Life Story Links: June 2, 2026

curated roundups

Jul 27

“Is not the poet bound to write his own biography? Is there any other work for him but a good journal? We do not wish to know how his imaginary hero, but how he, the actual hero, lived from day to day.”
—Henry David Thoreau, The Journal of Henry David Thoreau, 1837–1861

Vintage photograph of the South Street waterfront in New York City, 1935, by Berenice Abbott, courtesy the Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection, The New York Public Library Digital Collections.

Personal history potluck

INTERGENERATIONAL CONNECTIONS
“You might not think calling your grandkids on the phone could invoke more than clipped answers—‘school was okay,’ ‘I have a flag football game later…’—but I guarantee using video and a few of these ideas will rouse spirited—and meaningful—conversation.” Last week I wrote about how to be proactive sharing your stories with your grandkids.

A LEGACY OF VALUES
“While leaving a legacy may feel more urgent for older adults who feel the pressing nature of limited time, some scholars argue the drive to leave one can—and maybe should—begin earlier in life.”

‘THE STORIES MAKE MY MOM COME ALIVE’
Comedian Gus Constantellis shares how his Greek mom inspired a heartfelt cookbook—called, hilariously, My Greek Mom’s Recipes: She Died. I Wrote This Cookbook—filled with family recipes, humor, and memories:

SEARCHING FOR FAMILY
“At age fifty-eight, I discovered my biological family from a DNA test that [my adoptive mother] had given to me. I found an unbelievable connection to my biological father and learned he had been with me most of my life…. The story I discovered, my story, was a true war story.”

BOOKS ABOUT MEMORY
“I’m fascinated by how memory works, how it is organized, all the methods that have been developed to increase it and explore it and to summon images from the depths of the past. I write about my own memories and those of other people because that is the history I pursue: the subjective experience of time.”

‘WHEN BIOGRAPHY GOES DELULU’
“The process of discerning the truth from illusion was an unexpected yet crucial task in researching and writing my book, Follow the Signs, a hybrid biography that combines the story of Goodman’s life alongside my quest to create an authentic portrait of her.”