Performance Memoir

A typical, frustrating, impossible, funny, and glorious outing with an infant and toddler.

Benjamin Franklin left behind quite a legacy as an inventor, politician, and philosopher. Yet when he first arrived in Philadelphia, his future wife thought he had “a most awkward, ridiculous appearance.” Franklin recalls that this was because at the time he was carrying a large dinner roll under each arm and eating a third as he walked down the street. This delightful excerpt from his memoir shows how Franklin got his start in the printing business and demonstrates his skill as a humorist.

At 8,000 words, this collection of humorous essays explores such quirky topics as: disastrous home repairs, ("A Trip to the Hardware Store"), an unfortunate dinner party ("Dinner is Served"), the truth about lazy people ("Lazy Bones"), the weird life of a debt collector ("Your Account is Past Due") and obsessions with gadgets ("Gadget Girl"). Other essays examine how surreal the aging process is ("Where Did the Time Go?")

This is a guide on how to fight a bigfoot, or at least how to increase your chance of survival surrounding a fight with the giant apelike beast known as bigfoot. The odds are against you, but that doesn't mean it's absolutely impossible.

These four short biographical stories of teenage delusions mainly recount the early days in actor, film director, and writer Griffin Dunne's life. Whether he's filling someone else's shoes in a new job, trying to impress an older girlfriend, or attempting to get noticed by a President, Dunne's stories are sure to engage and entertain.

An entertainer opens up about the dangers of “taking your work home with you” and reveals the internal struggle she faced spiritually when the pressure to perform professionally manifested in her personal life.