Memoirs, Ink

 

Public Speaking

Felice Austin is the president of Memoirs Ink, an innovative personal history service that creates and preserves family legacies. Ms. Austin has been a professional writer for more than ten years. Prior to founding Memoirs Ink, she studied in New York, Utah, and Los Angeles with notable poets and writers, like Denver Butson, Leslie Norris, Amy Friedman, Les Plesko and others. Her work has been published and anthologized in publications such as The Christian Science Monitor, Personal Journaling Magazine, Simple Scrapbooks, netauthor.org and many others. Her monthly column “Cartoon Physics” published at MadasHellClub.net has been reviewed as: “absolutely beautiful…makes me want to hope and cry at the same time.” --Dennis Danziger, publisher.

Ms. Austin has also been the featured poet at poetry venues in Los Angeles. Though she refuses to call herself a poet, her poems have also been recognized and anthologized. As senior writer for Memoirs Ink, Ms. Austin has written or had a hand in dozens of full length memoirs and biographies for private clients. 

In the name of her calling, Ms. Austin has spent several weeks on a sheep ranch in Montana, birthing and sheering lambs; eavesdropped on surfers, musicians, homeless—anyone speaking loud enough; hitchhiked along the PCH; and posed as a Russian.

Her work on the sheep ranch was a finalist for the Lange-Taylor Prize from the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University.

As a biographer and memoirist she has spent years walking around in other people’s lives. She calculates that she is now 764 years old, has lived through world numerous wars, heartbreak, felt the breeze on every continent, swam in every ocean and sea, built a space shuttle, sold Amway, won square dancing competitions, golf competitions, survived Tuberculosis, survived Polio, and even won a baby beauty pageant. She is deeply grateful to the people who have shared their life stories with her.

Raised in a small beach town north of Los Angeles, Ms. Austin enjoys camping, surfing and swimming in the ocean, yoga, watching and making documentaries, reading, and of course, writing. She is the mother to a beautiful little girl, and believes motherhood is the supreme calling.

Ms. Austin is available to speak to businesses, civic organizations and student groups on many topics including:

• How Things Were, How Things Are, How Things Can Be: How Understanding Your Family Legacy Can Improve Your Future
• How to Raise Children with High Self Esteem: Why the Intergenerational Connection Matters
• Discovering your Mission: Getting Through the Quarter-life Crisis
• History with a Small “h”: The Little Stories That Make a Big Difference

 

References:

 

“It was a delight to have Felice Austin speak at our event! Many of us were quite impressed by her strong stage presence and were pleased to see that she was a very dynamic speaker. She was also very friendly and approachable, she interacted with many of the students and even offered helpful advice to the aspiring young writers. We would love to have her back at another event, this was definitely a great experience!”
---Rossely Amarante (Sigma Tau Delta President - UCLA)

 

"Dear Felice,

Thank you for your interesting and educational presentation to the Rotary Club of Santa Monica.  Your subject was certainly thought provoking for most of us, and something we don't usually think about until it's too late.  Your presentation was well prepared, articulate and really informative.  I'm glad you enjoyed your visit with our club, we are an especially fun group.  We'd love to have you join us anytime you'd like to visit.  Please feel free to use me as a recommendation for other speaking engagements.

In service,

Tish"  (Program Chair- Santa Monica Rotary Club)

 

“Felice Austin spoke at our event on a few hours notice and gave a brilliant, motivating, incandescent speech. Everyone should hear her speak about this subject.”

 - Linda Black, President Elect, Culver City Rotary Club

 

If you have a comment or testimonial about Ms. Austin’s public speaking, please email it to jill @ memoirsink.com.