Returning

In this engaging collection, nine seniors return to significant moments in their lives, presenting stories that range from hilarious, to thoughtful, to hauntingly poetic. Discover why one writer takes his name from a railroad line and how another tries to change beauty pageant history. Find out what happens when Uncle Bob, his wife and thirteen children arrive uninvited and stay overnight. Spend spring break with four co-eds who travel to Florida, inspired by the 1960 movie, Where the Boys Are. Learn what it is like to serve in the Vietnam War or as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ethiopia. Grieve with a mother as she copes with the loss of her nine-year-old son. Cheer for the girl who takes on the playground bully. Enjoy "his" and "her" versions of how two of the writers meet and fall in love.

Returning represents the work of a memoir class taught by Shari Wagner and sponsored by the Writers' Center of Indiana and the Indianapolis Senior Center. Wagner's introduction describes the assignments she gave to her class and offers suggestions for writing your own life stories.