by Diana Welch
This memoir began in Hettie Jones’s workshop—Liz wants to personally thank Hettie for her initial support and guidance—and it took shape in Lynda Barry’s Writing the Unthinkable workshop, at which both Diana and Liz discovered the right way to tell this story. Thank you, Lynda, for inspiring us.
We were lucky to have such fine minds read (and reread) all or portions of this book on its long journey out into the world, namely—Rebecca Bengal, Susanne Sanchez, and Karen Braziller, whose Little Red House Workshop lovingly shepherded this book to its final form. Clyde “Skip” Wachsberger, Charles Dean, LB Thompson, and Paula Mauro, we thank you for being such thoughtful and generous readers.
A huge thank-you to Cathy and Joe Zicherman, Janey Rayne, Jim and Kathy Walters, Bernie Sykes, and Mary Farley, who offered us beautiful places to write in Bedford, New York; in Greppo Corgno, Italy; in Big Sur, California; in the Outer Banks, North Carolina; and in Marfa, Texas.
Liz would like to thank Elizabeth Peyton, Jonathan Horowitz, and Rob Pruitt for cheering her along every step of the way; Nahama Broner for her guidance; Liz Subin and Birgithe Lund Henriksen for their lifelong friendships; Cathy Zicherman for being there always; and Emily Young, Genevieve Field, Christine Muhlke, T. J. Wilcox, and David Cashion for their final votes of confidence. Thank you, Gideon D’Arcangelo, for making every day feel like a gift—I love you.
Diana would like to thank Rebecca Johnson, Matt Houston, Virginia Poundstone, Justine Kurland, Sarah Rosenthal, and Morgan Coy for their support during the writing of this book. Thank you, B Chatfield, for being such a good friend then, now, and in-between. And thank you, Jesse Hartman, for making home such a radical place to be, in every sense of the word.
The Welch kids also would like to thank Karen Kayser Benson for being such a dedicated friend to our mom, and for always giving us a place to crash.
Finally, Diana and Liz would both like to thank Amanda and Dan for their honesty, bravery, and love. We are so proud to be your sisters.
about the authors
Diana Welch is a writer living in Austin, Texas, where she is a curator for the multimedia label Monofonus Press, a reporter for the Austin Chronicle, and a member of the band Storm Shelter. This is her first book.
Liz Welch is an award-winning journalist who writes regularly for Glamour, Real Simple, and Inc. Her work has also appeared in O, The Oprah Magazine, Vogue, the New York Times, and many other publications. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband. This is her first book, too.
Amanda Welch still lives on a farm in Virginia with her husband, Dennis, two horses, two dogs, and a bunch of bees. She makes a living gardening and making soaps and bath products marketed as Grubby Girl.
Dan Welch works as a location manager and scout for film and television. He lives in Brooklyn.
Visit them at www.thekidsareallrightbook.com.
To find out just how all right Amanda, Liz, Dan, and Diana are, visit them at www.TheKidsAreAllRightbook.com
WHERE YOU CAN:
—view a photo album of the people, events, and places mentioned in the book
—watch old family movies
—read their “Morgan Fairchild Killed Our Mother” blog
—see clips from Loving, The Edge of Night, Search for Tomorrow, and The Guiding Light featuring Ann Williams
—listen to The Kids Are All Right playlist of songs referenced in the book
—find out what other people mentioned in the book remember about the Welch kids and events recounted in the book
—share your own story or comments about The Kids Are All Right
Copyright © 2009 by Diana Welch and Liz Welch
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Harmony Books,
an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group,
a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
www.crownpublishing.com
Harmony Books is a registered trademark and the Harmony Books colophon
is a trademark of Random House, Inc.
All photographs are from the Welch Family Collection.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available upon request.
eISBN: 978-0-307-46254-1
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