Storytelling is a universal means of connection.  

We tell our own stories to make sense of our lives, to connect to others, to explain and entertain, and to capture history. Many of us realize we have something we want to record about what we've experienced or learned along the way. That realization can spur the writing of a memoir or the creating of an oral history. 

The impulse to capture our own stories or those of people close to us often comes down to facing change and recognizing the passage of time.  Memories and details can become slippery, nuances can fade. Creating a memoir or oral history is often about pinning down the ephemeral before the grounding, framing details slip away. Silverplume Press is here to help you do exactly that. 

A memoir is not an autobiography. It often doesn't cover a subject's entire life, or necessarily unfold chronologically. It's narrower in focus, and the point of entry is less daunting. A memoir doesn't have to be an evaluation or total assessment of your life. That's harder than it needs to be. It's a viewpoint. 

Frank McCourt, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Angela's Ashes, made a visceral distinction between autobiography and memoir. He likened the autobiography to journalism, saying it should be more stringent, adhering more strictly to the "truth." The memoir, he said, "gives you more scope, is more poetic and allows you to play around more with your own life." Have fun.