Everybody is an expert on one thing - that's what I learned in my high school journalism class - and that's, of course, his own life. And everybody deserves to live and have his story told. And if it doesn't seem like an interesting story, then that's the failure of the listener, or the journalist who retells it badly.
Interpretation
Everyone has unique experiences and stories that are worth sharing; it's essential to listen and appreciate these narratives.
In this quote, William T. Vollmann emphasizes the idea that each individual has their own unique perspective and experiences that shape their life story. He suggests that the responsibility lies with the listener, or journalist, to recognize and convey these narratives faithfully. If a story seems uninteresting, it reflects a failure in the listener's engagement or the storyteller's ability to express it meaningfully, highlighting the importance of empathy and understanding in storytelling.
In practice
Using this quote in a workshop about personal storytelling.
There have been times when I'm writing about things that are personally embarrassing. Like any human being, sometimes I can't help but wonder - 'What are the people I know going to think about this?' So I have to remind myself that all is permissible. Art has to be a free space. Language has to be a free space.
When I'm dying, I want to think I did what I felt was best for the words I was writing. This may mean, at any time, that I won't be publishable anymore.
A lot of people would have loved me to keep singing... You come to a point where you have sung, more or less... your whole repertoire and you want to get down to the job of living.
In order to live the life we desire, and set the intention for greater happiness and more meaningful connections with others, we have to release the hold that our past has on us
I've had a very full life, and I've enjoyed it very much. I've learned a great deal and feel indebted to all the people who have worked so hard.
The measure of a life, after all, is not its duration, but its donation.
The mouth was wide open and ripped at the corners, as though she had choked a little in giving up the tremendous vitality she had stored so long.
I did everything to get food. I have stolen for food. I have jumped in huge garbage bins with maggots for food. I have befriended people in the neighborhood who I knew had mothers who cooked three meals a day for food, and I sacrificed a childhood for food and grew up in immense shame.
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