Hi, my name is Phyllis (“Phly”) Oscar. We Were That Family: Confronting A Murderous Legacy is my memoir-in-progress about my childhood family. It’s a story of violence, despair, occasional humor (it’s not *all* dark…) and my route, eventually, to want to live.

In this website under “Writing,” I include an excerpt from “No Exceptions,” a story about one of the central events of my early life blended with my classmates’ reactions. Under “Blog,” are two recordings of me reading from the memoir – the “No Exceptions” excerpt and “The Viewing,” about one of my other major early life events.

I grew up in the western suburbs of Philadelphia, “The Main Line,” where the events of this memoir occurred. I’ve traveled all over the world for adventure and perspective. I now live in San Francisco.

I earned an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from Mills College in Oakland, California in 2017. To sustain my writing life, I also practice law part time as a Estate Planning & Probate attorney.

Please explore my website and let me know what you think:

poscar@alumnae.mills.edu