had bothered to tell me this crucial piece of information before I risked my life for them. We lived … Continue reading

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Notes from the Fourth Lake Writing Weekend

Why would someone like me—a writing teacher, MFA holder in Creative Nonfiction, and professional writer of more than 25 years—sign up for a weekend writing workshop? Because sometimes, even the most practiced hands need to put the client work down, … Continue reading

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Mood Swings (Facing the Mew-sic)

By Faith Ellestad In years past, far past, my husband used to refer to me, I assume affectionately, as Pollyanna. I was always in search of ways to make things better, or at least more cheerful.  Yes, I looked on … Continue reading

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Magic in the Moment

By Janet Manders The day started like most others. Recently retired, I had learned to enjoy sliding into and savoring mornings. A huge difference from what I had experienced in prior years as a working mom. For the bulk of … Continue reading

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The Last Concert

By Loriann Knapton We all have gifts. Natural talents that make each one of us unique.  For example, some folks are athletic, setting records that put them on top of podiums, while others can solve complicated math equations. Some work … Continue reading

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A Snippet of Many: It’s Not So Easy

By Marlene Samuels High school in our new American community was, for me, a stress-filled experience that fueled my debilitating sense of dread every school-day morning. I was the proverbial “duck out of water”,  the girl who did not fit … Continue reading

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What the German Knew

by Donald A. Ranard Photos by Ray Oram, a British volunteer who taught English with the author at the lycée. I met the German at the night market in Chiang Mai. The northern Thai city was a small town then, … Continue reading

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Share YOUR “Family Troubles”

For three weeks, my posts have focused on “Family Troubles”–the difficulties we encounter when we put our life stories out in the world, where people whose lives overlap ours can read them. Now I want to hear from you–have you … Continue reading

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