My History of Memorization
Around 1980, I went to South Junior High School in Nampa, Idaho. Somehow I conceived the idea of memorizing an essay by Woody Allen, “My Speech to the Graduates.” I do hope my drama teacher was pleased when I asked if I could recite it to the class. She agreed, and thus began a lifetime practice of memorizing things.
It’s not that I accumulated a storehouse of memorized pieces. It was sporadic, and after I had completely forgotten one, I would start on another. And it wasn’t necessarily for an audience. It was an activity that somehow gave relief, an exercise that was satisfying and possibly beneficial.
And the texts haven’t been religious, except for this one and the one before it. I was an audio engineer at a Krishna temple before returning to Catholicism. While at the temple, I became very interested in their scriptures, and this led to memorizing the story of Prahlada Maharaja, and his father Hiranyakashipu. It was the longest text I had ever memorized, spoken in one hour and six minutes. The only time I recited it for another person was with a friend on a drive to see a white buffalo born in Wisconsin.
When I returned to Catholicism, I read the entire Bible, with an idea that I might memorize something from it. It seemed logical to focus on one of the Gospels, and Luke somehow seemed most appropriate. But I didn’t realize how long this Gospel is. Only a third of the way in, it was clocking at over an hour. I thought it best not to memorize further, at least for now.
The Gospel of Luke is memorized, up to chapter 9, verse 50. This is a transition point to what is called “Luke’s Travel Narrative,” where Jesus determines to go to Jerusalem. The run time is about an hour and fifteen minutes.
Having spent some years at the Krishna temple, in an Indian culture, I saw appreciation for feats of memory, with Vedic chanting proclaimed a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. (UNSESCO, 2026, Tradition of Vedic chanting, https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/tradition-of-vedic-chanting-00062).
Perhaps this effort of mine can find a place within that milieu, but it seems best to first focus on this small thing I have memorized, find a place for it in the world, and then think about its growth.
This recitation of the Gospel of Luke is my senior project at Boise State University. In the class, Preparation for Senior Project, I received the go-ahead for this work. But a challenge is to find a venue where it is appropriate and appreciated.
The first difficulties have arisen with finding the first venue. It has yet to be performed publicly … stay tuned.
But any worthwhile project will have its challenges, and more are expected. If I can focus on the goals of my senior project, and be unflagging in the search for venues, things should work out. This Substack will document this effort.
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