Mission
To share true life stories so that they might endure as a legacy for our family and for future generations.
History
The authors featured in The Memoir Podcast began as a group of retired professors who live in the Davis community and enrolled in a memoirs writing class through UC Davis Extension/OLLI. The quality of their stories was exceedingly high, especially after the stories were read aloud and discussed in class. We discovered that reading and sharing our stories was truly entertaining and we sought to share that experience with a bigger audience.
Today, the Olli Memoirs Class is offered on zoom and memoirists are no longer found exclusively in Davis. But they all meet the high bar of having studied and practiced memoir with memoir teacher, Kit Kirkpatrick, or that equivalent in other classes.
Meet the Hosts
Kit Kirkpatrick
“Everyone has a story,” says memoir teacher, Kit Kirkpatrick. “Telling our truth heals us, makes meaning of life’s journey, and can inspire others.”
Kirkpatrick is a Certified Memoirist, having completed the “Writing Down the Soul” program at The Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara, CA. Prior to teaching memoir, Kit earned a living as a commercial writer. She owned and operated a Sacramento public relations agency where she produced feature stories, brochures, news releases and special events on behalf of her clients. In addition, she was editor and publisher of California Restaurateur Magazine, circ 40,000. She also edited Sports Club Calendar Magazine and various inhouse and marketing newsletters. Kit anticipates that her own memoir, Guatemalan Gringa, will be out next year.
Michael Russell
Michael is a stage, screen, and voice actor who made a bold leap from the corporate world to the arts. Formerly an executive at California’s largest commercial bakery, he began his entertainment journey after landing a role in Kiss Me, Kate—and never looked back.
A proud descendant of Hollywood royalty, Michael’s grandmother was silent film star Vola Vale, his uncle William Russell a director/producer of the ’30s–’50s, and his aunt Virginia Bruce a beloved film star of the ’40s and ’50s.
Now based in Washington, Michael focuses on voiceover work, where his dynamic storytelling and expressive voice bring every project to life.