Lynn A. Cunningham

Feb 12, 2024 | memoirland.substack.com | Abdelrahman ElGendy |Natasha Varner |Camille Dungy |Lynn A. Cunningham

Welcome to Memoir Land—a newsletter edited by , now featuring four verticals:Memoir Monday, a weekly curation of the best personal essays from around the web brought to you by Narratively, The Rumpus,  Granta, Guernica, Oldster Magazine, Literary Hub, Orion Magazine, The Walrus, and Electric Literature. Below is this week’s curation. First Person Singular, featuring original personal essays. Recently I published “War Creates Many Orphans” by and guest edited by . A new essay is coming soon.

Feb 12, 2024 | thewalrus.ca | Lynn A. Cunningham

In an early scene in 1974’s Murder on the Orient Express, the characters sweep through the Istanbul station toward the storied sleeper. The platform at Toronto’s Union Station isn’t quite as vibrant this early May morning—there’s no sense of being in a teeming bazaar, no provisions being inspected by a chef at the dining car, not one goat—but there’s still an air of anticipation as we embark on the Canadian. The gleaming stainless steel cars and the signature domes hint at the adventure ahead.