Laurie Hertzel

By Laurie Hertzel

Like any good student, I sat in the front row, took diligent notes, and believed, for a while, everything my teachers said. As a young newspaper reporter, I had ambitions beyond daily journalism, so for years I attended as many workshops and seminars as possible, studying narrative writing, fiction, and, eventually, memoir.

“I own my story,” I obediently jotted during a memoir lecture—or words to that effect. “No one has the right to tell me what I can or can’t write.”

But when I began working on my first memoir, I realized that it’s not that simple. Yes, I own my story—that is, I have the right to tell the stories of my life.  But I don’t live in a vacuum, and in order to tell my stories I cannot help but tell the stories of others. Do I have that right? Do I have the…

Anymore, people seem to think they don’t have time to read for pleasure.

Longridge Review is here to help you fix that.

Grab a cup of coffee and get comfortable with the gorgeous visual tones of artist Michael Teel, then peruse these terrific new essays:

• Within an Inch of My Life
  Faith Gong (Vermont) reflects on chasing perfection after the grades stop, and in the process reveals a lifelong struggle that is both chilling and inspiring.

• Temple Bar
  Patricia Hopper (West Virginia) takes the reader to her childhood Ireland, complete with sights, smells, sounds, and people.

• Marybelle
  Connie Kinsey (West Virginia) is haunted by the ghost of a little girl in her elementary school decades ago.

• The Space in Between
  Susan Krakoff (Ireland) grapples with slivers of memories about her father.

• Doubt Matters
  Jeremy Paden (Kentucky) explores the dark fires of doubt, losing faith, and an emerging new concept of…