for the writers up in this non-fiction piece.

Memoir(and) is the literary magazine I read for.

Prose, poetry, experimental, everything in-between, all memoir.

The magazine is thick with a glossy cover and a wide distribution (indie bookstores, Borders, Barnes and Noble).

We are accepting submissions for Fall+Winter starting November 1st.

You should submit to Memoir(and) because they like emerging writers, and sometimes they even like you so much they'll award you some money.

Good luck.

Memoir (and) Submissions Guidelines

On November 1, Memoir (and) will begin accepting submissions for the Fall+Winter 2009 Issue. This reading period extends from November 1, 2008 to February 15, 2009.

DEADLINE: All entries must be postmarked or entered in our online Submissions Manager by midnight February 15, 2009.

Submitting: The Basics

What to submit
Memoir (and) publishes memoirs in many forms. We strive with each issue to include a selection of prose, poetry, graphic memoirs (visit www.guttergeek.com for reviews of graphic narratives), narrative photography, lies and more. No submission is too unusual or traditional to be considered for publication in Memoir (and).

Contests
We have two reading periods per year; in each reading period, we select the most outstanding submissions and award four prizes:
The Memoir (and) Biannual Prizes for Creative Nonfiction: Grand Prize $500, Second Prize $250, and Third Prize $100.
The Memoir (and) Prize for Graphic Memoir: $100.

There is no fee to enter the contests. All works submitted to Memoir (and) are eligible to win. For more details about the prizes, go to our contest page.

Where to submit
Our favorite way to receive submissions is via our Online Submissions Manager.

We are also happy to accept snail mail submissions. Please mail to:

Memoir (and) Submissions
P.O. Box 1398
Sausalito, CA 94966-1398

When to submit
Our current reading period extends from November 1, 2008 to February 15, 2009. The following reading period will run from May 1, 2009 to August 15, 2009.

_{Click here for further info on submission guidelines!}

bernie mac

you light up my life

My birthday was two days ago. I was in a crotchy mood about it when I woke up that morning (I'm a summer baby but it never feels warm in this city. I was depressed. I always spent the day of my birthday with my mom. I wanted my mom).

But wowee. My days are full of lovely people who I love and who love me, freckled with magical strangers I'll never see again or even meet, and they affect me anyway.

Got taken out for very tasty South Indian brunch at Dosa on Valencia, hung out at Dolores park, taken out to catfish dinner at Crepevine, saw a movie, bought a hoodie, attempted to make little origami stars with my new little origami present things, bought some zines and other reading material to slurp on, chachkas in the mail (in the mail! On a Sunday!) and did all of no chores. Chocolate. More chocolate.

I received a stuffed animal that I had the opportunity to re-gift to a crazy smiley daddy's-french-fries-stealing three year old at the restaurant and she died/drooled/died drooling. So sweet. Now she'll be expecting stuffed animals from every stranger she meets.
They're from Austin, Texas, visiting, they visit a lot.
"What's your name?" her mom said to me.
"Rose."
"Rosebear, honey!" she cooed. "You got a Rosebear!"

It couldn't have been a better birthday.

It couldn't have been a better birthday because there was a moment I was by myself walking (which is the best part, like you have this special day and you're all by yourself and you can watch the ground and watch your feet walking and just be like, "this day is special") and there was this:


For you, this might not have any significance. But for me, being born on August 3rd and all, and happening to celebrate that day on August 3rd of '08, and seeing this stencil on the street on the very day that the date reads and that dream-licking-good Reading-Rainbow-Stevie-Wonder-Free-to-Be-You-and-Me message, right there, "You Light Up My Life," filled me up with so much wonderfulness that it didn't occur to me to consider who or what TBN is.

Tender But Naughty? Take Back the Night? Tryin'a Be Nice?

Doesn't matter.

"You Light Up My Life" reminds me of a sticker with a glowworm on it, on a kid's shirt for winning that Friday's round of the spelling bee.

"You Light Up My Life" is something that my dad would say to me, even right now, like if I asked him, "Dad, do I light up your life?" he might say, "Oh yes, you certainly do," completely straight-faced, and mean it.

"You Light Up My Life" is corny, and beautiful.

But not in the way people's crappy craigslist furniture is "beautiful" like "beautiful floral recliner, $150" and not the kind of beautiful where you sound the "t" like you never said the word "beautiful" before and you're trying it out in your mouth for the first time, or you're just one of those uptight people who always sounds your "t"s, like "romantic" and even when you say "often".

"You Light Up My Life" is like, what people say when they're being really honest, and really brave.

I just found out I have a readership. By readership I mean more than one person reads my blog. I thought it was just Corisa. Turns out Jenelle, this rad chick from high school, although we didn't hang out much, although we probably should have, reads my blog. And that for me, makes a readership.

And I didn't know it 'till now. Like, didn't know Jenelle read this thing I write until I went back home to Chicago and saw her, and she told me.

And it made me feel all inspired to say more to people, like, "Hey, just so you know, I read your stuff."

I've noticed when we say "I love you" on the phone, we sound like we're part of some secret cult.

"Talk to you later."
"Okay, I love you."
"I love you, too."

I wonder what someone would say if it was like,

"Talk to you later."
"All right. Talk to you later."
"Okay, I love you."
"You light up my life."

And then hang up really fast.

W.W.D.T.D.F.D. (what would duct tape dress form do)

Duct tape dress form, my personal savior, thank you for being my divine model, and for hanging in my closet from a hanger waiting to be resurrected with stuffing of plastic bags, old pillows, and whatever else I can find around the house.

I mummified myself in your glory and when I did it looked like this:


See how unearthly and spiritual?

And then you opened yourself with infinite love:


Thank you for saving a wretch like me.

Learn how to make your duct tape dress form here.

uh huh, her

self defense

So I drew this picture of my left hand to show how to strike an attacker across the bridge of their nose, *bonk*, so their eyes water. You wanna hit the guy with that top part of your hand (not the palm or heel of your hand). This way if you miss and go too high, you'll still get the bridge of that nose with the heel of your hand, and if you go too low, you still get part of the nose with the top of your hand. And no matter what, it hurts. Then you should probably run.



This is me throwing the middle part that connects my thumb and index, you know what I'm talking about? into the throat of that padded thing. So yeah, that's a really good one, see the way my hand is? Just like that, just lunge it, right in his throat. Oh, and then run.

Now you have two moves to practice at home on your appliances.

love this place

more reading, less television

underwear = attire (paired with leggings and a hoodie)

everywhere you go there is street art, stencil art, message art

there is an openness about people that is totally unaware of itself

vegetable gardens and lemon trees in the backyards

it's the gayest city in the world and nobody's heard of the laramie project, and while I don't feel love for that, I do feel curiosity

raw, tasteless good taste

everywhere you go, there is dancing. i am dead serious. dancing everywhere you go

when you go to an art show, you might see something like this:



and of course, humor: