Support Pamela's Memoir!

Hi, I’m Pamela Powell, and I’ve been working on a memoir on and off for ten years. Five years ago, I took a DNA test and discovered that the man I thought was my father was not. I did not know I had any Jewish heritage on either side of my family, and I discovered that my biological father was Jewish. So, the life story I had been laboring over suddenly took a turn I could never have imagined.

I began working on a major revision, a complete re-look at everything about my life. A different father? A Jewish father? A hidden father? A secret my mother never told? My hidden Jewish heritage, what was spoken and unspoken in my childhood and growing-up years, the themes of abandonment, sexual abuse, hunger for intimacy and connection, loss of memory, and the lost stories of my ancestors have all contributed to intergenerational trauma within my family, on both sides.

I have been invited to participate in Under the Volcano’s three-week writing workshop led by the brilliant Elizabeth Rosner, but I do not have the funds to attend. January would be a perfect time to engage with this community of poets, fiction writers, journalists and essayists to shape and order my memoir, incorporating the revelation that so recently transformed my understanding of my life. I’m excited to invite you to support my work by contributing whatever amount feels right to you. As a member of my community of friends and family, I would like you to be part of this, the most important writing project of my life.

As many of you know, I wrote a novel for young people called The Turtle Watchers that was published by Viking/Penguin, and I have been leading writing groups for various constituencies since 1992. I have already written more than enough material—800 pages worth—for my memoir. The main task that lies before me is structuring and editing the narrative.

The three-week residency in Mexico would be an ideal environment to make significant headway on this task. The money you contribute will pay for transportation, the workshop, housing, and food. Under the Volcano is a non-profit organization that brings together writers from around the globe. To learn more about their programs: https://underthevolcano.org