After a trip back to my hometown this spring, where I worked with three classes of sixth graders and Mrs. Nixon’s third graders, which created this amazing six-word memoir book of their own, I was asked to talk to students at my high school in Moorestown, NJ. It’s slightly surreal to return to the place you came from as a quasi-celebrity (emphasis quasi;); my first attempt at journalism was a movie review for The Voice, my high school newspaper. I went on to edit that paper, one advised by the uber-cool Perri Geller, who now goes by Perri Geller-Clark, and remains the adult heart and soul of the public school’s journalism program. I saw her, and a few other familiar faces last week—what a kick.

But the biggest kick was seeing some 80 new faces, students who were interested in writing, or storytelling, or just wanted an excuse to bust out of their other classes so hear some old guy tell his story (including how I was once suspended for broadcasting a simulated sex tape over the school’s PA system; good times). When I was done yapping, I asked them for their story (in, of course, six words), and they shined. Above is a lovely six-word memoir from Grace, who reveals, “Urban Hippie Loves Sunshine and Rain.” Below are a few more six-word memoirs from MHS teens. If you’re reading this MHS—or any teens for that matter—make sure you submit your six-word memoirs at SMITHTeens. And thanks for not throwing spitballs.

Across the world, students, teachers, churches, and organizations with names like the Hypoparathyroidism Association (devoted to helping folks with a rare medical disorder) have used the six-word memoir to inspire, encourage, and even help heal. We love hearing how six-word memoirs find their way into lives and organizations.

We just heard from the New York-based Writopia Lab, a community of young writers, ages 9-19, who come together to develop short stories, journalistic pieces, personal essays, poetry, and dramatic and comedic scripts. In other words, these kids love storytelling in its many shapes and forms. Founder Rebecca Wallace-Segall recently sent over an incredible list of six-word memoirs from Writopia. “They loved developing these,” emailed Wallace-Segall. “Many have been featured on your site over the last weeks. It means so much to us and to them. Thank you especially for creating such a meaningful (and fun) literary event.”

From “”Cried hard on the indifferent bed” to “She’s blind, we love to talk” to “Grandma’s blue veins emboss her skin” the words from the Writopia kids are personal, insightful, and poignant—exemplifying all that’s possible when teens take the six-word memoir challenge. On October 14, Writopia’s six-word memoirists will be reading at the Barnes & Noble in the NYC’s West Village, and nine others will be reading excerpts from their short stories and memoirs. After the jump, read what emerged from the minds of 16 teens, six words at a time. Read more »

When South Texas English teachers Adriana Castillo Solis and Stephanie Sauceda heard about Six-Word Memoirs, they immediately thought of their students. Nine classes studied the book, wrote their own memoirs, and created accompanying painting, photos, or collages.

Adriana writes “Initially, our project seemed like just a fun thing to do but it ended up being something with tremendous power that had a great impact on many of the students and parents. We literally had some students cry when they were working on their project. It was a powerful experience for them to go through and for us as their teachers to witness.”

The teachers then organized a gallery show and invited family and friends to see the art, commemorating the success of the event with a t-shirt adorned with all the memoirs.

Below, see the shirt and a small selection of the students’ work:

“Shattered, mended restored; rewind, press play.” -Krystal Ramirez, 11th Grade
“Name David, but feel like Goliath” -David Serna, 10th Grade
“I strongly believe in my dreams.” -Jennifer Guerrero, 11th Grade
“I’m a genius with a headache.” -Atalie Gonzalez, 10th Grade
“Millions of emotions – not enough space…” -Olivia Losoya, 11th Grade
“Living life hidden prevents being judged.” -Theresa Corona, 11th Grade
“I’m not crazy, just special.” -Joshua Covarrubias, 11th Grade

When it comes to harnessing the dual powers of the internet and self-expression to build passionate community and understanding, PostSecret is the gold standard. Face it, folks, Frank Warren is the Pope of the Intimacy Revolution. When we saw him speak at SXSW, there were rock-star screams, group tears, and a marriage proposal. So when he asked us to answer some questions for his new blog project, we almost proposed marriage ourselves. PostSecret fans no longer need to bait breath until Sunday; Frank’s Saturday blog is the perfect amuse bouche. Here’s our interview about six-word memoirs—in the first day it had 3,000 comments! Many were six-word memoirs by teens. Don’t forget to submit those here.

Our first book of six-word memoirs, Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs from Writers Famous & Obscure featured life stories from “I’m ten and have an attitude” to “Seventy years, few tears, hairy ears.” Clearly it’s a concept that spans generations. But some of our very favorite responses came from teenagers, those smart, sassy, angst-filled truth-tellers whose lives are changing by the minute. Next year, HarperTeen will publish a six-word memoir book just for them, written by memoirists who are 13 to 19 years old. Are you one? Submit here. Know one? Send them here. Tell all your friendly neighborhood teachers, librarians, scout leaders, youth group facilitators, and real live adolescents. Email (rachel at smithmag dot net) if you and your teens want to get more involved. We’re so excited to publish the next generation of brilliant storytellers, and confident they’ll use the form in ways the rest of us never imagined. Bring it on…

Welcome to the newly launched www.smithteens.com. We hope you’ll take a look around and submit your six-word memoir.

This site is solely for those who’ve spent less than 20 years on the planet (you’re going to have to do the math yourself). We’re collecting your stories and views for upcoming books, so take a moment to think about your life so far, then spill it.

There’s a range of ages here, and some others here will be younger than you, so let’s keep this a clean and friendly place where everyone feels comfortable telling their stories.

Have fun, and have at it!