For six weeks beginning Tuesday, July 30, 2024, we will read Places We Left Behind: A Memoir-in-Miniature by Jennifer Lang. Please obtain a copy of this book as soon as possible.

Places We Left Behind is built on sixty-three linear micro-memoirs.

The memoir covers twenty years of Lang living in different places across continents, but at the center of this memoir is her and her husband’s relationship, beliefs, choices, and search for home.

In Places We Left Behind, we’ll see how Lang writes a memoir by stringing snapshots of her life written in miniature while utilizing a variety of structures.

It’s written unlike any life story I’ve ever read, and I believe it will give you options of how you might write your memoir in flashes rather than a full-length book.

We’ll spend six weeks studying Places We Left Behind, and I’ll give you questions to stimulate discussion in our book study sessions. Each week, we’ll read about fifteen pages. Here is the reading schedule for this book.

For these six weeks, I want you to pick a theme, subject, or topic—call it what you will—and write a story of 300 words or less related to your theme. Then, post your story on the current week’s page.

If you need a bit of help coming up with a possible theme, here’s a list compiled by Darien Gee, micro-memoir writer and instructor extraordinaire. Gee’s website is Writer-ish and has many great resources for writers of this genre. You can also use a time period in your life. Sound good?

I know it’s somewhat of a departure from what you’ve been doing since we began this session, but I think this will be a fun, exciting time of reading and writing.

Make plans to attend next Tuesday’s Q&A/Help a Member session. We will use that time to review our six-week study of Places We Left Behind, and I’ll answer any questions you have.

If you’d like to learn more about Jennifer Lange and Places We Left Behind, check out these articles and interviews:

Review of Places We Left Behind in Hippocampus Magazine

Interview with Jennifer Lang for the Jewish Women’s Archive

“Finding the Mini in Memoir,” an interview with Jennifer Lang in Brevity

Jennifer Lang interview on 1455 Author Series

Jennifer Lang’s website, Israel Writers Studio