Class Description
Writing the first draft of your memoir can be daunting. Determining its scope, narrative voice, and perhaps the most challenging of all, figuring out how to handle time, are no easy tasks. But guidance in a group setting of peers facing similar questions can help. This class will tackle these big-picture issues and ultimately help you find your book structure and refine your story.
Rather than a traditional workshop-focused class, this class allows students to take turns sharing brief seven-page excerpts, which we will workshop in class "on the fly." (I will ask you to read these excerpts a day or two before we discuss them in class.) We'll discuss each writer's work, and then you'll send brief written comments to each writer after class.
In the remaining time, you will participate in some in-class exercises, and we'll discuss craft issues such as writing scenes vs. exposition, the place for reflection and supposition in memoir, developing character, and "truth" and memory as it relates to recovering and recreating the past. We will also examine some exemplary memoirs and personal essays, including work by such authors as: Edwidge Danticat, Carlos Eire, Tara Westover, Tova Mirvis, Sherman Alexie, George Hodgman, and others.
Your primary work outside of class is continuing to write, with the goal of each student writing 5 new pages or revising 10 pages each week, and developing a solid outline of your memoir in progress. During the course, writers may hand in an additional 6 pages of their work to receive critique from the instructor for added feedback.
Designed for writers with some knowledge of the craft of memoir writing who have either: (a) begun at least three chapters of a full-length memoir or (b) begun at least three essays of a connected series of personal essays. Please come to the first class with a copy of "an elevator pitch" for your memoir (a compelling title and 150-word blurb that summarizes and encapsulates your work) or the first page of your memoir/essay collection.
Writing Roadmap: We've created a simple, goal-based writing roadmap to help you find the perfect GrubStreet course for your writing needs.
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. After registering, a yellow Resources tab will appear in this section containing a link to join class. Please note that you will need to be logged into view the Resources tab.
Zoom Participation:
In our experience, the intimate nature of a writing workshop benefits from on-camera participation. Students are of course welcome to turn their camera off whenever they need to, but it is a community norm for cameras to be on most of the time. You can learn more about using Zoom here.
Zoom Accessibility:
You can enable closed captioning at any time during the meeting by clicking the CC button at the bottom of the screen. If you'd like to access the transcript after class, please make sure to let your instructor ahead of time that you'd like a copy.