Who would have thought that years after Hemingway's legendary challenge to wrote a whole novel in six words-"For sale: baby shoes, never worn"-he would have unintentionally created one of the hottest trends on the web? In 2006, SMITH Magazine gave the six-word story a personal twist, calling it the Six-Word Memoir. Hundreds of thousands of people responded to the challenge of summing up your life in six words, launching an Internet meme, book series and live event series across the country.
On Oct 4, Six-Word Memoirs returns to 92YTribeca with a new show with a six-word title and wonderful theme: "Let Me in You Narrative Whore" -- A Six-Word Memoir Story Show on the Creative Life. Six performers will each start with a Six-Word Memoir about the creative life and then open it up into a six-minute backstory.
You'll hear true tales about-
• The creation moment of the smash fiction series and Broadway musical "Wicked" from its creator, Gregory Maguire;
• What it was like to be a year out of the Ivy League and headed to Woody Creek, CO to be Hunter S. Thompson's newest assistant;
• The mental and physical hazards involved in trying to edit a certain unstabile female rapper's memoir;
• The travails of a voice-over artist;
• And much, much more, including a story set to music by off-Broadway favorite, Joe Iconis.
One storyteller will be selected from our 'Six Words on the Writing Life" Facebook challenge to
invited on stage and be part of the show. The evening ends with an audience "Six-Word Slam" with prizes awarded to the best Six-Worders.
• Door/Happy Hour ($6 drink specials): 6pm-7pm
• Show: 7pm (sharp)
• Advance tickets recommended HERE!
RSVP and enter your Six-Word Memoirs on the Wall.
Gregory Maguire is the author of many books including "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West," which became the Broadway sensation, "Wicked." He is the founder and codirector of Children's Literature New England, Incorporated, a nonprofit educational charity established in 1987.
Wesley Morris is a film critic at the Boston Globe, where he recently became the fourth film critic in history to win the Pulitzer Prize. He also writes about style in sports for Grantland.
Colin Nissan writes TV commercials, humor essays for publications including McSweeney's, and books. Okay, one book called "Don't Be That Guy."
Cheryl Della Pietra is a freelance copy editor and writer based in Connecticut. She has written for Marie Claire, Redbook, and P.O.V. Magazine, among others. She is working on a novel based on her experiences as Hunter S. Thompson's assistant in Woody Creek, Colorado.
Joe Iconis, www.MrJoeIconis.com, is a writer and performer found on and off the stage. He's the author of The Black Suits (book co-written by Robert Maddock, recently seen at Barrington Stage Co.), Bloodsong of Love: The Rock 'n' Roll Spaghetti Western (Ars Nova), ReWrite (Urban Stages, Goodspeed Opera House Festival of New Artists), and Theaterworks USA's The Plant That Ate Dirty Socks and We The People (The Lucille Lortel Theater, National Tour). He's the recipient of some fancy musical theater prizes, creator of the album "Things To Ruin.
Tricia Boczkowski is Editor-at-Large for Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, specializing in memoir and fiction. Her authors range from debut novelists to celebrities and comedians, such as Chelsea Handler, Samantha Bee, Michael Ian Black, Tim Gunn, Stanley Tucci, and Mackenzie Phillips, among others.
Twanna A. Hines, aka Funky Brown Chick (funkybrownchick.com), is a New York-based writer, experienced sex educator and reproductive rights advocate. Who the Village Voice called one of "the internet's sultriest sharers."
Videos