MEMOIRIST IDOL | VOTE
Give a Hand to the Final 13 and Cast Your Vote for the First Memoirist Idol
You have a choice and a voice.
Each and every contest is filled with winners.
The people behind the scenes are winners.
The Memoirist Idol contest is in its final stages.
Close to 100 writers opened their lives and let us peek in. Some told helpful lifelong lessons, some made us laugh, and some brought us to tears. All allowed themselves to be vulnerable and every reader benefited as a result.
That makes every entrant a winner.
When we help one another, everybody wins. — Jim Stovall
Our first behind-the-scenes interview with Lisa Gerard Braun
- The term “our” is a liberal application for absolutely no one and should not be construed as a real person, group, or houseplants.
Due to the hectic lives of the writers busy with creating their next memoir, we were only able to have a sit down with one contender for the crown.
Make no mistake, she is special in her own way.
Lisa was not hard to find.
We assumed Lisa would step up her attire for the interview and she didn’t disappoint. She selected her most impressive yoga pants. The elastic was still intact, with no visible holes, and her slippers matched.
We pulled her aside to let her know her sweatshirt was inside out.
A non-embarrassed Lisa confided she knew; it was her favorite. There was no need to throw out a perfectly softened hand-me-down from her daughter and could be worn without displaying “Word Up” in bright pink neon lettering on the front.
We nodded in unison and agreed the American Eagle quality would outlast us all. Perfectly good shirt.
Lisa sat at her kitchen island, gave us breakfast margaritas ~ the breakfast of champions, and offered a stool. Though it was missing a screw from one of the legs, she assured us it was safe.
Her grandson may have taken the hardware to school. She was confident he didn’t eat it because it’s not a Sun Chip or chocolate.
Other than the tilt, the barstool held all of us.
With urgency, Lisa wanted to talk about all the other contestants. She set the “Blues Clues” timer on her stove for 5 minutes. Lisa said it was for the interview, but we suspected it was for the hair removal cream on her upper lip.
We declined Lisa’s generous offer to help remove our mustaches.
How kind of her, though. She is a sharer.
Lisa talked about another finalist’s memoir that continues to stay with her. In its beautifully written, albeit heart-wrenching, approach, the reader was left to ponder, “what would I do?” long after.
That must-read, “On a Day in Melbourne Long Ago I Left a Little Girl to Her Fate” also appears on the list of finalists. According to Lisa, the powerful story inspired her own entry.
The clock was ticking, literally, and we hadn’t gotten to anything we planned to ask. Time was of the essence. We knew Lisa didn’t want a flaming red upper lip, burnt by chemicals.
As we set our recorder to start the actual interview, the kitchen timer loudly proclaimed, “It’s mail time!” The classic line from the Blues Clues kids’ show was jarring in the tiny space.
Lisa gave a rushed goodbye, grabbed tissues for her teary eyes, as well as her lip, exited in her newly adopted speed walking fashion, and left us to our devices.
We poured margaritas for the road and vowed to return for hair removal upon need.
Lisa made us promise to showcase all 13 finalists and the poll. She emphasized how honored she felt to be included with such influential writers. She went a step further and reiterated that she already felt like a winner by participating.
Lisa hopes that everyone involved from the beginning shares her sentiments.
We are winners. Every. single. one. of. us.
Vote Here
- One vote per Medium member
- Polls close on 8/20/22 at 11:59 pm Pacific Time
13 Finalists
The Time I Killed a Butterfly by M.J. Flood
We Were Teenagers Learning Night Moves by Deb Groves Harman
I’m ‘Too Young to be Disabled’ by Allie Funk
How a Turtle Saved Christmas by Kristine Laco
By the Way (A Romance Memoir) by Kimberly Hampton Nilsson
On a Day in Melbourne Long Ago I Left a Little Girl to Her Fate by The Celtic Chameleon
A Teenage Love Affair by AbdulElah (Abi)
A Teacher Saved My Soul: Facebook Let Me Thank Her for Her Keen Eyes 35 Years Later by Lisa Gerard Braun ❤
Running For Her Life — A Woman’s Daring Escape From Captivity by Heather Paz
Vincent — Flying Too Close to the Ground by May More
I Am a Disappointment to My Mother by Terianne Falcone
Little Girl Locked Out by The Sober Vegan Yogi
A Memory of Food Shaming Before It Had a Name by May Y. Yang
Enjoy the memoirs and visit The Memoirist as a reader or a writer. KiKi Walter and her team of editors deserve our humble thanks for hosting such a momentous event where everyone wins.
And don’t forget to vote ❤
Good luck choosing your favorite — there’s talent throughout!
We are winners. Every. single. one. of. us.
Join Medium by clicking on my referral link below for access to thousands of stories that will also support my efforts.
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