Class Description
The art and craft of writing memoir is full of pitfalls. In this workshop, we'll examine some of the memoirist's unique challenges, such as: how to create a character out of oneself; how to create characters out of loved ones; how to keep your memoir separate from the sort of emotional work best done in a therapist’s office; how to handle issues of shaping, structure, chronology, and plot when your material is “real life”; how to negotiate the fine line between fabrication, or lying, and writing an honest but engaging nonfiction narrative; how to prevent your memoir from turning into a "me-moir"; how to provide anonymity to certain characters or events as needed; and, perhaps most important of all, how to cultivate an attitude of mature retrospection that's capable of transforming personal memory and experience into a rewarding narrative journey for your readers. This one-day intensive will include an overview of useful terms and concepts in memoir-writing, in-class readings (of both memoirs and texts about writing memoir), discussion, and in-class exercises designed to illuminate potential solutions to some of your own memoir-writing challenges. Please bring a brief synopsis (up to 300 words) of your memoir project, which may be either in progress or in the planning/exploration stage.
Thanks to the excellent literary citizenship of our donors, scholarships are available for all GrubStreet classes. To apply, click the gray "APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP" button. In order to be considered for a scholarship, you must complete your application at least one week before the start date of a class. Please await our scholarship committee's decision before registering for the class. We cannot hold spots in classes, so the sooner you apply, the better. Scholarships cannot be applied retroactively.
For more detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.
This class will take place using Zoom videoconferencing. About 15 minutes before your class is scheduled to begin, you'll receive an email from your instructor with a link to join the class meeting!
Zoom Participation:
Students are not required to turn their camera on, but are encouraged to participate any way they feel comfortable through functions such as the live chat, emoji reactions, and unmuting the microphone. Learn more about using Zoom here.
Zoom Accessibility:
We ask that instructors enable closed captioning and send a transcript of the session after class. You can also enable closed captioning at any time during the meeting. If your instructor forgets to send the transcript, just send ’em an email!