EXCERPT: “The front page is a peculiar product at once permanent and ephemeral. Nothing is as old as yesterday’s news, and nothing lasts longer in a reader’s memory or a reporter’s portfolio than front-page news. The type of news delivered in print today is dramatically different from that available even as recently as the start of the twenty-first century. The newspaper has become a portal for a stylized slow dance of information, not for the quick bursts of digests and info-nuggets a reader can get more quickly online or from broadcast. “Stories in newsprint have shifted into a more deliberate choreography of information, reaction, and participation. They are everyman stories.”  More at: everymannews.com

Praise for Michele Weldon and Everyman News
“A compelling read, a thoughtful examination of a brief and dynamic period of change in American newspapers.”
— Frederick Blevens, co-author of Twilight of Press Freedom: The Rise of People’s Journalism

“Weldon starts with a seemingly narrow, though important, issue about the front page, but she quickly ranges broadly and deeply into the democratization of news and journalism. “Everyman” thoughtfully explores reader-contributed content, changing tone and content of mainstream journalism, narrative writing and even “narrative therapy”—and ends up at the frontier between citizen and community.”
— Frank Denton, Vice President for Journalism, Morris Communications

“Michele Weldon argues that newspapers since 2001 have become ‘story papers.’ She tracks the significant changes in front pages, showing how personal stories—stories about everyday people—now dominate Page One. Her book is intimate, it’s readable and it’s convincing. And it may give you hope for the future of newspaper journalism.”
— Peggy Kuhr, Dean, School of Journalism, University of Montana

"According to Michele Weldon, newspapers aren’t dying: They’re becoming more lively. Over the past several years, newspaper editors and reporters have turned to anecdotes, average people and narrative to replace the simple report of what officials said at a press conference."
— Tom Giratikanon, North by Northwestern

EXCERPT “And before I closed my eyes, I held my breath, knowing that sanity does not hold court here. With my own eyes closed, the image of his eyes stayed before me in the darkness, like the square image of a television screen or the fading imprint of a lamp’s white-hot bulb across the inside of your eyelids when you first surrender to sleep. In my darkness, I was swimming underwater, without sound and without weight, body-less, soul-less, lost, unable to breathe or speak or remember.”

Praise for Michele Weldon and I Closed My Eyes
“Weldon has built her career by writing --sometimes in explicit detail-- about her own life... No matter what the topic she comes across as strong, funny and frank.”
Chicago magazine

“Weldon is an intelligent, self-confident, talented journalist...During a time when memoirs are the hot ticket to publication, Weldon’s is written better than most and carries a strong message.”
Booklist

“Whenever I see Weldon’s byline above a magazine or newspaper article, I know I’m in for a good read. She delivers bright, introspective pieces without being stuffy or preachy.”
Chicago Sun-Times 

A “potent and painfully honest chronicle.” 
Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“Writing has always been her refuge. Little did she know it would become her salvation.”
Pioneer Press, Oak Park, Ill. 

“...Finely honed prose (that is) uplifting and self-affirming.”
Library Journal

...Weldon “unabashedly exposes her emotions and keenly analyzes past events that add depth to her story..”
Chicago Tribune

“...A gripping, personal story.”
Publisher’s Weekly

“I Closed My Eyes is a moving memoir of one woman’s awakening.”
Cleveland Plain-Dealer 

“It is said that genuine writers, those who are born to it, don’t write because they want to, but because they have to. So it was probably inevitable that...this book would come to be.”
Wednesday Journal, Oak Park, Ill. 

“Her victim to vindication tale challenges stereotypes.”
Fargo Forum, Fargo, N.D.

“An articulate writer,...Weldon’s story is riveting... And hers is a book that needed to be written and read.”Argus Leader, Sioux Falls, S. D.

“A remarkable story..”
News Graphic, Ozaukee, Wis. 

“An award-winning journalist who wrote a book shattering an antiquated illusion...”
Pioneer Press, Evanston, Ill. 

Review of I Closed My Eyes in Spanish
http://ww.patriacultural.com.mx/CatalogoGeneral/busqueda1.cfm?Id=470

Review of I Closed My Eyes in French
http://www.sciences-culture.qc.ca/jaifermelesyeux.htm 

EXCERPT: “You need to call to your words, beckon them, listen for them, and offer them a safe place to arrive. If there is too much confusion and noise, the words inside you will retreat, like fish that see your wiggling feet in the splashing water and sense the bait is a trap.  Writing is not passive, and it doesn’t happen without you, to you, or in spite of you. When I have done writing that is raw and honest, I am exhausted and energized at the same time, the way you feel after running or walking a mile very fast. It takes energy and concentration and a commitment to the Big Idea.”

Praise for Writing to Save Your Life:
“In Writing to Save Your Life, Michele Weldon demonstrates how journaling can be used as a path to deeper intimacy with ourselves. Writing helps us to break free from the noisy internal dialog that fills our heads and provides an outlet for our repressed emotions. Even if you don’t consider yourself a writer, this book will show you how to express yourself honestly and authentically.”
--Debbie Ford, author of The Dark Side of the Light Chasers

"Writing to Save Your Life is an invitation to tell the truth. Michele Weldon rolls up her sleeves and encourages her readers to open the door, as she has, and discover the healing power of words. Written with candor, practical application and plenty of heart, this is a book for veteran and rookie alike."
---Nancy Cobb, author of In Lieu of Flowers 

“Everyone has a strong need to have a place in a narrative. With her quick wit, wonderful anecdotes and great insight, Michele Weldon shows you how to find your place.”
--Fern Schumer Chapman, author of Motherland: A Daughter’s Journey to Reclaim the Past 

“To demonstrate how writing saved her own life and how you can save your life by writing about it, Weldon has included many of her own essays. Some are witty, others are raw with heartbreaking emotion-- but all are treasures. Weldon is funny, talented and completely original.”
--Laney Katz Becker, author of Dear Stranger, Dearest Friend 

Other Reviews
http://www.starvingmind.net/detail/1568387423.htmlhttp://www.storycircle.org/BookReviews/reviews/saveyourlife.shtml
http://www.carolynconger.com/mediashelf.shtml
http://www.simplyjanet.com/html/how.html

Review of Writing to Save Your Life in German
http://www.literaturagentur.at/kreativ.htm