Modern Memoirs Blog — Modern Memoirs, Inc. (est. 1994)

Megan St. Marie

When in Rome, Find Time to Write!

A blog post by
Publishing Intern Lily Fitzgerald

Lily in a gondola along the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy

During my winter break from classes at UMass-Amherst, I had the amazing opportunity to go to Italy with a program led by my business school. For two weeks, thirty other students and I would travel to five cities to learn about international business and how different industries adapt to cultural challenges and globalization. I thought the trip would be both an educational experience and a vacation from my usual work, but my creative writing professor had other ideas. 

In addition to my business studies, I am currently working on a horror anthology as part of my honors thesis in Creative Writing. On the last day of class in the fall 2024 semester, my creative writing professor pulled me aside. He said he believed I would have a better start to the next semester if I had some writing ready to be workshopped by the first or second week of classes. He told me I should “not stop conversing with my characters” and advised me to focus on my writing throughout the break.

“My creative writing professor pulled me aside. He told me I should ‘not stop conversing with my characters’ and advised me to focus on my writing throughout the break.”

Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, Italy

I agreed and took his advice seriously. I planned to dedicate an hour each day to writing throughout the break, including during my time in Italy. At first, my plan worked out well. I had little disruption to my life and slipped writing time in between spending time with family, celebrating Christmas, and catching up with friends. While packing my journal and pens into my backpack, I felt confident that I could keep up with my commitment to writing while traveling. 

I realized how naïve I was on the first day of my trip. Due to layovers and delays, it took over twelve hours to get to Italy. By the time I arrived in Rome, I hadn’t slept in over 48 hours and couldn’t even look at my journal. All I wanted was to lie down on my hotel bed and see the inside of my eyelids.

Crypt inside the Opera della Metropolitana in Siena, Italy

The next two days were no easier, as I was exhausted from the time change and from exploring Rome. After running around between historic sites, business meetings, and group dinners all day, I would go back to my hotel room and pass out in bed. In fact, I completely forgot about my writing commitment until I was repacking my bag to go to the next city on our itinerary, and I saw my journal at the bottom of my backpack. I was disappointed in myself. Realizing the fast pace I was keeping in Italy was not going to get easier, I made a plan to keep up with my writing. 

First, I adjusted my expectations. There was no way my schedule would allow me an uninterrupted hour every day to dedicate to writing, so I lowered my quota to at least twenty minutes a day. This made my daily writing goal less daunting on days when I was especially tired. 

Second, I looked for more opportunities to write instead of waiting until I was back in my hotel room at the end of the day. I took advantage of time while traveling between cities on the bus, and I also bowed out of some optional, touristy activities that weren’t of interest to me. These breaks gave me the chance to write in my hotel room and also benefitted my overall health and wellbeing during the trip. 

And third, I realized just how beneficial writing while traveling was to my craft. I found inspiration for setting descriptions and other elements of my stories in the gothic architecture of churches I visited, for example, and the many new experiences I had and sights I saw inspired me with writing ideas outside of my thesis. I returned to UMass for the spring semester with a completed short story that I was able to workshop with my class. Although my draft still needs some work, it was a good starting point for the semester.

Even though I did get off track with my writing goals at the start of my trip to Italy, the experience of reorienting myself ended up helping both my craft and my practice. The lesson I learned is: don’t get discouraged, and always find time to write. No matter where I am, I know that life will throw distractions and challenges my way, and learning how to adapt as I prioritize writing will only make me better at what I love.

Lily atop the panorama at the Siena Cathedral in Siena, Italy

Lily Fitzgerald is publishing intern for Modern Memoirs, Inc.

Meeting My Grandparents Through Family Stories

A Blog Post by
Publishing Intern Lily Fitzgerald

Publishing Intern Lily Fitzgerald’s maternal grandparents, George and Dolores Furtado, 1979

“They would have loved you.”

My mom and I were looking at photos of my maternal grandparents, George and Dolores Furtado, when she said these words to me, her voice soft and wistful. One snapshot was taken at my aunt’s wedding, showing my grandfather, tall and tanned in a grey suit, and my grandmother in a floor-length pink dress. My mom remarked on how fashionable my grandmother was and said, “She would have loved that you sew and would have taken you shopping for clothes all the time!” She also reminisced about my grandfather’s love of cooking and said he would have prepared my favorite foods, like lobster and shrimp. “I wish you’d had the chance to meet them,” my mother said.

“They would have loved you.”

Both of my maternal grandparents died before I was born, and my grandmother didn’t live long enough to meet any of her grandchildren. She passed away in 1987 at the age of 57 from pancreatic cancer, and my grandfather died in 1993 at the age of 63 from prostate cancer. Their children miss them every day, and, in a different way, those in my generation who never met them miss them, too. With no grandparents to spoil us grandchildren, or to tell stories of the past, my sister, cousins, and I grew up with a sense of loss. But no matter how empty the spot at the head of the family may have seemed when I was growing up, my mother and her siblings helped fill the void with memories and stories that brought my grandparents nearer to us all.

My grandfather was born George Furtado in 1929 and was raised on the island of São Miguel in the Azores. His family were rabbit farmers, and he came to the United States at fifteen after his father passed away. Settling in Somerville, Massachusetts, he began working as a barber and training to be a carpenter. My grandmother was born Dolores Cravo in 1930 and was raised one town over from Somerville in Cambridge. She was the daughter of two Portuguese immigrants and grew up surrounded by the Portuguese community there. She went to technical school for design and then worked with a fashion designer in Boston, where she would plan outfits and help models get ready for fashion shows.

George and Dolores met while my grandfather was playing soccer with his friends. My grandmother and her friends were walking in the area and decided to watch the match. Family lore has it that when their eyes met it was love at first sight. They started dating, and then they got married in 1952.

My grandmother planned to continue working for the designer after getting married. Then she got pregnant within the first year of marriage, and my grandfather was drafted to serve in the Korean War. Due to his absence, my grandmother had to stay home with their first son as she waited for the day her husband would return.

George Furtado during his service in the Korean War, c. 1953

My grandfather’s army service in Korea was anything but easy. He rose in the ranks to become a sergeant and was in charge of tanks, but my family never knew much about his experiences until after he died and an uncle told them the truth at his wake. They learned that his team was captured by the enemy and held in a prisoner-of-war camp. We believe he was the only member of his squad to survive, but he never talked about his time in Korea due to what would now be called PTSD. However, he was awarded many medals for his service and was proud that he served our country.

After the war, my grandfather returned home to his wife and child and bought a three-family home in Somerville. While he worked, my grandmother stayed home with their growing family, which would eventually include six children. They sometimes struggled with money, but they always managed to scrape by, providing their children with a safe and happy life. They worked hard and found comfort and hope in their Catholic faith.

“…memories can change the way we see the world and help us understand those around us and those who came before us.”

Beyond their religion, my grandparents also found joy in the little things in life. My grandfather loved to prepare food, and especially seafood. He went fishing in Gloucester, he ate tinned sardines, and he tried to entice his children to eat escargot and clams. One of his favorite meals was a Christmas Eve dish called the Seven Fishes, which he prepared with shrimp, lobsters, crabs, tuna, clams, quahogs, and octopus. He also grew grapes in the backyard to make his own wine in the basement. Apparently, it was sometimes a bit too strong, and after sharing it with friends, they would stagger home. For her part, although my grandmother no longer worked in design after getting married, she never gave up her love of clothes and fashion. She always made sure that her children were dressed well and looked good, spending time sewing and shopping. Then, after her children grew up, she got a job as a nurse’s aide at Mount Auburn Hospital. There she worked in the labor and delivery unit, finding joy in caring for newborn babies and their mothers.

Although they left this world much too soon, my grandparents live on in family stories, proving that memories can change the way we see the world and help us understand those around us and those who came before us. The vivid memories my mom, aunts, and uncles have shared give me a clear picture of the loving, creative, and hardworking people their parents were. So now when I recall my mother saying, “I wish you’d had a chance to meet them,” I can say with thanks that in some ways, I feel as though I have.

Lily Fitzgerald is publishing intern for Modern Memoirs, Inc.

A Window into Modern Memoirs History

Time-Lapse Video and Introduction
by Publishing Intern Lily Fitzgerald

In celebration of Modern Memoirs, Inc.'s 30th anniversary, we are proud to share a window display hosted for the month of October 2024 by the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce (AACC) at 35 S. Pleasant Street in Amherst, Massachusetts. The display was created by Book Designer Nicole Miller, featuring books we have published over the past three decades by clients from across the country and around the world. Click below to view a time-lapse video showing the set-up process.

We hope that many locals and visitors to downtown Amherst have enjoyed an in-person peek into the work we love to do, and we thank the AACC for its support of our business. Peruse our website, come visit us at the Modern Memoirs offices at 417 West Street, Suite 104, Amherst, Massachusetts, or call us today at 413-253-2353 for more information about our full range of publishing services.

Window display hosted by the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce and created by Book Designer Nicole Miller in honor of Modern Memoirs’ 30th anniversary, October 2024

Heartwarming “Paper Toasts”

The 30th anniversary “Paper Toast” mailing created by Book Designer Nicole Miller and sent to past and present clients of Modern Memoirs, Inc., summer 2024

On September 27, 2024, Modern Memoirs held a dinner at the Blue Heron Restaurant in Sunderland, Massachusetts to celebrate several milestones: the 30th anniversary of our company’s founding by Kitty Axelson-Berry; the 20th anniversary of Director of Publishing Ali de Groot’s employment; and the five-year anniversary of my purchase of the business with my husband, Vice President Sean St. Marie. In anticipation of the dinner, we sent a mailing to past and current clients, inviting them to reply with a “Paper Toast” to read aloud around the table.



I saved each card as it was returned to us, waiting to share them with the staff at our dinner. Honestly, as the weeks wore on, it was sometimes very hard to keep the Paper Toasts to myself since I knew how much they would mean to everyone. When the date finally arrived, colleague Emma Solis helped me hang the dozens of cards we’d received around the dining room as impromptu party décor. Then, following my own toasts to Kitty, Ali, and the rest of the staff, we each took turns reading clients’ Paper Toasts aloud to one another.

The effect was just what I’d hoped it would be: we felt our clients’ presence with us as we fondly recalled them and their projects, and we delighted in their reflections on their publishing experiences. Some messages were short and sweet, some were long and heartfelt, and one was even written in rhymed verse! All were deeply appreciated, and with thanks to Publishing Intern Lily Fitzgerald, who retyped each one for posterity, here is a sampling of Paper Toasts to Modern Memoirs, Inc. at 30 years:

Andy Stephens and family:

To thirty years of stories told, 
of memories captured, hearts consoled.
To Kitty, who began this quest
in ’94, she gave it her best.
To Ali, with two decades strong
her passion and skill, helped everyone along
and Megan and Sean St. Marie, five years to cheer
for guiding this ship with vision so dear.
To all the staff, whose hearts and hands
have crafted books across our lands, 
memoirs, genealogies, each line and page
brims in joy and wisdom, age to age. 
Here is to the work you love to do
in the stories that bind us all, old, and new. 
May Modern Memoirs thrive and grow
with good cheer, we raise our toast.    

Hilde Wohl Adler: I chose Modern Memoirs in the first place because I read Kitty Axelson-Berry’s autobiography online and discovered she was once Kathy Lebow and a student in my seventh-grade physical education class back in West Hempstead [NY]. 

The road was smooth from the start. She helped me produce a fabulous professional looking book, The Way It Was, about my life from 0 to 10 in Nazi Germany. And then after Kitty left, Ali helped me with a very different project, I Am NOT Old Enough, about moving into a retirement community. Both Kitty and Ali gave me gentle guidance while allowing me to keep my voice. Both experiences were incredibly meaningful, productive, and fun!

“The book has been an amazing source of laughs, eye rolls, and amazing memories of a great life.”

A toast to you, Modern Memoirs on your 30th anniversary. And Ali, Megan, and Sean, on your anniversaries. I hope you have many more years of doing this wonderful work, helping writers produce amazing books.

John and Mary Jane Bower: Our experience with Kitty and Ali was magical. John was in the early stages of FTD and was losing his language abilities as a result. He now is completely unable to communicate verbally but finds great joy when we read his book aloud to him! The gift that keeps on giving!

Brooks Bradford, Jr.: Congratulations! We are so happy we had a book from my dad and the unexpected friendship created by Kitty and my dad! The book has been an amazing source of laughs, eye rolls, and amazing memories of a great life. Wishing you another amazing 30+ years. Sending big Texas love!

Ali de Groot: Congratulations! I am one of the lucky people who can say I love my job. I owe it all to Kitty for believing in me over 20 years ago. And Megan and Sean couldn’t be better at keeping the Modern Memoirs flame blazing and gathering the most caring and professional team of stars. Thank you all!

David Dearinger: I am proud and happy to have had my book published under the expert guidance of Ali, Megan, and all at M.M. A toast on your  anniversary and always. 

Mary Alice Dillman: Modern Memoirs, Inc. rests its honor with marks of distinction on this 30th anniversary in the publishing world. Celebrate Kitty upon the establishment of the company in 1994. Have all my laurels in 2012 and 2022 go to de Groot’s 20-year employment anniversary. Ali was the shining star of trust, talent, and communications. I worked with her closely. She answered my questions with patience and heart, for I was a beginner in the publishing world, and I needed help to make my copy of my autobiography more perfect. By 2022, I was more experienced. The whole crew of writers and publishers graciously supported me. Thank you.

Brian Dunsirn: Here’s to Modern Memoirs’ 30th anniversary! I began working with your company in 1999 when we created my father’s memoir, I Dunno. Twenty-five years later you helped me create my own memoir, The Sky’s the Limit. The purpose of creating my book was to allow our eight grandchildren to understand the challenges and opportunities of achieving success and happiness in life. 

The experience turned out to be more valuable for me than I had expected. The reflection on family, friends, achievements, and failures helped me to realize what is truly important in life. It also helped me focus on the future and what remains to be accomplished. 

“The reflection on family, friends, achievements, and failures helped me to realize what is truly important in life.”

It was fun working with all of you! Good luck with your future storytelling. 

Joe Garrett: Thank you for the two wonderful books!

David Gryboski: To Ali, Megan, and the entire Modern Memoirs team! In the final months of my father’s life, seeing his story (and the final galley of Me and Shakespeare) in print was a gift that brought immense joy and satisfaction to his life, and preserving his memory has meant more to me and my family than words can express. 

Congratulations on a wonderful achievement and thank you for all that you do. Cheers to another 30 years!

James A. Heffernan: I had the most excellent good fortune to work with Ali and the team on two of my books, and those were the best publishing experiences I’ve had. It seems things are going strong at Modern Memoirs, and for nothing could I be more happy and grateful. Go another 30! or 60!

Harold Hirshman: With care and passion, joy and encouragement, Kitty and Ali coaxed and cajoled and comforted, so the impossible came true—my books. 

Eileen Hultin: Congratulations to Modern Memoirs on so many anniversaries: Thirty years since the founding by Kitty Axelson-Berry, twenty years since Ali de Groot joined the company, five years since Megan and Sean St. Marie purchased the business. And...three years since I had the good fortune to hear about Modern Memoirs. 

What a happy occasion for me when I learned from Megan, after reading one of the earliest chapters, that my manuscript would be accepted. It was such an exciting experience working with Ali for the next several months, that I almost wish I could write a second life story, but sadly, I had only one to write about.

May Modern Memoirs flourish for many more years.

“I almost wish I could write a second life story, but sadly, I had only one to write about.”

Paul Jensen: A toast to all my friends at Modern Memoirs—Thank you for helping me bring my heartfelt words to parchment. It is with gratitude that I lift my glass to your continued success!! Have a wonderful time of it...

Lawrence Kohn: Best wishes on your various anniversaries. A special thanks to Ali, who worked with me on conception, and organizing, and liaison to Megan and her colleagues. The result was a fitting anniversary gift of my collected poems. This book was formally presented to me by my wife, Laurie Buchalter, in a re-wedding ceremony in our living room—Portraits: poems to mark 50 years. 

Lynda Sun Lee: Congratulations on keeping up the great legacy of Modern Memoirs started by Kitty. Wishing you all continued success and many more satisfied customers!

Marian Barrett Leibold: Congratulations on this great accomplishment. I have enjoyed my relationship with Modern Memoirs and look forward to more projects. Thank you for your commitment to the written word!

Barbara Levy: Congratulations Modern Memoirs, Inc. on your 30th anniversary! Seventeen years ago the Westport Woman’s club celebrated their 100-year anniversary with a wonderful, informative memoir, A Rare Woman’s Club. With Ali de Groot’s beautiful editing and support throughout the project, the book was published and enjoyed by its members and the Westport community. 

Our office manager continues to display the book on her desk for new members and prospective members to browse through the club’s history. Thank you Ali and the Modern Memoirs Staff.

Anna Markus: Dear, dear Kitty: you are marvelous—as a social activist, an entrepreneur, and as a friend. Thank you for all the positive energy you put into the world! Congratulations on establishing such a valuable business and for helping me get through our deeply meaningful Bat Mitzvah. 

Dear Megan and Ali, Congratulations to you for your successful new chapter of Modern Memoirs. What a marvelous job you both do! Thank you for helping me complete Delicious Air and Refuges. Neither would have been done without you. 

Lili Lunny Neuhauser: When my mother found Kitty and M.M., there was great excitement as we knew she had found the right people to help tell her story. Keep Smiling: Life on Three Continents was the fantastic result! What a gift to Liane’s family and friends. Her story continues to inspire and remind us to enjoy life, even through hardship and keep smiling!

“toasting your caring and the compassionate understanding you have for your clients, their words, and their aspirations.”

Elizabeth Pannier: Congratulations to Modern Memoirs, Inc.’s 30th anniversary.

When I recall writing and working on my mother’s remembrance book Walking Together, I am filled with the process of remembering my very dear friend, my mother, and the friendship and encouragement from Ali de Groot as she guided and directed my story. Her encouragement and clear understanding of my memoir was the best possible support to offer an elder writer. I still remember that time writing with a full heart and a sense of inner peace. Many thanks to Ali de Groot’s kindness, sensitivity, and support.

Best wishes to you all in the years ahead! May you continue to deliver many great stories and assist many other writers. 

Roland Parent: Congratulations and best wishes to all at Modern Memoirs on your 30th anniversary, and many thanks for a wonderful lifetime experience, the publication of my Sentimental Voyage: A Maritime Memoir in 2021. 

Joyce B. Phillips: Congratulations on the 30th anniversary of Modern Memoirs! Happy 20th anniversary to Ali! Best wishes to Sean and Megan for their 5-year ownership of Modern Memoirs. 

I feel so privileged that Modern Memoirs published three very special books for me to share with my family. It was such a rewarding experience working with Ali starting 14 years ago when the first book, The Magic Lantern Stories, started on its road to being published by Modern Memoirs. 

Gail Reimer: I can’t let this occasion go by without toasting your caring and the compassionate understanding you have for your clients, their words, and their aspirations. Wishing you continued success in assisting women and men shape and tell their stories.

Lydia Cartwright Rosen: I am so very grateful to Modern Memoirs, Inc. for helping me to bring my memoir, Mountain Springs, into existence. Ali de Groot, especially, applied her excellent editing skills to set up the format for portraying my personal essays, photography, and collage. I have been complimented many times over my handsome book of 176 pages, which I have given to friends and family and which has sold well at local stores and museums of Gold Country near Sierra City. Kudos to Modern Memoirs, Inc. 

“Wishes come true—Modern Memoirs makes them so.”

Stephen Rostand: A group of talented professionals who assisted me to express my life by guiding me on several voyages of self-discovery that are my memoirs. Their designers worked with me to produce books that are works of art. 

Robert Singleton: Congratulations on 30 years! And thanks for the memories!

Stephen F. Snyder: Cheers!

Janet Kipp Tribus: You helped me in an incredible way, sorting through all my slides and newspaper cutouts; the history of my art! I thank you for being “on top of it” and seeing 2 books published! I’m so grateful to Ali, especially.

Elizabeth Tan Tsai and Nien-Tszr “Tom” Tsai: Wishes come true—M.M. makes them so. Their staff are so fun, like vintage wine, I’ll drink to them! 

Rud Turnbull: Two memoirs, two superb experiences with Ali and her team. I am proud to be an alumnus and I was/still am proud of the work products you all helped from the very start to the very end. 

Cheers to 30 years! Many thanks to all who sent in Paper Toasts for our dinner. And…if you would like to leave an “e-Toast,” feel free to do so in the comments below.

Megan St. Marie (left) and Liz Sonnenberg (right) finishing the dining room setup at the Blue Heron Restaurant, Sunderland, Massachusetts, with clients' Paper Toasts hanging on the window and mirror

Genealogist Liz Sonnenberg (left) reads a Paper Toast, seated next to Bookkeeper Julie Shively

L-R: Kitty Axelson-Berry, Ali de Groot, and Emma Solis, enjoying the reading of clients’ Paper Toasts

Vice President Sean St. Marie reads a Paper Toast aloud to the Modern Memoirs staff and guests, with other cards waiting to be read behind him

A Toast to Julie, Emma, Nicole, and Liz at Modern Memoirs’ 30th Anniversary

On September 27, 2024, company owners Megan and Sean St. Marie hosted a dinner at the Blue Heron Restaurant in Sunderland, Massachusetts celebrating the 30th anniversary of Modern Memoirs. The following is a toast Megan gave in honor of Bookkeeper Julie Shively, departing Publishing Associate Emma Solis, Book Designer Nicole Miller, and Genealogist Liz Sonnenberg. 

Bookkeeper Julie Shively

Just as I can’t take credit for hiring Ali, I am indebted to Kitty for hiring the wonderful Julie Shively as bookkeeper. Julie, what would I do without you? May I never find out! As I toast your scrupulous way with numbers, your encouraging spirit, and your efficient yet patient manner during our weekly tête-à-têtes, I want to thank you from the bottom of my mathematically challenged heart for helping me navigate the financial and administrative side of the business. The systems you’ve created for our accounts, and your advocacy for our success, give me clarity and confidence, and I am forever grateful.

Publishing Associate Emma Solis

I do take credit for hiring the rest of our team, most recently, Emma Solis. Emma, we are all so sad to see you go, but we will cheer you on from Amherst as you spread your wings in New York City. I speak for the rest of the team when I say how much I’ve appreciated your willingness to dive into any task, and how much I’ve enjoyed the beautiful writing you’ve shared. Please keep in touch to let us know how things are going in the Big Apple, and never hesitate to send along your latest pieces of writing. You have so much to share with the world, and I am glad we got to play a part in the very beginning of your career.

Book Designer Nicole Miller, with one of the vases gifted to the staff at Modern Memoirs' 30th anniversary dinner

Speaking of New York City, Nicole Miller, when I contacted one of your references during the hiring process he said, “She belongs in New York, so you’re lucky if you can hire her. You’re not going to find many designers with Nicole’s level of talent around here. She’s a true artist.” Over the past three years, you’ve proven him right countless times, but I’ll say that you belong right here! You are an integral member of our team, and the frequent gasps and exclamations of delight that come from our staff upon viewing each new cover design or draft layout are testament to your talents. Your patient flexibility and openness to feedback enable you to serve even our most exacting clients, and your good humor and keen marketing insights benefit us all. Thank you, thank you, for all you do.

Megan St. Marie with Genealogist Liz Sonnenberg

Last but not least is the first person I hired, Liz Sonnenberg. Kitty said it was “beshert” or meant-to-be when we began discussing the business purchase. Liz, I think our meeting was beshert, too. I thank my lucky stars that you saw Sean’s name listed as company owner on the roster of a genealogy class he didn’t end up being able to complete when you were studying at BU. We think his enrollment was fate, if only to direct you to us. You appeared like someone heaven-sent as I struggled with how to complete the genealogy portion of a client project at the time. After seeing your extraordinary freelance work on that book, I told Sean, “She is so good, I’d be a fool to let her go!” Hiring you was a time when I really listened to my heart and did what I knew was right even though it wasn’t my initial plan. Thank you for your thoughtfulness, your passion, and the meticulous eye you bring to all you do. In the words of the childhood book-of-my-heart, Anne of Green Gables, you are a “kindred spirit.” I am so fortunate that my personal history includes knowing and working with you.

Cheers to all of you, the remarkable Modern Memoirs staff!

Megan St. Marie is president of Modern Memoirs, Inc.

A Toast to Ali’s 20 Years at Modern Memoirs, Inc.

Director of Publishing Ali de Groot (center) raising her glass during toasts at the company's 30th anniversary celebration, September 2024

On September 27, 2024, company owners Megan and Sean St. Marie hosted a dinner at the Blue Heron Restaurant in Sunderland, Massachusetts celebrating the 30th anniversary of Modern Memoirs. The following is a toast Megan gave to Director of Publishing Ali de Groot, who marks her 20th year of employment with the company this year, as well.

Ali at the Modern Memoirs 30th anniversary dinner

Ali, although I hope you know every day how grateful I am to have you as Director of Publishing at Modern Memoirs, I am glad to have this day to offer formal thanks for all you’ve done and continue to do on behalf of the company. Taking inspiration from your prior career with English language learners, and with apologies for any mispronunciation, I say:

Ali looking at a statue gifted to her in honor of her 20 years of employment at Modern Memoirs

Ali's dancer statue

Gracias—and specifically, muchísimas gracias for staying! Nothing obliged you to remain with the business when Sean and I assumed ownership, and it took a tremendous amount of generosity, trust, and openness on your part to give us a chance. Your steady presence allowed us to succeed, and your passion for your work enabled us to thrive.

Merci—merci mille fois for the care and skill you bring to your work each and every day. Not only have you shared your beautiful writing with us in myriad ways, two decades have given you expertise in every phase of the publishing process. Your high standards coupled with your meticulous, organized, thoughtful manner, give me absolute faith in your abilities and in your dedication to your craft and your job.

Shukran—shukran jazilan for your downright magical way with potential clients. The strength of your relationships with former clients encourages them to return to us with new projects, and your belief in all we do translates into an extraordinary ability to recruit new writers to the business.

Ābhāra—for the sensitivity, warmth, and patience you bring to your client interactions—even when they pose challenges. It’s such a comfort to know that we can turn to each other at difficult moments, while also rejoicing in the many happy times of connection and joy that come with this work.

Murakoze—for your outstanding mentorship of your colleagues—including me. We’ve all learned so much from you, and that’s because you share your knowledge so willingly, delighting in others’ strengths and achievements, while bringing your own talents and creativity to all you do.

Xièxiè—for your warmth as a colleague and for advocating that we all take care of ourselves so that we can devote ourselves to our work in good health and good spirits.

And now, I’ll shift gears to say, Congratulations! Felicidades! Félicitations! Tahanina! Abhinandana! Twishimiye! Gōngxǐ! and a resounding Mazel Tov! on your 20 years with Modern Memoirs. Here’s to many more!

Megan St. Marie is president of Modern Memoirs, Inc.

MODERN MEMOIRS, INC.

417 West Street, Suite 104, Amherst, MA 01002

413-253-2353