At “Write For You Life” Stories, Kathy Evans and her daughter, Grace, transform the stories of people’s lives, families, and businesses into beautifully bound memoirs. We sat down with this Kirkwood-based team to discuss the unique magic of their family partnership.
Q. Describe the evolution of your business.
Kathy: I started off as an occupational therapist. I always loved listening to my patients’ stories, so when I heard the idea of writing life stories as a way of passing down intangible legacy, I thought, “That’s what I’m going to do for the rest of my life.” The company has grown and evolved in the last twenty-five years, but our mission remains the same: We believe everybody has a story worth telling.
Grace: I began my career as a high school English teacher. I helped with Write for You over the summers and really connected with the work. I love learning what it was like to grow up in St. Louis in the 1960s or on a mountain in Myanmar in the 1930s. I love digging through old newspaper archives, especially when we get to uncover details a family has never heard before. I came on board full-time in 2019.
Q: How do your different perspectives improve the memoirs?
Grace: Editing high school papers was a helpful experience for ghostwriting memoirs. Both involve showcasing someone else’s voice while polishing up the rough edges for print. Coming from different generations, my mother better understands what elder generations want to say, while I better understand how younger generations are going to hear it.
Kathy: We have both learned to listen deeply. The best compliment we receive from our clients’ families is that the book “sounds” like their loved one.
Q: What is the most rewarding part of working together?
Kathy: Grace is the best thing that has ever happened to my business. There's a lovely synchronicity to being a family business writing family stories.
Grace: Working with my mother means I have a very understanding boss, and one who knows exactly what I’m capable of and expects nothing less. And it’s fun to talk to each other every day!
For more information, visit writeforyoustl.com.