What is the Memoir Project?
A personal and family history set within the broader arc of American life
The Memoir Project is a long-form exploration of personal and family history, set against the broader arc of American life in the postwar era. Told through a series of interconnected vignettes, it weaves memory, oral history, genealogical records, and historical research to examine how individual lives unfold within larger social, political, and cultural currents. This project is written incrementally and composed over time, allowing reflection, revision, and context to shape the narrative as it develops. Its purpose is both intimate and outward-looking: to preserve a lived history for future generations of one family, and to offer a small, human-scale lens on the American story itself.
I’ve considered reviving my blog and writing a personal history for my family—for at least one particular period of my life—for some time. But the two dominant stories of 2025 have finally convinced me the time to start is now: the first year of Trump 2.0, and the ubiquitous emergence of AI.
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and disoriented when every week brings a dozen head-spinning announcements, pronouncements, and dire events courtesy of the government. At the root of many, if not most, is the blatant intention to erase and rewrite our national history and constitution—both literally (removing plaques honoring contributions by people of color; forced deportations; even the White House East Wing) and metaphorically.
I see the Memoir Project as a contribution to the widespread effort to preserve our memories and records of the America that spent 250 years striving to live up to its founding documents.
As for AI, I unexpectedly became interested in it after listening to a podcast, “What Could Go Wrong?”, this past summer. Scott Z. Burns, the screenwriter of “Contagion,” describes how he and director Steven Soderbergh discussed making a sequel to the 2011 film. They decided to use AI chatbots to come up with ideas for a sequel and to develop the plot, treatment, and even a pitch to virtual movie executives. (I’ll discuss this in more detail in my AI Log.)
Including AI as a resource for this project gives me a testing ground to learn about the technology—something I enjoy. My first few research and writing trials were exciting, both in terms of the results and the time saved.
On the other hand, I’ve already found plenty of downsides to this new partner. Fine, I thought. I can get the memoir done, and at the same time, keep notes and publish a concurrent log to report on the good and bad, the authentic and the inauthentic. I hope you’ll find this interesting—and maybe even fun—to follow.