Six Word Memoirs

Inspired by the book Not Quite What I was Planning: Six Word Memoirs from Writers Famous and Obscure, edited by Penn alumni Larry Smith and Rachel Fershleiser, the Hub decided to write their own six-word stories.

Have your own six-word contribution? Email us! wh@writing.upenn.edu

Sunny outside, but it's cloudy inside.

Anonymous

Mirror held truth. Mind held fantasy.

Lisa Marie Lopez

Parents love like a candle bright.

Ren Aldrich

Learn to teach. Teach to learn.

Jessica Brent

Don't contractions count as two words?

Thomas Abers Lourenço

My eyes, they deceive me daily.

Jude Ratajczak

Fretful, but less so when outside.

Bart Hollingsworth

Never let NO-ONE steal your joy!

Stormyweather Banks

Expect and accept unexpected and unacceptable.

Judi Gedcke

Anticipation is not just about ketchup.

Amy Hostetter

Out of everyone, I chose you.

Samantha Yanez-Chavez

you must live through the night

Leslie Loredo

Found a new mountain to scale

Melody Wren

I came, I saw, I conquered!

Sheldon Fredrickson

live. contemplate. learn. keep moving forward.

Grace Juhlin

Never really am where I want.

Irvin P. Delatorre

Ringling Bros. demise - the bookkeeper's balance

Ken Olson

Others seldom rise to my expectations.

Debra Posthumus

A reader longing for the stars.

Rajshri Thakur

Looking ahead. Looking back. No middle.

Gabe Oppenheim

My. pace. is so different…SEE?

Radall Hogue

I love being indoctrinated by you

Violette Carb

So many spaces, so few words.

Greg Djanikian

chocolate chip cookie endowment coming soon

Sarah Arkebauer

pacifist: an enemy of the state

Ken Olson

moved every year then came home.

Allison Harris

So, um, what's up with you?

Sam Donsky

Sometimes I have a good notion.

Al Filreis

I still dance to "Octopus's Garden."

Kristen Martin

I am looking for the (g)riot.

Greg Romero

Sounded much better in my head.

Chris Milione

ask me again in a month

Jessica Lowenthal

Striving to remain childLIKE not -ish

Mingo Reynolds

Train Insane or Remain the Same

a student from Mason City Schools

riverrun, Finnegans Wake unread too long the

Ryan Godfrey

Google knows me, therefore I am.

Chris Mustazza

What I didn't expect changed me.

Kathy Lou Schultz

The French: "1987--a bad vintage."

Max McKenna

Music tastes just as good as

Ben Epstein

This then

 is it

  is it ?

f.manweiler

It took longer than I thought.

Kerry Sherin Wright

These years writing about those ones.

Jamie-Lee Josselyn

Bastard child of (moon)light laughter. Ha!

Jerry Rudasill

Slightly awkward, clumsy, asks many questions

Tahneer Oksman

Sometimes "awkward" is a good thing.

Lindsey Rosin

possible. Wishing I could go back. Im

Lee Huttner

The experience was worth the risk.

Arielle Brousse

I can do it in five.

John Carroll

Some talent, big chip on shoulder

Sam Allingham

On second blush, it reads more

Kaegan Sparks

prone to confessions (of a variety)

Trisha Low

no rhyming. loose ends are more

Rivka Fogel

Buried all dreams, without a tear.

Farzana Ali

poetic attempts to win your favor

Michelle Newman

I made a choice about business.

Michelle Taransky

幸福一无所有

Jerry Yue Liu| 刘悦

If it's hard, am I missing something?

Chris Rippel

Are my forgotten events, still meaningful?

Chris Rippel

Finding balance between meaning vs. happiness.

Chris Rippel

Thanks for the opportunity. Choose one.

Chris Rippel

Tried not to remember but did.

Paul Hansen

He betrayed me. Married the dog!

Patricia O'Connor

Attention all Fortnite gamers EX DEE

Justin Pelling

Change what you are complaining about.

Doug Beach

A PERSISTENT UNPREDICTABLE JOURNEY THROUGH TIME.

Mohnish Singh

We did not say our farewell.

Peter Schwarz

Waves of grief, drowning the soul.

Paula Wychopen

Books are not just for staring.

Iqra Azam

Constant energy that cannot be focused.

Bryan Hutchins

i see you lurking. watch This.

Trivius Caldwell

Her dreams kept her reality warm.

Lisa Anne Pottle

We all belong only to time.

Wendy Wolff

it was not right with you

Dorothea Lasky

love go up down stop forget

Seth Laracy

How to fit/function/be okay.

Emma Morgenstern

frequently "awkward" is a good thing

Lindsey Rosin

live and die by your words

Talia Stinson

I should have brought a GPS.

Karen Rile

Felled by dreams, saved by friends

Sylvie Beauvais

Eat. Shit. Fuck. Laugh. Cry. Die.

Peter Nichols

It's simpler than they tell you.

Josh Kruger

I came. I saw. I sat.

Eric Karlan

there's always something to laugh about.

Kirsten Thorpe

So many discards before sending this.

Moira Moody

This is my life right here.

Kristen Gallagher

Please do not sit on me.

Richard Lawrence

rarely lives up to her name.

Grace Ambrose

finding a way without being sorry.

Blair Borish

I stole codes reversed, ocelots. I!

Nick Montfort

I am not so easily summarized

Kayl Cecchini

At least friendships don't require visas

Janine Catalano

Brighter light makes the shadow darker.

Cindia Huang

Make lemonade when life presents them

Lyneisha Dickenson

the hits just keep on coming

Erin Gautsche

i'm not so good at following rules

Adrian Khacthu

life's an itch I can't scratch

Caitlin Hennessy

What the hell is going on?

Daniel Melamed

Never give up the struggle.

Irving Jones

I still do not regret anything.

Katie Antonsson

Yes, I have made maple syrup.

Kristen Pearson

Whats The Worst That Could Happen?

Mike VanHelder

Too many impulses, too little caffeine

Dani Blum

I must finally complete my Pokédex.

Amanda Silberling

is it love or spinal meningitis

Kimberly Lu

Be impressed, I stayed my hand.

Justin Purnell-Anglin

Always happiest with the bare minimum.

Maya Levine

Danny Snelson

One box of tissues wasn't enough.

Neha J.

Please, Time, I am not ready.

Valentina Raman

Start Faster Faster Slower Slower Stop

Chris Rippel

When will I figure it out?

Chris Rippel

If it's easy, am I missing something?

Chris Rippel

A decision was made, I complied.

Lucy Dematti

What you define as love, isn’t.

Marjorie Maine

Too happy, suicidal on the inside

Anonymous

My life, lived inside my head.

M. Mazloumian

What to do with word seven.

John Meo

I am this now and always.

Anita Avent

Talking without action is just complaining

Kevin Wold

Bathed dead baby while parents wept.

Kathleen Tillman RN

Teachers eating misery. Misery eating students.

Cristóbal Tabilo

Too much vanilla, not enough chocolate.

Nina Maruca

So young, and yet so damaged.

Shane Sovik

Aorta tears again and again. Reflection.

Joe Pergola

live a little, love a lot

Katie French

Afraid to write the wrong poems.

Syra Ortiz-Blanes

Kid gets magic set, pursues dream.

Gerry Katzman

new language. consulting the urban dictionary.

Ken Olson

Love, pray, wait on God's time.

Kelly Bonnickson

I never believed this would happen.

Kailey Zitaner

Still searching for that silver lining.

H.A. Nima

For sale: Wait…no I’m not!

Michele Parker Randall

Wings on feet, story in hand.

Gionni Ponce

Saved by grace, free at last.

Angela Vertucci

Dorms are weird(er) in your thirties.

Jamie-Lee Josselyn

Woof, woof! I live in Hill!

Primo

Left to seal my bastion fate

Maxwell Bolno

Oh, shit. Where are my keys?

Patricia Mary

Let go of it--it's gone.

Patricia Mary

Words were everything. Words fall apart.

Patricia Mary

Pulled between past, present, and future.

Alexandra Bousquet

That evening the sun didn't set.

Zoe Stoller

Always the bridesmaid, never the bride.

OR

Not much has changed since then.

Santiago Cortes

Maybe art school was a mistake.

Holiday Campanella

Each year balder than the last.

Donald Antenen

this is just another story! cheers!

Pablo Abrante

Up and showered, God bless steroids!!

Deirdre McCarthy

Someday soon recognizing that inaction decides.

Lauren Shapiro

Worst of all, it goes on.

Steph Barron

Wait, where did the weekend go?

Jamie Seah

Searching for profound moments of pleasure.

Montana Buss

This time, I actually hit send.

Naomi Tsai

Keep up the fight! Never qui

David Poplar

scary men become boys - superbowl champs

Ken Olson

Often, it's not what it seems.

Pallavi Wakharkar

Robin, Dylan & Poetry make me joyful.

Eric Alan Weinstein

Peer pressure made me do it

Marlene Vargas

Oh is it really time to

Bob Perelman

Used Britta, still get stomach aches

Adam Shapiro

handshakes are good, hugs are better

Sammy Krouse

Have yet to figure it out!

Cami Potter

Fighting to resist the seventh word...unsuccessfully.

Julia Levitan

The cold never bothered me anyway.

Nathaniel McLeod

Alone, stiller than a swallowed breath.

Kaitlin Moore

Blueprint as a tangle of vines.

Gina DeCagna

Please pay in coffee, chocolate, books.

Andie Davidson

Have yet to figure it out!

Cami Potter

the cucumber is full of pearls

Leah Baxter

growing up failed expectations. stay young

Harry Thu

I am not defined by words.

Sarah Di Fede

Old soul, young spirit, hopeful heart.

Sarah Di Fede

Beats by Dre, Capital by Marx

Max Karpinski

Survived dog attack, Beatlemania and egomania.

Catherine Palmer

Transfigurations all days, only for fun.

Gerardo Manuel Padrón Ortiz

You can, you can't, you can.

Georgia Renouf

Giving killing loving educated believed succeeded.

Selema Molopa

Dream it. Believe it. Build it.

Anthony LaFlamme

Plenty diapers, smiles, hugs, and kisses.

Megan Coleman, Teen Mom​

Too much life. Too few words.

Mr. Phil

Now only no past no future

Maude Bigelow

He forgot the coffee, she imploded.

Sashi Grayndler

The egg, the sperm, and then...

Larry Hoover

Explore the world, discover true beauty.

Halee McDonald

ONLY POOR COOKS CAN BE EATEN.

Volodymyr Knyr

Brother to guilt, lover of freedom

Elliott Walker

I don't think I understand Greek.

Elliott Glynn

Small dog; silent, mighty, deadly, farts.

Gabriela Valinho

Leave it not, Life is divine

Dr.EZHUMATTOOR RAJARAJAVARMA

Reality became a really sick joke.

Olivia Steber

Let's hope it's just a dream.

Kat Mason

I accidentally fed the dog twice.

Ashlyn Dixon

In the center of it all.

Malia Jeffers

Education: formal, informal, advance up ladder.

Doris Knibbs Stienstra

Boy, girl, marriage, honeymoon, pregnancy, miscarriage.

Darrell Davis

My beer tastes like saw dust.

Will Wright

Devasted daughter wanted pancakes, not waffles.

Jen Mayberry

Together,
we can make change
NOW.

Martha Wessell

Be ultimately stronger than your excuses.

Omar Obaidullah

Some dreams suffer a slow death.

Danette Mitchell

Karma, it will get you everytime

Alivia Lozano

"I know. You were the one."

Damiana Andonova

People like to push my buttons.

Kevin B. Saunders

The waterproof mascara was a lie.

Tianyi Huang

Is this insomnia or God's will?

Victoria Llanos

Rhythm and poetry defeats all genres.

Jynaiya Grizzle

Crying under a table in Commons

Peter LaBerge

She moves, but is she alive?

Emily French

Is God on a lunch break?

Kristen St Louis

Unknown heroes rising to new heights!

Valerie Krentz

Lawn Roller Skating: a bad idea.

Tara K. Torme

There is an imposter among us

Mohamed Ayy

live, love, learn, repeat the cycle

Jeanette P. Miller

Couldn’t cope; in recovery from addiction

Tegan Moss James

Her heart and mind never agree.

Lilinoe Sheridan

Open heart prickles with unmet expectations.

Lucy Garrick

Realizing I deserved better changed everything.

Zoe M.

Loss, Struggle, Acceptance, Relapse, Weakness, Death

Alex Knebel

They don't know I'm the alpha.

Avery Lolar

living with a literally blind brain

Soumya Madhurampulliyil

Sleep is lost in one’s thought

Joseph Sandoval

My life? A study in contrasts.

Minda Lane