Just reading this post, let alone the full index, makes me so excited to read your new book.
You reminded me of something we did for years. At the end of every year, we’d create what we’d call the “Index Schmindex” in the spirit of Harper’s Index. It was a highly specific encapsulation of the year, and as you wrote, “an act of meaning making”.
The more irreverent part (the Schmindex) also captured the silly things often forgotten, the things that might not make the typically “meaningful” cut, but that grounded the list in specific memories of a place and time.
Reading this post, I think it’s time to resurrect the annual Index Schmindex. Thank you!
I’m working on a 64000 word memoir writing challenge hosted by Richard Beard, creator and author at universalturingmachine.co.uk. (UTM)
The project is an invitation calling on us human memoirists to collectively and publicly submit our memoirs, to be freely read by anyone.
Beard selects 8 memoirs each six months, increasing the availability of more stories across the world. It is not an analog exercise or written in a chronological way as most memoirs or autobiographies are, but more like reading across a chess board - 1000 words at a time for every year, lived (and if you’re younger than 64) imagined before you were born). It’s a fascinating group project. So far I haven’t seen an Index! So far I haven’t made my index for a year lived. Now I will ask Beard if we can include one. Thanks Priya! Check out the UTM!
What an edifying post! Even as a librarian's daughter and someone who often turns first to the index, I admit I hadn't given all that much thought to the indexing process. As Barbara says, I'm excited to receive your new book for the index alone! Thanks for the sneak peak into your thinking process.
I appreciate you thinking like your readers will; I'll definitely be using the book as a reference work I can turn to again and again, and the index will be invaluable.
Super excited for this book (and for Anand's too!... both are pre-ordered) -- and also looking forward to hearing you speak at Chataqua soon. In the meantime I'm going to take the life-indexing prompt and run with it.
Just reading this post, let alone the full index, makes me so excited to read your new book.
You reminded me of something we did for years. At the end of every year, we’d create what we’d call the “Index Schmindex” in the spirit of Harper’s Index. It was a highly specific encapsulation of the year, and as you wrote, “an act of meaning making”.
The more irreverent part (the Schmindex) also captured the silly things often forgotten, the things that might not make the typically “meaningful” cut, but that grounded the list in specific memories of a place and time.
Reading this post, I think it’s time to resurrect the annual Index Schmindex. Thank you!
Oh my goodness I love this! We should all do an Index Shmindex at the end of the year together 🤣
I love this idea and definitely want to make an Index Schmindex during a a New Year’s Eve open house.
I’m working on a 64000 word memoir writing challenge hosted by Richard Beard, creator and author at universalturingmachine.co.uk. (UTM)
The project is an invitation calling on us human memoirists to collectively and publicly submit our memoirs, to be freely read by anyone.
Beard selects 8 memoirs each six months, increasing the availability of more stories across the world. It is not an analog exercise or written in a chronological way as most memoirs or autobiographies are, but more like reading across a chess board - 1000 words at a time for every year, lived (and if you’re younger than 64) imagined before you were born). It’s a fascinating group project. So far I haven’t seen an Index! So far I haven’t made my index for a year lived. Now I will ask Beard if we can include one. Thanks Priya! Check out the UTM!
What an edifying post! Even as a librarian's daughter and someone who often turns first to the index, I admit I hadn't given all that much thought to the indexing process. As Barbara says, I'm excited to receive your new book for the index alone! Thanks for the sneak peak into your thinking process.
I appreciate you thinking like your readers will; I'll definitely be using the book as a reference work I can turn to again and again, and the index will be invaluable.
As a library science grad, I love this subject so much.
Super excited for this book (and for Anand's too!... both are pre-ordered) -- and also looking forward to hearing you speak at Chataqua soon. In the meantime I'm going to take the life-indexing prompt and run with it.