In November 2006, Larry Smith, founder of SMITH Magazine, asked his online writing community this question. Since then, the Six-Word Memoir project has become a global phenomenon! They have created books using some of their favorite memoirs, such as “Six Words Fresh Off the Boat: Stories of Immigration, Identity, and Coming to America” featured in this video.
The organization’s website is completely entertaining! Under the “Six Press “tab, media outlets praise the organization … in six words of course! TIME Magazine contributed “Words few, hard-hitting. So participatory.” Oprah’s offering – “Not Quite What I Was Planning.”
Celebrity six-word memoirs under the “Community” tab include Lin-Manual Miranda’s “Immigrants, we get the job done,” and Amy Tan’s “Former Boss: Writing’s your worst skill.” The “Six Blog” tab features the best of Six-Word stories by schools, communities, and contest submissions. For a treasure trove of stories, check out the “Topics” tab, which includes collections of amazing memoirs such as Backstories, Advice, Love, and Pandemic Stories.