Class Description
A 10-week workshop for writers who are seriously engaged in writing a book-length memoir and want to improve their craft. We will focus on helping you find a unique angle, effective structure, and distinctive voice for your memoir. Each week we'll look at exemplary readings and discuss theme development, traditional vs non-traditional structures, characterization, scene vs. summary, time and pacing, narrative arc, outside research, and the real-world consequences and ethical considerations of writing and publishing true-to-life stories. Memoirists and essayists we'll study include, but are not limited to: Jeannette Walls, Cheryl Strayed, Malcolm X and Alex Haley, and Tara Westover. You have three opportunities to workshop material from your memoir over the 10 weeks, and will receive feedback from both your classmates and the instructor. Equally important, each week you are expected to read and critique three workshop submissions from your fellow students. While new writing is encouraged, interested writers should also take this as an opportunity to revise and work through problems with an existing manuscript.
Important dates:
The application deadline for this class has now passed. Applications submitted after Wednesday, January 10th, will not be reviewed and will not receive a response. The payment deadline for admitted students is Wednesday, January 17th.
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!