Class Description
As the great writer Joan Didion once said: “We forget all too soon the things we thought we could never forget. We forget the loves and the betrayals alike, forget what we whispered and what we screamed, forget who we were.” And that is especially important for the genre of memoir.
The driving questions of memoir are: Who have I been? Who am I? How did my past shape me? Can I remember all the details? Sometimes I can't. Sometimes memoir is the genre of oblivion…. But what we can’t remember opens up the possibility of exploring options, myths, imaginations, rumors to build narrative. You can play with that. It is the possibility of introducing “fiction” into non-fiction.
In this fun, intensive two-part workshop, writers will look at model memoirs, including pieces by, but not limited to Mary Karr, Beth Kephart, Gay Talese, Anne Boyer, Joan Didion, David Carr, Beth Ann Fennelly, Ta-Nehisi Coates and Cristina Rivera Garza. Writers will learn their techniques to hunt for blurred memories. And will hunt for their own. The only rule of truth is, be honest.
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. Please visit the Resources tab to access the video-conference link.
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!