The Monthly Memoir Writing Program has curated their work into several books, e-books and video memoir anthologies. We welcome you to enjoy the stories, and hope that it inspires you to put your own stories on paper.
Friendship Memoir Anthology
Welcome to the Friendship Memoir Anthology prepared by participants of the Memoir Writing for Seniors program offered by Powell River Public Library. This is a collection of thirteen insightful memoirs about friendship, set both in the qathet region and in other parts of the world. Click on the link below to view the whole playlist.
– Mark Merlino, Anthology Editor
Local History
Welcome to video memoirs that were prepared by participants of the Memoir Writing for Seniors program offered by Powell River Public Library, including memoirs from the Memories of the Mill Anthology produced in partnership with the qathet Historical Museum and Archives. This is an insightful collection of memoirs related to local history. Click on the link below to view the whole playlist.
– Mark Merlino, Anthology Editor
Time: A Memoir Anthology
Welcome to ‘Time’ A Memoir Anthology prepared by participants of the Memoir Writing for Seniors program offered by Powell River Public Library. This is an insightful collection of memoirs on the theme of time and set both in the qathet region and in other parts of the world. Click on the link below to view the whole playlist.
– Mark Merlino, Anthology Editor
The Coast: A Memoir Anthology
Welcome to ‘The Coast’ A Memoir Anthology prepared by participants of the Memoir Writing program offered by Powell River Public Library in collaboration with the qathet Historical Museum and Archives. It is a rich collection of coastal stories from both in our own region and from other places in the world. Click on the link below to view the whole playlist.
– Mark Merlino, Anthology Editor
Treasures: A Memoir Anthology
This e-book is available for download in PDF, MOBI (Kindle Friendly) and EPUB (Kobo friendly)
“Welcome to a book of treasures! This is a book of 26 treasures, to be exact; written by some of the many participants of the Memoir Writing program offered by Powell River Public Library. It is a rich and personal collection of true stories with a diverse range of topics: treasured people, including a war-time saint, a brother, and two mothers; 30 precisely experienced minutes in nature; a couple of goldmines; a magic room; valuable rings; a trip to a cemetery; one egg timer; two enchanted mice; a healing harp; an actual buried treasure; and much more.”
—an excerpt from the introduction written by Sandra Tonn, editor
Enjoy the launch video here, featuring seven of the 26 authors:
Trouble: A Memoir Anthology
This e-book is available for download in PDF, MOBI (Kindle Friendly) or EPUB
“Welcome to a book full of trouble! All true stories, all written by seniors participating in the Powell River Public Library’s Memoir Writing program. This fifth memoir anthology published by the Library, has the theme of “trouble” tying the stories together. Usually it takes some time and work for the writers to come up with a story to match the annual theme, but not this time! It seems trouble is at the essence of many good stories and a natural part of how we live, learn, and grow. Some of the trouble in this anthology is fun, like purple hair and boogeymen, while other stories share tales of abuse, injury, and the need for courage. All of the stories are personal and offered with a wish to inspire, entertain, or simply share some true trouble from a true life.”
—an excerpt from the introduction written by Sandra Tonn
Tricky: A Memoir Anthology
The e-book is available for download in PDF, MOBI (Kindle Friendly) or EPUB
“Welcome to a book of tricky tales—all true stories, all written by seniors participating in the Powell River Public Library’s Memoir Writing program. This fourth memoir anthology published by the Library, has the theme of “tricky” tying the stories together. Some of the tricks are obvious—an outhouse prank, a Halloween ritual, the trick to getting the TV to work, and a magic show, which was the inspiration for the cover of this book. Other tricky stories are subtler—the trick to unlearning racism, finding the courage to do the right thing, and the tricks of the moon. All of the stories are personal and offered with a wish to inspire, entertain, or simply share a tricky story from life.”
—an excerpt from the introduction written by Sandra Tonn
Turning Points: A Memoir Anthology
The e-book is available for download in PDF, MOBI (Kindle Friendly) or EPUB formats.
“Turning Points is a book of 18 true stories–all written by seniors participating in the Powell River Public Library’s Memoir Writing fprogram. Some of the turning points are obvious—a pregnancy, the onset of a war, a decision to trust a face unlike one’s own, and a bus on a road with dangerous turns. Other turning points are subtler—the passing of time after a significant loss, the loss of one’s chopsticks, and a lesson learned via a can of peas, which was the inspiration for the cover of this book. All of the stories are personal and offered with an authentic intent to inspire, entertain, or simply share a turning point remembered.”
—an excerpt from the introduction written by Sandra Tonn
Taboo: A Memoir Anthology
The e-book is available for download in PDF, MOBI (kindle friendly) or EPUB formats.
“When I suggested “taboo” as a theme for our memoir writing project, some of the seniors were apprehensive. … It wasn’t until the submitting and editing process was complete that the 23 writers who participated all agreed it was a wonderful topic. I think you, the reader, will agree. Some stories show how taboos have changed over the years and others show how far we still have to go. Some are funny and others are heart-breaking. All them are 100 percent true, which is the bitter sweetness of memoir writing. I often say, “You couldn’t make this stuff up!” It’s that real. Each writer’s intention was to share a taboo slice of life and they’ve all succeeded wonderfully.”
—an excerpt from the introduction written by Sandra Tonn
Slices: A Memoir Anthology
Available at the library, check our catalogue for availability or to place a hold.
“While the 36 authors featured in this anthology live in Powell River, their stories take the reader to a stunning and surprisingly diverse range of times and places—as far away as England, Burma, and Africa, to an ice rink in Toronto, airport security in Calgary, and Canada’s Yukon on a frozen day. Readers will travel as far back as the Second World War and to events from just few years ago. And of course, some stories are from Powell River’s history—lessons from a Brooks high school biology class, a pet seagull at the Ragged Islands, and drama in a Texada Island hotel. The publication’s title, Slices, describes the type of memoir writing the authors do—not the whole, chronological recording of life, but instead the capturing and crafting of slices of life. Each of the authors is a graduate of the Library’s Memoir Writing for Seniors program.”
—an excerpt from the introduction written by Sandra Tonn