Author, Teacher and Rock Star.

Laurie Lindeen is a woman with many talents; the author of Petal Pushers and the current anthology Drinking Diaries, teacher of memoir writing at The Loft and former rock star from the all women indy rock band, Zuzu’s Petals.

She is going to be our guest this evening here at Magers and Quinn at 7:30 to discuss her new book.

Drinking Diaries: Women Serve Their Stories Straight Up

We would love it if you could stop by to not only to see her but to see her wonderful display of book recommendations.

If you are a regular customer or blog reader, you may remember last month when we featured recommendations from local musician Dylan Hicks. Laurie’s recommendations will continue our new tradition of featuring talented folks in our community that are notable in their respected worlds, whether it is in music, writing, food or education.

Laurie recommends…

GREAT MODERN MEMOIRS:  As a practitioner of that sticky genre
 of memoir writing, I am drawn to the art of  great story
 telling that utilizes all of the elements of the best fiction writing 
 while working with the raw chaotic materials of real life.  I believe
 that the writer of memoir is not allowed to make stuff up.

 IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER: (well known master works such as
 THE LIAR'S CLUB, ANGELA'S ASHES, THIS BOY'S LIFE,TRUTH & BEAUTY, WILD,
 THE GLASS CASTLE & everything SEDARIS, LAMOTT, EGGERS,  and 
 KLOSTERMAN excluded but enthusiastically recommended -- they
 don't need my plug.)
 
  SO YOU WANNA BE A ROCK AND ROLL STAR, Jacob Slichter
 Semisonic drummer Slichter artfully re-creates the personal & 
 professional journey that plummeted this Minneapolis band to the top of the charts in
 the late '90s.  Written with thoughtfulness, skill, and wit, a 
 fascinating tale for musicians and music lovers as well of fans of great writing.

 EVERYTHING I'M CRACKED UP TO BE, Jen Trynin
 In the mid 1990s Trynin found herself in one of the largest major
 record label bidding wars of that time when
 indie artists were being wined and dine based on the meteoric
 success of Nirvana's NEVERMIND.  A funny, heartbreaking account
 of an artist as a young woman feeling her way through life and big 
 business..

 THE BILL FROM MY FATHER, Bernard Cooper
 A most heart-breaking and at times hilarious account of a man
 trying to know and understand his baffling father in both life and 
 death.  Cooper is a poet and his prose is gorgeous.
 
  THE TENDER BAR, J.R. Moehringer
 The romantic allure of a bar named Dicken's is the main character in this coming of age memoir. 
Moehringer finds family, salvation, and community
 inside this Long Island watering hole until it catches up with him in 
 that way that bars often do.

 LOVE IS A MIX TAPE, Rob Sheffield 
This memoir is about two young music lovers in love set in the late 
 '80s and early '90s. Anyone interested in the great music from those years and capable of 
 appreciating a heart-breaking love story will be forever moved by Sheffield's 
 great big heart.

 DARKROOM, Jill Christman
 A criminally under-appreciated master work, DARKROOM is one of the most
 gorgeously written, wise and thoughtful memoirs I have ever read. 
 Dealing with family tragedy, abuse, and self-destructiveness, Christman is never a  victim but
 instead a clear-eyed witness who overcomes unspeakable adversity.
 
 UNDRESS ME IN THE TEMPLE OF HEAVEN, Susan Jane Gilman
 Why this was never a bestseller is beyond me.  A recounting of a youthful
 trip to the far corners of the earth with an unstable travel 
 companion, this
 memoir is beautifully written and riveting.

 I COULD TELL YOU STORIES, Patricia Hampl
 St. Paul's Hampl is, to my mind, the foremost expert and practitioner 
 of memoir writing today.  All of her memoirs are superb, but this one is an essay collection
 discussing and deconstructing the genre and the way it can and should
 be practiced.  I consider it a memoirist's bible.
 
 THE BOYS OF MY YOUTH, Joanne Beard
 A beautifully wrought essay collection by another of our great  memoirist, it's
 the book from which I pluck most of my teaching materials.  Beard's eye
 for sensory detail is second to none, and her writing voice is  crystal clear, funny, and thoughtful.

NOT THAT YOU ASKED, Steve Almond
 Because we need to laugh out loud while reading as often as possible,
 this one had me in stitches, and it's wise, thoughtful, and well-written.
 
THE IMPORTANCE OF MUSIC TO GIRLS, Lavinia Greenlaw
 A haunting memoir about an English childhood in the 1970s.  Music
 is the governing theme while Greenlaw examines with a sharp eye for 
 detail family and social issues.

TOWNIE, Andre Dubus III
 An incredible account of a challenging childhood and quest for identity,
 this is the modern day answer to Frank Conroy's STOP-TIME.
 
 
We have plenty of these fine books on display. 
 Come on in and check them out! 

Thanks to Laurie for sharing with us.